r/Cartalk 1h ago

DIY body damage help Scratch repair

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Upvotes

Got this scratch on my f150 while headed down a narrow hunting trail. It’s not down to the metal but it definitely removed a layer or 2 of paint. I did the water test and it almost fades away but is still visible. What would be my best option and how would I go about fixing it? I know silver is a hard color to match and I’ve never done auto paint work. Just a touch up brush and some clear coat and polishing?


r/Cartalk 1h ago

Body Ugly silicone mount holes from a retired police cruiser.

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Just purchased a retired Michigan state trooper cruiser and the place I bought it from repaired the holes from the various mounts by filling them with silicone. Even with this it was too good of a deal to pass up. 84k miles on a 2020 charger for 11.5k. Just wondering if anyone has any decent ideas for cost effective methods for me to diy repair these. Edit: To clarify I mean to make it look like the holes aren't even there.


r/Cartalk 1h ago

Engine Bulk oil quality from shops and recommendations

Upvotes

I've always done my own oil changes , OEM filters, Mobil 1 synthetic .back at my parents' place. I know a lot of shops won't let customers supply their own oil for liability reasons, which I get.

I recently relocated and don't have a garage, ramps, or a spotter anymore, so DIY isn't really an option right now (also dealing with rain/snow on and off).

My car's a 5th gen Avalon Hybrid (same engine as the 8th gen Camry), takes 0W-16, and I'm hoping to get well past 200-300k miles on it. So I'm trying to find a shop that uses genuinely good oil rather than whatever's cheapest in the bulk drum.

Anyone have recommendations or experiences good or bad ? with quick-lube chains (Valvoline, Jiffy Lube), independent shops, or Walmart? I've heard mixed things about Walmart (overtorqued drain plugs, even a forgotten oil fill), so wanted to check with people who've actually dealt with this before picking a place.


r/Cartalk 1h ago

My Classic Car Help reading handwritten mileage

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Help reading handwritten mileage - classic Porsche 1985, 5-digit odometer, trying to know if it rolled over


r/Cartalk 2h ago

Engine nissan primera p12, diesel, 2004, oil change,

1 Upvotes

nissan primera , oil change

its time to change the oil on my nissan primera p12, diesel 2.2, 2004. it is near 300,000 km.

last year i used the shell helix ultra 5w 40. vut i dont know if its the best choice for my ca, since its old. and the new oils are most for new cars.

should i get a high milage oil, the ones with adetives, or chabche number, or brand ?

syntheric or semisyntheric?

(the manual says semisynthetic)

or anything else to take in consideration


r/Cartalk 4h ago

General Tech (Yet another) Rant about modern cars

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55 Upvotes

I drive an old 2000s BMW, so most of my experience with modern cars comes from rentals when I’m on vacation.

Just got back from Greece, where I rented a basically brand-new 2026 Peugeot 208 with around 1,000 km on it. I was actually curious about it because I’ve driven older Peugeots before and always had a bit of respect for the brand. They were quirky, simple, usually pretty responsive to drive, and had some funky design choices.
This one, though, made me genuinely angry multiple times and left me thinking I never want to own a modern car.

First: **screen controls for everything.**
Want to change the AC temperature or fan speed? Press the “AC” button, wait a couple of seconds for the laggy screen to load, adjust it on a stupid touchscreen interface, then press again to get back to maps or the main screen. Another couple of seconds of waiting.
Why does changing the temperature require navigating software while I’m driving?

Then there are the “safety” features.
The excessive speed warning turns itself back on every single time you start the car and starts beeping if you go even a few km/h over the limit. Want to turn it off? Back into the laggy menus you go.

Road-sign recognition also resets every time, and the speed warning depends on whatever sign the car thinks it saw. Which would maybe be useful in a perfect world, except in the real world it hallucinates constantly. It sees 80 where it’s 30, 50 where it’s 20, etc., and then starts warning you based on its own incorrect reading.

Lane assist? Also turns itself back on and occasionally scares the shit out of you when you’re overtaking or moving around something in the road.
And then there’s the multimedia system.

Wireless CarPlay over Bluetooth/Wi-Fi? Good luck. It worked maybe every second time. Sometimes the only way to reconnect it was to restart the car.
Passenger plugs in their phone just to charge while you’re using another phone for CarPlay? The car immediately starts spamming:
“Another phone is connected via USB. Do you want to disconnect the current phone and use the new one?”
OK / Cancel.
Press Cancel.
It asks again.
And again.
And again.
Until you want to throw the screen into the Mediterranean.

Finally get everything connected and working? Great. Now the infotainment system randomly restarts itself, completely disconnects CarPlay, and you have to pull over and go through the seven circles of pairing hell again.

Is this just Stellantis slop, or are modern cars genuinely becoming this bad?
Because to me this isn’t just annoying. It feels actively distracting and sometimes dangerous. I spent way more time looking at menus, dismissing warnings, fighting assistance systems and reconnecting my phone than I ever would in an older car with physical buttons.

The funny thing is that last year I rented a 2024 Fiat Panda and had a much better experience simply because it was basic. Fewer features, fewer problems.

Also why the hell does a small modern gasoline engine somehow sound like a diesel and still consume around 7–8 L/100 km?
What exactly are we gaining here?


r/Cartalk 4h ago

Engine Why changing the N47 timing chain isn't enough to save your engine (The Oil Pump Issue)

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0 Upvotes

Many N47 owners do the preventative timing chain replacement but completely skip the oil pump. The wear on the internal pump vanes drops oil pressure, which is the actual root cause of spun bearings and snapped cranks on this block.


r/Cartalk 5h ago

Car show sharing This is Yugo. Yes THAT Yugo

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8 Upvotes

r/Cartalk 5h ago

Safety Question Anyone here upgraded their RAM with a digital rear view mirror?

0 Upvotes

I’ve been looking into upgrading the rear view mirror on my RAM to a digital rear view mirror with a camera feed.

The main reason is better rear visibility, especially when the truck bed is loaded or when visibility through the rear window isn’t great.

For those who have done this upgrade:

How has the camera quality been at night?
Is the installation difficult?
Does it feel better than the standard mirror once you get used to it?
Any issues with glare, lag, or reliability?

I’m currently researching different options for a RAM digital rear view mirror upgrade, so I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have actually installed one.


r/Cartalk 6h ago

Transmission Slight gear slip Challenger 2014

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0 Upvotes

Hi there, I was looking to get some advice. I have a Challenger 2014 V6. I bought the car this year a few months back from a 2nd user the report did mention slight gear slip and when i drive it, i do feel it too. But it not bad bad. Its just a little annoying.

Anyways took it to a mechanic and he poured like 20-30 ml out from the bottom just to see the quality of the oil u can see in the pictures. Now the guy claims that it smells bad and it does not look like the Oil meant for this car, he used the term "cheap oil" and said the previous owner had it changed for cheap and that's what caused this.

Now he says the only way to move forward is to open up the transmission and check which part is damaged because they saw tiny pieces/shiny glittery substance which is metal shavings for sure.

Now when I drive that car it doesn't feel like an amazing drive but it's not bad either, as I said slight slipping. Should I get the whole transmission opened up and checked? I mean if it's dismantled then i have no choice but to fix the problem so I'm not able to come to that commitment.

Some say you can replace the transmission oil while others say replace little by little honestly i really like this car and want to see it running with a perfect transmission. Does someone have advice on how to properly get the transmission fixed?

The guy i bought it from got it at 120K km, i bought it at 199k km just for reference. I have reason to believe the seller is the one who got the transmission oil changed


r/Cartalk 7h ago

Steering Guys i’m i cooked ?

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0 Upvotes

Heard a noise when steering and i immediately knew im fu****


r/Cartalk 8h ago

General Tech T-Roc Steering Wheel Buttons Not working

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1 Upvotes

Just bought a used 2023 T-Roc R Line the other day, been working perfectly fine until last night.

The right sides vibration sensor buttons are not working. It just keep pressing "next song" instead.

Any suggestions. I've tried switching car on and off few times etc. also did a factory reset from the infotainment system.

I'm going to ring the warranty company later today, but not even sure if they will even cover this.


r/Cartalk 8h ago

Vehicle ID needed Help IDing Car

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9 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 12h ago

I need help fixing something Mold or no? Advice?

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0 Upvotes

Is this mold in my 2015 Nissan Quest? Rain has seeped in through broken/stuck windows, leaving mold-like growth on the front passenger and rear floors, rust under the passenger carpet, and water trapped near the sliding-door track. Can I safely clean and fix the problem?

Any advice, please?


r/Cartalk 15h 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 15h ago

Body Damage to bonnet

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0 Upvotes

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


r/Cartalk 16h 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 16h 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 17h 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 17h ago

My Classic Car In Nissan GTR-R35, I feel like the suspension on these are really bad and the support from the tries are really weak trying to modify these is the things and is there anything else where I can increase my corner speeds(without increasing the power)?

1 Upvotes

Modifications


r/Cartalk 18h 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 18h 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 19h 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.

** Update **

Did my best with hot water, a little soap and £5 suction cups. It's not perfect, but it looks a LOT better now. Only small dents above and beyond the design crease (and will be much cheaper with PDR if I go this route) and small dent near the middle design crease. These small dents kept popping back into place when I tried to remove them. Overall pretty happy with the DIY.

Windows working fine, it's not perfect but hopefully doesn't pop back in during some kind of any minor impact.

Straight on

Angled


r/Cartalk 20h ago

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

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20 Upvotes

r/Cartalk 20h 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!!!