I was moving out of a tricky driveway and scraped my car’s bumper on a large rock. I have touch up paint. What kind of sandpaper do I get? I don’t want to do more damage by getting too rough of a grit. The color in the pictures is just different due to lighting.

I went to autozone yesterday with the “service engine soon” solid on. I don’t know much about this, what should I check before I go to the auto repair in case if they not really checking and tell me to repair it right away. From what I known that if I continue driving I’ll have higher fuel consumption and whatever to the exhaust. I got Magnaflow exhaust system on.

Has anyone had an issue with a random parasitic draw? I just started having one this week and it’s to the point where if I leave my car off for anything more than 3-3.5hrs, the car will struggle to turnover. I just bought a battery last November (last one was 3 years old last I remember) and have had my dash cam hardwired since I bought the car last year. My dash cam is set up (VIOFO with HK4 kit) to stop recording at 12.4 volts so that shouldn’t be an issue at all.

Any and all insight would be helpful :)

I have a 2011 Nissan Altima 2.5 S and was diagnosing some engine issues. I took out the engine coils, but part of the coil boot got pulled out. This let the resistor fall into the socket well. I got it wedged between the spark plug fastener and the side of the well.

I’ve tried:
* a telescoping magnet, but the smallest one I could find doesnt fit beside the spark plug.
* a metal wire that is thick enough to not budge but thin enough to fit down there.
* two metal wires like chopsticks
* bending the wire to try to scoop it. None of my cheap tools are strong enough to bend it at a tight enough angle.
* adding a sticky piece to the end. Problem is that my valve cover gasket leaks so it’s oily in the well.

I wanted to just try to slowly back out the spark plug but the spark plug socket doesnt fit with the resistor in there. I dont have any pliers long and skinny enough to get

Any ideas on how to get it out?

Hi everyone - I noticed a section of severe rust under my 2002 honda crv but I can't tell whether its the frame or something else. What is it and how severe is it (as in, do I need to address it asap or is it non structural?) Thank you!

https://imgur.com/a/zkrEWto

I’ve been noticing ATF oil residue on the plastic dust cover of my GRC I’ve cleaned it off repeatedly and it’s reappeared after long drives. It’s subtle enough where the dealership isn’t going to give a damn but it’s enough where I know it’s losing fluid slowly. Would it be better to try to top off the ATF oil or try to get it repaired early? Does anybody know what might be causing the issue as well? Thanks!

I have a 2016 Cadillac ATS rear wheel drive auto with the emergency foot brake. The rear is the drum brake. The emergency foot brake doesn’t stay engaged. It comes right back up. Rarely it does stay engaged. How can I fix this?

We have a 2017 Outback that we’ve loved, but our biggest issue is that the inside of our windshield is ALWAYS dirty. No amount of Windex, wipes, microfiber cloths, etc. seems to keep it clean for long.

Because of this, we’ve replaced the cabin air filter regularly (probably twice a year for the last six years), but our windshield still gets filthy.

I thought we were finally saved when we had to replace the windshield last year. I figured it would be a fresh start—maybe the old windshield just had too much gunk built up. We got a brand-new windshield and replaced the cabin air filter, too. Within a month, we were back to the same streaky, dirty mess.

It looks like a dirty film/that streaks when you try to wipe it clean. It makes it really hard to see when the sun is glaring because of the streaks. When you wipe it, it comes off brown, but it's really hard to clean effectively/always leaves some residue or doesn't last very long before we're back to streaky dirt. Happens in every season, hot summer, snowy winters, etc.

Could something be wrong internally with the HVAC system? Would it be expensive to fix? Has anyone else experienced this and found a fix? Thanks.

When my rear wheels hit frost heave bumps in the road I hear and feel a bit of a bang. I looked at the struts and they need replaced, but I don't know how to tell if the leaf springs are still good.

They are still connected on their shackles. I did notice some of the "bumper?" Plates are missing. Would those be causing the problem, or is there just not enough give in the springs any more? Is there a way to measure this?

I attached pics of the overall stance of the truck and closeups of the springs on one side, the other looks the same.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

The panel in the first image should be tight against the glas so the break light has a seal and doesn't leak light into the cabin.
I have the clip that should go in the hole but it has broken of, apprently alread with a previous owner because there was all kindso of rubbery gunk on it to try and glue it in some way. But now it has fallen off again.
Buying a replacement part is way to expensive for and hard to find.
So any tips on what I could do to hold up the seeling, and maby reinsert the clip for the asthetics?

The car is a Volvo s60 P2 2006

We have seen so many posts asking if there is too much rust on the Honda E and the Achilles heel of the Element is a poorly designed hard mount for the rear lower control arms.

Finally we have a tutorial on how to fix this problem...

Bonjour si quelqu’un aurait une idée du problème. Pour vous expliquez. Dés qu’il fait froid environ à partir de 5 degrés, ma voiture démarre mais s’arrête directement après. Au bout de plusieurs préchauffage elle reste allumée et fonctionne parfaitement.

I drive a 2024 Honda HRV. The right rear has a bent rim.

I first took my vehicle to a Honda service center by me that I trust. They took a look and agreed the rim was bent but that they did not handle this type of work.

They were not sure how much something like this would cost if I were to take it somewhere else.

Does anyone have any ballpark ideas on the cost of a bent rim repair? Thank you.

I’m looking for some advice following a service I had that came back with a few advisories:

4x new tyres (low tread but not illegal)
Wheel alignment
OSF and NSF lower suspension arms replacement
2x shock absorbers

I can’t afford the full repair right now, but I’m looking for advice on any way to reduce costs. I don’t know anything about cars and how to verify car parts I’m searching online and what to ask another garage or mechanic.

I’m England based and I have a 2019 1L Skoda Fabia with approx 58,300 miles on it. Thank you for any advice

I hit a curb kinda bad.... Is my rim still good or do I need to buy a replacement?

I have a 2016 Ford Edge Titanium with 121,000 miles on it. Over the past year, I’ve spent about $2500 on various repairs. It’s currently at the shop because of loud rattling noise while idle. The mechanics used a borescope to determine that the flex plate is broken, and they said with the current mileage, they recommend that we replace the transmission for $8,800.

My husband and I are at an impasse—I’m the sole driver in our household and we need a reliable and safe car. He wants to pay the $8,800 for the transmission because “a new car will cost more than $8,800” which isn’t untrue, but I’m worried that we’re dumping money into a sinking ship. I don’t think we could even get $8,800 for trade in value.

When does it stop making sense to pay for repairs? Thank you in advance for your input—I’m desperate!

Edit: Thanks, everyone! I’m going to get a second opinion. We know nothing about cars so I really appreciate everyone’s input.

My 2006 Volvo S80 has been taking longer to warm up lately. On short trips, the cabin is only just getting warm when I arrive. The coolant level is normal, and I haven't spotted any leaks.

Checked it with a tc004 mini thermal camera a few minutes after starting. The hose in the photo was already warming up, with the hottest spot around 146°F. I'm wondering if the thermostat isn't closing fully, but I only took this one shot and didn't check ECT at the time.

I’ll log ECT from a cold start next time and set a high-temp alert on the camera so I can check the coolant reading when it goes off. What else would help confirm whether it's the thermostat?

Pics: https://imgur.com/a/3r6guST

Will upload pics of the repair tomorrow, it’s dark outside.

Hello,

I recently was rear ended. I was at a complete stop, the f250 behind me was distracted and hit me, he tried turning at the last second. Pushed me almost into the car in front of me. No airbags. 

I thought this would be a straight forward repair so I took my car to the preferred insurance spot, Caliber. I’m a medical resident in an ICU rotation so I did not have the time to deal with obtaining an estimate -> negotiating -> waiting on the check etc that the other person’s insurance (Liberty) was demanding I do.

Anyways I had just got my wheels replaced and my car realigned 2 weeks prior to the accident. Immediately after the accident the car was drivable but was drifting slightly left. 

Caliber basically did not advise me they were repairing and not replacing the bumper. They also told me they could not align my vehicle as my wheel was not directly hit. I asked for a picture of the tear down and they send me one picture (see link).

The car still drifts to the left and the bumper looks okay externally, there are mild superficial scratches on the bumper that were not there previously but it’s a 10 year old car. 

Unsure if I should be fighting for a replacement as I never have seen a bumper that cracked repaired, also unsure what to do about the drifting. Alignments are cheap but I’m a bit pissed about having to pay for another one shortly after doing one.

To add insult to injury the car was dirty when I got it back. A bottle of antifreeze in the trunk exploded when the car was hit and they told me they would clean it… they didn’t. The adjuster basically ignores any questions from me and “defers to the shop”. Overall shit experience.

Hi everyone,
I have a 2021 Audi A5 Sportback 35 TFSI (B9.5, European spec) and I’m trying to diagnose a persistent “Brake pads: wear limit reached” warning.
Here’s what happened:
I replaced the front brake pads with a new set that came with the wear sensor attached.
After the replacement, the warning disappeared initially.
After a month, the warning returned. At first, switching the ignition off and on made it disappear temporarily.
I disconnected and reconnected the front brake-pad sensor connector, and the warning disappeared again, but it came back after driving.
Now, the warning appears immediately when I switch the ignition on, even before starting the engine.
I scanned the car with OBDeleven 3, but it shows no fault codes.
I haven’t replaced the rear pads yet. I have the replacement rear pads, and they don’t have wear-sensor cables attached.
What I’ve checked so far:
Reconnected the front sensor plug.
I still need to establish whether the problem is the new sensor, the connector, or the car-side wiring harness.
My questions:
Does this sound more like a faulty new wear sensor, a bad connector, or a problem with the car-side harness?
Can the brake-pad wear warning appear without any fault codes in OBDeleven?

How can I confirm whether the rear brakes may be the issue, I bought them I don’t see cables attached ( sensors ) not sure if the car have another way to know

Has anyone experienced this exact issue or diagnosed it successfully? I’d appreciate any advice before replacing more parts.
Thanks!

Honda Civic 2017 6 Speed Coupe- 88,000m : My Android Auto hook up broke. It isn't connecting with the cord (only way to connect). There is a short. My dealership quoted me at around $600. So far they have been good to me. The pricey but much better than other places in my area. I feel like this is an exorbitant cost. Is this reasonable? Do I have to remove the dash in order to fix them? I just don't understand why it is so expensive. Would it be easy to do myself?

Besides the cheeky title, I have a 2008 Ford Focus I'd like to replace my front sway links on and am curious where I can place the jack so that I can put the jack stands at the pinch weld jack points once it's up. The frame is really getting pretty rusty so I don't want to set them just behind the points once ta up, but that means I need to get the jack somewhere else to lift it. Any recommendations?

Same for the rear, I plan on replacing the rear struts afterward and will be facing the same problem.

Thanks in advance!

I have a 2014 Honda CRV with about 91 thousand miles and recently the car completely stalled out. It started making a loud wirring noise about 5 minutes before it stalled and the mechanic said it was the timing belt. When I got it back the car had an extremely loud knock in the engine and only lasted 4 days before stalling out again in the exact same way and it billowed white smoke out the exhaust. I took it back to the same place and now they are saying it’s the battery and the starter and made no mention of the engine or even repairing it at all. The battery was fine as the car started when being towed it just billowed smoke.I paid $1400 for the repairs and the shop has a 30 day warranty but now they are saying that if I give them 2 thousand more they will trade the title of my car for the title of a 2017 Nissan of unknown model with 200k miles. I was looking to see if I would be able to get a refund on the $1400 and honestly just if any of what they are doing is legal/allowed in the first place. This is my first post so sorry for any issues state is PA and I’m happy to answer any questions.

Service center is saying "Front Control Arm Replacement: During the inspection, we identified that both front lower control arm bushings are torn and cracked."

Is this truly "torn and cracked" and needing of an $1100 replacement? It is at about 63k miles if that helps at all.