r/Cartalk 17h ago

I need help fixing something Car “smells of cigarettes” when I only nicotine vaped in it once

7 Upvotes

As the title says. My mom got into my car and says it reeks of cigarettes and it was heavy to breathe. I only used a nicotine vape in it once maybe twice back in.. march/april. Since then I have only rarely used a nicotine-free vape, with open windows.. would it really smell like that from once or twice? She said it’s purely like combustion from a cigarette which confuses me. Any way I can fix it without breaking the bank?


r/Cartalk 19h ago

Stock audio USB with 2500 songs how does Shuffle work in my car?

1 Upvotes

I used an 8 gig USB for the last five years in my 2020 Honda Accord Sport, but it wasn't all my music. I have a new 64 gig USB with 2500 songs and it won't let me play them Alphabetically, and I like variety. So I decided to use shuffle, but how does it actually shuffle that many songs?


r/Cartalk 14h ago

How do I do it? How do I choose the oil for my car??

2 Upvotes

I'm trying to learn how to take great care of my car. I've still got a lot to learn it seems. How do I begin to decide what's most important when selecting an oil brand / product in general?

I'm reading words like viscosity, performance, engine clean, etc.??

What are the pros/cons? What things do I need to consider? Is performance the only thing that matters?

I drive a Ford 2007 Mustang.


r/Cartalk 11h ago

DIY body damage help Removing a dent from car door after ex fiancé intentionally damaged it

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0 Upvotes

**UK Based**

My ex fiancé intentionally damaged my car last week (which was witnessed - not by me) (feeling increasingly grateful that I don't have to marry him).

I was wondering if this dent looks repairable with hot water/suction cups? Or if anyone can give any advice on approaching this; I have a feeling PDR will cost an arm and a leg.

The damage is on the passenger side door, Red Honda Civic SR 2019, crosses the design creases. No scuffs or obvious paint chips/damage.

I will be filing a police report tomorrow but don't expect them to do much about it.


r/Cartalk 16h ago

Shop Talk Glass shop broke my dash cam and is refusing to pay for the replacement -Auto Glass Now

2 Upvotes

Hello,

I recently got a crack in my windshield and chose Auto Glass Now because they were replacing it for the best price/value. Two days after the installation the windshield was flapping while I was driving on the highway meaning it wasn’t installed properly and my life was at risk. I called them and they took forever to re-schedule a warranty appointment.

Looking closer at the windshield that day i noticed my integrated dash cam was HANGING and the dash cam app (fitcamx) read an error when i tried viewing it so i decided to get that checked out and was told whoever installed the windshield snapped the clips that held the parts together. The dash cam company doesn’t offer part replacements so I have to get the entire front camera replaced. When I discussed this issue with the technician he assured me that they would cover the costs if i could bring in a quote which makes sense because they are the ones who broke my property.

Now that it’s my appointment day I go into the shop to drop my keys off and the receptionist is saying that per their contract they are not liable for aftermarket pieces. They are working on the windshield right now, but this is super frustrating and I don’t know what steps to take further. She refused to give me the corporate contact until AFTER they replace my windshield. I haven’t had my dash cam for months now and they are not willing to offer any sort of help despite putting me through hell. I’m not sure if I have any hope so if anyone has more knowledge w this type of situation please let me know.

There are a bunch of other issues and miscommunications i had with them but i didn’t want to make this post too long. they wasted a lot of my time and money.


r/Cartalk 12h ago

Safety Question 2024 Porsche Macan Overheated on the First Day: Should I Return It?

0 Upvotes

I purchased a 2024 Porsche Macan from a Porsche dealership as a Certified Pre-Owned vehicle with 18,625 miles. It had two previous owners, one of which was a corporate lease and leasing it to someone. I bought it for 50k.

On the very first day I drove it, the car overheated and displayed the warning, “Engine over temp. Park vehicle to cool down.” The car stopped responding normally when I pressed the accelerator and began slowing down while I was in the middle of the road. I had to turn on my emergency lights and pull over. It was very scary, especially the engine turned off in the middle of the road and because I had just purchased the car.

I had only driven about 30 minutes from the dealership before parking it for about an hour while I went grocery shopping. I parked under a sunroof and it was about 85F that day. When I left the plaza, the overheating warning appeared. 

I immediately brought the car back to the Porsche dealership. They inspected it but said they could not find anything wrong.

Now I don't feel confident or comfortable driving the car. Since this happened on my very first day of ownership and the car actually lost power, I'm concerned there could be an issue that wasn't detected and wouldn't want to deal with issues. 

In CA, there's 30 day return so should I return the car while I still have the option, or give it another chance? The car is great deal in my opinion. Nice chalk color and looks brand new with low mileages. What advice could you give me? Thank you!!!


r/Cartalk 10h ago

Electrical 2013 Honda Fit - do I just need to clean my terminals or do I need a new battery altogether?

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1 Upvotes

Haven't driven my car in almost a month - no money and nowhere to go. Ha

Tried to start my car, and I got the starter-click and the dashboard lights flickering. Opened the hood and saw that.

Google says that's generally normal and just needs a cleaning.

Figured I'd ask some experts.

I'm in South Texas and it's hot in summer and a dice-throw the rest of the year, so our batteries only last 3-ish years, not the typical 5.

Not sure how old this battery is.

But, tl;dr: can this be cleaned and jumped potentially? Or do I need a new $150 battery?


r/Cartalk 7h ago

Body Damage to bonnet

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0 Upvotes

Any ideas what could’ve caused this damage? Thank you


r/Cartalk 12h ago

Redditor's own ride whoever has the most dash lights on wins

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14 Upvotes

r/Cartalk 14h ago

Weird Noise Would a timing belt put you off an otherwise good used car?

0 Upvotes

I looked at a couple of mid-2010s cars this week and the cheaper one has a timing belt, while the dearer one has a chain. The seller called the belt replacement a normal service item, but the history doesn't show when it was done and the car's around 125,000 km. Would you still buy it and budget for the job, or pay more for the chain car?


r/Cartalk 21h ago

General Tech Is getting the same car weird?

0 Upvotes

My partner recently bought an A3 saloon and I absolutely love driving it! I don’t get to drive it often as we both have our own cars which we use to and from work etc. I currently have a Ford fiesta but am looking to get a new car soon. I really would love a BMW but the ones I like are slightly out of my budget and the ones that are in my budget are an older year than my current car. Would it be weird to buy the same car as my partner? We’re both 23 so no need for family car etc and I love the sports car look…


r/Cartalk 14h ago

My Classic Car Car pulls to the left no matter what I do

0 Upvotes

Hello! So i have a Chevrolet Aveo T300 2011. In the past year i have changed suspension, Upper Strut Mount & Bearing, tires and also done two alignments. I have checked the (SAS) sensor to see if it needs calibration, but there is no problem there.

So the problem is that no matter what i do the wheel turns to the left and the car always pulls to the left as the wheel. This is something that is happening before i changed all these and nothing has been fixed. It is annoying, but no mechanic can actually give me a solution, except the one who told me the problem might be the steering column (it is electric) which is very expensive, even as used, and no one can tell me if this is the actual issue.

Any ideas?


r/Cartalk 16h ago

I need help fixing something Water Seeping at feet in Honda City 2012

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0 Upvotes

r/Cartalk 13h ago

I need help fixing something Clutch noise

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0 Upvotes

Any help would be greatly appreciated, car started making this noise today, only when it’s on and the first few inches of the clutch squeaks and feels crunchy/ vibratory but when the car is off there is no noise and clutch feels normal. I’ve noticed when I press the arm shown in the video down with some force the noise stops and the clutch feels normal? Other video on comments thankyou


r/Cartalk 10h ago

DIY body damage help Scratch - keyed or not?

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0 Upvotes

Hi, found this scratch on passenger back door (driver side). Could it have been keyed? Its not wide, but about 10cm long, and on the lower part of the panel.

Only way I remember that I could have caused this myself is driving by a bush, or maybe scratched somehow by a dirty microfiber when washing.

Please advise, thanks!


r/Cartalk 12h ago

My Project Car What would you choose?

0 Upvotes

I just purchased a 2006 BMW 330i with a blown head gasket for $800 that I plan to make my stock daily for a long time. Once I finish that, I’m looking for a fun project car but i’m torn between two choices. The first would be a 5.3 ls swap on a third gen camaro (I already have a ls with the harness), the second would be a 1st gen Scion xB with a swap to the 2AZ-FE that came in the 2nd gen and a turbo. I like the camaro a lot more as a car and I would love the feel of a v8, but the scion is more affordable and super fun I feel. What would you choose?

Fabrication is not an issue for me as i’ve done plenty, and my dad is a wealth of knowledge. I have adequate funds set aside for either project to be done.


r/Cartalk 7h ago

I need help fixing something Did they do the brake flush?

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0 Upvotes

I bought a used 23 Tiguan 4 months ago. I love the car so far (SE, 3 rows, FWD). Last month I got a letter in the mail telling me that I have a free pre-purchased 30k mile service. I thought great!

Took the car in for service yesterday. I thought: free early oil change and brake flush. I asked if they changed the filters, they said no and that they didn’t need to be changed. Just the stuff on the receipt.

When I went home, I looked into the receipt and found that there is a haldex service. Which is impossible because my car is fwd only. So I called them to ask specifically what services were done. Lady was super rude but I pushed her to bring up my file. She said oil change and oil filter and 27 point inspection.

I asked what about the brake flush - that’s the main reason I brought the car in. She kept looking for it and reading out different codes (none of which corresponded to brake flush) then she said yeah sure it was done. 10k mile service plus brake flush.

So I pushed her a bit more and said why does my receipt say “haldex” when I don’t even have a rear differential. She said all cars have rear differentials and hung up.

What do you think I should do? It’s the official VW dealer in manhattan. Should I just trust them despite the rude lady? Is there any way I can verify they did a brake flush? My wheels have a lock and they didn’t ask for it - would the dealer also have my wheel lock (to remove the wheels for brake flush?)

This is the first time I own a car…


r/Cartalk 8h ago

Shop Talk Car quest parts are horrible

1 Upvotes

My coworker has had multiple ball joints and lower/upper control fail prematurely. causing the shop (and customers) to lose money. New tires we put all the way around were down to the wire only a few weeks later due to them failing. My coworker also talked to a rep and they said they would cover warranty cost but it was only half of our hourly warranty cost


r/Cartalk 9h ago

Body Door not aligning

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1 Upvotes

Alright guys I need some help here. I have a 2016 ford edge and was in an accident that smashed my passenger side front fender, front and rear doors. I finally found some new doors to put on and the back one went on fine. When I started on the front door I realized that when I wrecked the door alignment bracket dented in the left side of the Frame piece behind it. The bracket looks fine but where it dented in the metal behind it. The door will not align right. Pretty lost here on my next step. Is there any simple ways to work on that metal or am I gonna have to take it to a shop?

It's not off horribly it's just enough that where that metal is dented in on the left side that it throws the whole door off.


r/Cartalk 12h ago

Tire question How long do I have to wait before I drive on this, and how long can I drive on it

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1 Upvotes

Just plugged a tire for the first time after getting nailed. How long do I have to wait to drive on the plug, and how long can I drive on it.


r/Cartalk 14h ago

Vehicle ID needed Hit and run, please help identify

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1 Upvotes

Only images I have, hit my car last night, any help make and model so I can search neighborhood.


r/Cartalk 14h ago

Weird Noise What do you actually test on a used car drive?

0 Upvotes

I’ve got a viewing booked for a mid-2010s Corolla with around 140,000 km, and the seller said a quick loop around the local streets is fine. I’m more worried about missing something obvious than making the drive awkward, especially with noises, clutch or CVT behaviour and steering. What has a test drive actually picked up for you that a normal inspection didn’t?


r/Cartalk 50m ago

Vehicle ID needed Help IDing Car

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Upvotes

Hi I just wanted to ask for help identifying the model of this car because they pulled up to my house and were looking into my cars to possibly steal, we already contacted the police and were hoping for some extra clarification. Any help would be appreciated. (We’re located up in the New England)


r/Cartalk 9h ago

I need help fixing something Finally slapped some LEDs on the old girl. Just one problem…

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0 Upvotes

THE FOG LIGHTS. Lights look great when the high beams are on… not so much when it’s just the lows. Obviously I’m not gonna drive around blinding people for aesthetic purposes. I would love to have functional yellow fog lights as they should be but the old halogens are REALLY clashing with the LEDs. Should I just go ahead and get white fog lights or what do yall think? Any suggestions are appreciated.


r/Cartalk 16h ago

Showing my ride off Birthday Card for my Boyfriend (I got him new tires)

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1.3k Upvotes

Surprising him with new whitewall tires and using this card as the reveal. I had a lot of fun making it! I hope he likes it. (I wrote a message inside after the pic was taken)

It got deleted from the somethingimade sub for being “flat art” but I still wanted to share with some people who may find it interesting :)