Car overheated on me on Friday. Pulled over for like 20-30 minutes to let it cool down. Checked my coolant levels and they were good. Car does need an oil change soon but not for another 800 miles or so. I get it changed whenever the sticker says. So I was looking up why the engine can overheat and it said a dirty radiator. I know the radiator is dirty and needs to be cleaned now. What can make it look like that though?

Do I need to go get some radiator cleaner or do I just use water and put new radiator fluid in it?

Can I clean the outside of the radiator without taking my car apart? I am tool savvy but I usually do like house work and woodworking not too much mechanical work other than changing headlights

2018 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T, 82k miles. Honest takes appreciated.

It took two months but the dealer replaced the turbo assembly under warranty (broken shaft was pushing oil into the charge piping, fouled all 4 plugs). They also replaced the oil feed line and gaskets. They note they "replaced" the plugs, and test drove it before completion

I got it back this evening and 9 miles later it stalled at a light and wouldn't restart. Cranks, no ignition. Scanned it: cylinder 3 and 4 misfires. So I pulled the plugs. All of the plugs were fouled like the ones shown in the last picture and the Cyl 4 plug had the ground electrode smashed into the center electrode and the shell rim was covered in shiny impact marks resembling peening.

Two things bug me: their invoice never lists spark plugs as a part used (everything else is itemized), and even though their notes say oil went into the intercooler and charge piping, there's no line item for cleaning that out or checking the cylinders or system for debris.

It has been towed back to the same dealership and they will look at it in the morning.

Questions:

1. What crushes a plug electrode and peens the shell rim like this? (My intuition tells me a foreign object in in cylinder 4) What other damage can I expect?

2. Could leftover oil/debris in the charge system after a turbo failure cause it? Or is this more likely to be FOD introduced into the cylinder during the repair?

3. Should decontaminating the intercooler and charge piping have been part of this job? Would that normally be listed in the repair notes?

4. What should they do here? obviously scope the cylinder, but if there's significant scoring and damage is it unreasonable to push for replacement?

1994 honda del sol 1.5l sohc motor (d15b7)

Any ideas would be appreciated. All measurements were in spec

First it was stripped and followed advice to get a lug extractor now it fucking snapped no chance of getting it with a socket or anything it’s snapped all the way down what are my options. Tried drilling this shit is harder than a Mf and doesn’t go

Audi a5 b8 2.0 TDI

as you read in the title, my dad put 10w40 engine oil in the power steering fluid reservoir. i told him not to do it, but he didn’t listen and called me a non knowledgeable dumbass who doesn’t know anything about cars. i obviously know more than him, but whatever.

fast forward two minutes, and it started leaking the oil he had just put inside the reservoir. i told him it was leaking, and he said it was normal. 🤣
all the oil he put into the reservoir leaked out, and the reservoir was completely empty. the car then started making the squealing noise you normally hear when a car has no power steering fluid.

so now we have a car that’s leaking power steering fluid/oil and is basically undriveable.

my question is: was it the 10w40 he put in that caused the leak, or could it have been something else?

the car is a 2004/2005 ford focus 1.6.

i’ve already ordered the correct power steering fluid: wss-m2c204-a2.

i’ll take a picture of the leak if anyone needs to see it

I’m looking for some advice on how to handle an issue with a shop regarding a sub par repair on my 2021 Toyota Tundra.

I brought my truck in to have the cam tab gussets repaired due to an alignment shop bending g a couple of them. I was originally quoted ~$1300 for a full replacement, but after I dropped the truck off, the shop called to say they had the wrong parts. They suggested bending the existing bent tabs back (not all of them were bent) and back welding all of them for reinforcement instead. I authorized this modified work.

I paid ~$1,029 total: ~$800 for the welding/labor and ~$200 for an attempted alignment which they couldn't get the camber aligned stating that the driver side spindle was bent due to a prior accident.

A week later I took my truck to a different shop I have used before but is over an hour away for a second opinion. Their inspection revealed that the alignment tabs are still bent and not within spec, several tabs were melted or structurally damaged by the welding process, and the welding preparation/ lack of coating was poor, leaving significant exposed metal underneath.

The second shop confirmed that the original "repair" was ineffective and that the tabs still need to be replaced to restore function and structural integrity before they could rule out any other issue like the claimed bent spindle.

Sorry for the long back story but here are my questions, I feel that I paid for a service that was not performed correctly and, in some ways, left the truck in worse condition. I want to approach the first shop to request a refund, but I need guidance on how to go about this.

Yes I authorized the "bend and weld" method because the wrong parts were sent, do I have a case for a refund, or am I stuck because the work was "performed"?

How should I frame this conversation to be taken seriously without coming across as unreasonable?

Any advice on how to handle this would be appreciated. I have attached photos of the current state of the tabs so you can see.

Looking for objective opinions from people who know Fords, especially Ranger/Everest owners and mechanics.
I have a Ford Ranger Wildtrak 2.0 Bi-Turbo 4x2 that I purchased in May 2024. It currently has around 19,000 km.
The truck recently had a radiator failure. Coolant leaked/sprayed around the front of the engine, including the accessory belt area. The vehicle then sat for roughly 2 months while waiting for repairs and parts.
After getting the truck back, I noticed that the crankshaft pulley/harmonic balancer (or at least what I believe is the crank pulley) now has noticeable surface rust on the front face.
My initial reaction was concern because the vehicle is relatively new and low mileage. Part of me wondered whether the pulley could have been swapped with an older used part while the vehicle was in the workshop.
On the other hand, I’ve also been told that:
coolant exposure can accelerate corrosion,
the pulley face is exposed steel,
and sitting idle for 2 months may actually promote surface rust more than regular use.
So I’m trying not to jump to conclusions.
My questions:
Is this amount/pattern of rust normal after a coolant leak and 2 months of sitting?
Does the pulley look like a relatively new part that developed surface rust, or does it look unusually old for a vehicle with only 19,000 km?
If a crank pulley/harmonic balancer had been replaced, what signs would you look for to verify that?
Has anyone here experienced a similar situation after a radiator failure?
I’m not accusing the dealership of anything. I’m just trying to understand whether what I’m seeing is normal corrosion or something worth investigating further.

Help lol
2018 430i BMW grancoupe

Hi everyone, i am a marine tech looking for some input from heavy truck mechanics. Basically I am getting this old crane truck to use in the yard for basically scrap value. The crane works and I am pretty confident I can get it to run and drive (the brakes might be stuck but the cat 3208 engine was recently rebuilt and the tires hold air). How crazy would it be to get it road legal in ontario? I have absolutely no clue. Thoughts?

Also how do I tell if those are split rims or dayton wheels?

I was worried about this right away, but this was a good offer and name brand mowers are like 10x the price...

I am very indecisive over which car to get.

For context, I have 8k in savings but don’t want to blow it all up in a car. I only want it for personal commute since my partner has a newer car and I don’t want to rely on him for it.

I have been thinking about getting one of these. Which one do you guys think would be the best option for my needs?

I really appreciate your help!

(I have the carfax on the Mazda3, but the seller for the Corolla doesn’t have one)

CAR: 2025 Civic Sport 2.0L

I accidently drained the transmission fluid instead of the oil on my Civic, put the car into reverse and gassed it a few times without realizing I had drained the wrong fluid. Is the CVT cooked? I’m gonna put new fluid in tomorrow and do the full oil change.

It’s a 2018 Hyundai sonata, I noticed a terrible noise when I was making a turn and then I saw this. Hard to get a picture but I have no idea what this is someone plzzzz help

2010 Subaru Forester with 230,000 mi. Aside from the P0420 code lighting up my dashboard all the time, the vehicle runs great, generally rust free. I have owned this car for 16 years and have done most of the work to the vehicle including timing belt, radiator, alternator, and driveshafts. It's a great around town kid-shuttling vehicle, and soon to be a drivers-ed car.

Even replacing the cat myself, the wholesale cost of an OEM cat for this PZEV vehicle is $3400 (JUST FOR THE PART). Walker cat's are obviously cheaper, but I have noticed that once people go that path, they end up having to replace converters over and over.

Given the cost of OEM cat's, do you all just live with the P0420 codes? What would you do? These converter prices have gotten so bad, i'm surprised they havent suspended emissions testing. It would seem like a death sentence to most old cars for no really good reason. $3400 is more the the blue book value of the car.

Hi, everyone.

I was trying to replace the front wheel hub and bearing when I stumpled upon this seized axle mounting nut.

I'm not 100% sure but is this a staked nut but damaged? Two cracks on both side.

Whats the best way to get it off and Is this nut salvagable?

Fiat 500 2014 1.2L

Nissan dealership refusing to change cylinder head gasket. Opting to replace the whole engine instead.

Brought my Altima in for a misfire and they informed me that the head gasket is leaking into cylinder 4 causing the misfire.

The car has never overheated and I did not notice any white cloud of smoke pouring out the exhaust.

However, they pressure tested and borescoped, which led them to quote me 11980 dollars for a long block.

When asked why, they told me the cylinders were warped.
How did they determine this if all they did was a borescope? I’m no car mechanic but that seems odd to me.

They also informed me that they will not dismantle the engine and that it would just be more cost effective to just replace the engine.

So, I guess my question. Any other reliable brand cars out there that I wouldn’t have to worry about issues like this? Might honestly find me an old Honda civic. They seem reliable.

TIA

I have done almost everything to see why this car is stalling and nothing seems to have worked.

It has this issue where it will just stall out while idling or coming to a stop. I can catch it if i give it gas while the rpms are dropping to stop it from stalling. It also has a weird issue where when i start the engine the fuel level gauge will drop to empty, but if i turn on the headlights, it will begin working properly. Also the antenna at the back doesn't pop up anymore when i start the car.

I just took it to an auto electrician and he couldn't find anything. I have another appt at a separate electrician on the 9th so i might just take it in again.

work done:
- Cam sensor
- Crank sensor
- Cleaned and tested IACV
- tested alternator
- tested battery & ground
- new engine ground
- new fuel pump relay/fuse

Sometimes it will crank up after trying this method twice. i did buy a starter and plan to get a mechanic to work on it sooner than later. But the mechanic that looked at it said that it could be a starter issue, but if it’s not, it’ll help him figure out what the issues is.

honda accord 2010 LX

Volvo S60 2.4t 2003 (P2 Gen)

As the title implies I made an error, Im doing a PCV job as well as other maintenance which exposed several openings to the engine, I assumed I had them all checked out and covered as I wire brushed old oil build up which was mostly from my power steering pump leaking. Anyway I JUST realized where my oil dipstick sits is open and now the pan probably has a good amount of grit inside. Is there anyway I can loosen that debris after draining the oil, Im hoping not to drop my oil pan this week if possible but I will if necessary.

Im thinking if I drain the oil than refill the pan with a bit of gasoline and use compressed air at low psi to push the gas around to thin out the oil and push the debris around, then drain the pan once more

Usually I have to try a few times before my car starts. I don't hear clicking when I try to turn it. It's more of a slow chugging sound and my car just gives up. But tonight after work it didn't even want to do anything. I kept trying for a while. For about 20 minutes I kept turning the key, wait a few minutes and try again. Luckily it worked, but now I'm afraid to drive it. I've been having this knocking sound and I can't help but think this is related to the problem. I've had it for a while but it's been getting louder.

The only codes that came up in my car were for a knock sensor replacement, downstream and upstream 02 sensor. I have changed the knock sensor with a Beck/Arnley part and I've changed my downstream 02 sensor with a Denso part. I couldn't change the upstream sensor because the connector is really stuck so I was gonna replace it this weekend and use lube spray. I don't think that would be the issue for my car not wanting to start. It does need an oil change, but I also don't think that's the problem either. I also changed the serpentine belt because I thought my belt was old, but upon replacing it I noticed that my former belt was in very good shape so there was no need to replace it. I still did though and kept the old one in the trunk.

Would this knocking sound be the problem or could this be a totally different situation? Let me know. Any advice is appreciated.

I tested the battery, starter and alternator at auto zone. They said all three were good. I don't know what else to do

I DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT CARS IVE BEEN SLOWLY LEARNING ON YOURUBE SO FEEL FREE TO OFFER SOME POINTERS

I gifted my daughter my 2015 Hyundai sonata sport 2.0l turbo for her 16th birthday and she’s had it about a year. She told me it’s been making a funny noise when she turns right and when I test drove it it indeed made a terrible grinding type noise. I had replaced the cv axles 5 years ago with lifetime warranty so I switched those out again but it’s still marking the noise. Any thoughts on the place to look? Sorry the engine is noisy bit you can hear the grinding pretty good and it continues when I’m parked with the steering right. Doesn’t do it if straight.

Took 2019 Toyota Camry with 2.5L 4 cylinder in to have an alignment and zero point calibration after a transmission swap. Shop couldn’t get steering angle to reset. Ended up disassembling the steering column and rotating it or the steering angle sensor. When the car was reassembled, the shop blamed the guy who replaced the transmission for messing up the clock spring. At this point, the shop said the clock spring was bad and that I had an airbag light as a result. It wasn’t until hours later that I realized this impacted all the buttons on the steering (can’t say what it is as it thinks I’m asking about something else that’s not allowed in this sub). All of these worked when I took it in. And, there was no airbag light. How should I handle this? I now need a $400 part replaced. Should the shop cover this expense?

I’ve noticed for the past couple of months that when I start my car, switch between P,R,N,D and or accelerate a little fast from either a low speed to stop that it makes a clunk sound. I thought it’d be a transmission mount or cv axle but I’m leaning towards cv axle. This is me spinning the driver side and the clunking sound is coming from where the cv axle enters the transmission. It’s a 2012 Honda civic ex with 220k miles. Any advice helps.

2006 Acura TSX and it sounds… not right when it’s idle. I’ve replaced the spark plugs and the belt yet it still sounds like this. Any help is appreciated. 🫠