This was siphoned from my tank of my 2025 sorrento HEV. What kind of contamination does this look like? It’s standard 87 pump gas from a newer gas station in Central Florida.

I asked the mechanic to put on new rear brakes and he said he resurfaced the rotors also. Is this what they’re supposed to look like or did he charge me for nothing?

Box came opened a little, package inside was too like it was dropped on the floor. Are the discs still okay to use? I need them to sort my car literally tomorrow/Sunday so I don't want to return them. Thanks!

Rebuilding a 1991 Mercedes w124.

It's the joint between the driveshaft shock absorber and the transmission output shaft.

I'm changing the shock abs thats connected to it because it looks worn out but this one doesnt look so bad even if it's 30 years old.

It costs around 80€, it's not too expensive but at the same time it's not cheap and also I don't know if I trust more an OEM from the 90s or a modern day aftermarket.

OEM new is probably super expensive so I'm even more dubious about that.

I'm curious to know if the level of rust and number of cracks on my rotors are a cause for concern.

I’m a home hobby mechanic getting started. I have a set of 1/4 and 3/8 sockets and drivers. Thinking of getting a 1/2” kit soon, keeping my eyes peeled for deals. My question is could I just buy an impact 1/2” set and use them with an impact wrench of course but also hand drivers. I’m not experienced enough to know this for-sure but I feel like when you need a 1/2” leverage or power, there’s usually enough space for an impact socket. And if there isn’t then I rip over to CT and buy a one off 1/2” chrome every blue moon.

Or maybe I’m overthinking it and I should just get the chrome set. Although it does seem like at 1/2 a lot of people just use impacts.

TLDR: how often do you find that you need 1/2” driving power/leverage and also find that your impact socket is too thick for the clearance around the bolt/nut?

The flange on the back of the cat to the pipe on my mom’s 2011 Honda pilot has separated. I don’t believe it’s broken, what’s the cheapest way to fix this even temporarily.

There's a lot of conflicting information out there. I've been trying to look into this and I see a lot of used oil analysis, which is cool, but how do you know if a good used oil analysis means a good engine? I want to see an engine analysis, not an oil analysis, of many engines after following different intervals for at least 200k miles in "severe" driving conditions and see how they compare.

That doesn't sound feasible, but maybe it's been done?

Golf Mk4 gti 2001
My best friends son lent me his spare car that he’s been fixing up because he’s lovely and my own car has broke down…but the second I put the key in the door I’ve broken it…
Steps I took:
-pressed key button to unlock car
-passenger door would not open
-I used key stick in drivers door to unlock car again
-I get in car and open passenger door from inside
-alarm goes off
-I turn alarm off with key button
-key in ignition and immobiliser stopping car turning on. (Immobiliser with flashing key symbol)

We’ve tried lots of things this evening but no luck. Only one set of key.
Any and all ideas appreciated!

Edit to say: the dashboard says ‘immobiliser’ every time. And have given it loads of gas.

Hello

I recently took my car to the dealership for an inspection/ diagnostic because the car would stutter or hesitate a little as I accelerate. I was wondering if engaging the hybrid system was the issue.

The dealership diagnosis is only a misfire and they quoted me $4000 to replace all 8 coils and spark plugs as well as adjusting the valves.

I went to an independent mechanic and he quoted me $1600 for the same thing.

I am trying to cut that price a little bit more and buy my own parts.

I came across multiple options here and I was hoping someone could help direct me to the right place.

Which of these options I should go with or if you recommend something different/better?

Really appreciate everyone's time and effort!!

Hey everyone,

Having a strange electrical issue with my dashboard and wanted to check if anyone else has seen this before I take it to the shop in a few days.

Out of nowhere, random lights on the cluster start flashing and turning on/off, stuff like the high beam indicator, parking brake light, etc.

The weird thing is that the car drives completely fine and all actual functions work normally (the real headlights work fine, brakes work, etc.), so it seems to be just a display/cluster issue.

It's totally random too. Sometimes it starts right after turning the car on, other times it only happens after driving for 20-30 minutes.

I'm going to drop it off at a service mechanic in a couple of days to get it checked out, but if anyone has dealt with this, I'd love to hear your thoughts so I know what to expect.

I also changed the battery as I thought that might be the problem (and the battery was pretty old) but the problem is still not gone.

I also had it tested with an unofficial Mercedes car tester and the errors were being displayed in the History (not active errors) that the SAM could not communicate with the modules.

The car is a 2019 GLA 180.

Attached a video showing what it looks like.

Thanks!

Just curious as I'm going into Heavy Duty after school soon!

How to remove the cv please. trying to do the bearings. puller snapped.

Hey guys,

I just lost my engine oil cap and can't find anything that'll fit as a temporary replacement.

Suggestions ?

2011 Volkswagen Passat trunk release circuit. The bulb illuminates (dim) when connected and is receiving 5v but won’t open the trunk and is reading OL.

I can’t disprove technician error unfortunately but I ensured my DMM read close to 0ohm when touching the probes together and I used specific pin-to-banana plug probes and ensured a snug fit.

Here are my resistance readings:

Terminal 1 to 4 switch open = OL
Terminal 1 to 4 switch closed = OL
Terminal 1 to 2 switch open = OL
Terminal 1 to 2 switch closed = OL
Terminal 2 to 4 switch closed = OL

Can you help me understand?

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to diagnose a frustrating brake issue on my 2007 Honda CR-V 2.2 i-CTDi (European model, N22A2 engine, ABS/VSA, 4WD). I've spent a lot of time troubleshooting and replacing parts, but I'm still not confident in the brake pedal. I'd really appreciate suggestions for what to test next, rather than just replacing more parts at random.

Original symptoms

With the engine off, the brake pedal becomes firm after pumping it a few times. With the engine running, the pedal can sink much farther under sustained pressure. Originally, it would sink very close to the floor.

There are no obvious external brake fluid leaks.

The pedal has also felt spongy, almost like pressing a wet sponge, particularly when applying very heavy pressure with the car stationary.

Parts replaced / work done

- Master cylinder: Replaced with a used unit from a breaker. The original symptom remained.

- ABS/VSA hydraulic modulator: Replaced with a used unit from another vehicle. The symptom remained unchanged.

- Front brake hoses: Replaced.

- Both front calipers: Rebuilt using new piston seals/repair kits. The right-front caliper was badly corroded internally, and its piston was extremely stuck. The left-front caliper was also heavily corroded externally, and one slider pin was seized.

- Front brake discs and pads: Replaced. The old discs were grooved and below/around the stated minimum thickness, and the pads were nearly worn down to the metal.

- Brake fluid: The system has been bled repeatedly.

I've bled all four wheels multiple times using a vacuum bleeding method. I've also run the VSA/ABS bleeding procedure with my iCarsoft CR MAX diagnostic tool, and repeated the VSA bleeding procedure again recently. Most recently, I bled all four corners again after reconnecting the rear brake circuits.

I know the usual suggestions are to check for leaks, bleed the brakes properly, replace the master cylinder, or suspect the ABS modulator. Those have already been addressed to varying degrees, as described above.

Diagnostic tests I've tried

1. With both master-cylinder outlets plugged using appropriate test plugs, the pedal was rock hard, even with the engine running.

2. I replaced the master cylinder, but the original symptom remained.

3. I replaced the VSA modulator, but the symptom remained.

4. During hydraulic isolation testing, the pedal became firm when the rear outlets were plugged and only the left-front circuit was connected.

5. Connecting the right-front circuit brought back the original sinking-pedal behaviour.

6. Previously, clamping the right-front hose shortened the pedal travel considerably, while releasing the clamp brought back the sinking behaviour. This was before replacing the hoses. I understand that clamping a brake hose can damage it and am not recommending or repeating this as a test.

7. With the right-front circuit isolated using a temporary test setup, the pedal felt normal. The setup was only for diagnosis and is not being used for driving.

These tests initially made me suspect the right-front caliper or circuit. However, rebuilding both front calipers and replacing the front hoses did not resolve the original symptom.

Latest development

After the most recent full bleed, the brakes feel noticeably better.

I cautiously tested the car on a gravel road. The wheels can lock under hard braking, and the pedal now feels almost normal during ordinary braking. During a hard stop when ABS activates, the pedal travels quite far before pulsing/pushing back as the ABS operates.

However, with the car stationary and the engine running, applying very heavy pressure still produces a spongy pedal feel. I haven't established with certainty whether it continues sinking under constant pressure or settles at a fixed point.

I have not established that the brakes are safe for normal road use, and I don't intend to keep driving it until the remaining concern is resolved.

What am I missing?

Given that the master cylinder, VSA modulator, front hoses, front discs and pads have been replaced, both front calipers have been rebuilt, and the system has been bled repeatedly — including the VSA automated bleed procedure — what would you investigate next?

In particular:

- Could there be a hydraulic fault within the VSA unit or a trapped-air issue that survives the automated bleeding procedure?

- Could a problem in the rear circuits cause this behaviour, even though the original symptom seemed to change when the right-front circuit was isolated?

- What is the best way to distinguish residual air from internal hydraulic bypass or another pressure-retention problem without replacing more parts?

- Are there model-specific failure modes on the 2007 CR-V's ABS/VSA system that could explain this?

I'm looking for a diagnostic path based on these test results, ideally involving pressure measurements or a systematic hydraulic isolation procedure. I would be very grateful for any ideas.

Thanks!

Hello, is this spring installed correctly?

How bad is this chip? Just noticed it today and now I’m scared it’ll cause an issue once the intake manifold is on

TLDR:

My Audi 2016 Audi Q3 is having repeated, one after another wheeel speed sensor issues. I replaced 2 already (first it was Rear Left, then recently Front Left) and now again I get the 5 warning lights (ABS, Traction, TPMS, Steering wheeel, and Parking Brake) when turning the car on and OBD11 shows an intermittent code for Front Right wheeel speed sensor. Could this be my 3 year old battery or something else?

Detailed Context:

I bought this new to me (35 TDI Premium Plus Quattro, ran 66K KMs) Audi Q3 on April '26 and (mostly) been enjoying it ever since. Around May '26 I started seeing the 5 warning lights (ABS, Traction, and TPMS on the right panel, Steering wheeel and Parking brake on the left panel) and from my research, I've came to know these were typically associated with the wheeel speed sensors. I have noticed that these would go away after a 5-10mins drive and a restart. So I went to the mechanic and upon checking scanning the codes it was shown to me that the Rear Left wheeel speed sensor was throwing the error and was recording a constant value (300+ iirc), so I got it replaced.

The problem went away for some weeks and again I started getting this 5 codes upon startup (after being parked for hours/days usually), and again it would go away after a short drive. Around this time I got myself an OBD11 device (2nd gen.) and started using it to see the codes. I noticed that the error codes whenever they appeared were now related to the Left Front wheeel speed sensor now. Since I started using the car regularly this errors then would rarely come up and believed this almost went away now.

From this month (Oct '26) I started getting this set of 5 codes regularly and they were not disappearing after a drive now, they stayed. I scanned and it was the same Front Left wheeel speed sensor again, I would clear the code but they would immediately come back most of the time. I checked the brake modules live data and surprisingly the supposedly faulty sensor was giving accurate live data.

Error codes per control unit:

Brakes: C101AF2, C101A01, C114602

All wheeel Drive: U112300

Steering Assistance: 01316

Around this time, I checked the battery voltage (using the gateway control unit's live data, channel 1) and I noticed that car is having 12.5+ volts while engine is running, but while I crank it went down to 9.5V. While the car is running I noticed battery always had 14V+. The battery was last changed on Oct 23' and the previous owner said he didn't do any adaptation/coding after the battery replacement - I checked with my local Audi dealership and they says ideally it needs adaptation after changing the battery (My own online research also said the same).

Around this week I started having the 'glow plug' warning and OBD11 showed errors in engine and airbag modules (code: U041500 for both) - all where related to error from the ABS module. (These did disappear after a restart). So I got this sensor replaced today and right after changing it all codes went away. But after parking the car for ~2 hours, I restarted and boom all the 5 lights are back again. I scanned with OBD11 and it now says the Front Right wheeel sped sensor is having intermittent codes.

At this point, I'm a little suspicious about this pattern - can any other parts be the culprit? Can my battery be the reason for all this? Should I again change the FR wheeel speed sensor and try again? Or something else completely? I'm trying to avoid the dealership and their rates as so marked up here (I enquired and a new battery from them will cost 2x the amount of me souring the battery and getting it adapted with a 3rd party mechanic). I'd appreciate any suggestions here, Thanks.

Hello. Noticed this dipping from driver’s side front. Last time driven was over 24 hours. Two days ago we had full Freon charge. Any ideas? 2008 Subaru Outback 2.5l 4-cylinder engine.

Does anybody know what this rattling sound coming from the engine of my Toyota Auris 1,6 from 2007 is? Btw it a gas engine not diesel. I mostly hear it on lower revs and when the engine is on but not moving. This model is equipped with a timing chain and I'm really hoping that's not the problem, appreciate all the info and advice thank you.

Anyone have any advice for getting this fuel line out of 2016 f250?

2018 f150 2.7l eco boost 130k, has this wild rattle in low rpm/ start up.