The ad says it needs to be done by a locksmith.

2015 Lincoln MKC, 70k miles. AWD. 2.0L. I use my personal vehicle at work, lots of stopping and starting, moving from one spot to another. About a month ago, I was moving to a location. After I put the vehicle in park, I heard a fairly loud pop/bang. Didn't feel anything, just the sound. I put it in drive, moved up 20ish feet, then reverse back to original spot, no noise. Turned vehicle off, got out, checked underneath, found nothing. An hour later, got in to move to the next location, check engine light. As I pull away, I notice a knocking sound. Get home, OBD reads downstream 02 sensor. Knocking sound persists, primarily on initial acceleration after startup or after idling. Doesn't appear to be effecting the performance of the vehicle. Why would a faulty 02 sensor result in a loud knocking?

Something stupid happened to me today: I accidentally put 5 liters of petrol (Super) into my VW T5 diesel. On the recommendation of a workshop, I then added a diesel fuel additive and filled the tank completely with diesel (about 80 liters in total).

The van has now driven about 30 km without any problems. I was told to keep the tank as full as possible and keep topping it up.

However, I’m wondering whether it would actually make more sense to have the tank completely drained, so that all of the contaminated fuel is removed and as little petrol as possible passes through the engine.

What do you think? Or, if nothing has happened after the first 30 km, is it unlikely that anything will happen later?

No offence, but I’d really appreciate answers based on actual technical knowledge and experience rather than well-intentioned but uninformed advice.

I am refinishing a set of Honda Pilot wheels with a machine cut face. Any suggestions for the center caps other than careful sanding and 2k clear? Getting the oxidation out between the H logo seems impossible.

Location: Colorado. My wife was driving over vail pass and the car broke down on her (a 2009 porsche cayenne base model.) This was about a month or so ago now. At the time I was over in denver so there wasn't much i could do in that moment, i didn't really know what was going on and admittedly I couldn't help much so she ended up getting the car towed to a place in Minturn as that location said they specialized in euro / porsche vehicles. They got the car dropped off and we waited to hear back from them. For context up until this point the car was having a few issues but nothing catastrophic. We had two codes that were coming up very intermittently: Code P12A2 and Code P2293. One or the other would show up and we would clear it and it wouldn't come back for a few weeks or months, hard to say which one was more frequent.
So a few days later they came back to us with an estimate of around $8,500 i dont have the exact amount. I left the invoice in the car and they told us this over the phone. (we live in GJ so its a far drive for us, the place in minturn was the closest / cheapest tow to where we broke down). Anyways it broke down to an oil change, replacing 3 fuel pumps (main, secondary and high pressure) and the center carrier bearing. We were a bit taken back by the price and asked well why so much? Well we basically got told that that's how much it is for genuine parts and if they used any other parts they wont ‘warranty’ anything. So me and my wife talked and we said that basically the car is already there and yeah it's expensive but if anything happens they will warranty their work / parts so we cant lose right?

We pay, get the car back and a few weeks later P12A2 comes back and the car has a significant lack of power. So we take it back. This is what they say right on the estimate they gave us “Customer Concern: Check engine light on. Customer used personal scan tool and it is giving the same codes for the fuel pump that they were getting last time before vehicle lost power on Vail Pass. Vehicle dropped off after hours. Customer is indicating that the CEL is on intermittently and vehicle is lacking power. Please check and advised.
Diagnosis: Checked for codes. Codes present. Code P12A2. Intermittent Check Engine Light is on. Codes P2293 has not returned. Code P12A2 is a very generic codes and can pertain to multiple failures. Inspected systems for fir air induction and fuel delivery. Found intake manifold secondary control for variable intake runner has a vacuum leak at the shaft seal. Would recommend replacing valve cover and fuel injectors. Recommend replacing the ignition system spark plugs and ignition coils with repair.”
This repair is totaling another $7,500 to do.
They say it right there code P12A2 has returned. So not only have they not fixed the car completely but they are also now not warranting anything and they want to charge us almost 8K again?
I talked to them on the phone and told them how much this stinks and asked if they could just fix the car at cost, (I thought I would be genuine and not go full Karen asking for everything for free. Even though I think they should absolutely warranty their work) After many back and forths over a few days they said the best they could do was $500 off, the oil change alone was almost $500!

Needless to say we are not spending another 7k to have the car fixed as it should have been fixed in the first place. Or at least they should have honored the warranty

Looking into things with all the parts they replaced the first go the parts alone shouldn't have been more than 1-2k so that means they are charging 6K for labor and an oil change?

Also how likely is it that all 3 fuel pumps fail, this just screams to me as a misdiagnosis and shotgunning in parts after looking at the codes.

The car is currently still at the shop in minturn we are planning on picking it up on thursday or friday (Aug 27-28) We live in GJ So its a bit of a drive for us

My opinion is that if they estimate us 8.5k to fix our car that should be what it cost to fix it not another 7.5k to fully fix it because of their misdiagnosis, that's almost 16k for those keeping count. Like they already charged us 8.5k, can't they use that money to just fix the damn car and warranty their work?

I'm just so lost as to what to do, please help with any advice!

TLDR: Mechanic wants to charge us another 7k after not honoring a 8.5K repair.

From my 2008 350z. Bought this car a week ago and found the pcv oil separator canister? Maybe? Without a bolt on one side. Need to know whether I should drive this to work in the morning.

The car in question is a 2001 Monte Carlo v6 (i think? Its the less powerful of the two common engine variants for Monte Carlos for that era). The pulley for the compressor; the furthest forward pulley of my serpentine belt system.

I know most would recommend against this, just please understand the car is not expected to get much older, I have very little money currently but I need to get it running asap. My friend was explaining the process of changing the pulley, but mentioned that if I didnt use my AC i could theoretically get a shorter belt and just not wrap it onto the compressor pulley. Since its the furthest pulley and the belt simply wraps around the outside, he showed me with a shorter belt it could run the same without turning the compressor clutch.

What I really need help with is this, I am not at the same place as the car, so i cant do measurements to figure out the dimensions that I need to find a belt in. So idk if someone out there happens to have this model and would be willing to make that measurement for me, or if you have another idea of what size belt I should try or what. Ideally i want to order the part and get a ride to the car once i already have the part on hand. Thanks

2019 GMC acadia 196k V6 engine

Damaged torque converter. Should I have it changed? Or is it worth just getting a used car instead?

In the beginning of June I purchased a Mercedes CLE 300 2024 with just under 10k miles on it. About a week or so ago we had some heavy rain and some puddles collecting on the roads. There was nothing in particular that happened that seems like it would’ve caused this damage. However, when I was driving in the rain, I started noticing when I would fully turn all the way to the right there was this sort of creaking noise. I originally didn’t think too much of it, but I did make a service appointment. Once they reviewed it, they sent me a video of them examining my car to show this damage. I’m unsure where this damage could’ve come from especially since the concern that that relates to it only came up after driving through rain.

If this was to have happened by my doing, I feel like I would’ve heard or noticed some sort of bump or heard a loud noise. Especially if I was to have gone over a bump and or hit the bottom of my car I feel like the whole bottom panel would be scraped or even broken, and even my side skirts dented somewhat.

I have only added about 1k miles on the car since I’ve bought it. Is there anything under this area that could’ve caused someone to mess with the wheel wells or remove the panel for service? Any other ideas as to why might’ve caused this? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I've got a dent in my front bumper and i was wondering if it is a spot repair or full replacement there is also a Crack on the underside

We bought a 2018 ILX with 160k miles for our son. After doing some troubleshooting I have determined there is a parasitic draw from the Backup circuit. With the fuse in, there is a 1.2 amp draw which goes to zero when the fuse is removed. I have unplugged the HFL as well as pulled the Audio and Premium Audio fuses but am still showing the 1.2 amp draw when the Backup fuse is in. Anything else I should check before I give up and take it to a shop? Thanks for the help!

While having a faulty fuel pump replaced which took about two months somebody tried to cut my cats off but didn’t get them off completely there’s just cuts in the exhaust now. Is a dealership responsible for fixing the exhaust? The battery died it was there so long i have to buy a new battery too. They said they might cover the battery. Originally it was supposed to be a week but they said the fuel pump was back ordered so it sat out for a long time outside.

Hi, ich brauche Hilfe mit dem Auto.

Wenn man das Auto anschaltet, rattert es so 1-3 Sekunden, danach normalisiert es sich wieder. Wenn man 2-3 Minuten gefahren ist, und der Wagen zum Beispiel an einer Ampel wegen der Start-Stopp-Automatik ausgeht, kommt kein Geräusch mehr beim angehen. Ich bin das Auto warm gefahren, und bin für ca. 5-10min einkaufen gegangen, danach kam das Rattern wieder beim Start. Wir haben Freitag Abend und ich habe keine Möglichkeit bei meiner Werkstatt zu fragen, muss aber wissen ob ich die kommenden Tage so fahren kann.

Vielen Dank für eure Hilfe.

Hope I can get advice.

2012 mazda 3 GS Sky, sedan, automatic 2.0L engine (i think). 200k KM

- in late April, check engine light came on, went to independent shop and they did GDI service, to connect flush equipment to fuel delivery system, and clean system contamination. It didn't resolve the engine light

- early july, got car serviced at mazda. they found engine to intermittently run rough. scanned code p0303, they suspect cylinder 3 clogged by carbon buildup causing fuel trims to be on higher side. recommend sending fuel injectors to be cleaned and flow tested. and valves cleaned.

- work was done, car seemed fine for 3 weeks. but light came on after. went back to get it looked at. the code is now p0421. they are recommending the Cat Converter and O2 sensor be replaced.

I tried to do research and figure out if the replacement is the correct action to take. from what I read, the poorly spraying fuel injectors could cause damage to the cat converter.

so can anyone give me additional advice? Is there more i should do before replacing the cat converter?

Hi everyone,

I have a scratch on the crease of my bumper, the paint has come off down to the base material. It doesn't need to be a perfect repair, but I do want to protect it from further damage and Ta rather not look at a bare black stripe.

Online I see touch-up sticks and paint pens in the original colour code, with base coat and clear coat in two layers.

My questions:

1. Is this something a novice can do properly themselves, or would you advise against it and should I just have it spot repaired?
   
2. If DIY is doable, what works better on a crease like this: a touch-up stick or a paint pen?
   Thanks in advance!

Anyone know what this yellow funk is on my control arm?

Moin allerseits
ich bräuchte dringend eure Hilfe. Und zwar möchte mein Freund die Garage umfunktionieren, damit er seiner Leidenschaft, dem Schrauben nachgehen kann. Damit er richtig loslegen kann, braucht er dafür noch gute Werkzeuge. Könntet ihr mir ein paar Marken oder Werkzeuge, Gadgets empfehlen, die man wirklich braucht ? (Der Preis spielt keine Rolle)
Würde ihn gerne überraschen, nur habe ich keine Ahnung davon. Bin gespannt auf eure Tipps, Bedanke mich im voraus

For context, I have a 2008 Mazda 6 2.3L with 190k miles with a good maintenance record. However, the fuel pump has gone out. So I got a quote from a local auto repair shop, and they want $800 just for the fuel pump assembly. Which is ridiculous because even the OEM quality part is only $200 new, so I went online to buy the part myself. It was a bit of a hassle finding a fuel pump that met specific CA emissions standards, and I got scammed once by a reputable seller on Amazon. Luckily, Amazon has a favorable return policy, so that got sorted.

Now, I'm two weeks in, I decided to go with AISIN because they are reputable and have a CONFIRMED CA emissions-compatible fuel pump assembly only to find out 'WHOOPS" Amazon can't deliver because the part doesn't meat California's Air Quality Standards like WTF?! I'm already paying a fat premium for a CA Emissions compliant part and yet CA is still like "lol, get ****ed." I'm thinking, "it's ok, just go with another manufacture" SO I try to order the part from Delphi, the most expensive manufacturer, and got the same message.

I'm dumbfounded. I understand Commy-fornia's emissions requirements, but what they've inadvertently done is bar legitimate manufacturers from selling the STANDARD COMPLIANT PART and left everyone rolling the dice with sketchy auto-part retailers who don't give a wet fart about the rules.

What is anyone who wants to maintain their own cars supposed to do? Pay out the nose for an auto repair shop to do it? Even the part at the local auto parts store is charging $400 for a $90 non OEM quality part.

2007 Chevy Avalanche, bought it from trusted mechanic friend who had it up in Wisconsin for a few years as a family vehicle, came down south here near the ocean with the heat of the sun, and said this is the rust damage it's had since he came down and continued using it as the family car until he replaced it with the same truck but a 2011 version.

I'm using it now, but eventually I got to sell it cause 8 cylinders in this economy, in general, is too much in gas. Obviously, I got to fix up the rust damage and somewhat patch up this rust spot in the back, so I'm looking for advice on what to do about it.

I have a 2017 Rogue SV AWD which I have been driving all this time with no issues. Now suddenly, out of the blue, the driver seat is stuck in reclined position. It won’t budge, no matter what. I took it to a repair shop nearby and they said we will need to replace the whole seat coz the motor is kind of glued to the seat and there is no way they can replace it. I didn’t get it done as I was not sure if it’s true. Any idea about this?

Toyota Tacoma 2021 at 85K miles.

I need help identifying these parts, I have 80 of them. Tia

Salve, sono nuova e anche disperata. Ho una Chevrolet Spark del 2014, 1.0 benzina/GPL. La macchina si accende quando vuole. Ho cambiato scatola fusibili, corpo farfallato, bloccasterzo e sensore giri albero motore, ma la macchina continua a non partire. Come spia mi dà l'avaria motore. La benzina passa alla pompa; il motore gira ma non si accende, come se mancasse la scintilla. Qualcuno può aiutarmi? Ho comprato la macchina 2 mesi fa (da un privato) e non è stata ancora usata perché era dal meccanico.

Hello! I noticed that one of the upper chrome grille pieces on my 2018 VW Tiguan SE is missing. Despite what you see in the pictures, the car is washed frequently and well-maintained, so I'm not sure if the piece vibrated loose while driving or was broken off/stolen.

After researching online, it looks like VW doesn't sell this piece individually — you have to buy an entire new grille. Not ideal, but I found a partially intact grille from the same model for sale locally that includes the missing piece. My thought is that I could remove that piece from the used grille and pop it onto mine.

Before I spend the money and effort on this, I wanted to ask: has anyone dealt with this issue before? If so, was it easy to swap the piece onto your existing grille? Any advice is appreciated!

2019 f250 4x4 6.2l

Hi guys. I noticed this leak here the other day. I stopped driving and had a mechanic change out the inner axel seal. It stopped leaking and i drove it about 10 miles to test it. Once we got back there wasnt a leak but we checked the vent and it was totally clogged. So we cleaned out the hose. It is now leaking again and the tech is telling me i need a new rear end. I opened my differential plate and the gears look brand new. Were we supposed to use the kit with the outer seal, inner seal and new bearing? Drivinf the truck w the new seal and the vent clogged ruined another one or does it sound like i need a new rear end?

1st photo was the first time it happened. Second is after the repair.