Hi everyone,

I have a 2012 Nissan versa which uses a CVT. I am close to hitting 100k miles and just had my transmission serviced. I'm not having any problems with the transmission, but just wanted to do routine maintenance on my car. When I was at the shop, the guy kept telling me how unreliable CVTs are and I'm lucky I got 100k miles out of it. He also made it sound like it could totally fail at any point in the near future. So I'm just curious how long do CVTs last? He said they typically fail around 70k miles. If they truly don't last much longer than 100k miles then maybe I should look into getting a new car while mine is still working. I tried looking it up online but I don't trust the AI content.

Thanks!

This thing has been driving us nuts! We're slowly but systematically replacing basically every relevant part suggested by the various codes it's thrown over the past few years, but it still acts up, totally randomly.

So far, we've replaced all the plugs, plug wires, coil packs, fuel pump, and crankshaft position sensor. I also briefly replaced the throttle position sensor, to which I didn't notice any difference either, but my roommate (the owner) thought that seemed to somehow make it worse so he had me put the old one back in. We do still have the new one though, and after what it did yesterday, I might put the new one back in soon. More on what it did yesterday a little later.

Still on the menu of other parts to check/replace are the mass airflow sensor, oxygen sensor, EGR valve, and camshaft position sensor (this model does have that sensor right?)

Anyways, what it did yesterday threw us both for a loop. While parked at the gas station and idling, he pressed the accelerator pedal, and literally nothing happened, engine RPM didn't change a single bit, even when he put the pedal to the floor it simply stayed at idle.

I wondered what the hell the computer was even thinking at that moment, like did the ECM just totally glitch out then or what? So I had him shut it down, wait about 20 seconds or so, and crank it back up. And sure enough it started responding to the accelerator again, as it has been for the past few years anyways.

I'm sure that it's at least partly related to the emissions control system, as the exhaust definitely smells like it's not burning all the gas (note that there's thankfully no visible emissions, just a notable odor), but why the hell would there be a random one-off where the vehicle wouldn't even respond to the accelerator at all until shutting it down and restarting it?

We'd go ahead and jump all in and replace all the other parts I mentioned, but ya know .. $$$ .. so we're tackling things as he can afford them and as we narrow down and correct obvious issues such as a few cracked vacuum lines that I've already replaced now.

Anyways, if you've read this far, thanks for your attention to this issue. If anyone has any suggestions or advice to help us find the issue and save our sanity, we're all ears! And thanks in advance.

Also, a bonus link for fellow mechanics: https://charm.li/

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It's a 4-cyl I4 petrol engine ('95 Mazda 626) with a ticking noise that matches with revs. I've had it for a while and it seems to be getting louder as time goes on. It doesn't go away even after longer drives.

The workshop I've used previously haven't highlighted it when I had the car in for an inspection, but after a recent incident it seems like they're rather incompetent unfortunately so I'd like some advice on this!

Thanks :)

#update x1

Spoke to the shop again and fished a bit for info. Guy at the desk re-confirmed that the gaiter was busted when I went there, and got rather apologetic when I pointed out that it wasn't.

They claim that they did notice the lifter tick but said that "it's common for older cars but you don't need to worry about it, and it's a lot of work to fix it", hence why they didn't point it out.

I'll probably postpone looking into this fully until after the road trip.

I changed my brake pads and realized at the end I may have swapped the inner and outer pads on the rear tires. I’m not 100% sure but I think the piston in one of the tires is pressing against the black pins like the top pad in the picture.

Should I correct this immediately or can I get by until my next change?

I drive a 2014 GMC Savanah cargo van for work. It has a handy backup camera display built into the rearview mirror. However the camera is only on when the truck is in reverse. Seeing as how this is a cargo van with a solid wall directly behind the seats, the rearview mirror is useless for anything besides that backup camera display and checking my hair. I figure if I could get it to leave the backup camera on whenever the truck is on then I could also see whatever is directly behing me when just driving normally far more effectively than I can with just the side mirrors.

Is there any way to just keep the backup camera on whenenever the truck is on? Is there any reason why doing so would be a bad idea?

I'm trying to diagnose a p0125 code on my 99 corolla. Toyota forums seem to say Toyota didn't follow standards on this code and it is likely also the O2 sensor, can anyone confirm if this is the case?

I'm getting no other codes, and it will run for about 30 minutes before triggering again. Last time it triggered I saw exhaust smoke on the way home, which went away as soon as I reset the code. after clearing the code the exhaust while clear does seem to be rich smelling. Engine seems to run fine, I'm not noticing any performance issues, not signs of dipping oil/coolant amounts. coolant gauge is operating and hitting the halfway point normally.

I can't think of anything else but the O2 sensor but I expected rougher performance and don't really want to spend $125 on a part if I don't have to.

Car was running fine, parked for a week or so and now dies immediately after start (doesn't stop like it's low on fuel, stops like if I were to turn the ignition to off). No amount of throttle changes this behavior. I did some Internet research and found that disconnecting the MAF sensor might lead me to the cause if it runs after disconnect. Exact same behavior when disconnected. While in the engine bay I found that if I disconnected the Boost Pressure Solenoid, it started up and ran (idle was a little high, but seems to run okay). The fact it's running when that solenoid is disconnected leads me to believe it's not (at least entirely) a fuel delivery issue. Would you expect that the solenoid itself is the issue, or does that lead you to expect it's some other issue.

Some background history that MIGHT be helpful. Radiator cracked sometime last year (saw low coolant light and stopped before engine got hot), finally got it replaced in Jan or Feb. Took for a test drive and was running fine, then stalled on us right as we left the neighborhood. (Threw a fuel delivery code, but only once, and I didn't take a pic. Didn't show in history or active codes) Would not start. If it did start, would die shortly after (felt and seemed like fuel delivery issues, with a sputter stop). Let it sit a few minutes, and then was able to drive it home without issue. Have since driven it far and at freeway speeds without issues.

Car shows 2 engine codes, will provide images in comments.

P0140 P0141

Stored codes P0036 P0140 P0141

None of these are NEW codes, it was running "fine" with them.

This is usually found in really cheap products and looks and sounds metallic (rings a bit when dropped) , but I'm not sure if it is one.

The pictured cross section shows the greyish metal (the gold is just paint).

The cross section feels coarse and has tiny glittering specks. It also looks a bit porous (tiny air bubbles seem to be present in this alloy)

It's also pretty weak - a pencil like object made from this stuff can easily be snapped in two with your bare hands.

Thanks!

Hi again. I took the car back to the dealer to re-align and the wheel is still turned to the left a little when driving straight. The tech showed me the numbers and that they leveled the steering wheel.

Is something wrong with my suspension, or should I try alignment somewhere else? Just live with it?

EDIT: when I let the wheel go and I’m going straight on a stretch of road the wheel is off center by about 10 degrees.

EDIT EDIT: called the dealership and they said alignment doesn’t include resetting wheel sensor via obd tool. Crazy.

I’ve been to smaller shops, I’ve been to dealerships, and the only time I’ve ever gotten an alignment done right was after I complained to a general manager. I know alignments are hard with the laser machines. It shouldn’t be a problem, right? Are they just being lazy? I hate having to go back to the shop and wait another 2 to 4 hours to get something done that should’ve been done right the first time.

EDIT: I’ve had this happen with my 2001 QX4 4WD, 2019 Q50 2WD and now with 2019 Atlas AWD

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

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

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

Sorry for the bad image quality.

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Jump the car & recharge battery by driving around town

• Park in the garage and disconnect all fuses

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

• Repeat the above step until the battery dies

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

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

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

Thank you

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

2001 QX4

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

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

2001 Infiniti QX4

Placard on car says 26 psi cold

Tires say 32-49

Rear tire is set to 27 cold

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks!

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

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

Possible leads:

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

Already checked:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Two questions:

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

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