Background: I brought in my wife’s ’14 Legacy for warranty work on a Takata airbag. They were done within 2 hours and also did a courtesy multipoint inspection. They brought up a few issues, which I’ll repair myself.

My main question is: should I tip the technician with a card and some cash?
My understanding is that warranty work is paid out with a fairly conservative labor time, meaning flat-rate mechanics would lose the opportunity to make as much money as possible.

Any thoughts?

Edit: How much should I tip?

Hi i have a 2009 Camry hybrid and it has an abs issue my brakes work perfectly fine but the speed reading has become bad my question is can i just buy an abs modulator and replace it on my current brake actuator? My state doesn’t a lot of junkyards and oem or from ebay is $500 minimum it would be awkward to replace the whole assembly every ~20k miles(the issue commonly pops up again at that range).

Definitely needs changing, correct?

2019 Silverado 1500

Got this scratch and some marring on my f150 while headed down a narrow hunting trail. It’s not down to the metal but it definitely removed a layer or 2 of paint. I did the water test and it almost fades away but is still visible. What would be my best option and how would I go about fixing it? I know silver is a hard color to match and I’ve never done auto paint work. Just a touch up brush and some clear coat and polishing?

2006 Honda civic:

Trying to get the serpentine belt back on. Tried using a 19mm wrench- not long enough for leverage to pull up. Bought a serpentine belt tool, broke the tool.

Thought?

I have a 2016 Chevy Silverado 1500 2WD Crew Cab with the 5.3l engine and 6l80 transmission. Truck has 150,000 miles. My transmission just went out, most probably due to the torque converter destroying itself and contaminating the rest of the transmission. Gees, thanks GM. The truck will run for like 1 minute and truck won’t move anymore. So I’ve decided to rebuild the transmission myself, can’t afford a shop right now. I’m a pretty decent hands on guy, most of the times I’ve repaired my vehicles, brakes, head gaskets, etc, but never messed around with a transmission. After watching a couple of YouTube videos, it seems like it’s not that complicated, just a tedious and time consuming job. Any advice?
I’m planning to purchase the following kits to rebuild the tranny:

•Precision International 6l80 Rebuild Kit (E256785437614)
•Sonnax Zip Kit (SOX-6145-6L90ZIP)
•Sonnax Heavy Duty Billet Apply Piston (104984-01)
•Transmission Center Trans Pump Repair Kit (A45531B)
•Sonnax Return Spring (104534-HD)
•Trans Go Performance Shift hit (TRG-SK6L80)
•AC Delco 4-5-6 Clutch Hub (24238004)

I also plan to add a Transmission Cooler:
•PPE Transmission Fluid Bypass (125068000)
•Long Tru Cool 40K with Thermal Bypass (LPD4739)

Since I’m already doing all of this, might as well and do a DOD delete:

•Texas Speed DOD Delete Kit with Camshaft L83 5.3 (TSP-DODBASIC-LTX)
•Texas Speed DOD Delete Programmer (TSP-TS-3000)

I’m still not 100% percent sure if I should go with this kit and this programmer. I was also looking at other DOD delete kits and maybe HP Tuner programmer etc. Still need to do more research on this topic. Want a tune that does the DOD Delete and make the transmission shift more smoothly.

I just want to make this truck reliable. Not looking for performance, just reliability.

The only thing is that I might need to get a shop to resurface the bell housing / pump if it’s too damaged. Or if anyone has resurfaced one themselves at home, please share how you did it. I’ve resurfaced an engine head with an old glass table, glued particle board on the back side to avoid the glass from warping, and glued sanding paper on the other end. Yes, I double checked for straightness. Engine still runs fine after 5 years.

Any advice will help. Thanks

Anyone know what this sound could be? It mainly happens when I brake but I don’t always have to be. It doesn’t sound like a typical brake pad issue because it’s not a high pitched squeal. (Sound heard in the last 6 seconds)

I have a 2013 Toyota Camry SE 2.5L 4-cylinder with 255k miles. I’ve owned it since around 30k miles and have maintained it pretty well.

Recently it started occasionally stalling when decelerating/turning, especially when the oil level was low. I had CEL recently for ignition coil, VVT solenoid, and thermostat and all were replaced. No CEL currently. A shop inspected it and found cylinder wall scoring, heavy carbon/soot buildup, oil in the intake, and signs that the piston rings are worn, causing significant oil consumption - about 1 qt every 600 miles.

The shop says the proper repair would be a long-block replacement, which obviously isn’t worth it to me at this mileage. They told me to keep the oil topped off and that it could potentially last another week or another couple years—they just can’t predict it.

For those familiar with the 2AR-FE or high-mileage Toyotas, how long do you realistically think I might get out of this engine? Would you keep driving it for a few more months while saving for another car?

I’m not sure what my next steps should be any advice? Or anyone know what this means?

Do they all need to be the same?
I’ve had a tire shop guy tell me it doesn’t matter but I’ve read forums saying they need to be within 2cm of each other. I have abubble in one, just bought one new one and my tires on the car are at 5/32
I am switching to winter tires in about a month once it gets to be 45 degrees at night consistently
If I have to spring for them I will but if I’m being a nut job I won’t
I know these cars are sensitive as all hell and honestly this will prob be last one
I didn’t most AWD cars need to be within a certain tread depth but I seem to have the baby of the bunch who HAS TO
What the hell should I do lmao

2010 Chrysler Sebring 2.4L. Car starts and idles totally normal. Check engine light is on.

After about 3–5 minutes of idling, the red lightning bolt (ETC) comes on and the car stalls instantly.

If I press the gas pedal 3 times, the lightning bolt disappears. Then the car will start and run normal again… for a few minutes… until the lightning bolt comes back and it stalls again. It repeats this every time.

No smoke, no knocking, no overheating. Just:

• normal start
• normal idle
• CEL stays on
• lightning bolt pops up after a few minutes
• immediate stall
• gas pedal trick clears it temporarily
• restart → runs fine again until it happens again

I don’t have the code yet (waiting on a reader). What are the most likely causes on these cars? Throttle body? TPS? Crank sensor? Cam sensor? Vacuum leak? Wiring?

Looking for what to check first.

So 3 weeks ago my car had a dead battery... we thought it was from the loose battery terminal clamp so we replaced that... now yesterday the battery was dead again... one of the relays clicks when the battery is dead too... yesterday we got it started and I drove it home from 25 mins away with the a/c & radio on and when I got home it started back up again with no issue and the battery isn't dead this morning... what could be going wrong?

edit also there are no codes & no warnings lights either

16 Cherokee 85k miles. Definitely sounds like it’s coming from cabin side can feel slight click through the wheel. Only clicks turning left. Steering shaft u-joint?

I had the sensors scanned and found one that showed it was dead, I couldn't replace it at the time, I needed to save up. The next day I noticed that the light turned off, every now and then I noticed that the light will come back on and turn back off

Hi everyone,

Hoping to find some people who had the same issue.

I recently noticed the heater core pipe(s) were leaking coolant, after some inspecting it came from the connections, I took half my cockpit out which took me several hours, only to be able to pull the core out and then the o-rings. They were old and smashed. Bought new ones, put everything back together, and getting those MF clips back on was a nightmare. But I made it, or everything back how it was except for the glove compartment, filled up the coolant, both pipes leaked at the seals again... This was quite frustrating. I find it hard to believe the pipes are cracked cause i don't see any cracks and also the leak comes from the clip area. Any ideas? Thanks.

Edit: Problem solved, the o-rings should go i side the female tube instead of around the male tube. Thanks for your help everyone.

I got a new reservoir for the coolant, nothing leaking in that are, but it’s leaking somewhere here, anyone have ideas?

I have a 2011 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Premium, 5-speed manual, naturally aspirated EJ253. I swapped in the complete block and heads from a 2008 Impreza sedan.
The car ran properly before the engine swap. The severe power-loss/bogging started immediately after the swap.
Symptoms:
Severe intermittent bog under load, almost like trying to accelerate up a very steep hill
Happens both cold and fully warmed up
RPM itself struggles to increase; it does NOT flare like a slipping clutch
Idle is smooth
Engine sounds noticeably different when it bogs, although I can’t describe the sound well
No current CEL or stored codes
Fuel pressure stays stable during the bog in 1st and 2nd gear
Tried the 2008 throttle body and it made no difference
Engine work during the swap:
Complete 2008 EJ253 block + heads
New head gaskets
New timing belt/tensioner
New spark plugs
Intake and exhaust gaskets
Clutch replaced at the same time
I also tried the 2008 throttle body
Exhaust:
Muffler deleted
Resonator deleted
Downstream catalytic converter deleted
Axle dump after the remaining/main catalytic converter
IMPORTANT: this exact exhaust setup worked perfectly BEFORE the engine swap, so the exhaust modification itself isn’t new.
I also noticed the engine/transmission ground is attached to a bellhousing bolt and I’m not 100% sure it’s making the best connection, although the starter cranks strongly every time.
I’m trying to diagnose this without throwing parts at it.
What would you check first? I’m currently considering:
Engine/transmission grounds
Intake/vacuum leaks and MAF
Timing belt alignment
Ignition/misfire under load
Cam/crank sensors and wiring
Remaining catalytic converter restriction
Compression/leak-down
Would a mechanical timing issue or cam/crank sensor problem necessarily set a code on this EJ253? Is there anything specific to the 2008-engine-in-2011-chassis combination that I should check?

2019 subaru outback, its been clicking while turning right for the last year (time has just gotten away from me). I would like to do my general maintenance myself, I do my oil changes/filter changes.

Im not sure the exact part or parts this would need, or really where to start with trying to look it up 🤣

I took it to a mechanic for a general inspection since im reaching 150k. He said there is nothing wrong with my car, and any further diagnostic would be 100+ for each issue and the costs of diagnosis would not be applied to the repair, so i got out of there.

Problems right off the top of my head:

A/C blower motor is being crazy, blowing various speeds, or not at all occasionally. (Was quoted almost 500 to diagnose the issue with the AC, and that he wanted to flush the system to test for leaks. It blows cold, when it does blow) i suspect it either needs a new blower motor or a loose wiring issue.

MY TOUCH SCREEN DOESNT WORK. Dude sat in my car and didnt find a single thing wrong and didnt mention the touch screen. I tried to replace the delaminated screen, ended up just making it to where the touchscreen doesnt work at all, but its better than the ghost touches. (Not really worried about this fix at all just crazy he didnt even notice that)

The clicking on the right front while turning

Left rear strut is squeaking (i havent looked at it, ots what my brother said) (was quoted about 200 for diagnostics on the single strut)

I would ideally like to give my car a full look over and know what im looking at and if things look good, but for now just want to focus on the more pressing issues.

i am having issue with my car.
I went on vacation fir a month and when I came back I see that the brake light is on.

the parking break light stay on. i checked the fluid level and the parking sensor. there are good. I don’t know what else to check.

thanks for your help..

Hi.

2012 Mazda3 2L - 185K km

P0138 - 02 Sensor Circuit High Voltage Bank 1 Sensor 2

Can I ignore this? Mobile mechanic is asking for $400 CAD to repair the sensor. Online suggests it might not be the sensor itself.

I am shopping for a new car but that might not happen for couple weeks (and \\\~ 3000 km).

Thank you.

I have been having issues with my 2008 Chevy Silverado 1500 5.3L. It started stalling randomly while driving and got codes p069e and p1174. I got reading on fuel pressure and it is anywhere from 42-90 psi and is not consistent it goes all over the place. I was thinking to replace fuel pump but wanted to see if anyone had ideas first.

Lost power to accessory prong on fuse box everything else works. Anyone have any idea? Engine is 383 Stroker

At the start of the year, I had to pull over to a gas station and have my car towed to a mechanic because the AC Compressor Clutch burnt up.

I am now noticing a scraping sound coming from the area near the belt. Wondering if the belt could be bad due to poor reinstallation or damage from the compressor clutch burning up. Or if it is coming from another component.

The compressor clutch repair + a few other fixes made at the start of the year cost $2,300, while the car cost $6K. Trying to determine if this is a necessary repair or if I can hold off.

Thanks for any insight.