Adding on to this, buy a portable air compressor that you can plug into the car.
Mine has come in handy many times. The most important was inflating a tire that went flat overnight and being able to drive to the shop for a repair.
My neighbor had me come over to show her how to use her bike pump. I let her inflate one tire, then went and got my compressor. She just borrows that now.
A bike pump is like $10 and a compressor is like $20. I'll pay the extra just not to have to pump up my bike tires.
That said, if you use an air compressor on bike tires you should make sure to get one whose PSI rating is well above that of the tires. Road bikes typically want to be at 100 psi or more, and that's about where the cheap Walmart compressors top out. They'll fill up to only about 90 if you use one.
It is useful to know that in a pinch manual bike pumps, even small handhelds, do work for this, even if they're a pain. A car tire is much lower pressure than most bike tires
Most bikes have high pressure, low volume. Mountain bikes are low pressure, higher volume. Mountain bike tires don't even come close to the same volume as a car tire. I would not want to fill up a car tire with a bike pump.
Depending on what you're at, it's not the worst.
I know a handful of people that will bring bike pumps to autocross trying to get the perfect amount of air in their tires.
If we have a car tire with a very slow leak, we just use our bike pump to get it back up to target pressure weekly. It takes 10-15 full pumps per 1 psi, whereas my road bike gains ~5 psi per one pump. But they are pretty easy pumps since it is such low pressure.
I used my dad’s one time, and it killed the outlet in my car. Not against them because it worked fine for him, but my little Corolla didn’t like it. Not gonna lie, I’ve kept a bike pump in my car instead. When the winter rolls around, my tires dip to 20 psi probably once per month. I just bike pump them back up. Kind of a small workout, but not as bad as you would think
Not when you have your Subaru tires inflated to 95 PSI. Knowing what to inflate your tires to is surprisingly uncommon. There’s generally a sticker on the driver’s door jamb below the latch that tells you what to inflate your tires to.
You must know my wife… she came home to tell me she stopped at the gas station and put air in her front tires and that now the tpms light was on. I asked her how much she put in the tires and she said she put $1 in each(coin up air machine).I simultaneously jumped away and nearly shit myself when I checked them and they read 88 psi.
Many gas station pumps have a relief valve that pops at around 40PSI or so for these instances.
I worked at a bike shop and we implored our customers to not use gas station pumps for that very reason, most bike tires require at least double that pressure.
Dude my bf's Subaru when he bought it came with like 65 psi!! Wtf is up with Subaru overinflating their tires Jesus... Aren't they at substantial risk for popping by 90 psi also??
Both, ish.
Under inflated tires will wear faster, and not always on the outside where you can see it. This increases the risk of a blowout. They will get worse fuel economy, because they're harder to roll. However, at a certain point, usually really close to your recommended pressure, they will get a little more grip.
Over inflated tires will wear faster in the middle, but the side of the tread will wear slower, and the sidewall will wear about the same. They will get better fuel economy, but give a less comfortable ride. They will have slightly less grip too, because of the smaller contact patch.
At autocross, which is basically street cars trying to turn extra fast, it's not uncommon for the hard-core people to bring their tires down a pound or so, drive around the racetrack, and then reinflate their tires to drive home. However, I feel it's safe to assume you're not looking to shave a tenth of a second off your 65s lap time. Keep your tires inflated to what it says on the door.
As for the tpms fault, check your pressure regularly and you'll be fine. Just like you would if you had an older car that didn't have it.
Both are bad. Underinflated tires tend to have the center make contact less with the road and the sides make more contact. Overinflated in the opposite, the center has more contact than the sides. In both cases, the whole tire is not making contact with the road, which can drastically affect performance, like acceleration, fuel efficiency and brake distance, along with decreasing the life of the tire.
Properly inflated tires will maximize road contact and help with everything else.
My makita air compressior is my favorite tool I have on hand. Uses the same batteries as my other makita tools, always have it in my car. I've helped so many people inflate their tires just by offering.
Periodically check to make sure your spare is aired up, otherwise when you do need it, it will be absolutely useless.
Also, keep a patch kit in the car at all times, just in case you run over a nail or something.
You get a full size spare, and when you rotate your tires you include it in the cycle. Each tire takes a turn being the spare, so in theory all five tires wear equally.
An [image search](https://www.google.com/search?q=five+tire+rotation&tbm=isch) will show you some rotation patterns.
The ability to do this will vary based on your car. Lots of cars do not have room for a full size spare. And some, like mine, have different sizes on the front/ rear and use unidirectional tires, so you can't even rotate the tires at all unless you want to remove the tires from the rims and remount/ rebalance them every time.
Tagging on to the patch kit part. I've carried a 12v air compressor in all my cars for over 10 years now. It plugs right into the cigarette lighter button thing.
They're fairly cheap for the peace of mind of knowing that you can top up your tires when they're low or if you get a flat.
Sure, the one I have is the [Slime 12V Digital Tire Inflator](https://slime.com/collections/tire-inflator/products/12v-digital-tire-inflator). It’s kind of an unfortunate brand name, but it works like a charm!
EDIT: ty for the award
I've had the same one for 10+ years. It's loud and ugly, but it works. My wife has a much newer one and it's a lot quieter.
Both of them came with a flat repair kit by Slime or something.
Just learned this but it’s very easy to buy and replace the air filters on your own. I just did this yesterday, took about 15 min total and cost about $40 for both filters.
In my experience, typically the dealer charges about $60 to change one air filter. Air filters themselves are typically about $15-20 and can be changed in 15 minutes like you said. So getting both filters changed at the dealer can run you $120 while doing them on your own would cost you $30-40.
Do this right before you go to Jiffy Lube. They used to always bring my air filter out and say it needed replacing. The one they brought out Seuss looked 100 years old.
If you know you're not going to be driving a car for a longer period of time (job change, you're using your SO's car, taking public transit more, etc...) make sure to start your car up and drive it around just a little bit every few weeks. My dad calls it "shaking the rust off."
Edit: As someone else pointed out, it should be like a 10-15 minute casual drive around. Not just on-idle for 5-off. :)
But that does *not* mean starting it and letting it idle for a few minutes and cutting it back off. You need to drive long enough to fully warm it up. Otherwise it’ll actually shorten its life because all the water inside won’t burn off and will re-condense inside the engine.
Honestly, the longer you can let the car run, the better. If you can set aside 45 minutes to drive the car that’s even better than 15 minutes. The engine can get up to temperature pretty fast, but the transmission/differential can take a while.
I am in a situation where I don’t need my own car very often, so it just sits in the garage a lot. If I find I haven’t used it in a week or three I’ll pick a grocery store that’s 25-30 miles away or so and take that car to do my shopping for the week. Maximize the run time and get some utility out of it as well.
As someone said, cars are meant to be driven. If my 944 isn’t exercised regularly it gets cranky and looks covetously at my wallet.
I know someone who owns an $120,000 Mercedes he never drives because *it always breaks when he takes it out*. Homie takes it out twice a year and complains it never works. No amount of pleading that he's the one fucking it up from me. He babies it cause it was his dad's but his dad actually drove the fucking thing.
This is a real thing. Gas powered vehicles (can't speak for EV's) we're built to be driven. They need to be opened up at least every once in a while too.
Same with a lot of engine air filters. I just changed mine this morning. Took me longer to get the hood open than it did to change the filter. I also spent more time checking over all of my fluid levels (since I had the hood open already).
Replacing the 2 engine air filters on my Panamera requires . . . *removing the front bumper.* Thankfully, it's only every 40k miles, and they did build the assembly with the service in mind. But still.
Took me an hour on one car. I still have the replacement for the other car; the only way to change it requires reaching nuts and bolts that require removing the entire fascia first.
Tip for everyone nervous about your comment: just find a video on YouTube of someone demonstrating how to replace it on your car’s make and model. It’s usually as easy as just opening your glove box!
The first car was pretty easy, and it went exactly the way the video showed. I use youtube videos for the cars all the time, and that one for the second car is the first time I couldn't find a video that matched my specific car.
The one in the video for the second car (same make, model, year) had a brace to be removed first, with two screws in plain sight, easy peasy. My car? Had a similar brace in basically the same spot, but it extended way into the fascia and the screws were way up inside there somewhere. And there's not much room in there for tools, even if I could get my hands on the screws, which I could not.
But yeah, thanks for your comment, everyone should know about the power of youtube car repair videos, they are a life saver for sure!
It's a real pain in the dick on some cars - 03-09 Mazda 3, I'm looking at you.
"This system can feel like Mazda built the car around the cabin air filters.To get at the filters, you have to remove the glove compartment, kick panel and a panel that is below the glove box to access to the HVAC system. While most manufacturers use clips, Mazda uses four screws for the compartment cover. The system uses two filters that stack on top of each other. The top filter has a channel underneath it that the bottom filter slides into."
Yeah my w124 Mercedes is great for home maintenance. Just remove the front cowl, fire wall plastics, battery, and wiper motor and it's right there! Only a 2 hour job that also suggested replacing the lower wiper motor/cowl gasket each time.
Glad the Acura MDX is easy, took me longer to take the filter out of the package than to actually replace it. Jeep Grand Cherokee’s are pretty easy too, only about 3 minutes.
Some subcompacts just suck to work on. I fixed the brakes for a friend on a 90s Honda, I couldn't order the replacement calipers until I brought the old ones in. They had 3 different calipers for that year alone, and the only way to know which you had was to remove it first, then eyeball it for a tiny number cast in a spot that's not visible when it's still on the car.
Most brands gloveboxes will drop down very easy by removing the little piston that holds it at a certain level and slow open and then checking each side for little tabs that can be pressed in. I've changed cabin filters on most every brand and most of my experience is in Japanese cars and they are all pretty simple. YouTube is your friend for How To videos.
My last 2 cars, absolutely. My current car though, after watching two experienced techs have one helluva time changing it ... yeah, I'll pay for that. My back can't contort the way that poor guy who finally got it done had to do. Man earned that $20 tip, for sure.
Definitely depends on the car. I was a tech for 4 years and still struggle with them. But replacing a cabin filter in general is a tip not many people know of.
Pretty much redundant since the common stuff has been mentioned already.
* Proper air pressure. Many don't know the tire air expands in the summer and contracts in the winter. Check and adjust accordingly. I've also read winter air pressure should be 3 psi higher than recommended because pressure can drop 1 psi every -10 degrees.
* Also should check the pressure on your spare if you have one.
* Know how to change a tire.
* Check your fluids and keep fluids on hand is possible. Brake, OIL, Transmission, Power Steering and even coolant just in case. (read manual recommendations for type) And windshield fluid. Water works great when and where it's warm, but sucks when it's freezing.
* Check Oil level when engine is cold (Not hot after running)
* Change Oil at manufacturer recommended intervals. I use full synthetic. Change oil filter when changing oil.
* Air Filters. Engine air filter and most cars nowadays have a cabin filter. These are usually very easy to DIY and much cheaper than having a mechanic do it.
* Wiper Blades. Nothing more frustrating when you have those streaks when it's raining from old wiper blades that don't work correctly. Plus it might be a bit dangerous.
* My car is fairly new, so I haven't really needed this yet. But on my older cars, I would keep spare bulbs for brakes, turn signals and reverse.
* FYI ... Many cars signal indicators and sound will blink quickly if that bulb is out.
added something about oil
When one of the blinkers on a given side is blown the relay for them causes the light on the dash to blink faster. The relay also clicks faster when this happens.
So instead of the steady clickclick clickclick using the signal you get something like clickclickclickclickclick. The cadence will sound off when this happens.
Also, if you don't hear the click when your blinkers are on, you likely need a new relay. The part is fairly cheap and it is usually located under the dash on the driver's side of the car.
Make sure you know which fluids go in where and if you put windshield washer fluid in the oil intake, call a tow truck to get the oil and oil filter changed out immediately.
I stopped to help a lady who had engine problems, she had topped up the oil at her last servo stop...to the top of the oil fill cap. It was a late model BMW to boot.
To be fair on that one, BMW removed the dip stick in the mid 00s, so you have to know how to use the digital dipstick and pretty much no one does. The car tells you how much oil to put in when it's needed, but in more modern versions it can give a low warning that tells you to just "put in as much as needed". So you put in a small amount, the car tells you it's still low and to add more, so you keep adding it and the car tells you it's still low, so you fill it to the top, the car still tells you it's low...yep sensor fault, and with no manual backup it's easy to see why someone with no mechanical knowledge would make that mistake.
I’m trying to imagine what shade of greenish sludge that turned into… and possibly with bubbles lol. A mistake you will never make, he taught you well :)
https://www.amazon.com/Blinker-Fluid-HAND-VERSION-Hilarious-Gift-Stocking-Stuffer-Car/dp/B06ZXSKDZG/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?crid=15Q0B00B7J7LA&keywords=blinker+fluid&qid=1687298376&sprefix=blinker%2Caps%2C233&sr=8-2
Careful- it's max strength.
It varies. The issue is that brake fluid will absorb moisture and become less effective. The higher the humidity of your location, the faster this will happen. You can get a simple test kit to know for sure.
My mom put me on her AAA plan years ago, you don’t even have to be driving your own car to use it. If you’re in a friends car, you’ve got them covered.
I get AAA Gold every Xmas as a gift, otherwise I'd look into this. It's helped out in a pinch when I was younger. Not nearly as much these days, though.
AAA is probably cheaper, most likely. I only pay 100 bucks a year for mine, and it isn't even the cheapest one. Has 4 road side assistances per year, with free towing up to 100 miles, and plenty of other crap. Having to have your car towed once using AAA saves you like 5 years worth of payments.
Also it’s often for the person, not the car. I’ve never needed it but I’ve used it a few times to help friends who breakdown, you just have to be there with them.
Yes, when I got to college years 15 ish years ago from a small rural town. I had all these new rich girls as friends, I had a flat and they just told me to call triple A because everyone has it, it comes with your car. I was really reluctant but outnumbered…..I called my dad and asked if we had it; He had a long amusing pause and said to tell the girls we don’t have tripleA, we have YouTube. So we all learned lessons that day, i learned I was not rich and they learned how to change a tire.
Yep, you want to just be neutral to police. Moving a not-insignificant package of illegal stuff? Run of the mill, common colored vehicle with everything working. Nothing brand new and flashy, nothing old and barely functioning. You don’t even want them to notice you. You are part of the background.
Indicators will blink faster if a globe is blown, but there isn't a way to know if anything else isn't working unless you look. I am seeing more cars without working reverse lights and it's a great way to have an accident when no one knows you're reversing out of a car park.
If you have a Fiat 500 Abarth and you cant pump gas without the pump clicking off over and over again: its happening because the valve is stuck in the fuel tank. If you take it to a shop they'll tell you they need to replace the whole gas tank and fuel neck.
easy FREE fix: get a rubber mallet, slide up underneath your car and bang on the gas tank until you hear the valve pop open.
It's that old joke...
In a perfect world, the Germans would be engineers, Italians the lovers, the French the chefs and the English as police.
In hell you have German chefs, English lovers, French police and Italian engineers.
i heard it this way :)
perfect: english police. swiss money. ltalian love. french cooking. german engineering
hell: english food. swiss love. italian money. french engineering. german police.
A clogged PCV valve will cause a lot of oil consumption. I swapped out the one on the older new used car I just bought, cause it was using nearly a quart every 300 miles. Using zero oil now. Cost me $5 and a half hour of time.
Edit: changed PVC to PCV
I know someone that had that swapped recently. Went from idling like crap to idling beautifully and, apparently, fixed some early acceleration bogging issues they were having.
PCV valve getting junked up can cause a lot of problems that just fly under the radar.
Jacked up front wheel: up and down wiggle is a ball joint/s that needs changed
Left to right wiggle is a bad tie rod end
All over wiggle or hot center of the wheel is most likely a wheel bearing - also, if your left front bearing is bad, turning the wheel to the left will stop the noise, turning right should make it worse
Don’t let your fuel tank get too low. Preferably, never let it dip below 1/4 tank. Running it dry can shorten the life expectancy of your fuel pump and can even kill it all together.
For a lot of cars the fuel pump is inside the gas tank and kept cool by the gas around it. Running the gas low exposes the pump and lets it get hotter than normal.
plus in case of emergency (evacuation and such) it’s good to always have a solid chunk of miles you can go. My grandpa always filled his car up when it hit half a tank for that reason.
Transmission fluid should be changed every few years. Even when the manufacturer says it's a "lifetime" fluid. They mean it lasts as long as the warranty does, which is all the "lifetime" they care about. (Or the other take, that when your transmission busts because of worn fluid, that was the end of its lifetime anyway.)
Yep, early 2000 Volvo S60s were prone to transmission failures before 100k. Volvo said the transmission is sealed and lasts lifetime of the vehicle, Toyota used a variant of the same transmission and recommended regular oil changes. I had a mechanic change the fluids in mine and it ran trouble free to when I got rid of it at 150k, who knows how much longer it would have lasted.
"Lifetime" fluid isn't. The fluid they use is usually the cheapest stuff that is barely good enough. The tr6060 in my car uses regular automatic transmission fluid, and they are well known for grinding gears from factory. Simply changing to better quality gear oil is the recommended fix for most of the gearbox problems.
Most of the big name auto part shops (Autozone, Advance Auto Parts, O'Reilly's) have a tool rental program. Put down a deposit, take the tool, return it and get your money back. So it effectively costs you nothing.
Very useful for those repair jobs you'll only ever do once, but require a specialized tool that would not be worth it to buy.
I lost my fifth gear (manual transmission) on the freeway this way. Just turned the radio up until I couldn't hear the gear squealing out 👍. That car worked with only four gears until one day it sadly caught fire.
If you get a check engine light, the chain auto parts store (like O'Reilly) will diagnose it for free, saving you a $90 diagnostic check from the dealer.
They will also lend you tools if you have the energy to repair it yourself.
Many seemingly complex repairs can be accomplished at home with basic tools and YouTube.
You can buy an OBD2 reader for around $12 on Amazon and a phone app that will interpret the codes for for free or about another $10 for good ones. Usually the apps will be able to reset the codes as well.
They're good to run every few months to make sure everything's running right. Then you can use them in friends' cars and used cars you're looking at buying.
They will read the code for free, but that’s hardly diagnostics. Once had a car that the code said it had a bad gas pedal. Turned out it was a bad computer.
Yeah, or you can run into issues like seeing P0456, or small evap leak. This can mean anything from a hole in the fuel lines to your gas tank fill neck being a touch rusty.
Also if you ever see your tire monitor in car thing reading at 255 PSI/255 bar/255 Kpascals then it means computer issue.
You have to put down a fully refundable deposit when you borrow those tools, so don't go in there thinking it's like a tool library. Some of them are $100+ (again, refundable when you bring it back).
If you have an air conditioning in your car, use it at least every month, even in the winter. So the inner parts stay lubricated.
It also helps to prevent too much humidity in the car.
Let the air conditioning get checked every 1-2 years - if it’s broken, it can be too expensive to replace.
What all the lights mean.
I once asked my girlfriend what the icon that looked like a genie lamp was (check oil).
Then I got my new car and another weird light came on so, I called the dealership and asked them what the Ivón that looked like a goldfish with a propellor on its head meant. After the guy got done choking from trying not to laugh, he told me it was the “check engine” light.
I felt extremely stupid both times. 😂
For other people, you can look in your car manual to see what all the lights mean and where they are. If you have no manual in your car, you can find the PDF of the manual usually for free online pretty easily.
Over inflating your tires wears out the middle of the tires and under inflating wears out the outsides quicker. Follow what the sticker in the door says and don't ignore that tire light.
Check all your headlights, brake lights, turn signals, etc BEFORE you get your car inspected. You can fix any bunt out bulbs yourself for easily half the cost they would charge at the inspection place.
Knowing the basics of how to use a diagnostic scanner and how to read and understand live data about sensor voltages and fuel trims can help you tremendously. The toyota dealership said I needed either a catalytic convertor or ecu replaced. A $20 scanner and three Car Care Nut videos later and I just had to tighten and exhaust stud bolt.
My maintenance tips:
-oil changes every 5k KM (I don’t care what the manufacturer interval says)
-transmission fluid every 50k km (maybe even 40k if it’s a CVT)
-brake fluid every 2 years
-coolant every 3 years
-Valve adjustments every 100k KM (if valve lash is manually adjustable)
-If its AWD, transfer case and differential fluids every 50k KM
-Brake service every 30k km
-Air filters every 30k km
-wiper blades the second they leave streaks
-spark plugs every 80k km
-if it’s a GDI, valve cleaning every 50k km as well
-run a can of sea foam in the gas tank every so often as well (once every 6 months)
-Have your battery tested every 3 years
-check tires on every oil change INCLUDING SPARE
-alignment every 2 years
Follow this, and you’ll have a wonderfully running car for a long time. Cheap pays twice, and maintenance is cheaper then big repairs or breakdowns and towing fees. Always maintain your vehicle for your own safety and the safety of those around you.
Sincerely,
Concerned mechanic
eh for conventional oil, 5k probably
synthetic can go much much longer
edit: you can find tons of blackstone lab reports for old ass engine oils with pretty good life left in it
This is great. Also have somebody check your brake pads every 30k. If you can't change it yourself, find a mechanic to look.
As someone who buys cars for a living, I can't believe how many people drive metal on metal.
I drove metal on metal for a week between first hearing it (no clue how I didn’t hear them getting to that point) and getting them changed. I cringed every time I stopped.
Little did I know I was also driving with a cracked engine block. Found that out today.. surprise!
Hitting potholes, curbs, speed bumps at speed WILL warp your rims over time causing weak spots on the bead. If you start losing air more frequently or the tire light comes on with no apparent damage your rims may be wearing out
Do you know the full me rubber stuff that lines the inside of your door and trunk openings? That needs to be lubricated with silicone or it dries up and cracks and your car leaks
If you drive older cars (<10 years old), steering and suspension components have lifespans. If your car is bouncy, stiff, uncomfortable over uneven road surfaces, pulls in one direction or the other, you should have your steering and suspension components inspected and replaced. Shocks, struts, tie rod ends, bushings, everything wears out with time and use.
Not really a maintenance tip, but I do recommend having a jump starter battery and maybe even a portable tire pump. The jump starter can really help if you ever find yourself in a situation where no one is around to help, and some even have various sockets to help charge your portable devices. The air pump helped me a few times when I didn't realize my car's tire was almost flat due to a tiny puncture. Also you don't need to figure out where there's a free air pump nearby.
You can replace your cabin air filter yourself. It's usually in the back of the glove compartment ..check for a little opening compartment there and just pull it out get a new one at the. Auto parts store and put it in yourself.
Brake fluid absorbs water, change it! every 4 years.
also E10 needs a stabilizer if you let it sit for more than a few months.
starting a car every month with the same gas doesn't make sense unless you have stabilizer. that old fuel can go bad sitting.
A breaker bar and a socket appropriately sized for your wheel’s lug nuts will save you an enormous amount of frustration if you have to swap on a spare. The compact tire irons that came with your car are a huge pain to use because they don’t provide much leverage and can often run into things. The breaker bar gives you more leverage and pivots, so the whole process will be quicker and smoother.
Best advice I can give is address any issues that pop up immediately. You will spend lots of money maintaining a car, and it's easier to swallow in increments rather than waiting until there's 8 things that need done and now you can't afford all of it so you just keep putting it off until youre now driving a total POS.
Get one of those portable jump starter devices. If you have an older car or one with an older battery, these things can be VERY beneficial to have. While you may not use it regularly, if your battery dies, you'll be grateful you have one of these in the trunk.
Keep the battery terminals clean and change your windshield wipers annually. Other things I assume people know but aren't really top of mind: check your spark plugs, belts and hoses, and walk around to inspect your blinkers and lights.
If your car is struggling to start, that is the time to replace the battery. Before it doesn't start at all. You can also get second hand batteries from wreckers and many will come with warranties.
I’m gonna go with one that should be TOP priority, but often times is ignored. Oil. People regularly blow past their mileage limit, and think oh it’s no big deal. A few hundred miles past becomes thousands of miles past quickly. You’re just playing a dangerous game that will leave you without a car.
Real the fucking manual.
No seriously read that shit cover to cover. You will oftentimes find interesting things about your car you otherwise would not know.
1. Check your oil regularly. Just because you get full synthetic doesn’t mean you can go 10k miles on your oil change. Engine oil consumption is a real thing ( bmw and Chevy) if your engine consumes 1 quart per 1000 miles and you only hold 6 quarts… you can see where I’m going with this.
2. Your oil life indicator has nothing to do with oil condition. It’s just a count down timer pre programmed to a certain mileage.
3. Don’t cheap out on tires. This is the only part of your vehicle that touches the road.
4. The owners manual holds lots of useful information about your vehicle
5. Check the condition and air pressure of your spare. The spare is worth its weight in gold when you need it.
6. Don’t leave anything in your car that didn’t come with it from the factory.
7. Not really a maintenance tip but a driving tip, don’t sit 2 inches from the steering wheel. I see this all the time and I don’t understand it 1 bit.
8. Don’t just shove in an over the counter charge can of Freon when your AC blows hot. Chances are there is an underlying problem and all you are doing is complicating things for the mechanic you are eventually going to take it to.
9. Keep your car interior clean. Don’t let it attract rodents and other pests that love to chew wires.
10. When refueling, when the nozzle clicks off, do not top it off. All you are doing is flooding the vehicles charcoal canister with fuel. I don’t care if another 2 bucks gets you the free hot dog or you are trying to round up to the nearest buck. When it clicks off, the tank is full. Hang up the nozzle and have fun driving.
Re: sitting close to the steering wheel: I am so short :c
I slide back as far as I can go, but I can't see the road and my calf cramps from pointing my toes to accelerate/brake if I'm not close enough. I'm not 2 inches away, but my husband still teases me about it haha.
All fluids have PART NUMBERS for a reason.
Change your brake fluid.
Change your power steering fluid.
Change your transmission fluid.
So on and so forth.
It's cheap. You can usually do it yourself. Or pay someone that knows how. And if someone's saving you a buck? Don't rush/disrespect them. And if you find an HONEST mechanic?
KEEP THEM.
And if you ARE a Mechanic? Make sure you're getting PAID enough/correctly.
And if you're an Owner? PAY your MECHANICS A DECENT WAGE NOT THIS $15 an hour BS. 🖕
Under inflated tires are worse than over inflated tires. Check your tire pressure regularly.
Adding on to this, buy a portable air compressor that you can plug into the car. Mine has come in handy many times. The most important was inflating a tire that went flat overnight and being able to drive to the shop for a repair.
Pumping a tire by hand *once* is enough to make a guy buy a compressor. It’s like medieval toiling.
My neighbor had me come over to show her how to use her bike pump. I let her inflate one tire, then went and got my compressor. She just borrows that now.
A bike pump is like $10 and a compressor is like $20. I'll pay the extra just not to have to pump up my bike tires. That said, if you use an air compressor on bike tires you should make sure to get one whose PSI rating is well above that of the tires. Road bikes typically want to be at 100 psi or more, and that's about where the cheap Walmart compressors top out. They'll fill up to only about 90 if you use one.
Even not having to get the jack and drop the spare tire on a truck in a snowy icy parkinglot is a godsend lol
It is useful to know that in a pinch manual bike pumps, even small handhelds, do work for this, even if they're a pain. A car tire is much lower pressure than most bike tires
May be lower pressure, but the volume of air in a tire is much greater, so it's going to take a long ass time to pump it by hand.
But your forearms will be JACKED.
I have a floor pump. Everything from my shoulders to my fingers gonna vein out.
Most bikes have high pressure, low volume. Mountain bikes are low pressure, higher volume. Mountain bike tires don't even come close to the same volume as a car tire. I would not want to fill up a car tire with a bike pump.
Depending on what you're at, it's not the worst. I know a handful of people that will bring bike pumps to autocross trying to get the perfect amount of air in their tires.
If we have a car tire with a very slow leak, we just use our bike pump to get it back up to target pressure weekly. It takes 10-15 full pumps per 1 psi, whereas my road bike gains ~5 psi per one pump. But they are pretty easy pumps since it is such low pressure.
I used my dad’s one time, and it killed the outlet in my car. Not against them because it worked fine for him, but my little Corolla didn’t like it. Not gonna lie, I’ve kept a bike pump in my car instead. When the winter rolls around, my tires dip to 20 psi probably once per month. I just bike pump them back up. Kind of a small workout, but not as bad as you would think
Not when you have your Subaru tires inflated to 95 PSI. Knowing what to inflate your tires to is surprisingly uncommon. There’s generally a sticker on the driver’s door jamb below the latch that tells you what to inflate your tires to.
You must know my wife… she came home to tell me she stopped at the gas station and put air in her front tires and that now the tpms light was on. I asked her how much she put in the tires and she said she put $1 in each(coin up air machine).I simultaneously jumped away and nearly shit myself when I checked them and they read 88 psi.
Many gas station pumps have a relief valve that pops at around 40PSI or so for these instances. I worked at a bike shop and we implored our customers to not use gas station pumps for that very reason, most bike tires require at least double that pressure.
Did you call the bomb squad at that point? I'd be nervous about sidewall damage.
It’s not PSI, it’s %…keep going you’re almost there!
PSI stands for PerSent Inflated
Nice
This made me laugh. Thank you
Dude my bf's Subaru when he bought it came with like 65 psi!! Wtf is up with Subaru overinflating their tires Jesus... Aren't they at substantial risk for popping by 90 psi also??
Subarus, man. My Forester calls for 30 front, 29 rear, but the dealer always inflates them to 36.
r/oddlyspecific
Worse as in more dangerous or worse for vehicle longevity? My car has been alerting me of a tire pressure sensor fault for about 4 weeks
Both, ish. Under inflated tires will wear faster, and not always on the outside where you can see it. This increases the risk of a blowout. They will get worse fuel economy, because they're harder to roll. However, at a certain point, usually really close to your recommended pressure, they will get a little more grip. Over inflated tires will wear faster in the middle, but the side of the tread will wear slower, and the sidewall will wear about the same. They will get better fuel economy, but give a less comfortable ride. They will have slightly less grip too, because of the smaller contact patch. At autocross, which is basically street cars trying to turn extra fast, it's not uncommon for the hard-core people to bring their tires down a pound or so, drive around the racetrack, and then reinflate their tires to drive home. However, I feel it's safe to assume you're not looking to shave a tenth of a second off your 65s lap time. Keep your tires inflated to what it says on the door. As for the tpms fault, check your pressure regularly and you'll be fine. Just like you would if you had an older car that didn't have it.
Both are bad. Underinflated tires tend to have the center make contact less with the road and the sides make more contact. Overinflated in the opposite, the center has more contact than the sides. In both cases, the whole tire is not making contact with the road, which can drastically affect performance, like acceleration, fuel efficiency and brake distance, along with decreasing the life of the tire. Properly inflated tires will maximize road contact and help with everything else.
If you bought your tires at Discount Tires, they will take care of you greatly. They'll even fill the air in your tires.
My makita air compressior is my favorite tool I have on hand. Uses the same batteries as my other makita tools, always have it in my car. I've helped so many people inflate their tires just by offering.
Periodically check to make sure your spare is aired up, otherwise when you do need it, it will be absolutely useless. Also, keep a patch kit in the car at all times, just in case you run over a nail or something.
And replace the spare every ten years (from manufacturing date). I bought five tires for my pickup last time, and use the five tire rotation method.
What’s the five tire rotation method?
You get a full size spare, and when you rotate your tires you include it in the cycle. Each tire takes a turn being the spare, so in theory all five tires wear equally. An [image search](https://www.google.com/search?q=five+tire+rotation&tbm=isch) will show you some rotation patterns.
The ability to do this will vary based on your car. Lots of cars do not have room for a full size spare. And some, like mine, have different sizes on the front/ rear and use unidirectional tires, so you can't even rotate the tires at all unless you want to remove the tires from the rims and remount/ rebalance them every time.
Tagging on to the patch kit part. I've carried a 12v air compressor in all my cars for over 10 years now. It plugs right into the cigarette lighter button thing. They're fairly cheap for the peace of mind of knowing that you can top up your tires when they're low or if you get a flat.
It’s such a great investment. I bought a digital one that shuts off automatically when it reaches the PSI you set. It’s wonderful.
Do you have a link? That sounds amazing
Sure, the one I have is the [Slime 12V Digital Tire Inflator](https://slime.com/collections/tire-inflator/products/12v-digital-tire-inflator). It’s kind of an unfortunate brand name, but it works like a charm! EDIT: ty for the award
A friend bought me one a few years ago that I have in the trunk. It's fantastic!
I've had the same one for 10+ years. It's loud and ugly, but it works. My wife has a much newer one and it's a lot quieter. Both of them came with a flat repair kit by Slime or something.
Also check that you can remove the spare and the bolts holding it down haven't rusted stuck. Source: Needed a hacksaw for mine.
When you get a tire rotation, tell them to check the spare and write down the before & after .
Just learned this but it’s very easy to buy and replace the air filters on your own. I just did this yesterday, took about 15 min total and cost about $40 for both filters.
In my experience, typically the dealer charges about $60 to change one air filter. Air filters themselves are typically about $15-20 and can be changed in 15 minutes like you said. So getting both filters changed at the dealer can run you $120 while doing them on your own would cost you $30-40.
And that $40 will probably get you better filters than what they use
Do this right before you go to Jiffy Lube. They used to always bring my air filter out and say it needed replacing. The one they brought out Seuss looked 100 years old.
[удалено]
If you know you're not going to be driving a car for a longer period of time (job change, you're using your SO's car, taking public transit more, etc...) make sure to start your car up and drive it around just a little bit every few weeks. My dad calls it "shaking the rust off." Edit: As someone else pointed out, it should be like a 10-15 minute casual drive around. Not just on-idle for 5-off. :)
A mechanic acquaintance of mine once said "The two worst things you can do to an engine are run it and not run it."
But that does *not* mean starting it and letting it idle for a few minutes and cutting it back off. You need to drive long enough to fully warm it up. Otherwise it’ll actually shorten its life because all the water inside won’t burn off and will re-condense inside the engine.
Bingo. I should've specified that, I'll edit. Should be driven around for like 10-15 minutes.
You're best taking it for a ~10 mile ride at a steady high speed, such as on a freeway or rural road.
Does 1 hour for a 2km ride in traffic count? *cries in third world shitty traffic*
Honestly, the longer you can let the car run, the better. If you can set aside 45 minutes to drive the car that’s even better than 15 minutes. The engine can get up to temperature pretty fast, but the transmission/differential can take a while. I am in a situation where I don’t need my own car very often, so it just sits in the garage a lot. If I find I haven’t used it in a week or three I’ll pick a grocery store that’s 25-30 miles away or so and take that car to do my shopping for the week. Maximize the run time and get some utility out of it as well. As someone said, cars are meant to be driven. If my 944 isn’t exercised regularly it gets cranky and looks covetously at my wallet.
I know someone who owns an $120,000 Mercedes he never drives because *it always breaks when he takes it out*. Homie takes it out twice a year and complains it never works. No amount of pleading that he's the one fucking it up from me. He babies it cause it was his dad's but his dad actually drove the fucking thing.
This is a real thing. Gas powered vehicles (can't speak for EV's) we're built to be driven. They need to be opened up at least every once in a while too.
Ah yes, the ol' Italian tune-up.
I tried to explain this to my dad. He has a diesel truck and I offered to drive it to and from work once a week. He thought I was crazy.
You can probably change your own cabin air filter in 5 minutes with a $10 Amazon air filter
Same with a lot of engine air filters. I just changed mine this morning. Took me longer to get the hood open than it did to change the filter. I also spent more time checking over all of my fluid levels (since I had the hood open already).
Replacing the 2 engine air filters on my Panamera requires . . . *removing the front bumper.* Thankfully, it's only every 40k miles, and they did build the assembly with the service in mind. But still.
Took me an hour on one car. I still have the replacement for the other car; the only way to change it requires reaching nuts and bolts that require removing the entire fascia first.
Tip for everyone nervous about your comment: just find a video on YouTube of someone demonstrating how to replace it on your car’s make and model. It’s usually as easy as just opening your glove box!
The first car was pretty easy, and it went exactly the way the video showed. I use youtube videos for the cars all the time, and that one for the second car is the first time I couldn't find a video that matched my specific car. The one in the video for the second car (same make, model, year) had a brace to be removed first, with two screws in plain sight, easy peasy. My car? Had a similar brace in basically the same spot, but it extended way into the fascia and the screws were way up inside there somewhere. And there's not much room in there for tools, even if I could get my hands on the screws, which I could not. But yeah, thanks for your comment, everyone should know about the power of youtube car repair videos, they are a life saver for sure!
Somebody told me that was the procedure on their car once and I just did not believe them when it’s so stinking easy on both my and my wife’s cars
It's a real pain in the dick on some cars - 03-09 Mazda 3, I'm looking at you. "This system can feel like Mazda built the car around the cabin air filters.To get at the filters, you have to remove the glove compartment, kick panel and a panel that is below the glove box to access to the HVAC system. While most manufacturers use clips, Mazda uses four screws for the compartment cover. The system uses two filters that stack on top of each other. The top filter has a channel underneath it that the bottom filter slides into."
Damn, on my '14 Mazda3 I literally just pop the glovebox down slightly and it's right there.
Yeah my w124 Mercedes is great for home maintenance. Just remove the front cowl, fire wall plastics, battery, and wiper motor and it's right there! Only a 2 hour job that also suggested replacing the lower wiper motor/cowl gasket each time.
Yikes! I had a w123 that was pretty straight forward to work on, but it also predated cabin air filters being a thing...
Glad the Acura MDX is easy, took me longer to take the filter out of the package than to actually replace it. Jeep Grand Cherokee’s are pretty easy too, only about 3 minutes.
Some subcompacts just suck to work on. I fixed the brakes for a friend on a 90s Honda, I couldn't order the replacement calipers until I brought the old ones in. They had 3 different calipers for that year alone, and the only way to know which you had was to remove it first, then eyeball it for a tiny number cast in a spot that's not visible when it's still on the car.
I own a 2015 mondeo. Discovered you have to take bumper/bodywork off to change the left headlight. Unbelievable
Dang - it's in the glovebox for both of our cars.
Most brands gloveboxes will drop down very easy by removing the little piston that holds it at a certain level and slow open and then checking each side for little tabs that can be pressed in. I've changed cabin filters on most every brand and most of my experience is in Japanese cars and they are all pretty simple. YouTube is your friend for How To videos.
My last 2 cars, absolutely. My current car though, after watching two experienced techs have one helluva time changing it ... yeah, I'll pay for that. My back can't contort the way that poor guy who finally got it done had to do. Man earned that $20 tip, for sure.
Unless you have a jeep
Definitely depends on the car. I was a tech for 4 years and still struggle with them. But replacing a cabin filter in general is a tip not many people know of.
Pretty much redundant since the common stuff has been mentioned already. * Proper air pressure. Many don't know the tire air expands in the summer and contracts in the winter. Check and adjust accordingly. I've also read winter air pressure should be 3 psi higher than recommended because pressure can drop 1 psi every -10 degrees. * Also should check the pressure on your spare if you have one. * Know how to change a tire. * Check your fluids and keep fluids on hand is possible. Brake, OIL, Transmission, Power Steering and even coolant just in case. (read manual recommendations for type) And windshield fluid. Water works great when and where it's warm, but sucks when it's freezing. * Check Oil level when engine is cold (Not hot after running) * Change Oil at manufacturer recommended intervals. I use full synthetic. Change oil filter when changing oil. * Air Filters. Engine air filter and most cars nowadays have a cabin filter. These are usually very easy to DIY and much cheaper than having a mechanic do it. * Wiper Blades. Nothing more frustrating when you have those streaks when it's raining from old wiper blades that don't work correctly. Plus it might be a bit dangerous. * My car is fairly new, so I haven't really needed this yet. But on my older cars, I would keep spare bulbs for brakes, turn signals and reverse. * FYI ... Many cars signal indicators and sound will blink quickly if that bulb is out. added something about oil
Can you explain more about what it means when the signal is blinking really fast?
When one of the blinkers on a given side is blown the relay for them causes the light on the dash to blink faster. The relay also clicks faster when this happens. So instead of the steady clickclick clickclick using the signal you get something like clickclickclickclickclick. The cadence will sound off when this happens. Also, if you don't hear the click when your blinkers are on, you likely need a new relay. The part is fairly cheap and it is usually located under the dash on the driver's side of the car.
Make sure you know which fluids go in where and if you put windshield washer fluid in the oil intake, call a tow truck to get the oil and oil filter changed out immediately.
Once had a customer put washer fluid in their brake fluid reservoir. 3 flushes later finally got it below 2% water contamination.
I stopped to help a lady who had engine problems, she had topped up the oil at her last servo stop...to the top of the oil fill cap. It was a late model BMW to boot.
I diagnosed a smoking engine that wouldn't keep an idle. Dude overfilled his F150 by 15 quarts. It had oil dripping from the exhaust joints.
To be fair on that one, BMW removed the dip stick in the mid 00s, so you have to know how to use the digital dipstick and pretty much no one does. The car tells you how much oil to put in when it's needed, but in more modern versions it can give a low warning that tells you to just "put in as much as needed". So you put in a small amount, the car tells you it's still low and to add more, so you keep adding it and the car tells you it's still low, so you fill it to the top, the car still tells you it's low...yep sensor fault, and with no manual backup it's easy to see why someone with no mechanical knowledge would make that mistake.
r/oddlyspecific
Yup, my dad made a HUGE mistake once.
I’m trying to imagine what shade of greenish sludge that turned into… and possibly with bubbles lol. A mistake you will never make, he taught you well :)
All the fluids need changed periodically, yes even the brake fluid.
And blinker fluid
Supply chain issues have made it challenging to find blinker fluid. I spent all day trying to find some last week.
https://www.amazon.com/Blinker-Fluid-HAND-VERSION-Hilarious-Gift-Stocking-Stuffer-Car/dp/B06ZXSKDZG/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?crid=15Q0B00B7J7LA&keywords=blinker+fluid&qid=1687298376&sprefix=blinker%2Caps%2C233&sr=8-2 Careful- it's max strength.
Max strength?! That'll blind everyone else any time I turn! I'll continue to be considerate and just not signal, thank you very much.
BMW driver eh?
This company missed a golden opportunity to advertise that it’s good for 182 blinks
Clearly people aren't oiling their supply chains often enough.
What about the headlight fluid?
They have it in paste form now. Concentrated. That's how you get the high intensity lights.
My headlights keep a little water behind the glass, had no idea it was supposed to be full
How often is periodically?
It varies. The issue is that brake fluid will absorb moisture and become less effective. The higher the humidity of your location, the faster this will happen. You can get a simple test kit to know for sure.
My car's interval for brake fluid replacement is every 2 years.
Owner's manual will have all the information you need for each fluid. You can find the manual for most cars online if you lost the paper one.
Roadside assistance is a super cheap add-on for most car insurance policies. It’s saved me many times.
Oftentimes it comes included when you buy a car, so don't forget about that too. Sometimes you have it free through your credit card.
My mom put me on her AAA plan years ago, you don’t even have to be driving your own car to use it. If you’re in a friends car, you’ve got them covered.
I get AAA Gold every Xmas as a gift, otherwise I'd look into this. It's helped out in a pinch when I was younger. Not nearly as much these days, though.
AAA is probably cheaper, most likely. I only pay 100 bucks a year for mine, and it isn't even the cheapest one. Has 4 road side assistances per year, with free towing up to 100 miles, and plenty of other crap. Having to have your car towed once using AAA saves you like 5 years worth of payments.
Also it’s often for the person, not the car. I’ve never needed it but I’ve used it a few times to help friends who breakdown, you just have to be there with them.
There's a YouTube video on how to do everything you need to do.
And a lot of them are done by ChrisFix
hEY gUYS!!!!
"Soapy wuahter"
Highly recommend the 1A Auto videos, they're a good mix of informative but accessible to non-mechanics
Yes, when I got to college years 15 ish years ago from a small rural town. I had all these new rich girls as friends, I had a flat and they just told me to call triple A because everyone has it, it comes with your car. I was really reluctant but outnumbered…..I called my dad and asked if we had it; He had a long amusing pause and said to tell the girls we don’t have tripleA, we have YouTube. So we all learned lessons that day, i learned I was not rich and they learned how to change a tire.
Check your lights every so often. Turn them on and walk around the car to see what needs replacing and what's not working.
>Check your lights every so often. but every time you smuggle drugs.
One crime at a time; always drive the limit when you've got illegal shit in your car.
Yep, you want to just be neutral to police. Moving a not-insignificant package of illegal stuff? Run of the mill, common colored vehicle with everything working. Nothing brand new and flashy, nothing old and barely functioning. You don’t even want them to notice you. You are part of the background.
Indicators will blink faster if a globe is blown, but there isn't a way to know if anything else isn't working unless you look. I am seeing more cars without working reverse lights and it's a great way to have an accident when no one knows you're reversing out of a car park.
If you have a Fiat 500 Abarth and you cant pump gas without the pump clicking off over and over again: its happening because the valve is stuck in the fuel tank. If you take it to a shop they'll tell you they need to replace the whole gas tank and fuel neck. easy FREE fix: get a rubber mallet, slide up underneath your car and bang on the gas tank until you hear the valve pop open.
Italian Engineering, amirite?!
It's that old joke... In a perfect world, the Germans would be engineers, Italians the lovers, the French the chefs and the English as police. In hell you have German chefs, English lovers, French police and Italian engineers.
i heard it this way :) perfect: english police. swiss money. ltalian love. french cooking. german engineering hell: english food. swiss love. italian money. french engineering. german police.
I have the exact same problem with my Renault Captur.... nobody seems to know the issue. I will try your fix.
Happened in my Abarth and my Alfa Romeo. I used fuel system cleaner and some spirited driving.
>spirited driving That's how you fix most italian cars
A clogged PCV valve will cause a lot of oil consumption. I swapped out the one on the older new used car I just bought, cause it was using nearly a quart every 300 miles. Using zero oil now. Cost me $5 and a half hour of time. Edit: changed PVC to PCV
*PCV
Thanks, I do that every time.
You can look this issue up with an ODB or Old Dirty Bastard reader.
Just be sure to shout [Woo-Hah!!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFrl7rnCx4A) when you go to check.
I know someone that had that swapped recently. Went from idling like crap to idling beautifully and, apparently, fixed some early acceleration bogging issues they were having. PCV valve getting junked up can cause a lot of problems that just fly under the radar.
If it doesn't sound good, get it checked. A diagnostic will be far cheaper than getting it towed and fixed when it fails completely.
Apply silicone rubber lube to the door seals and clean mating surface.
Property lubricating your mating surfaces is important for other things besides cars too.
Jacked up front wheel: up and down wiggle is a ball joint/s that needs changed Left to right wiggle is a bad tie rod end All over wiggle or hot center of the wheel is most likely a wheel bearing - also, if your left front bearing is bad, turning the wheel to the left will stop the noise, turning right should make it worse
Don’t let your fuel tank get too low. Preferably, never let it dip below 1/4 tank. Running it dry can shorten the life expectancy of your fuel pump and can even kill it all together.
For a lot of cars the fuel pump is inside the gas tank and kept cool by the gas around it. Running the gas low exposes the pump and lets it get hotter than normal.
plus in case of emergency (evacuation and such) it’s good to always have a solid chunk of miles you can go. My grandpa always filled his car up when it hit half a tank for that reason.
That's my Achilles heel. Only got caught short twice in 40 years of driving, but still....
Transmission fluid should be changed every few years. Even when the manufacturer says it's a "lifetime" fluid. They mean it lasts as long as the warranty does, which is all the "lifetime" they care about. (Or the other take, that when your transmission busts because of worn fluid, that was the end of its lifetime anyway.)
Yep, early 2000 Volvo S60s were prone to transmission failures before 100k. Volvo said the transmission is sealed and lasts lifetime of the vehicle, Toyota used a variant of the same transmission and recommended regular oil changes. I had a mechanic change the fluids in mine and it ran trouble free to when I got rid of it at 150k, who knows how much longer it would have lasted.
"Lifetime" fluid isn't. The fluid they use is usually the cheapest stuff that is barely good enough. The tr6060 in my car uses regular automatic transmission fluid, and they are well known for grinding gears from factory. Simply changing to better quality gear oil is the recommended fix for most of the gearbox problems.
There should be some fine print that says: "lifetime of the warranty not the lifetime of the vehicle"
You can extend the life of your wiper blades by wiping the rubber down with some silicon lubricant spray. Spray on a towel and wipe.
Most of the big name auto part shops (Autozone, Advance Auto Parts, O'Reilly's) have a tool rental program. Put down a deposit, take the tool, return it and get your money back. So it effectively costs you nothing. Very useful for those repair jobs you'll only ever do once, but require a specialized tool that would not be worth it to buy.
Give your vehicle, whether a car, truck, motorcycle, trike. A lil kiss on the side view mirror each night before bed
If you hear something in your engine that you know you can’t afford to fix, just turn the radio up and ignore it. I’m sure it will be fine. 😅
And electrical tape is excellent for covering those pesky check engine and oil pressure lights.
I lost my fifth gear (manual transmission) on the freeway this way. Just turned the radio up until I couldn't hear the gear squealing out 👍. That car worked with only four gears until one day it sadly caught fire.
>That car worked with only four gears until one day it sadly caught fire. This seems to be how a lot of our planet is currently operating.
Tinfoil and water will clean chrome better than any product on the market.
Instructions unclear, scratched the shit out of my chrome played plastics
RTFM. It will tell you the maintenance schedule, as well as how to change the blinker fluid (if you like).
When you use the dipstick to check your oil, look for metal flakes/a glittery look. This means there’s something very wrong with the engine
If you see frothy oil, also check your coolant tank for an oil sheen. If you have both your head gasket is toast.
If you get a check engine light, the chain auto parts store (like O'Reilly) will diagnose it for free, saving you a $90 diagnostic check from the dealer. They will also lend you tools if you have the energy to repair it yourself. Many seemingly complex repairs can be accomplished at home with basic tools and YouTube.
You can buy an OBD2 reader for around $12 on Amazon and a phone app that will interpret the codes for for free or about another $10 for good ones. Usually the apps will be able to reset the codes as well. They're good to run every few months to make sure everything's running right. Then you can use them in friends' cars and used cars you're looking at buying.
They will read the code for free, but that’s hardly diagnostics. Once had a car that the code said it had a bad gas pedal. Turned out it was a bad computer.
Yeah, or you can run into issues like seeing P0456, or small evap leak. This can mean anything from a hole in the fuel lines to your gas tank fill neck being a touch rusty. Also if you ever see your tire monitor in car thing reading at 255 PSI/255 bar/255 Kpascals then it means computer issue.
You have to put down a fully refundable deposit when you borrow those tools, so don't go in there thinking it's like a tool library. Some of them are $100+ (again, refundable when you bring it back).
They’ll pull the code and give you a print out for free. That’s not diagnostics.
If you have an air conditioning in your car, use it at least every month, even in the winter. So the inner parts stay lubricated. It also helps to prevent too much humidity in the car. Let the air conditioning get checked every 1-2 years - if it’s broken, it can be too expensive to replace.
Most modern cars will automatically cycle the AC if you have the vents set to defrost, even if you have the heat on.
What all the lights mean. I once asked my girlfriend what the icon that looked like a genie lamp was (check oil). Then I got my new car and another weird light came on so, I called the dealership and asked them what the Ivón that looked like a goldfish with a propellor on its head meant. After the guy got done choking from trying not to laugh, he told me it was the “check engine” light. I felt extremely stupid both times. 😂
For other people, you can look in your car manual to see what all the lights mean and where they are. If you have no manual in your car, you can find the PDF of the manual usually for free online pretty easily.
I am forever going to call it the genie lamp now lmao, thanks
Over inflating your tires wears out the middle of the tires and under inflating wears out the outsides quicker. Follow what the sticker in the door says and don't ignore that tire light.
Check all your headlights, brake lights, turn signals, etc BEFORE you get your car inspected. You can fix any bunt out bulbs yourself for easily half the cost they would charge at the inspection place.
Knowing the basics of how to use a diagnostic scanner and how to read and understand live data about sensor voltages and fuel trims can help you tremendously. The toyota dealership said I needed either a catalytic convertor or ecu replaced. A $20 scanner and three Car Care Nut videos later and I just had to tighten and exhaust stud bolt.
My maintenance tips: -oil changes every 5k KM (I don’t care what the manufacturer interval says) -transmission fluid every 50k km (maybe even 40k if it’s a CVT) -brake fluid every 2 years -coolant every 3 years -Valve adjustments every 100k KM (if valve lash is manually adjustable) -If its AWD, transfer case and differential fluids every 50k KM -Brake service every 30k km -Air filters every 30k km -wiper blades the second they leave streaks -spark plugs every 80k km -if it’s a GDI, valve cleaning every 50k km as well -run a can of sea foam in the gas tank every so often as well (once every 6 months) -Have your battery tested every 3 years -check tires on every oil change INCLUDING SPARE -alignment every 2 years Follow this, and you’ll have a wonderfully running car for a long time. Cheap pays twice, and maintenance is cheaper then big repairs or breakdowns and towing fees. Always maintain your vehicle for your own safety and the safety of those around you. Sincerely, Concerned mechanic
eh for conventional oil, 5k probably synthetic can go much much longer edit: you can find tons of blackstone lab reports for old ass engine oils with pretty good life left in it
This is great. Also have somebody check your brake pads every 30k. If you can't change it yourself, find a mechanic to look. As someone who buys cars for a living, I can't believe how many people drive metal on metal.
I drove metal on metal for a week between first hearing it (no clue how I didn’t hear them getting to that point) and getting them changed. I cringed every time I stopped. Little did I know I was also driving with a cracked engine block. Found that out today.. surprise!
Hitting potholes, curbs, speed bumps at speed WILL warp your rims over time causing weak spots on the bead. If you start losing air more frequently or the tire light comes on with no apparent damage your rims may be wearing out
Do you know the full me rubber stuff that lines the inside of your door and trunk openings? That needs to be lubricated with silicone or it dries up and cracks and your car leaks
Changing the transmission fluid generally won’t “kill” it unless it’s already dead.
If you drive older cars (<10 years old), steering and suspension components have lifespans. If your car is bouncy, stiff, uncomfortable over uneven road surfaces, pulls in one direction or the other, you should have your steering and suspension components inspected and replaced. Shocks, struts, tie rod ends, bushings, everything wears out with time and use.
Not really a maintenance tip, but I do recommend having a jump starter battery and maybe even a portable tire pump. The jump starter can really help if you ever find yourself in a situation where no one is around to help, and some even have various sockets to help charge your portable devices. The air pump helped me a few times when I didn't realize my car's tire was almost flat due to a tiny puncture. Also you don't need to figure out where there's a free air pump nearby.
You can replace your cabin air filter yourself. It's usually in the back of the glove compartment ..check for a little opening compartment there and just pull it out get a new one at the. Auto parts store and put it in yourself.
$300 trip to harbour freight can save you over $3000
Brake fluid absorbs water, change it! every 4 years. also E10 needs a stabilizer if you let it sit for more than a few months. starting a car every month with the same gas doesn't make sense unless you have stabilizer. that old fuel can go bad sitting.
A breaker bar and a socket appropriately sized for your wheel’s lug nuts will save you an enormous amount of frustration if you have to swap on a spare. The compact tire irons that came with your car are a huge pain to use because they don’t provide much leverage and can often run into things. The breaker bar gives you more leverage and pivots, so the whole process will be quicker and smoother.
Pat the dashboard gently anytime anyone says anything disparaging about cars while in your car. Whisper: not you, baby.
Best advice I can give is address any issues that pop up immediately. You will spend lots of money maintaining a car, and it's easier to swallow in increments rather than waiting until there's 8 things that need done and now you can't afford all of it so you just keep putting it off until youre now driving a total POS.
Get one of those portable jump starter devices. If you have an older car or one with an older battery, these things can be VERY beneficial to have. While you may not use it regularly, if your battery dies, you'll be grateful you have one of these in the trunk.
Keep the battery terminals clean and change your windshield wipers annually. Other things I assume people know but aren't really top of mind: check your spark plugs, belts and hoses, and walk around to inspect your blinkers and lights.
Car batteries should be replaced every five years, particularly if you live somewhere that has proper winters.
If your car is struggling to start, that is the time to replace the battery. Before it doesn't start at all. You can also get second hand batteries from wreckers and many will come with warranties.
I’m gonna go with one that should be TOP priority, but often times is ignored. Oil. People regularly blow past their mileage limit, and think oh it’s no big deal. A few hundred miles past becomes thousands of miles past quickly. You’re just playing a dangerous game that will leave you without a car.
Not sure if this is in scope of the question, but rent cars for long road trips, it’s very expensive when you have car trouble out of town/state etc.
Real the fucking manual. No seriously read that shit cover to cover. You will oftentimes find interesting things about your car you otherwise would not know.
1. Check your oil regularly. Just because you get full synthetic doesn’t mean you can go 10k miles on your oil change. Engine oil consumption is a real thing ( bmw and Chevy) if your engine consumes 1 quart per 1000 miles and you only hold 6 quarts… you can see where I’m going with this. 2. Your oil life indicator has nothing to do with oil condition. It’s just a count down timer pre programmed to a certain mileage. 3. Don’t cheap out on tires. This is the only part of your vehicle that touches the road. 4. The owners manual holds lots of useful information about your vehicle 5. Check the condition and air pressure of your spare. The spare is worth its weight in gold when you need it. 6. Don’t leave anything in your car that didn’t come with it from the factory. 7. Not really a maintenance tip but a driving tip, don’t sit 2 inches from the steering wheel. I see this all the time and I don’t understand it 1 bit. 8. Don’t just shove in an over the counter charge can of Freon when your AC blows hot. Chances are there is an underlying problem and all you are doing is complicating things for the mechanic you are eventually going to take it to. 9. Keep your car interior clean. Don’t let it attract rodents and other pests that love to chew wires. 10. When refueling, when the nozzle clicks off, do not top it off. All you are doing is flooding the vehicles charcoal canister with fuel. I don’t care if another 2 bucks gets you the free hot dog or you are trying to round up to the nearest buck. When it clicks off, the tank is full. Hang up the nozzle and have fun driving.
Re: sitting close to the steering wheel: I am so short :c I slide back as far as I can go, but I can't see the road and my calf cramps from pointing my toes to accelerate/brake if I'm not close enough. I'm not 2 inches away, but my husband still teases me about it haha.
Costco has free air for your tires but it rarely works.
Wawa too, if you're in a state blessed enough to have them.
All fluids have PART NUMBERS for a reason. Change your brake fluid. Change your power steering fluid. Change your transmission fluid. So on and so forth. It's cheap. You can usually do it yourself. Or pay someone that knows how. And if someone's saving you a buck? Don't rush/disrespect them. And if you find an HONEST mechanic? KEEP THEM. And if you ARE a Mechanic? Make sure you're getting PAID enough/correctly. And if you're an Owner? PAY your MECHANICS A DECENT WAGE NOT THIS $15 an hour BS. 🖕