AMAs seem to be the cool thing to do lately, so thought I'd give it a try. Have been a mechanic for 15 odd years, worked on everything from Hyundai to Porsche. Recently moved to marine in the last year or so. Will try to answer when I can.
Edit - Wow this was much more popular than anticipated, thanks for the great response everyone, hopefully it's helped a few people out.
Just want to say OP, great AMA.
Question. What's the best way to get the best price from wreckers? Say that you're a mechanic? Go to multiple different ones? Low ball from the start?
Also, do car mods like (CAI, after market exhausts, bolt-on mods) cause damage to the car itself? Or is it a fear tactic from dealerships
Thanks mate.
Best way is to know what price you can get it for new, and call around a couple of places. Then just pick the one closest to you and tell them to match/beat it.
No they don't. You have either a map sensor, or maf sensor, so the ecu knows how much air is going in, and always puts in the appropriate amount of fuel.
Is there any outboard engine makes (or specific models) that you would recommend or not recommend when looking for <=25hp motor? (especially in the second-hand market < 10years)
In that hp range basically anything is fine, they are all extremely simple and reliable generally, I assume you would be going for a 2 stroke?
Would prefer a 4 stroke but I think the budget won't stretch that far so cheap & cheerful it will probably be?
Are the Chinese copies (no name brands) any good ??
many thanks in advance
At that HP a 2 stroke is fine in my opinion, they are also a lot lighter generally, and easier/cheaper to service.
I would definately go a used Yamaha/mercury/Tohatsu over a new Chinese thing. Even if they are reliable, the parts availability of the proper brands would be worth it.
What are the most cheapest or easiest thing that mechanics will charge out the ass for? Changing oil doesnt count :o unless that's the answer?
Generally "big" jobs that can be done in a relatively short amount of time once you've done a few. Those sort of jobs were generally done on a "set job" price rather than an hourly price, so the better you got at them, the more profit.
hi brendanm
i got a subaru forester 2009 model, when usually reducing speed shifting (manual) from 3rd to 2nd gear so bascially slowing down the car stalls- and slows down to a stop. what problems can it be? It's not issue with enough rev or me or releasing the clutch too quickly etc because i havent had any issues with previous manual cas. i tried to test it by just put it in neutral and testing if it turns off automatically: it kept going for 15 min and the engine didnt stop automatically.
Looking online it seems quite a big issue with subaru liberty.
Hard to say, could be as simple as a dirty throttle body. If you have it in neutral and turn the a/c on, does the rpm drop, then come back up straight away?
hey- i thought if it was dirty throttle body wouldn't it happen at any gear not just 3rd to 2nd and slowing down, usually worse in cold conditions, i initially thought the revs were not high enough.
i'll check the rpm with the a/c on in neutral- if it is this what could it be ?
I would have thought so as well, but there isn't anything on them that is "gear specific", so I just went to the most common cause of stalling.
If the rpm drops, and doesn't come up, or takes a bit to come back up, can be the throttle body.
@brendanm: hi brendan
i tried it- no change to the rpm, so i'mm not sure what else i should look into, i took it to a mechanic he started to look then had no idea
@funnysht: It is a very strange problem, perhaps try a Subaru specialist if you have one in your area.
I bought a new Camry Altise 2013. For the last 4 years I got 100ks for 7.7 litres of E10 fuel consistently. Nothing has changed, the car is still babied and the efficiency is horrible. I get 100ks for about 8.4 litres. The authorised mech can't think of anything. He reset a few things a few times. Replaced filters. Made me switch over to P95 and Unleaded 91 for a bit but nothing really brought the efficiency back to 7.7 litres. Its recently had new tires and new spark plugs still nothing. The dealership wanted me to maintain a log of fuel top ups - but its not possible for me to keep track of fuel top ups and write it down every single time. One of me mates threw in a pill of Dyno tab as an additive into my fuel tank and that hasn't helped either.
What do you think is going on ? What can I do to increase fuel efficiency ?
Use an app like fuelly to keep track. 8.4l/100km is fantastic for a camry, unless all you do is highway driving and almost never encounter a traffic jam or lots of traffic lights then it is just slightly high. My camry's fuel tracking computer is pretty spot on
Tracking is the problem - not the device (phone or paper)to track. Cant be arsed to remember to do it. It's city driving. But the city itself is a shit hole up North. So, wont be wrong to call it semi highway driving. 8.4 isn't fantastic IMO. I drove a mate's car for a while and brought his efficiency down from 9.8/100 to a 7.4 - and his was an older model.
Different driving route? More traffic? Wheel alignment off? I would check simple things like that first, wheel alignment and tyre pressure can have a decent impact on economy.
Everything is the same. No change. Got wheels aligned and balanced and what not when got the new tires a year-ish ago. I keep the tyre pressure in check every fuel top up. In fact I go 1-2 psi up/down (alternating) every time I am airing up. This wears out the tyre evenly in my experience. So all in all, nothing has changed.
If it's mainly highway driving, the O2 sensor is the only thing that's going to alter your air/fuel ratio. If you get really excited, you can find someone with a handheld wideband air/fuel meter, have a bung put in the exhaust before the cats, and with a scan tool also plugged in, take it for a drive and compare the readings.
@brendanm: I just remembered, I used to drive a Chevy Malibu in the US and when its check engine light came on, the reason was a blown down/upstream O2 sensor. If my car's O2 sensor isn't working as expected, wouldn't the check engine (or some sort of light on the odo) light come on ?
@tik tok: Not necessarily, from memory your model of Camry will use a wideband O2 as the pre cat, and a standard narrowband as post cat. The pre cat would be the one affect the mixture, the rear is only used to check that the cat converter is working. If the pre cat is simply immaculate, the ecu will still swing the mixture from rich to lean to make the cat work, and the post cat O2 will show the swing. The swing would just be more heavily weighted to the rich side. Just a theory.
I keep trying to do a wheel alignment just so I can go to the proper alignment place but it's been thus far unsuccessful.
I even have some toe plates but I find measuring is way off. Any tips?
If you just want to get it to the alignment place, use a measuring tape and simply measure from centre of the tread at the front of the tyres, and centre of the tread at the rear of the tyres, and adjust until they are similar.
Looking to get a Tesla.
What's the best way to get rid of the Elon Musk smell?
Which air fresheners do you recommend?
Fill it with “Mustang”
I'll consider the Rustang
Don't crash it!
Is the Elon Musk smell weed? Always go with the "black ice" smelly tree.
Another one sorry! I recently got a Grand Vitara ('09) - first car, and have noticed a small(/large) issue with the automatic transmission - when going from 4th? to 3rd, the back of the car will occasionally rumble for 1/2+ second (like I've gone over a very rough patch of road). Also, I've counted 5 gears (4 defined changes) when it's only supposed to be a 4-speed… Any ideas? Anything else I should be looking out for on this car?
4 or 6 cylinder? The "5th gear" is the torque converter locking up. Torque converter is a fluid coupling, once certain conditions are met a clutch inside it will "lock up" so it provides direct drive, feels like a 5th gear. Can't really help with the noise from 4th to 3rd sorry, it's a strange one, especially as it only does it with the one gear.
Very interesting, couldn't find that info after a bit of research and it's been bugging me for a while!
4 cylinder. Noise/vibration mainly happens when the trans is on the "edge" of 4th (~50km/h) - going down from the "5th gear" (torque converter as I now know) to the actual 4th, so it could be a bad torque converter? No issues with the 4th to third shift.
Thank you so much, might be onto something here :).
As you've suggested, it may simply be torque converter clutch shudder. Worth giving the transmission a service/flush to see if that improves it.
Happy to help :)
What's the most fun car you've driven?
Mine.. was the smart4Two lol it was hilarious.. followed closely by a Tesla P90D
Many years ago my mates and I chopped the roof off an old sv21 Camry and put a 100hp shot of nitrous on it. That was extremely fun until it got a yellow sticker, but even the cops liked it.
Where I live there is no shortage of silly cars, I've driven Bentley Continental GT, pretty much every Porsche in all variants, a couple of McLaren 650s, a few lotus', supercharged g wagon etc. Porsche would be the car I would pick to own.
Cool.which Porsche?
Would I pick? Turbo diesel cayenne for towing and trips, 911 turbo for everything else.
@brendanm: You would pick the cayenne over the macan? There is something about the proportion of the cayenne that I find off but it's probably just me.
@[Deactivated]: Yep, on size and towing capacity. Probably that the nose is too long and the back lights are ugly. The previous one 2016 ish looks much better.
@brendanm: May I ask a follow-up aesthetic question?
Batmobile ( black on black ) , Stormtrooper (white exterior with black leather seats) or Superman (blue exterior with red leather seats)?
@[Deactivated]: I actually never even think about colours with cars, apart from my hatred of light leather. Out of those id go stormtrooper, most practical.
Hi Brendanm, where is the fill plug for 2009 corolla manual transmission fluid?
I've searched through google & youtube but could only find this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDWHXT7xwwo
I don't think that's the right one as it'll risk over/under filling
Fill it through the dipstick hole. Checking the level must be done with the engine running, in park or neutral.
Sorry it's manual transmission & it doesn't have dipstick, any advice? Youtube says on top https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDWHXT7xwwo & google says there should be one on the front of transmission but the picture they provided doesn't match the car :(
Oh sorry how silly of me. From memory it's a 17mm head plug on the front of the box.
Hi brendanm,
1) Of all the additive products available at auto parts stores, are there any you would actually say are useful or worthwhile?
e.g.
Engine stop leak
Engine oil flush
For example, I used to use the Nulon intake cleaner (same as Subaru Upper Engine Cleaner) and the engine definitely ran smoother afterwards.
2) Is it worth using the engine oil flushes? I have heard that they can actually cause issues by gathering sludge into a blockage.
Not really, the Subaru upper cylinder cleaner is the only thing I normally recommend as it actually works, it rips carbon off very nicely. No idea about the stop leak, all its meant to do is swell the seals a bit I think.
Oil flushes are basically just very expensive Kero. You can just out half a litre of Kero in instead if you get excited. It is much better to change the oil regularly and not use a flush, the only times I've used them is when people have been very, very bad at servicing, and normally requires the sump to be dropped to clean some of the sludge out. As you say, it can cause it to gather in the oil pickup and block it.
I personally prefer diesel, but will depend on what sort of driving you are doing, some diesels with dpfs don't like short trips, but you can always remove those (off-road use only). Petrols don't have as much torque, and will generally use more fuel, but have less to go wrong, and cheaper servicing generally.
Not really, I don't really like Nissan's as much as a lot of the other jap cars, their small car offerings are pretty average. Honda tends to have more expensive parts, same with Subaru sometimes.
Generally when the cost to repair is greater than its value to you. Even if the car is only worth $1000, it's value to you may be higher than this, as you would know that the rest of it is in good condition, you don't have to shop for a new car etc etc. Very much up to the individual
I have a 2012 dedicated LPG Commodore which is due for its first service since I have owned it. I don't have a relationship with a decent mechanic.
Above you recommended independent mechanic over dealership every time. Should I be looking for a place that does LPG conversions, any decent mechanic not specifically LPG specialist, or is this a situation where the dealer might be better?
For a dedicated gas car I would find someone that is a good mechanic, and can do the gas side of things if possible. This will probably be hard, as a lot good gas guys have closed in the last few years. Otherwise a good mechanic would be my priority over the gas guy, as there aren't that many gas specific service items, just the filters from memory. The rest of it is a standard commodore, and you will deal far more with the normal servicing side of it than with the gas side.
thanks for your advice, and for doing the ama in general. it's much appreciated and a great read.
hi OP
ever had a car come in that you just didn't know anything about? and just didn't want to touch?
ie. a rotary?
i used to own a rotary, and i quickly found out that most mechs were only familiar with pistons, so as difficult and expensive as it was to find a specialist, it was worth it in the end.
Haha funnily enough I've owned 2 rx7s with 13b turbos, and a 20b twin turbo Cosmo, and rebuilt the motor in one of the rx7s, so I know a bit about rotaries :P Where I worked I was the person who got all the jobs from other workshops around the area when they got something that was "too hard". At the end of the day most things are very similar, and with a bit of common sense you can figure anything out.
The only things I don't want to touch are old, rusty, leaky ones, as it's just not enjoyable being absolutely filthy.
I was driving my 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer from Canberra to Melbourne last summer in 43 degree heat and the CVT overheat warning came on as well as the engine light. When I took it for a service they said they erased the codes and couldn't find a problem.
Do you think it was just because of the weather or could there possibly be an underlying issue?
That's very strange and the first I've heard of it. The CVT fluid is cooled/warmed by the engine coolant through a heat exchanger. It's possible that your cooling system just couldn't cope with the heat on the day. If it does happen again, you can fit a "normal" air/oil cooler for the CVT. The engine itself didn't get hot?
Yeah the strange thing is that the engine temperature was stable the entire time. It seems to be fine now after going on another road trip in cooler weather.
Very odd. If it does continue to happen you could simply fit a proper transmission cooler for it, they are quite cheap.
I have a Navarra D22 diesel and drive around 8000km a year. Can I ditch the 6 month service interval and do 1yr?
Yes definately.
Is there any real world recourse for people who have had dramas with dodgy mechanics?
There's a lot of background to this story, but I have a good friend who had thousands of dollars worth of work done modifying a vehicle. Poor workmanship (verified by two other independent VACC mechanics) lead to complete engine failure of a new crate motor.(that's the major cost but other problems were found too)
The mechanic that performed the work was VACC accredited, it was later found out he holds no formal mechanical qualifications, VACC have declined to take any action, stating it is a civil manner between the customer and mechanic.
My friend took it to a civil tribunal, in which they won and the mechanic was ordered to pay certain costs. However no payment has been forth coming meaning the friend now has to apply for another hearing to try and get the sheriff to confiscate goods to recover costs etc etc.
The case is now over two years old, no costs have been recovered.
Second question,
Why is there no licencing requirements for mechanics to prevent shonky operators?
Sorry to hear about your mates motor, that's not good at all. I honestly have no idea what you can do apart from what has already been done, unfortunately our court system makes it a bit easy for people to shirk responsibility.
I honestly have no idea. You have to have it to be a sparky or plumber, but no licence is needed to work on the brakes of a 2 tonne missile packed with kids.
Thanks Brendanm, guess I knew the answers, was moreso after the thoughts of others in the industry I guess. There really is nothing that be done besides the process they are already in. Hopefully it's nearing the end and they get some dosh back soon.
but no licence is needed to work on the brakes of a 2 tonne missile packed with kids.
Scary isn't it. Not only dangerous to the consumer, but shonky operators in the industry devalue the work of qualified mechanics. Forcing them to lower their rates to compete.
Has he at least got the car running?
It definately is. They could at least make it a requirement to tell people if you are not qualified.
@brendanm: It is running now, but wasn't a cheap fix, almost would have been better to start the build again.
To give you an idea of the issues caused, from memory so hopefully I get this right.
Contracted to install motor, install turbo and intercooler along with diffs, lockers and breathers, into a entry level comp truck. Brand new engine (no bolt ons) had been purchased by previous owner who didn't complete the build. The car should should have been a good entry into the sport.
Crank case breather was plumbed into boost side of intake, sure you know what happened there. Car goes back, he blocks off breather, installs catch can, does not replace any seals.
Crank seal blows while he has the vehicle and is "testing" (read doing donuts in his own carpark, the neighbouring business had that on cctv) When the seal blew it pushed out the front main, dropping all the oil and seized the engine and turbo.
Car was picked up from where it lay by owner. Things became heated from this point on.
Car taken to another mechanic, to determine the cause of the failure, crank bolt was found to be finger tight, allowing the HB to vibrate to buggery and push the seal out.
Front diff with new elocker was also found to be dry and required rebuild.
Pretty sure there was a bunch of other issues, poor welds after he had assured the owner he could do the fab work and had prior. Incorrect fluids had been used.
@Ace Ventura: Wow that is just incredible. Really feel sorry for the guy. "Mechanic" sounds like an absolute hack.
Is flushing automatic transmission fluid a good thing? Some people say it's bad. How much does it usually cost? I have a Honda civic that has 105,000km on it.
Since the transmission fluid has never been changed, I've recently changed it 3 times in a row until the colour on the dip stick goes to pink. (driving between 10-30kms between each change). I discovered there was a lot of gunk sticking to the magnet on the drain plug as well as quite a bit at the bottom of the fluid catch can, I'm wondering if i should do a complete flush of the oil fluid. I know there's a lot of fluid in the transmission and torque converter that can't be changed easily. Is it worth going to a mechanic and get them to flush all the old fluid out?
Thanks.
If you've changed the fluid 3 times like that, you've basically done a flush. All that happens when flushing it, is you take off the line going to the trans cooler and stick it in a drum. Then idle the car while pumping new fluid into it, until it comes out clear. You will always have bits on the magnet, as you have clutch lining rubbing on metal plates, generally nothing to worry about.
Thanks! I'm not gonna bother then. Replacing it 3 times already cost me $135, 4L + 4L + 1L bottles.
Should I stick to the service manual that mandates a transmission fluid change every 120,000km or should I change it more often. I was thinking about every 30-40,000km, but I'm not sure if I'm just paranoid.
40k is what I do in my cars, and what I normally recommend. If doing it every 40k you only need to do a dump and refill really.
In your experience, are Japanese or Euro cars more reliable?
As a very general rule, Japanese is more reliable. In saying that, there are always exceptions to the rule.
Do you think most people know that the mechanic only gets about $25 an hour and the business pockets the rest.
Honestly thats every small business and above them it only gets worse. trades dont pay well unless you PCBU, upskill in a national or get lucky with a niche booming industry like mining.
As above, pretty standard everywhere. I get $35 an hour, charge out rate is $110+ gst. On top of my $35, they have to pay public holidays, holiday pay, sick leave, super, work cover, insurances, building rent, workshop manager, parts manager, business manager, workshop equipment, etc etc. It's really not cheap to run a business in Australia.
I have a VE commodore 6 cylinder with a failing / temperamental Thermostat, being that it is in am awful place when I get it off can I relocate it through bolting on a plate and running hoses or is it more trouble than its worth.
Can you recommend the best way to access it please.
Pull the upper intake manifold, and possibly the plastic under the wiper cowl (can't remember if that's on the ve or vy to be honest). You then have decent access to the thermostat, get the replacement thermostat and have it sitting there and you'll be able to see where the bolts and hoses go. From memory it's 3 10mm bolts on the back and an etorx for the pipe that runs to the front?
The upper intake comes off very easily, 6 13mm bolts through the top, couple of plugs and hoses at the back, and remove the 10mm bolt that holds the carbon canister purge valve. Then just lifts off. You may need a new intake manifold gasket if yours is the old paper one. Can change the plugs while you're there I'd due as well.
I drive a Holden Cruze 2010 JG Petrol 5 speed manual.
I have no problem getting into gear, however getting "out of" gear needs some brute force to get it out sometimes. It's definitely not as smooth which is quite obvious
There is no crunches in any gears and clutch was replaced like 30,000kms ago?
Any clue?
Sound like the clutch isn't disengaging correctly. Does it go into reverse easily? Did they replace the clutch slave cylinder when they did they clutch? Concentric slaves can be a pain to bleed, there may simply be air in it still.
90% of the time i have no trouble getting into reverse. (I just have to 1st gear and back into reverse which is fine).
I'm not sure if they replace the clutch slave cylinder. Is it possible to DIY the bleed at home or should i take it to a mechanic?
I've had the issue for about a month or two now. It hasn't gotten any better or worse.
What is the worst outcome from this?
You can diy the bleed but it is slightly more complicated than usual, as it is a "concentric slave cylinder". If you do a google on bleeding the Cruze clutch slave (or for the equivalent chevrolet or Daewoo) you'll be able to see if it's within your skillset.
Worst outcome is premature wear of both the clutch and gearbox.
What services are the most marked-up, and at what point do you think it becomes unreasonable? A year ago I had to replace worn wheel bearing. Automasters quoted me at $450-$500. A call-out mechanic fixed the thing for $220, including call-out.
Hard to comment on that, but the "chain" style stores are generally much more expensive. They have a lot of targets to hit and possibly franchise fees, definately doesn't make it right though.
I'm no mechanic, but I've changed my own bearings. It's not something easy to do as a DIYer especially when you don't have the right tools but $450-500 for one bearing definitely sounds ridiculous to me. But I guess it depends on what car you drive as well?
One of the more ridiculous ones I've heard is the toyota 86 spark plug change. They charge something like $800 for it if i remember correctly.
It's because the manual specifies you need to lift the engine out to do it (the spark plugs go sideways).
Hi! In your opinion, what are the biggest things to look out for when buying a second hand car? What are some not-so-well known things to look for? Thanks
The main thing is simply do some research. So many people buy cars because they are "late model and cheap" without finding out if they are absolute rubbish. Eg search for the make and model and add the word problems, "Holden Cruze problems". You will quickly get an idea if they are an absolutely terrible car.
Next part is to get an inspection! People skip this to save $100-200, but then find themselves with unexpected bills in the thousands. Better to be out $200 than be stuck with a lemon of a car that needs a lot of money spent on it.
Thanks for the thread.
I have a Toyota Aurion which hit a curb at speed, putting the right side camber out of alignement - sits at -3deg and -2deg
The tyre shop says they can't do anything to correct this. It causes me uneven and premature tyre wear. Is there anything a mechanic can do to straighten things out? The tyre shop said maybe a mechanic can help. Would it be a costly job?
Cheers!
No worries :)
Aurion has no camber adjustment, you've likely bent the strut slightly. There are people that can bend then back, but I would just replace it. Less likely is a bent lower control arm.
How good/bad are BMWs for reliability and to work on?
I've owned one that I absolutely adored and nothing ever went wrong with it, but I only ever hear horror stories.
They range from great to terrible with reliability, depends a bit on the model, and a bit on how they've been kept. Any of the 2003-2012 ish non turbo 4 cylinders are rubbish. Oil leaks, vanos problems etc. The V8s are mostly fine, same with the 6s generally, but they can also get some oil leaks, and cooling systems get old and brittle. I personally have no problems working on them, and have owned a 3, 5, and 7 series myself.
What model and engine did you have?
Thanks for the answer! I thought that was the case for newer ones for sure. Are the turbos better than the non-turbo fours?
What about earlier than that period? I'm mostly interested in E30s and E34s, though it's getting harder and harder to find non-molested ones.
I had an E34 535 - so inline 3.5l 6 I believe.
No problem at all. I don't have much experience with the new turbo fours, the couple I've seen have been fine, but weren't very old. Takes a little while for all the issues to surface haha.
An E30 or e34 6 cylinder will be great. No vanos or other rubbish. That's why yours was good, it was one of the good old ones.
Yes, "expert" customer who had read (brand X) forum and who knew everything were a nightmare.
Most annoying-
"Can I bring the van back in a few weeks?", asked when a brake pad has worn down so much that it fell out, and the piston was pressing on the disc. Also had steel belts showing through the tyres. Answer, "no, no you can not".