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Bruc posted:My car battery on my 2012 Jetta just died and when looking online about buying one I saw I may need to take it to a dealership to have it done because my keys wont work (keyless entry) because the memory won't be saved or something?. I only saw one thing about it and am not a car guy at all so I don't know how true this is, I've always just installed batteries normally but not on this car yet. Double checked myself now that I am at work, and no mention of any loss of key fob memory when changing the battery. You should be fine to change the battery yourself.
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Sep 8, 2020 15:52
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Pollyanna posted:Thanks, ordered. Hopefully I can get this completely fixed before my 3.5 hour drive on Saturday There's a tiny little slider thing inside it that makes it detect the cable - does it work if you kinda get it ALMOST all the way in? If so, you might be able to do that on your drive, though you may get audio out of only one side unless you get it juuuuust right. Worst case, if you can't get the plug apart, that part of the dash just snaps together - you can pop the entire plug out as a unit instead of disassembling it, but only once you have the dash apart. That's what I would do instead of risking damage to the new one, personally, but that guy's method probably saves 30 minutes and a lot of frustration.
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Sep 8, 2020 15:56
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I want to buy some ramps to make life a little easier in oil changes. I have a Honda Odyssey and a Honda Fit, both fairly low clearance but not to the level of a race car. Any recommendations? Internet hyperbole tells me that the plastic Rhyno Ramps will shatter and kill me, and the Harbor Freight steel ones will also shatter and kill me. Perhaps it's my time?
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Sep 8, 2020 18:21
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Hunter2 Thompson posted:I didn't see a bodywork thread, so I suppose I'll ask here I'm no expert but I've been shooting a lot of paint lately. I would scuff and clean everything, and where you find adhesion issues, strip that off out into where you know it's good. If you have some rusty metal than I'd use some kind of rust converter product. Then epoxy primer sealer primer the whole floor, and paint that. I'm finding epoxy primer to be very strong with great adhesion, as well as being a good base for top coating.
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Sep 8, 2020 19:09
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canyoneer posted:I want to buy some ramps to make life a little easier in oil changes. I have a Honda Odyssey and a Honda Fit, both fairly low clearance but not to the level of a race car.
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Sep 8, 2020 19:10
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canyoneer posted:I want to buy some ramps to make life a little easier in oil changes. I have a Honda Odyssey and a Honda Fit, both fairly low clearance but not to the level of a race car. I would get well made plastic ramps personally. Interested in anyone who has some to chime in, I've finally concluded they would make my life easier as well. I'm probably going to build some made of 2x12s stacked to give the Sierra like 4.5 inches of height. Even one board gave me a usable but tight workspace. But a good short rampset for the Escape could serve both.
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Sep 8, 2020 19:14
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I have Rhino ramps (the old version) that doesn't have those deep cuts like the new ones do so can't comment on them. Love mine though. Straddling an uneven service will cause them to crack.
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Sep 8, 2020 19:51
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C-Bangin' it 
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StormDrain posted:I'm no expert but I've been shooting a lot of paint lately. I would scuff and clean everything, and where you find adhesion issues, strip that off out into where you know it's good. If you have some rusty metal than I'd use some kind of rust converter product. Then epoxy primer sealer primer the whole floor, and paint that. Nice advice, it makes sense to remove the paint with adhesion issues. I wasn't sure if the rest had to go too. Is there any particular epoxy sealer primer you recommend, or is pretty much anything from a reputable brand going to work ok for a floor pan? Also, what's good for scuffing? I've seen those 3M gummy-looking paint and rust removal wheels you put in drills, then of course various types of wire wheel, and obviously sand paper. I imagine each has their place, but what's best for what?
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Sep 8, 2020 20:08
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I need a new battery for my XJ, and I don't really want to spend a lot of money since it's a piece of poo poo and I drive it maybe a few times a month (it's my... seventh vehicle now). If I got one of the "refurbished" batteries that my local junkyard (LKQ) sells, how long could I expect it to last? I think they're around forty bucks.
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Sep 8, 2020 20:24
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GOD IS BED posted:Double checked myself now that I am at work, and no mention of any loss of key fob memory when changing the battery. You should be fine to change the battery yourself. Thanks a ton sir.
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Sep 8, 2020 20:37
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'92 NA MX-5, the driver's window motor won't work when the switch is pressed, but will work when jumped directly from a battery. The switch is getting 12v and has 12v coming out, but at the connector to the motor I'm only getting 8.5v. All the plugs I can find seem clean and uncorroded, is this a bad ground? Does anyone know where the window circuit grounds to on one of these cars? The passenger side is fine.
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Sep 8, 2020 21:03
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CornHolio posted:I need a new battery for my XJ, and I don't really want to spend a lot of money since it's a piece of poo poo and I drive it maybe a few times a month (it's my... seventh vehicle now). If I got one of the "refurbished" batteries that my local junkyard (LKQ) sells, how long could I expect it to last? I think they're around forty bucks. Add a charge controller if you're feeling fancy, but the consensus seems to be that it's not really necessary for small panels like that. Grakkus posted:'92 NA MX-5, the driver's window motor won't work when the switch is pressed, but will work when jumped directly from a battery. The switch is getting 12v and has 12v coming out, but at the connector to the motor I'm only getting 8.5v. All the plugs I can find seem clean and uncorroded, is this a bad ground? Does anyone know where the window circuit grounds to on one of these cars? The passenger side is fine. ... which appears to say that it's grounded via the switch.
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Sep 8, 2020 22:29
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Hunter2 Thompson posted:Nice advice, it makes sense to remove the paint with adhesion issues. I wasn't sure if the rest had to go too. If the paint that's there hasn't failed I don't see any reason to pull it up, just feather into it and seal the whole thing. A few wet coats of epoxy primer leaves me with an evenly sealed surface. The first coat always shows the areas that were more porous like body filler or flat coatings, but the second wet coat almost always seals that fully, and if not a third coat will for sure. I've only had experience with the Eastwood epoxy, so I don't know if there's better or worse or what. At this rate it'll take two decades before I've tried even 4 brands. I picked Eastwood since I was already planning to get a bunch of stuff there. The next car is painting means more to me so I'll probably get House of Kolor or similar, but it's like $60 more for a gallon. Looks like UPOLs Raptor is great for over rusty prepped metal though, I would have bought that for sure for my flatbed. Since a floor pan is likely not a smooth flat surface I would imagine you'll do a lot by hand, so buy a big rear end pack of 3m scuffing pads, and sandpaper for when you hit loose or suspect stuff. Like all the Rustoleum stuff I'd try to remove entirely with 80 or 100 grit. I've been buying the adhesive sandpaper rolls for use on blocks, and they work really well folded over and used by hand. I used a lot of wire wheel for loose scale and paint, flap wheels for really bad rust or a full stripping, sandpaper for surface issues like loose paint and surface rust. And 3m scuff pads for existing finishes to dull them and give the primer something to grip. Then clean it all with solvent and-or degreaser, then soap and water, then spray way window cleaner to get the last of the dust and fingerprints while wearing gloves. Four pack of spray way at Costco for $7 I think. I've gone thru boxes of Scott Towels In a Box.
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Sep 8, 2020 23:00
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Grakkus posted:'92 NA MX-5, the driver's window motor won't work when the switch is pressed, but will work when jumped directly from a battery. The switch is getting 12v and has 12v coming out, but at the connector to the motor I'm only getting 8.5v. All the plugs I can find seem clean and uncorroded, is this a bad ground? Does anyone know where the window circuit grounds to on one of these cars? The passenger side is fine. Those switches are notorious for burning out. You'll likely need to take them out and clean up the contacts. https://did-it-myself.com/miata-window-switch-repair/
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Sep 8, 2020 23:16
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Motronic posted:Sounds like you have a clog. From what I remember those are accumulator/cap tube systems, so I'd start with an evac and open that thing up to replace the cap tube. It's the most likely culprit. If it's full of black stuff......uhhhh, well, sorry. (because your compressor is dying and you're gonna need to flush the entire system and replace a bunch of crap including the compressor) Define "bunch of crap". I haven't done any work yet, I'm just preparing for worst case scenario. Would I have to take the dash apart to get to the evaporator? I've done that before and it sucks. If it comes to that, I might try to find a dash that isn't cracked on top and get rid of the stupid fleece dash cover that is there currently.
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Sep 9, 2020 00:18
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I broke the (front) bumper of my friends 2020 corolla, and the plastic Splash Shield came unstuck. what would be the cost of repair?
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Sep 9, 2020 01:15
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CornHolio posted:I need a new battery for my XJ, and I don't really want to spend a lot of money since it's a piece of poo poo and I drive it maybe a few times a month (it's my... seventh vehicle now). If I got one of the "refurbished" batteries that my local junkyard (LKQ) sells, how long could I expect it to last? I think they're around forty bucks. Total crapshoot. Might be good for five weeks or five years.
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Sep 9, 2020 01:32
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Krakkles posted:There's a ton of variability here, but probably quite awhile, especially if you put a solar panel maintainer on it. I built one from parts on Amazon, but I think I'd probably just use the Harbor Freight option @ $14.99 if I were going to do it again. You have my attention, now. I have three cars that I don't drive more than a few times a month (and even then, mostly to make sure the gas doesn't get old) and when I don't use them I disconnect the battery. I was thinking about getting quick disconnects, but I like this idea a lot better if it's feasible. What benefit would a charge controller give? Is there a danger of overcharging the battery, or of the battery discharging through the panel? I wouldn't know what I'm doing well enough to build one, but I really like that Harbor Freight one... and I could probably get 20% off to boot! CornHolio fucked around with this message at 02:20 on Sep 9, 2020 |
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Sep 9, 2020 02:07
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Charge controller would prevent overcharging, but yeah, with a small panel that's not gonna be an issue. I'd prefer a larger panel myself (more like 6-20 watts), 1.5 isn't even going to cover self-discharge. Don't use the power socket if it's switched with the ignition. I was going to suggest this, but with that many cars you're going to wind up with spaghetti all over the place.
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Sep 9, 2020 02:34
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STR posted:Charge controller would prevent overcharging, but yeah, with a small panel that's not gonna be an issue. I'd prefer a larger panel myself (more like 6-20 watts), 1.5 isn't even going to cover self-discharge. There's a Powiser one on Amazon for about thirty bucks I'm looking at... I'd post a link but I'm on my phone and the Amazon app sucks. 10 watts. I'm thinking about it for my Volvo, which is my daily in the winter. It has some kind of drain that i haven't figured out and the battery will die after a week if i don't drive it. The outlet is ignition hot so I'd have to run the ring terminals to the battery, which is fine. I kind of like permanently installing one so i never have to disconnect the battery when i park it. edit: this one. CornHolio fucked around with this message at 12:17 on Sep 9, 2020 |
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Sep 9, 2020 03:10
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STR covered the rest, but I wanted to add: He's quite right about the wattage, I have a 6W and didn't remember correctly. Here's the one I got on Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DFCDKLJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1. I've had two cars parked since March with these on them and they both fire right up. If this is the one you're looking at: https://smile.amazon.com/POWISER-Wa...233&sr=1-5&th=1 ... it looks fine.
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Sep 9, 2020 03:31
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PawParole posted:I broke the (front) bumper of my friends 2020 corolla, and the plastic Splash Shield came unstuck. Could be as cheap as some plastic clips, or could be over a thou to replace the whole front bumper and get it repainted. If you're just trying to reattach the splash guard, I'd look into plastic clips and zipties if your friend is ok with that. Otherwise, I'd probably contact my insurance and make a claim.
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Sep 9, 2020 03:50
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CornHolio posted:There's a Powiser one on Amazon for about thirty bucks I'm looking at... I'd post a link but I'm on my phone and the Amazon app sucks. 10 watts. I'd add a fuse in-line on the positive wire right at the battery (just a 5 amp if not smaller - it's pushing at or less than 1 amp peak) - not so much for the charger, but in case the wire gets frayed and tries to go  on you. But if it's the one Krakkles linked, yeah, looks fine.
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Sep 9, 2020 08:23
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What is this, fell of my car last night, looks like it sat above the muffler. Some kinda heat shield? Man I hope it isn't something like, this part prevents the muffler from setting fire to the fuel tank. 
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Sep 9, 2020 08:28
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two_beer_bishes posted:I'm looking for a 4x8 or 5x8 utility trailer. Mostly it'll be used for moving my zero turn mower around, with the occasional hardware store run. Is there a consensus on the Harbor Freight or Northern Tool Ironton trailer kits? I really like the idea of getting the 4x8 foldable trailer for storage reasons but that's going to be a tight fit with my mower on it. Northern Tool has their trailers on sale right now, so $350 for the 4x8 folding one or $450 for the 5x8 non-folding. I firmly believe in building your own, BUT, I also know how to build durable, pullable, legal trailers because my grandfather taught me how. It's not a project for someone not confident in their engineering or welding skills. (I also know which pieces of obsolete farm equipment to buy for a song at a farm auction to get the necessary steel without breaking the bank - I would not want to build with new steel at today's prices.)
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Sep 9, 2020 11:00
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His Divine Shadow posted:What is this, fell of my car last night, looks like it sat above the muffler. Some kinda heat shield? Man I hope it isn't something like, this part prevents the muffler from setting fire to the fuel tank. You might be able to buy a few huge hose/worm clamps and daisy chain them together to get it back on.
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Sep 9, 2020 13:07
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kid sinister posted:Define "bunch of crap". I haven't done any work yet, I'm just preparing for worst case scenario. Would I have to take the dash apart to get to the evaporator? I've done that before and it sucks. If it comes to that, I might try to find a dash that isn't cracked on top and get rid of the stupid fleece dash cover that is there currently. This is what a cap tube looks like with "black death" (compressor parts) in the system:  That one is far from the worst I've seen, but that system would have needed a new compressor and a full flush/replacement of anything that couldn't be flushed.
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Sep 9, 2020 17:42
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STR posted:There's a tiny little slider thing inside it that makes it detect the cable - does it work if you kinda get it ALMOST all the way in? If so, you might be able to do that on your drive, though you may get audio out of only one side unless you get it juuuuust right. STR posted:That'll work fine. The fix worked like a charm - thanks a bunch!
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Sep 9, 2020 19:29
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I think it's currently time to trash my current car. I have a 2004 Honda Pilot but my wife insists I drive her Corolla because she finds my Pilot terrifying. My Pilot has a lot of small issues. The mechanic fixes a lot of them, but then I keep on finding new ones a few months later. Nothing I find too horrible, but a lot of annoying ones. For example, the steering wheel would randomly rapidly spasm a few inches left and right on the highway like the car's having a seizure. The engine rolls up and down about 6" when idle, as it rapidly cycles between 1,000 and 2,000 rpms. When I'm stopped at a red light, despite having constant pressure on the breaks, the amount of braking power fluctuates. When i drive on the highway too long the parking brake seizes and locks (despite being off), causing the steering to be odd at low speeds when I get off. A bunch of problems are being caused by small leaks in tubes, and we keep finding new leaks. I keep on bringing it in for repairs, but the need for repairs are becoming more frequent. Etc, etc. Now that I have a newborn safety is a bit of a concern too. My assumptions: 1) For a sanity check, am I being nitpicky/spoiled/entitled in regard to the above issues? I really only noticed their severity when I realized how consistent my wife's Toyota Corolla is, in terms of steering/braking/accelerating. I've done the "this car should last 300,000 miles if you treat it right" thing for most of my life but the metaphorical pebbles are beginning to feel like avalanches in terms of needed repairs. 2) Now that I'm on another stage in life, I figure it's time to re-examine my priorities, including how I go about buying cars. A lot of people are recommending an X5 or a Y. a) My concerns over the X5: I) Maintenance cost, II) Buying an expensive car really is only reliable for the first 80,000 miles feels wasteful, III) People hate BMW drivers. Folks are respectful to me when I drive my PIlot, but I'm not sure that will translate to a bimmer. b) In regards to the Y, I hear that they last a very long time. This is more in line with what I like in a car. But I also hear the 3rd row is super small, which doesn't realy help with a growing family. On a similar note, we like to take long trips. My wife's corolla has nearly a 400 mile range without needing a gas station. And if we needd one, it's not like gas stations are rare finds. I'm not sure what the charging stations avaliblity is like. Can anyone offer suggestions/tips for my situation? Are these issues enough to want to get rid of an old car? Or is a 2004 Pilot with a under 200k miles still "young." Are my assumptions off base? diadem fucked around with this message at 22:28 on Sep 9, 2020 |
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Sep 9, 2020 22:23
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You need a much better mechanic for starters. Half of those issues are very likely to be simple vacuum leaks.
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Sep 9, 2020 22:31
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To the Honda Pilot guy, from the sounds of it, you probably have (at least 1 motor mount) going bad, it would help explain the engine rocking and weird steering problems. As for the brakes, I'm not sure, if it just feels like pulsing it could be warped rotors, otherwise could be a wide variety of issues including pretty much everything from the master cylinder to the caliper. For a bit of hope, air in the lines or master can do weird and unpredictable stuff, did your mechanic do any brake work around the time this problem arose? They could have not bled them properly. As for the parking brake, if it's heating and locking up while driving, that means it's engaged, whether the lever in the car is or not. It's a fairly common problem.(especially in automatics when they're used very infrequently) and is usually just a messed up cable. Get it rectified ASAP, as it is a huge strain on your powertrain, and can lead to dangerous heat buildup on your rear brakes. If I were you, I'd follow Motronic's suggestion, finding a decent mechanic is a pain but well worth it, and if yours is flummoxed by vaccuum leaks then that's a bad sign. I'm not sure about the specific reliability of an 04 Pilot, but Hondas are generally well built. A BMW X5 will most certainly not be a reliable car, so be aware getting another car will not solve all your problems. That being said, some of the stuff you're describing is potentially very dangerous (particularly the brakes) and you should absolutely do something about it as soon as possible, whether that be getting a new car or finding someone good to really diagnose the issues you're having with the Pilot. Good luck at any rate DildenAnders fucked around with this message at 00:06 on Sep 10, 2020 |
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Sep 10, 2020 00:01
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Im driving a 07 Saturn vue with 251k. When the plastic inevitably rusts, Im thinking of a 18-19 fiesta ST. Am I a fool?
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Sep 10, 2020 00:10
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DildenAnders posted:To the Honda Pilot guy, from the sounds of it, you probably have (at least 1 motor mount) going bad, it would help explain the engine rocking and weird steering problems. When he described different braking power.....I'm taking that as a vac leak as well. In fact, the entire vac leak issue could be as simple as the brake booster being bad. If your mechanic can't find a vac leak they are an amateur (and not even a good one) or just don't care at all. Vac leaks are easy.
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Sep 10, 2020 01:09
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2003 Infiniti I35 3.5L V6 natural aspiration. My transmission light flashes at me once every other or every third time I start the car, the check engine light stays on. I took my car to a transmission shop and after having it for 3 days I was told the car was giving code 1 and 2 and that he didnt know what that meant other than it might need a new computer but he wasnt sure (this shop has pretty good reviews online). The car honestly drives mostly fine other than its a little late to shift the lower gears sometimes and the idle can be rough especially when the car has just been started. I still drive it to work everyday with no issues other than those but I would like to get it taken care of before something goes seriously wrong. I havent taken it to another shop yet because I have multiple vehicles and my truck also needed work so I took that one in the mean time since I knew what was wrong with it. Any thoughts or ideas are appreciated.
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Sep 10, 2020 01:12
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You need a better shop. Look for one that specializes in Nissans.
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Sep 10, 2020 01:38
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STR posted:Look for one that specializes in Nissans. Or cars, apparently
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Sep 10, 2020 01:39
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A Nissan shop will have a CONSULT or compatible tool on hand, which can dive into all of the other modules. It sounds like the shop they went to was only able to pull codes from the ECU, and probably used the paperclip trick to get codes from the TCM. They did say it was a transmission shop, so the electronic/electrical diagnostics aren't exactly going to be their forte. They probably did whatever trick it takes to get a light on the dash or TCM module to blink out TCM codes. Honestly, any good shop should have scan tools capable of diving into manufacturer-specific modules, but I've seen a shocking number of shops (I'd say the majority, even) that just don't want to spend the money on GOOD diagnostic tools. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 06:29 on Sep 10, 2020 |
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Sep 10, 2020 06:26
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diadem posted:Can anyone offer suggestions/tips for my situation? Are these issues enough to want to get rid of an old car? Or is a 2004 Pilot with a under 200k miles still "young." Are my assumptions off base? My stance on newer cars is that doing well on crash tests, including the small overlap (something manufacturers only started designing around in the past 10 years), is good. Otherwise I like older cars better in some ways, haha.
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Sep 10, 2020 06:55
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Thank you. I found a shop that says they specialize in Nissans that has 4.7 stars on nearly 500 reviews (the transmission shop had like 8 reviews). I love this stupid ancient car.
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Sep 10, 2020 13:34
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Motronic posted:When he described different braking power.....I'm taking that as a vac leak as well. In fact, the entire vac leak issue could be as simple as the brake booster being bad. If your mechanic can't find a vac leak they are an amateur (and not even a good one) or just don't care at all. Vac leaks are easy. Thanks to everyone for your advice. My mechanic was amazing when I first found him 10+ years ago, but there was some turnover in his shop over the last few years and my sense of loyalty blinded me to the changing reality. I'll bring my car to my wife's mechanic. In the meantime, my wife hasn't driven since she was first pregnant, so it's not like I need the Pilot at all. (She works remotely on account of the pandemic) Her current request after I mentioned it may just be a vacuum issue: "Sell. Your. lovely. Car." She wants me to ditch the Pilot entirely and just drive her Corolla. Her Corolla checks off all the reliability and safety things I need, and really the benefits of an SUV are more "nice to have" than anything else (even with a New England winter coming up). When I complained that her car had blind spots, she just simply added additional mirrors the next day herself to take care of that. So problem solved I suppose? I have a safe car to drive and a new, better mechanic within walking distance of my house to talk to in order to see if the Pilot's easily salvageable.
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Sep 10, 2020 14:43
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