Hi! I have a 2010 GTI, manual transmission, currently 120k miles, owned since new. Recently, when shifting into 2nd or 3rd, I've felt a vibration as if the clutch wasn't quite in all the way. It's only happened a couple of times over the last month.

Potentially Related Background: In 2017, I turned into a parking lot and couldn't/didn't see that there was a major curb separating incoming traffic. After a a horrific crunch (and some dripping evidence a few days later), I took the car in to a local VW tuning shop. They replaced the trans and clutch with used OEM parts, as was required by my insurance. Since then, the clutch has been weird, the gates to 1st and 2nd are really tight in cold weather, and my reverse lights don't work. (I know the latter isn't related, but it bugs me.)

My question: I'm barely skating by financially and need this car to last another 5 years. Is there any kind of preventive maintenance or other activity that can prevent what I fear?

Sorry for the bad image quality.

The image is of the top of piston 4 and the cylinder wall in a Toyota 2AR-FE with 162,000 miles. All Toyota recommended maintenance was performed throughout the engine's life. I have the feeling those recommendations were written by marketing people and not the engineers.

Based on what the image shows, the engine needs a short block. Am I correct?

I've acquired a classic 1977 124 Spider that hasn't seen much action in ~1 decade. I've had it ~1 week & the most important stuff works. I've done a number of small trips around town. Yesterday in the garage I wanted to catalog everything that needs repair by flipping all knobs/switches and marking what's not working. I found that the wipers don't work (but the wiper fluid pump does) and the cabin air/defrost fan doesn't come on, and one of the air levers is locked/frozen. I left the car for a couple of hours and when I returned I thought I could smell plastic burning. I hunted for the smell & found a small electronic component under the hood that seemed like it might be hot, but I wasn't sure. I left the car overnight with the hood up and when I returned I the smell was gone but the battery was dead!

I figured I must have left something on by mistake so I went through all knobs/controls using the owner's manual to make certain that everything off (it was). Then I jumped the car & drove it around for ~20 minutes. Left it in the garage ~1 hour being very careful that the doors were closed, no lights were on, etc. & checked on it to see if the burning smell returned (it hadn't). Left it overnight & in the morning it was dead again!

I don't think that there's anything wrong with the battery or alternator because it had run fine all week with multiple short trips around town. I think it's more likely that an electrical component is shorting somewhere & draining the battery. Perhaps turning knobs & flipping switches pushed an old brittle electrical part over the edge?

My question is: what is the best way to find the malfunctioning electrical component? I was thinking of the following:

• Jump the car & recharge battery by driving around town

• Park in the garage and disconnect all fuses

• Return every ~8 hours and check the battery, if it looks OK then replace a fuse

• Repeat the above step until the battery dies

Using that approach I can isolate the bad component to the circuit running through that fuse. It's a slow process though, is there a faster or more efficient way to do this? Any other ideas as to root cause? Any thoughts appreciated, thanks!

So it's come the time to break the pads on my car which is a Kia Rio. I've looked up a few things and the job seems doable by myself which saves a lot of money.

The only thing that I can't seem to find a concrete answer is if they actually need to be bled once the new pads are installed?

Thank you

My car is a 2017 VW Jetta. My current tires are Firestone 205/55R16 91H M+S and they desperately need to be changed. Got a friend that works at a junkyard that found previously said tires for me and I want to make sure that they'll fit on the wheel before I waste his time. Will they or won't they?

2001 QX4

It has been 90+ degrees where I live and when idling for more than 10-15 min, the A/C stops blowing cold and is humid. Works great otherwise when ambient temps are low and car is moving. The Freon pressure is good. The Enser is old and has some dents, but has been cleaned and looks to be getting airflow. How can I tell what is wrong? Replace the radiator fan clutch? Condenser? Something else? Should also note that the engine temp gets high when on long stretches up uphill highway, but I think that is somewhat normal for an old car, no? Thanks!

Just replaced the rotors and new pads. The pads are semi metallic. I’ve noticed a brief rubbing sound when coming to a complete stop and when lifting my foot off the brake pedal from a stop. Is this normal for metallic pads?

2001 Infiniti QX4

Placard on car says 26 psi cold

Tires say 32-49

Rear tire is set to 27 cold

Does this look under-inflated? What’s the lowest I should go?

2001 Infiniti QX4 Automatic 4WD with RWD bias (4WD only kicks in when rear slips)

Had to replace one tire. Should new tire be on front with open diff or rear with LSD rated around 60lb breakaway torque?

The rest of the tires have about 60% tread left. Less than 15k miles on them.

I’m thinking front but want to make sure it won’t cause pulling to one side or mess something up.

Thanks!

EDIT: I know I should do pairs. Wondering if anybody had an opinion if I just kept the one.

The two parking lights in the front of my car suddenly do not light up anymore. It's a 2008 VW Passat B6 Variant.

Possible leads:

• Fault code: Electrical fault in circuit
• A multimeter shows that the sockets which fit the parking light do not receive any power - on both sides.

Already checked:

• The bulbs are okay
• The fuses are okay
• The parking lights in the back are okay
• All other lights are okay

Any advice? Is there anything else a layman could check before sending it to the garage?

So, a few months ago I ran into a pothole and got a bubble on my tyre. It was almost time to switch to winter tyres so I kept driving for a few more weeks with no issues, put winters on and that was that. Today I went to get the summers installed and replace the one with the bubble and the mechanic pointed out that I also bent the rim on that pothole. I hadn't noticed the damage, nor any vibrations and it's still holding air perfectly. It's now mounted in the rear, where it will hopefully be under less stress (I drive a Yaris). I can get a new wheel, but not for the next few weeks and I do need to drive in the meantime, so my question is, should I bother getting this wheel repaired? The damage doesn't seem big and from what I've heard straightening aluminium wheels sometimes leads to cracks, which will just make the situation worse than it already is. I'd rather have a wheel that's probably usable than one that definitely isn't.

Edit: I should point out, the winter tyres are on a different set of rims. I've only driven on this wheel for about 2 weeks, from when I hit the pothole until I had the winter tyres installed. Today I had it put back on the car and the mechanic pointed out the damage to me.

Can anyone suggest what might be wrong? I have just changed the clutch and now I am struggling to select gears even when the engine isn't running.

I don't think it's linkage related because it seems to be difficult to select gears just pulling directly on the arms that move the forks too. I don't think I've done anything that should have an effect on the inside of the gearbox, I've removed and refitted the drive shafts and changed the fluid.

Also can anyone confirm my thinking that the clutch and concentric slave cylinder shouldn't be a factor, since the problem exists when the engine isn't running?

Edit: Strangely, after leaving it overnight, gears are selecting perfectly again and I have absolutely no idea why. I didn't change anything 😕

I suppose that should be good news but without knowing what the problem was, I'm not very satisfied. Thank you to everyone for your help.

Hi all! My very old Mitsubishi Pajero III (V60 from 2000) got a 2" lift kit and now the rear wheels have too much toe-out. The stock tie rods won't adjust far enough and there are no other original "sizes."

So I need some aftermarket tie rods for the rear axle. My own research tells me I need a shorter (longer?) version of the original part number MR508134 (Imgur).

Two questions:

• Am I correct that the rear toe angle is adjusted via this part?
• Given that the stock MR508134 is no sufficiently adjustable, what sort of aftermarket part should I be looking for? I'm in Europe.

(For the sake of completeness: the front tie rods have adequate adjustment range.)

Hope y'all are still doing okay! Personally I've been a little off for a few months but that's okay.

Now, I have, as I'm assuming everyone does (I live in a junkyard don't blame me) AC you fan motors that I am looking to use as generators all connected to my compressor.

Took a fan apart and realized that.. I have a generator!

Any advice on the ins and outs? I mean, it works and produces a solid half an amp according to the multimeter but how should I hook it up?

What else do I need? Guaranteed I have everything needed just need to know what to look for.

What I'm using it for? Maybe just some lights on the compressor? Maybe a phone charger addon or something? What would I need to do either aside from just hooking it up like I am about to do?

So, that insight we bought last September so far seems mechanically sound, but, so, so dirty. I'm not sure how best to approach it but waiting till spring because our garage is not heated and it's cold as shit up here in MT.

My biggest concern is safely removing all the little mouse poops that are literally everywhere except in the cabin. I fashioned a cardboard cone with gorilla tape to our shitty shop vac to clean out the spare tire well but I'll probably need a smaller cylinder to reach them in the engine bay and battery compartment. On top of that it seems like dirt/dust is underneath all the trim. I believe the previous owner lived off a gravel/dirt road. It's the kind of dirt that doesn't wipe away the first time, and I don't want to ruin the dash/plastic/vinyl miscellany with harsh chemicals.

Insight is mostly aluminum so I need to double check cleaning methods to avoid. I've taken dish soap+bronze/plastic brushes to the back of the wheels (also aluminum)but sandpaper has been better. Haven't touched the front of the wheels with the sandpaper as it seems to have a gloss coat of some sort on it and would prefer to have its replacement on hand before removing it.

Ideas?

Hello, just wanted to let you all know how to fix a dead headlight on the 1st gen Volvo S40/V40. Maybe even other similar models. This is in the event that your bulb and fuse are fine. The headlights are automatic and wired to a relay.

Some genius decided to make the auto headlight relay soldered onto the CEM module under the steering wheel.

You can find it after stripping the plastics, and it should be clearly labeled in some corner.

Opening it reveals all these relays. You need the center 2. They are 12V SPDT 1 form C. The center is for the right headlight, and the one next to it (the orange one I put there) is for the left headlight.

Barely a buck/euro in parts cost. My fingers froze while opening the car though.

Of course, Volvo could have made these easier to replace, but they did last a fair bit either way.

It's completely loose (can move a few inches up and down) and rattles on the muffler while driving. Easy fix for a noob, or should I take it in? And uh... how urgently? 😂

For context, I drive a Toyota Yaris on 17 inch wheels. I hit a pothole and got a bubble on my front right tire (the pain of running low profile tires). Anyway, I bough these tires something like 6 months ago and only have 5000-ish kilometers on them. The other 3 still look in perfect condition. I know it's normally recommended to replace tires in pairs, but is that really needed here considering how new the set is? Feels stupid to replace a tire that is practically new.

I might be just hallucinating but I feel like my Navara sounds different than when I bought it. There used to be this very typical turbo diesel humming noise when accelerating and switching from first to second grear like you can hear here for example. Basically the same sound every diesel truck makes when accelerating. I feel like I can't hear it anymore, however the truck feels and runs just normally. Atleast I think it does.

I'm assuming that sound is coming from turbo because I only hear diesels sounding like that. How would I go about making sure everything is working properly when there's no other symptoms that the lack of that sound?

Here's what mine sounds like.

I drive a 2008 4runner with 85k miles. It's been receiving by the manual maintenance for its whole life.

Recently I have started noticing a gas smell when I start the car in the morning. It seems to dissipate after a few minutes. I also don't really notice it on subsequent starts on the same day if I take the car out multiple times. Or if I do, it's less pronounced.

There is no visible leak or gas on the driveway that I can see.

Any ideas? I'm planning to take it in but figured no harm in asking here to see if anyone knows what I might be dealing with first.

Thanks!

I think it defaults as muted but I included sound. Pardon the party music, the construction guys near the parking lot were having a blast today lol. Anyway. It's been cold as fuck the past couple days and this noise only happens on start after sitting several hours cold. I'm guessing either starter or belts but haven't gone investigating yet.

Snow tires kicked ass this morning. Didn't slip once. First snow of the year and they hadn't plowed yet.

Was scrubbing gunk off the oem rims yesterday when UPS rolled up with our new steelies. Did a fitment test and finally got the damn winter tires ordered this morning.

I have all seasons on my Chev 2019 Silverado. At an oil change the guy said my back tires were a "3". No way I was buying his tires but it begs the question...

What all season tires should I get? I do about 40km of highway driving in the winter, and a bunch in the summer if that matters.

Right now I'm not required to nor am I looking for winters

Preparedness. This is a big one, guys!

I'm a huge stickler on this, not just regarding vehicles but in every way. Life has caught me lacking in this area too many times and for every instance of it, I've added something else to my bag so it won't happen again.

What emergency tools/supplies do you carry with you? I'd love to know as I'm sure I'm missing a few things and am a firm believer that we can never really be too prepared. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it, right?

Here's what I personally have in my vehicle at any given time:

Spare tires. Yep, I carry 2 just in case.

Tire kit. Plugs, patches, glue, reaming tools etc.

Air pressure gauges

DC plugin air compressor

Bike pump in case DC compressor fails

Gas air compressor if you don't want to pump the bike pump like a child, for all to see.

Lug wrenches

1/2 & 3/4, 1 inch. Etc. pull bars. Sometimes the lug wrenches just won't get it, nor will a 1/2 in. Pull bar.

"Cheater" pipe, a short 1 1/2 foot one & 4foot one for bitch lugs and otherwise.

Regular socket sets, standard & metric

Deep-well socket sets

Spare battery

Power pack to jump with in case spare won't do it, aim for at least 800 cca (cold cranking amps) with these!

Jumper cables

Hammer, never know when your fuel pump might go out.

Gas container with gas ofc. Sometimes your fuel gauge can lie to you!

Bailing/regular wire, never know when you have to wire something up to get home, whether a jumper or just using the bailing wire to keep your old fuel pump from shutting down due to lack of power there's a story or two behind this. If anyone would like to know.

Oil

Power steering fluid

Transmission fluid

Antifreeze/water in case of radiator leak

Radiator sealant in case of above. Ya know, in a super bind you can use self rising (iirc?) Flour to stop a radiator leak? Don't do it unless you're ready to trash the radiator, but it can get you home. Story behind that as well ofc, I pissed in a radiator once!

Spare tail light/headlight bulbs when applicable

Flares/road light kit in case of a wreck

Water, for thirst. I also carry some Gatorade mix, potassium etc. In case I'm getting dehydrated.

Portable umbrella & stand. Nice to have if you're stuck on the side of the road working on something. Also works for fields!

A couple jacks. I'd at LEAST recommend a few portable jacks but really a small shop jack imo makes it so much easier. Personally I also carry a few hydraulic jacks that can be worked by hand or via air compressor

Blocks. Few 6's, 4's,2's and 1's. They're for work but really come in handy and I use them in lieu of ramps as well.

Cooler, because it's always nice to have a cold beverage handy.

That's basically it for the somewhat bare necessities (imo) though I'm sure I've probably missed a few.

That's it for necessities, since this is Mechanic's Advice, if anyone would be interested in a "Mechanic's edition" including the necessities for most small jobs,

I'd be glad to share what I bring and would love to hear what some of you have in stock as well!

This is it for today's JTT, anything I'm missing? What do you carry or deem essential? Doesn't have to be life saving, just something you bring for emergencies, even small ones?

Anyway, until next time. Remember:

You are beautiful, no matter what they say and words can't bring you down - Christina Aguilera

And,

Kudos!