I work on cars. AMA

[Anonymous]

I used to do it for a living, then I didn’t, then I did again, then I bought a shop, then I sold a shop, and I still work on my own cars and trucks as a hobby now.

So ask me anything. I’ll answer it if can.

[Anonymous]

What is the least reliable brand?

[Anonymous]

Do you work on older cars - the ones that aren't 90% computers and sensors?

[Anonymous]

Body work or mechanical?

[Anonymous]

One of my tire pressure sensors went bad according to my mechanic. He says over $200 to replace it. I don't care that much about replacing it but the warning is constantly on and it's annoying. Any way to get this done for less? Why is it so expensive?

[Anonymous]

There's a rattling in the A/C of my RAV-4; I think a mint wrapper got sucked in there! Is it worth having someone take a look/remove it, or would it be super costly and time-intensive just for a darn wrapper that hopefully will work itself out?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's a rattling in the A/C of my RAV-4; I think a mint wrapper got sucked in there! Is it worth having someone take a look/remove it, or would it be super costly and time-intensive just for a darn wrapper that hopefully will work itself out?

Thanks!

Not OP. Try turning off individual vents. Maybe you have...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of my tire pressure sensors went bad according to my mechanic. He says over $200 to replace it. I don't care that much about replacing it but the warning is constantly on and it's annoying. Any way to get this done for less? Why is it so expensive?

NP, mine is bad once we got new tires. I ignore the warning, but wonder if I do have a pressure issue, will I know? I check seasonally, like we did before these stupid sensors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I used to do it for a living, then I didn’t, then I did again, then I bought a shop, then I sold a shop, and I still work on my own cars and trucks as a hobby now.

So ask me anything. I’ll answer it if can.

Are you hot? Oh wait, you work on cars...you've already answered my question!

[Anonymous]

Tire sensors are PITA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of my tire pressure sensors went bad according to my mechanic. He says over $200 to replace it. I don't care that much about replacing it but the warning is constantly on and it's annoying. Any way to get this done for less? Why is it so expensive?

NP, mine is bad once we got new tires. I ignore the warning, but wonder if I do have a pressure issue, will I know? I check seasonally, like we did before these stupid sensors.

That's what I do too but it's getting annoying, if I could get it fixed for around $100 I probably would.

[Anonymous]

Why is it I can take my car to one garage and they tell me my car needs A,B,C items fixed. I take it to another garage and they tell me I need B,D,E items fixed. How do I know who to trust?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is it I can take my car to one garage and they tell me my car needs A,B,C items fixed. I take it to another garage and they tell me I need B,D,E items fixed. How do I know who to trust?

Just fix B in that case.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think OP knows how to play AMA. Maybe we don’t need him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the least reliable brand?

The car that doesn’t get an oil change for the first 40k miles after it left the dealer lot. Second to that, the one that only gets driven about 5 miles / 10-15 minutes a day. They never warm up enough to cook the contaminants out of the oil, get sludgey, and the exhaust system rusts from the condensation that never boils off. Third, the car that hardly ever gets driven. Seals flatten out, bearings dry out, oxidation forms in wiring connectors, they just rot. That can happen to any car from make.

Reality is, in the last two decades, pretty much all manufacturers are about equal now. All the factory assembly automation is made by two companies. Materials are mostly the same, engineering is basically the same, etc. The IS still a difference in quality of bearings in various components, the better bearings coming from Japan, America and Germany, and garbage bearings coming from China. But the thing is, all manufacturers use at least some Chinese bearings in some components, so it’s a pointless distinction.

I think Japanese cars are generally the best made, specifically Toyota and Honda. Personally I like older American cars, older being 70’s-90’s. German cars are over engineered, especially in electronics and they have the failure rate to prove it. American cars are hit or miss. Ford eco boost engines seem like disasters waiting to happen, time will tell. I like Dodge, but who knows what influence FIAT will have on them.

Bottom line, maintain your car, drive it often, and it will last longer than you think.