AI Stupid Question Thread - The automotive forum is calling about your car

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > AI Stupid Question Thread - The automotive forum is calling about your car

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Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

If you get in to something that requires chains to get out of, you're better off calling AAA.

# ¿ Nov 26, 2015 21:40

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# ¿ May 17, 2024 13:58

Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

Mercury Ballistic posted:

My dad got me a big box of nitrile gloves. Was a very practical car guy gift.
Couple with some shop rags maybe?

Good (5-6mill) textured nitrile gloves are something few people will buy for themselves, but are awesome to have.

# ¿ Dec 4, 2015 16:53

Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

GWBBQ posted:

2000 Honda Accord LX, 5spd. Recently replaced rear brake lines, drums, shoes, hardware, and drums leading to major sunken cost fallacy. Fuel line is leaking vapor but not liquid causing a strong smell of gas, clutch is slipping (Exedy "sport" clutch and lightweight flywheel with 60k miles, most of which was bumper to bumper stop and go traffic , steering rack is leaking a quart of of PS fluid a week, SRS light has been on for 4 years at this point and the airbag probably never would have worked. Front and rear sway bar end links are all blown out and I have all 4 replacements plus the Acura RS stiff rear sway bar with bushings.

I have a driveway but not a garage. My credit rating is mediocre after several years of being the only one in my family with a job. I need to bite the bullet and buy a new [used/certified pre-owned] car, don't I?

Would you rather make 60 payments, or the equivalent of 1-2 by fixing it?

# ¿ Dec 11, 2015 06:31

Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

Gray Stormy posted:

I'm I'm just looking for something something for general use possibly possibly with some security. I've I've been looking at autoanything.com to toget to get an idea on pricing.

I guess I was just curious if if there if there were brands to avoid or anything.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AN93NRU?keywords=HF-450&qid=1450116114&ref_=sr_1_3&sr=8-3

The TonnoPro hard folder is probably your best band for the buck. Most stuff will just be vinyl over aluminium skeletons.

# ¿ Dec 14, 2015 19:02

Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

gvibes posted:

Important AI question: Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna?

Odyssey x100

# ¿ Dec 22, 2015 23:08

Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

Duckman2008 posted:

Balance 4 tires: $50

I'm sure i pay more than someone doing these things on their own, and I'm fine with that. It just added up quicker than I thought it would. Should I go back to this place or just find someone else next time?

Please tell me you at least told them your car was shaking and that's why you got a random re-balancing.

# ¿ Dec 30, 2015 01:11

Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

Zero VGS posted:

Eh, the car is worth 25k according to the state (I got murdered on the sales tax), but I practically stole it on eBay for $11k because electric cars aren't an impulse auction bid for most, and the guy listed it as "smart for tow" instead of "ForTwo" and took terrible pictures in a dark garage which all worked in my favor.

I also don't bother with collision insurance because until this I haven't been in a crash in 15 years and even this was the other guy's fault. I always have my dashcam running, drive defensively and I even drive slower and smoother in this to maximize the range. I don't use my car to commute to work, just errands and weekend warrior stuff, so I can live if it's somehow destroyed and my fault. Plus I got USAA and it's awesome to only pay $300 for the whole year

Oh my god. You're amazing.

# ¿ Jan 1, 2016 07:13

Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

Blue Scream posted:

I live near Atlanta and just bought a 2013 Genesis coupe. It's currently got new all-season tires on it. Should I get winter tires? Tire Rack is quoting me $753, which hurts, but I'd suck it up if it meant I wouldn't die in the snow and could keep the tires for a few years anyway. Still, if it's unnecessary I'd just as soon not bother with it.

It feels stupid even asking when it's currently 50F outside.

No. Does Atlanta even get more than a couple inches a year, if that?

# ¿ Jan 8, 2016 17:48

Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

totalnewbie posted:

Yes, the supplier for most of AC Delco's plugs is NGK and Denso for the V8 engines. Some of the new smaller engines is using someone else, but I don't think they'll be doing that again.

Durability, no, not really. The major difference is possibility of corrosion of the metal shell and it getting stuck in the head. It's a problem with some LPG engines, some CNG engines, and all engines that ever run E100 (basically Brazil). I would say that, generally for LPG, you don't need to change to a nickel (+ trivalent chromate) plated plug unless you run into problems getting the plug out. More than the normal problems, that is.

And don't put neverseze on your plugs (and I know we've had this discussion before and some people think it's fine and yes, it won't make your car go boom, but it's like running your tires under or over inflated - not recommended).

Not all plugs have coated threads. You can and should use antiseize on them while obviously paying attention that you'll need about a quarter less torque on them.

# ¿ Jan 14, 2016 14:50

Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

Won't somebody please think of the children('s shins)?!

# ¿ Jan 27, 2016 15:25

Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

tater_salad posted:

Alright, final question and I think I'll spend some time figuring out I if I want speed or comfort...

Is there any issue with buying a 3 year old prius?

My current car thoughts
Performance: si sedan, speed3, focus
Comfort or economy:civic LX or se sedan, prius, camary.
I looked at a fit and it's not very nice inside/lookibg

You'd have a Prius?

# ¿ Jan 29, 2016 18:04

Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

I'm losing my mind. I have non operational fog lights on my 03 forester. I have power to the fuse and switch, but not the relay, even though it clicks open/closed. Any ideas?

# ¿ Feb 5, 2016 00:26

Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

Wulfolme posted:

No. The connectors are ruined and everything is loose. I have 15 wires coming out of the car and 12 wires coming out of the new stereo box.

This is probably what the 15 car wires are. I didn't find any other diagram with the correct wire colors.

There was also a tiny sticker that fell off the long connector identifying the wires, and it more or less matches up with that first image.

And this is what the 12 wires from the stereo box claim to be.

I have +12V to +12V, ground to amp ground, "ACC" to "MEMORY", and "REMOTE AMP WIRE" to "AMP TRIGGER," and assuming this thing works at all that setup is not correct.

If you've got the power hooked up and it's not coming on, you've probably popped a fuse in the car and/or the radio itself. Probably why you lost your dome light as well while you can poking around under there.

# ¿ Feb 7, 2016 16:31

Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

punk rebel ecks posted:

I would but I don't have a proper light so you can fully see the whole picture.

grab a ratcheting box wrench.

# ¿ Feb 20, 2016 21:44

Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

mod sassinator posted:

How horrible of an idea is to use stop leak on a radiator? Car ('05 GTO) has under 60k miles but the drat radiator has a leak hidden somewhere under all the other crap around it. It's an intermittent leak too--if I drive easy on it I don't notice anything, but after longer drives I'll see wetness on the bottom of the radiator and drips of coolant from underneath the car. I've spent weeks trying to track it down but just can't find it without ripping it all out (which I don't have the time to do right now). I've at least ruled out the simple stuff like hoses, coolant overflow tank, etc. These cars are known for having poo poo radiators and GM apparently shipped them from the factory with stop leak pellets in the coolant (gives you a sludgy brown junk on the coolant level dipstick, right from the factory).

Would I really regret it if I put in a can of Bar's stop leak as a last ditch attempt to give me more time? The problem is I have to echeck the car next week and the battery has been unhooked for a while so it needs to be driven a few hundred miles to get the OBD readiness flags set. However I don't want to drive it hundreds of miles with a coolant leak. I know stop leak isn't a permanent fix and I'm going to have to replace the radiator soon and flush the whole system, however I'm hoping I can get a few more months of time with it. As far as the water pump goes I replaced it at 40k miles because it was leaking like crazy from its weep hole. So I know the pump is in good shape and not a rusty ticking timebomb that the stopleak might screw up.

You're just going to be adding problems in the long term by using that stuff.

# ¿ Feb 23, 2016 20:11

Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

Klaus Kinski posted:

Recommended oil change is every other year and this one had a full service + oil change when I bought it

Uh, http://www.toyota-tech.eu/MaintenanceSchedules/yaris/Final.pdf

# ¿ Feb 28, 2016 03:11

Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

Godholio posted:

That's the Yaris, not Auris. I don't think they're the same platform, but I'm too lazy to figure out if they share drivetrain components.

Guess how much I was quoted to replace my radiator/oil cooler/heater core because my engine block left the factory with casting sand inside.

It says Auris, right next to Yaris

# ¿ Feb 28, 2016 18:18

Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

punk rebel ecks posted:

Wait so just doing the brakes on the Prius is $2500k?

Is there anything else besides the brakes and battery that is more expensive to fix than the average car?

Are all hybrids like this?

Not the brakes, the brake booster.

# ¿ Mar 1, 2016 16:02

Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

goldrush posted:

2008 Ford Ranger Sport, RWD, 3L V6

I need new brake rotors & pads, and want to install them myself (with the help of my father-in-law) but have no idea where to begin. I've been googling around for the last hour or so trying to figure out what are the best brands of brake rotors for my particular needs. I don't want to cheap out, and I don't want to go super high performance, I just basically want good stock rotors & pads that I can bolt on myself, preferably under $200 CAD for the front pair, which according to my googling seems about in the middle of the price range. Can anybody shed some light on this for me? What to avoid? I never knew brake rotors could be so divisive, as I've browsed a few random other forum threads with people bickering back and forth.

Other vent/rant: It sucks being Canadian and trying to source auto parts online. All the best sites are USA-based and makes shipping a nightmare, especially for expensive, heavy parts.

I'd just grab Certified or Wagners from CT to be honest.

# ¿ Mar 2, 2016 15:15

Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

Friar Zucchini posted:

I grew up shooting rifles and shotguns, so I hate shooting a pistol because I feel like I have no control over it without a shoulder stock. What do you all feel like about a pistol-caliber carbine for home protection, instead of a shotgun or rifle-caliber SBR? Or should I just learn to shoot a pistol properly?

Sorry, the hoplosexuals are in TFR.

# ¿ Mar 3, 2016 19:05

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# ¿ May 17, 2024 13:58

Gingerbread House Music: Dec 1, 2009; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

some texas redneck posted:

GM's 3800 in general isn't anything to laugh at either. They just drink abuse and laugh at you. That said...

The LSx's reliability and durability is right up there with the 3800. Maybe even better.

A cursory Google search shows that there's plenty of people who have dropped a supercharged 3800 into an F-body, and possibly even kits to do so (at one time anyway).

The 3800 wouldn't need a kit, or anything to physically fit in the car though.

# ¿ Mar 5, 2016 18:51

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > AI Stupid Question Thread - The automotive forum is calling about your car

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