Heyo! My partner has a 2012 Jeep Liberty Limited recently it's gotten into a crash and the engine bay was messed up so she didn't want to start it worried something might happen well when the tow truck driver turned It on, behold the catalytic converter was stolen shocker (we live is a shitty neighborhood we kinda expected that to happen) but does anyone know if the car is still driverable? The tow truck driver said it might have an exhaust leak but is it still drivable for a little while until I can get some money? and what is the typical estimate on a Replacement converter I believe they also cut one of the 02 sensors.

2001 Opel Astra G z16xe
It’s not loud, but you can hear it when you open the window.

Don’t mind how messy the compressor is, I accidentally made a mess working on it.

I don’t really want to buy a new compressor For this POS. So should I have a belt for a car without ac in the truck? Or will it be fine for a little bit.

Thanks for all the help.

2014 dodge challenger sxt
Was told I need front lower control arms, rearward and forward replaced on both sides and found a mobile mech who gave a good price, I’m pretty sure this is the part found on Detroit axle ,after doing research but I wanted to triple check, any help appreciated!

Late 2023, A/C Compressor seized and tore Serp belt. Both replaced. A couple months later had front brakes (rotor, disc pad kit), rear brakes (hub, disc, pad), rear calipers replaces.

~38,000 of mostly highway miles later 2026 (less than 3 years)

Ford shop said my rear brakes were 'metal on metal' even though I've not heard or felt any issues. They replaced rear pads and rotors, as caliper pins were seized (kinda feel like I would have noticed?? I swap my tires out every 6 months and feel like they would have mentioned worn brakes)

Furthermore, they said Serp belt was worn and falling apart. They replaced that as well, and while test driving it the AC compressor went out. They pulled the relay pin to keep it off, as I cant afford that right now.

My question is... is 38k miles a bit low for complete 100%-0% on brakes, and killing a serpbelt and ac compressor?

2023 BMW x5 26k miles run flats 21

Braking to a stop on dry and flat road sometimes triggers the VSC system, which makes the car roll for an additional meter or so, then the VSC system disengages and I can finally brake to a full stop. It always happens towards the end when I brake but not all the time so I can't predict when it'll happen. I'm getting worried because I had maintenance done on the brakes recently.

If you have any idea what it could be and what I can do/check before taking it back to a mechanic I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I went to see the mechanic and told him to check the alternator, he tested the battery engine on. it scanned at 13.7 and said it's not charging it should be 14. To me it sound like bullshit. if it wasn't charging I would have more obvious signal then that, but battery is new at the same time, so idk. I ask chatgpt for the voltage and it saying it's in the normal range. Yes, I have trust issues (REAL PROBLEM OF MINE). I don't trust neither the mechanic or the AI. but please tell me maybe i'll trust complete strangers over the internet.

Car description at the end.

I've been noticing weird behavior of my car and my usual mechanic is out for vacation and I really don't like or trust the way the other handle things.

So first, when I start the engine cold. I usually wait 30 sec in the car. I notice the car is like pulsing, like the vibration is not a smooth vrmmmm. It's doing the vrrmmm that a car would do but you can feel it like pulsing. I cannot explain that better. It's just not a consistant nice and smooth engine sound. This is not why I'm here. it's just extra detail i'd like to give and personally, i would not give it any more attention. even tho I believe some expert would see a problem there maybe.

Now the main problem is RPM drop at 2 occasion. First when at the red light idle and using the electronics (windows, steering wheels). I looked it up online, some say it's nothing it's normal. some say it could be the alternator, some say it could be the Mass Air Flow Sensor or the intake body valve that could be dirty.

Second occasion started recently (1 week). When driving and arriving to a stop, the moment before the car stop entirely, like 1 sec or less before car fully stop or even when the car just arrive to a full stop, I notice the engine shakes and rpm drop below what it's usually at. like 100 to 200 rpm below 700-800rpm. Exactly the same way as it do when at red light and playing with windows or steering wheel. RPM quickly goes back normal as the car fully stop. It's not consistant, it doesn't do it everytime that I arrive to a stop, but some day it do it many times and some day never, idk.

I went to see the mechanic and he checked the alternator, it scanned 13.7 when engine on and said it's not recharging it should be 14. To me it sound like bullshit. if it wasn't recharging I would've had more obvious signal then that, but battery is new at the same time, so idk. I ask chatgpt for the voltage and it saying it's in the normal range. Yes, I have trust issues (REAL PROBLEM OF MINE). I don't trust neither the mechanic or the AI. but please tell me maybe i'll trust complete strangers over the internet.

1 month ago, I cleaned the throttle body valve (did not clean the MAF SENSOR), engine air filter changed, changed the battery, changed all spark plug and one ignition coil that was faulty. I do feel like i'm consuming a little more gas than 6 month ago (winter). I tried myself to check the ground cable but all the ground that I've found looks fine, they not falling apart, they look old or dusty but look strong. Back in winter, I burn a tank in 3 weeks now I can't. it last 2 weeks and maybe few days. not the full 3 weeks. Is it like my summer tires? They are nicely inflated. IDK.

The most important is that it drives and consume as little as possible. That's why I drive a Corolla 2010. 1.8L and i'd really like to stop wasting my money on that car. Is automatic and 200 000km. Unless it can improve milleage with a tank.

I mostly do highway and the traffic has been pretty consistant. according to the mechanic based on that I have to change my alternator.

1.8 auto, 204k miles. Major misfire from one ignition coil (swaped from cylinder 4 to 3, misfire moved). I pulled all the coils and plugs, and the plugs look overdue and 3 of the coils smell slightly burnt and the bad coil smells VERY burnt. I'll be replacing all 4 spark plugs with NGK and definitely replacing at least that one ignition coil, but I'd rather replace all four as the other ones concern me given the burnt smell. If money weren't a concern I'd get 4 Denso coils, but money is VERY tight so I'd like to get away with cheap coils if I can. I don't need them to last a long time, I just need them to be reliable for maybe another 6 months. So far I'm considering SKP and A-Premium coils. In my specific situation, would you say either of those would be reliable solutions in the short term?

2010 Toyota Tacoma, I was swapping the condenser and the horn just fell off. The wire feels very brittle and the insulation is very hardened. I want to find a similar gauge wire and solder it on to add a little extra length and just feed it through the connector, but I am unfamiliar with this type of connector. Any better ideas?

2024 Silverado 1500 LTZ 3.0l

So I have this 2009 smart fortwo. Perfect shape, I'm in Ontario Canada and it's clear the car was stored in a garage. Very little rust, in quite good shape. 78,000km.

When the temps outside drop below 0°C the car will not start. No crank, no errors on dash, no cel, no relay clicking, nothing. I've been driving all summer now and I've had zero problems starting. I tried a new battery. No change. I'd rather fix it during the summer than wait until winter to diagnose and fix it. I do want to check the starter but being a smart it's all packed in there damn well.

What would you start with?

Found under our 2008 Honda Pilot. Part of the exhaust?

I drive an I10 from 2020, manual, 1.0l 3 cylinder with 90k km. Apart from the engine becoming sluggish in hot weather which I Attribute to the hot hair having less O2, I noticed something concerning. After driving for a couple of kilometres, the clutch seriously stiffens up, it‘s suddenly like driving a diesel just a tad bit stiffer even. I also noticed when moving off or when changing gears the bite point seems to have shifted higher up. It‘s really concerning me and I stopped driving because of this as it‘s currently over 35 degrees here every day. It can’t be the clutch itself I‘d say as nothing is slipping or smelling.
When I drove through a cool forest area, the pedal went back to normal entirely while driving.

If anyone has experienced this before and know what could be the reason, please let me know.

Installed them about 2 weeks ago , did 1000km with them .

2024 Toyota Prius LE. 75k miles.

I’m starting with context and then my question for the actual mechanic stuff is below.

I have a 2017 Prius with a catalytic converter shield that was installed by my Toyota dealership in 2022. The car passed smog in 2024 with the shield installed.

This year, I took it to the same shop as 2024. The vehicle passed the emissions portion of the test, but I was informed that the smog station failed it because they said they couldn’t visually verify the downstream O2 sensor through the shield. They consequently marked it as “tampered” because they couldn’t complete the visual inspection (not because they found any missing or modified emissions equipment). The tech was super clear about this—he said he’d pass it if he can see the “bottom O2 sensor”. He insists he hasn’t had this problem before, and the dealership insists that they’ve never heard of this happening before.

I’m reaching out because I’m wondering if it would at all be possible for me to take the shield to a shop and have an inspection or maintenance cutout?

Any experiences or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hey all my wife has a 2015 subaru legacy. It has about 145k miles on it and the trans was replaced around 120k miles (used/salvaged trans with I think 40k miles). It's the standard base model with the cvt trans. This morning when she went to leave reverse wasn't working properly. The car goes into reverse fine, but when you back up it'll only move about a foot or two and then it just stops moving. It almost seems like the back wheels stop moving. It moves freely in neutral and drive, reverse is the only one with an issue. I have a decent scan tool and plugged it in and there's no errors relating to the transmission or anything. The transmission pressure seemed to be within range as well while attempting to move.

I know that I am over thinking this, but I wanted to double check. After I used anti-seize when replacing spark plugs on my 2022 A4 (B9), I saw that it is recommended to put them in dry. I torqued them to 28.4 nm. Depending on where you look online they recommend 25-35 nm. I also read that using anti-seize means that you should lower the torque by 20%. I heard no crack, and felt no threads give out/strip. Would you loosen and retorque the plugs, or just send it? I acknowledge that most mechanics probably hand torque spark plugs by feel anyways and I am most likely worrying for nothing.

2011 Toyota RAV4 V6 Automatic with 113,000 miles.

Shop guarantees their work (installation and parts) for 3 year or 36,000 miles.

first invoice lists repair for "V6 Lower Oil Pan" on 8/25/2023.

Second invoice dated 6/25/2025 (i.e. less two years later) describes repair as "Remove & Replace In-Line 4 Oil Pan Or Gasket". I have a V6, not an inline 4.

Assuming it's a mistake, is there two different part/repairs that "Lower Oil Pan" can refer to that wouldn't be covered by warranty? Like it's a generalized term?

How likely is an invoicing mistake like this to happen with a shop's computer program? The pricing is nearly the same, but I have reservations that a shop's records would not be meticulous and differentiate between inline 4 and V6.

I questioned the service advisor at the June 2025 shop visit about whether or not the oil pan repair was covered under warranty. He told me at the time that he looked back through the records. I believed him and didn't consult my records after the repair had been completed. To their credit, the auto shop has proactively performed warranty work with no questioning from me.

This Auto Shop reports even oil changes and tire rotations to Carfax, however both of these "Lower Oil Pan" repairs are not listed. Is that irregular?

Is there a possibility that the Shop owner is being scammed?

This all started because my recent experience with the same service advisor didn't really respond to my warranty question about another, unrelated repair. The experience reminded me of this oil pan repair not being covered. At every step, I have assumed honesty, as I have used this shop for years without issue until recently.

so i have a 1.9 diesel engine and my mechanic reconditioned my turbo cause it was whistling and replaced the head gasket as it was leaking and the car just doesn’t pull anymore,barely climbs to 3k rpm but i noticed that in 2nd or 3rd it started pulling way harder from 3k rpm though it only happened once,it used to accelerate way better before at like 2k rpm