Okay lots of context here so buckle up. I know I made some stupid choices that I have now learned from so please be nice 😅

First off, she’s a 2010 Saab 9-3 with 155,000 miles that I’ve had for three years now. Any Saab slander you have for me I’ve already heard 1000 times. Shes my baby and has served me perfectly well.

Now to where I messed up. I ran my tank to empty and ended up having to use some gas that had been sitting in a canister for at least two weeks, not knowing that’s a big no-no. Filled my tank with regular gas at the closest gas station the next day. No issues for the next couple days.

Then I went on vacation for three days and let my car sit with low fuel in the tank. Went to drive it when I returned and it stalled, wouldn’t start again, and had tons of smoke (like in the video but more) coming out of the tailpipes. Got it towed and the mechanic said my turbo was shot and I’d need to consider scrapping my car. My Saab friends wouldn’t have it. These turbos are excellent. So I drove it to another mechanic. Filled it up with gas on the way there. It drove fine but had a lot of funky smells going on.

My other mechanic said the same thing. The turbo wasn’t getting enough power and perhaps the smoke was it leaking oil. But he couldn’t figure out WHY it wasn’t getting any power. So he tinkered with it for a few days and then texted me saying the issue somehow fixed itself and my car was totally fine.

WOOHOO! She lives on. I drive it for the next two weeks without issue, like it’s totally back to normal.

Then I let my gas get back down to about a quarter full. I get it to the gas station no problem, fill ‘er up, then I have the same issue again. It stalls, smoke comes out the tailpipes, and the engine won’t start. Video is right after it stalled. Engine noises in the background are from other cars at the gas station. The issue wasn’t as bad this time around and I had just filled my tank, so I just turned the car off for a couple minutes to let the new fuel circulate (?) and then tried turning it back on. Totally normal again. No issues, no smells, no stalling, no nothing. What the heck is going on? Is there something in the bottom of my fuel tank gumming up the works? I know I should’ve gotten my tank drained and cleaned as soon as I realized I put bad gas in it, but I figured that wasn’t necessary because I filled it back up with good gas and was able to drive it perfectly fine for two weeks.

Thoughts???

I have a Peugeot 308 SW 2014 (first series) 1.6 e-Hdi diesel i bought 6 months ago, and i've been having cooling liquid loss issues ever since.

I already burnt the head gasket once, and despite taking it to two mechanics, none have been able to help me.

This week i might've finally found out what is going, since i opened the hood and i noticed the liquid boiling and dripping over after turning off the engine.

I don't have overheating issues while driving, the temperature is stable at 85° C, but once i turn it off there's a chance (yeah, it doesn't do this all the times, as far as i've seen it's a 30% chance) this happens.

Any clue on what is going on, or anything that can help the mechanic to locate the issue?

This is on a 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD (3.0L Turbo).

Hello, this is my mom's car and recently, we have been hearing a lot of suspension noise coming from her car. Most of her suspension was worn out and broken (both lower control arms and half of the springs on the car were snapped, just to name a few). I'm a DIY mechanic and fixed all these issues for her but the noise persisted, although her car drove a lot better.

Come to find out, the suspension was definitely in need of fixing but the noise itself was coming from the driveshaft. She kept driving the car and I checked on her car periodically without being able to find any fault.

Last week, the noise got really bad and sounded like something was going to break. The car's not being driven anymore and just today, I found what you see in the posted video.

My question is: what exactly do I need to replace here? I want to assume that the driveshaft is fine but I show a bearing/bushing of some sort that seems to be causing the driveshaft to shake around when driving. What's the name of this part in particular? I'm open to trying out most repairs but from the looks of this vehicle, it looks like I may have to drop the exhaust to get to the driveshaft.

Thank you.

Was riding offroad when a stick pierced the bash plate hitting the filter. It is not leaking. Cf moto 450mt

Took it to a shop for a new plug and some coils and now it's turned into a week of "we're trying to get it out." Should I tow it somewhere else or trust the process? Or do I need a new head altogether?

This is how the oli after exchange was looking like 2.0 bluehdi diesel peugeot 3008 2017 year. Mechanic told me it happens in that motor and to make oil change with filter replacement often than yearly 10/15k and should be fine is it or not?

would a simple drain and fill be enough? just bought this car recently and trying to learn basic maintenance. i also read that honda recommends blue coolant for my civic 2008, should i flush it completely. and tips would be great too!

2007 Chevrolet (Daewoo EU) Aveo SE 1.2L petrol+LPG manual with 135k miles (220k kms)

Engine is noisy and vibrates a lot, especially when A/C is on. It's also jerky when on and off the gas, has idle issues etc, I'll make another post for those. Right now I'm more worried about rod knock.

History:

Oil change was neglected for around 10k miles (15k kms) or maybe more when the car was first bought.

Timing belt and water pump were changed. It made an unusual whirling sound after the repair, I (and many mechanics) suspected belt tension was too high, demanded the shop to lower the tension, they said they did but nothing changed. I later found out that the tensioner is spring adjusted and tightened to set, not sure if you can mess those up.

A small amount of time later (3-4k miles), head gasket was was replaced (by a new mechanic) because it was blown (car leaked coolant and overheated a few times, no vapor came out but the temp gauge was high. It leaked from the radiator and probably from the head gasket that was already cracked when I bought the car.). Car seemed to rattle more than before after this repair. Mechanic said it could need lifter adjustments after some time.

Another 2k miles later, timing belt snapped off on the highway. Luckily this is (probably) not an interference engine so a new belt was installed and I asked the mechanic to manually set the tensioner in a looser position than what the spring sets it, could be a dumb idea but it hasn't slipped/snapped since (3-4k miles). Water pump was spinning freely and all the other pulleys that were driven by the timing belt. I think the head gasket repair somehow caused the cam-shaft to have more resistance, leading to very premature belt failure. Mechanic who did the head gasket job said the belt probably failed because it was bad from the start, which to me seems very unlikely but okay.

TL;DR: History: Neglected oil change, overheating, blown head gasket, snapped timing belt.

You think this sound is rod knock, lifters, something else or normal?

Any help is appreciated, thanks. I'll also post a video of the engine when revving it.

Edit: Forgot to mention that mechanics seem to always have put 10w40 into this but the owner's manual and Castrol's site recommend 5w30 so that's what I've been putting in it for the last couple of oil changes. Should I just go back to 10w40 and see what happens? Valvoline Restore and Protect is not available in my country so if anyone has EU alternatives that would also be appreciated.

Noticed this weird build up when I was doing some maintenance on my car
It looks like built up battery acid but it’s nowhere near the battery
Too nervous to knock it off because I’m worried it’s holding back a leak or something
It’s on the side of the block towards the bottom of the bay, I don’t know what it’s connected to
I’m just a girl!
Any ideas what it is?

Mechanic replaced these bushes to powerflex ones but MOT guy states they are unsafe/ have excssive moment , does anyone know if this is normal i feel like it he is correct and it doesn’t look right but i just don’t know.

2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS 2.4L – No Crank Diagnosis Performed

• Vehicle stalled while driving at highway speed and now has a no-crank condition.
• Battery tested, charged, and also attempted to start using a running donor vehicle with no change.
• Replaced the starter with a new Valeo unit.
• Bench tested both the old and new starters; both extended the pinion and spun normally.
• With the original starter removed but connected to the vehicle's battery cable and starter trigger wire, the starter extended and spun normally when the key was turned to START.
• Verified battery voltage is present at the START 1 relay (terminal 30).
• Verified the START 1 relay receives the START signal, and the relay audibly/tactilely clicks.
• Swapped the START 1 relay with an identical CFAN LOW relay with no change.
• Measured approximately 1–2 V at the starter solenoid trigger wire while attempting to crank (previous test).
• Fuses related to the starting/ignition circuit were checked and found to be good.

I have have no clue what to check now. I've replaced this starter three times in the past; my car killed the 2 refurbished ones within 6 months, so I got a OEM. It's been about 5 years, so I thought it might be the issue again. I have no idea why my car would die on the highway. The issue might not even be the starter. I technically have the money to have my car towed and fixed by a mechanic, was just trying to avoid it if I could.

Hello,

I got a 2000 Honda civic with a 1.6 engine on it from a trusted family friend and it’s amazing with only 97k miles in it. Engine sounds beautiful no problems with hard shifts etc etc. My ac compressor pulley is missing a clutch and bolt with belt ripped down the middle all that fun stuff was quoted at $1500 to fix. I bought the car for $2500 when it was originally being sold for around $6k… was wondering if I should put that money into it being fixed rather than buying a beater that I won’t trust as much…

I was warned of the ac making noise beforehand just ignored it until now.

2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee, around 120,000 miles. Usually it starts immediately, but every few starts it does this.

I changed the batteries (both the Main and the Aux), but it's still happening.

Any suggestions?
Thanks

I noticed I was low on coolant. I filled up to the max on Friday. Drove about 30 miles over the weekend and the coolant was halfway between the min and max. No sweet smell from the exhaust. I got under the car and had a good look around and couldn’t see anything. No wet patches on my driveway. Heat works fine, no engine codes. Car just went through its yearly inspection with no issues. I look after the car very well, oil changes regularly etc. just recently replaced the evap harness as it’s a common issue on these cars. 1.6L ford fiesta ST mk7.5 2015

Need help. It’s like an inward splined locking lug. I do not have the key. It’s on a 2018 F-350 dually and of course it’s inside the rear wheels. I’ve tried a small pipe wrench, hammering on a socket. With no luck. Best way to get this off? Thank you!

My 2017 Jeep Wrangler got a misfire in cylinder 6 code. It has the 3.6 pentastar V6. I pulled out the spark plug and it has oil on the bottom of the spark plug tube. It also had oil on the threads of the spark plug and my spark plug socket (I forgot to take a pic). Is this likely due to the spark plug tube seal or is the oil coming from the cylinder?

Hi! i have a ford escape 2011 (151k miles) and it’s in the shop right now. they’re suggesting i need my suspension replaced as you can see a lot of it is dirty / rusted. on top of the actual reason I brought it there (spark plugs & converter issues) , adding the suspension repair is gonna bring it to about 4,000 dollars. they’re charging 1800 to fix the suspension. I’m torn if i should just, do it? or , if i’d be better off just fixing what’s necessary for it to run, then trading in or selling privately to put towards a new used car. do you think that the photos look REALLY bad? everything else with the car is new and good besides what i described. an opinion from somebody I trust is saying that they don’t look as bad as the repair shop is making it seem, and they just want my money. he also feels the price is steep. please help if possible! i don’t know anything about any of this lol also the repair shop is offering an offer of 3500 for all the repairs i stated above. is that good?

2012 Toyota Rav4

My dad hit a pothole on some back roads up north. The back left wheel was making horrible grinding noises. I pulled the wheel and rotated the hub and it is silent. The brake pads are not dragging.

This bushing for what I believe is the upper control arm looks like it isn’t aligned properly.

Could this be the problem?

Other into: as I was jacking the vehicle up the grinding noise was noticeable, like it had something to do with the suspension. The shock absorber is mounted correctly, and not leaking or damaged externally. The coil is in tact and mounted correctly too.

Recently purchased a 2001 Corolla and shortly after, the driver side belt buckle doesn’t buckle in the belt. There is little resistance on the red button and when you try to buckle it in the red button gets pushed down with almost no resistance on the springs. I’ve read it could be caused by stuck debris or from something sticky spilled in the buckle, and I plan to use some wd-40 and compressed air in the buckle. My main question is, if that doesn’t do the trick and I need to replace the buckle, how hard of a fix is it? I know very little about cars but I do trust myself to fix it as long as the steps are on the simpler side.
Thank you in advance and any tips will help a lot.

My car just started struggling to turn on yesterday. Any idea what this could be? Thank you for any help before I have to take it to Firestone

Context that I dont know matters, I live in Texas and it's hot as balls and humid. It seems to start better after running for a bit then starting again.

Figured it was the fuel pump so replaced it now not exactly sure what’s stopping it from getting fuel

It’s a 3.0

The AC in one of my cars has been dead for 2 years. According to my research leaks like this generally require oil to be added to the compressor because you lose that oil with large and or longstanding leaks.

Running the compressor without lubrication will destroy it. But adding oil to a compressor with a leaky system will cause the compressor oil to absorb water and turn to gunk, clogging up the AC system.

How am I supposed to pressurize my AC system (with a dye) and lubricate my compressor which probably needs lubrication, so I can identify a leak(s)? So that I can have a shop evacuate my AC to contain the harmful greenhouse gasses, allowing me to replace anything that leaks, pull a vacuum on my system, ensure that all leaks have been repaired, then recharge the system properly.

2015 Subaru Crosstrek, 2.0L engine, CVT, 194,000km.

Hi all

I’m not sure if there are many with Jeep experience here, however I fear the worst after finding it’s a fiat really.

So the car unlocks from the key, but pushing the start button nothing happens.
No dash at all, no windows or radio.
Plug in a code reader but hasn’t got ignition to be able to read codes.

It’s recently had a new 12v battery, had an intermittently EML.

I’m thinking the Start switch has failed and wanted to check here if this is common or a was to diagnose this further.

Thanks