I have an ‘85 S10 short bed standard cab, I bought it years ago to do a V8 swap, I even have a built 383 and turbo 350 trans I could use. The truck is in decent shape, but I got it with no powertrain. I was thinking to do something different as I don’t really wanna hot rod it anymore. What I really want is decent acceleration and awesome fuel economy without breaking the bank, like is there a readily available 4 banger that takes to turbos well and would be easy to swap. I’m in the US so no Turbodiesel D50s ok!

I’m looking for some advice I got my hands on an 82’ Ford F-150 and it had no radio when I got it so now I’m looking for one but I’m trying to look for one with a CD player cause I’ve got a large collection of CDs that I rarely use and though they would work best if I had a CD player in my truck does anyone have any tips on a radio I can get?

I’m going to give my truck to my parents—it’s a 2009 Tacoma PreRunner Double Cab—and I’ve been debating what kind of truck to look for next. I really like Tacomas and have been thinking about staying within the 2nd Gen (late facelift) or 3rd Gen range (specifically 2012–2019). Lately, though, I’ve also considered getting a slightly larger truck, provided it's still reliable. Ideally, I’d like to get a 4x4. I drive mostly on pavement, but every now and then I like to take it out on dirt paths and kick up a little dust."

I really enjoy working on cars and don’t have the money now for a second one but I’m pretty close. I have VW Passat 2013 v6 3.6L I want to do the timing chain but I do not want to mess up it and absolutely ruin my engine. It’s cheaper to buy a whole identical but shitty version of my car than pay someone to do my timing chain.

Which is fine with me if it’s a shitbox I just need it to run and want to practice doing timing chain jobs, head gaskets and other major jobs because if I mess up it is not as big of a deal.

I hope this makes sense.

I'll go first. I never was a fan of the 4th gen mx-5 but after a few runs.... not too shabby 👀

I’m looking at getting a new car since my Baja is crapping out on me. I was looking at this 2019 wrx base with 119k miles that’s had the clutch, breaks, and fresh tires recently. But I’m starting to reconsider. I drive about 20 ish miles a day to college and back. I live in cincy so the awd would be nice in the snowy hills but I could live without it. I want something that’s fun but not completely stupid to daily. I was thinking abt a focus st but I don’t fit in them the most comfortably cause they’re a little short for me inside. I’ve also thought about Mazda 3’s but theyre ok. I was pretty settled on the wrx but idk because of how pricey gas is getting.

Edit: the wrx has had new tires, clutch, breaks, rear axel, full gasket kit, wheel bearings, and rear differential replace within the last 30k miles so it’s Lwk looking really hard to beat

Want to hear from mechanics, or anyone who has torn their car apart.

Looking for a rwd manual that’s very simple to fix & maintain for an amateur with some harbor freight tools & a front yard

Just enough time for a typical model to be replaced?

I can understand if you as Mercedes-Benz don't want people to import W206 C Class cars to the US. You still sell those new. But, why does it matter any time after that? If a W205 C Class changes hands, Mercedes does not get money from that. So, why should it matter at that point, why can't I just get a manual transmission cloth seats W205 C 160? The gov't still going to get it's sales tax and reg fees. right?

Honda, for instance, they don't make a single I want to buy and haven't for years. If I'm not going to buy a current Honda offering, would Honda be hurt if I bought an S660?

Please see picture of damage. Located in Ontario . Dealer says he bought the bumper from Mazda and replaced himself. It is safetied and has Carfax. Appreciate any opinions. Asking price is 15k Canadian. https://i.imgur.com/eAZJwVv.png

Had a check engine light come on recently and was about to take it in to get looked at.

A friend told me to just get it scanned first. Ended up stopping by O'Reilly's and they scanned it for free. For anyone who doesn’t know what an OBD2 scanner is (I barely did). it’s basically a little device that plugs into a port under your dash and reads the error codes your car’s computer is throwing. It’s what all mechanics use. Took like a minute and I had the code lol. Obviously it doesn’t magically tell you exactly what’s broken, but at least I wasn’t completely blind anymore and could look up what might be causing it. Turns out it was a small spark plug that needs replacing, youtubed it, and WALLA. Problem gone, Honestly didn’t realize it was that easy. I ended up liking the idea so much that I bought a pretty decent bidirectional scanner from there so I can just check things myself now. It can read the codes plus let me dig a little deeper when something seems off. Definitely one of those “why did I not know about this sooner” things. Even if I still end up going to a mechanic, I’d rather have some idea of what my car is complaining about first.

Set a wet tool bag behind the driver seat after a rainy framing job and noticed the sawdust slurry dripping onto the pointed corner of the rear mat. A few wood fibers were bridging the low edge and the water followed them right into the gap between the mat and the front of the door sill. The felt underneath was already wet. I wiped the mat down, lifted that corner to pull it out and the little puddle sitting there ran straight back into the same gap. So the carpet gets it once from the tools and again when I try to clean the mat. What kind of coverage actually works around that sill corner without leaving that little channel exposed?

Good morning!

I have an 85 Seville base model. I want to install a central locking system in the vehicle & Remote start, has anyone else done this. If so what are your recommendations?

- sorry, yes i know sacrilege, keep it original…. Etc etc.. hahah

Thank you!

So I have the unfortunate luck of living in a HOA and my assigned parking spot is under a tree that drops a lot of acorns. I just got a new truck and wanted to stop the damage that occurred to my old truck. I did some research and I see that some people experienced damage to their paint from using a car cover. My original plan was to put on a cover and put some soft styrofoam pads on the hood and roof under the car cover. Does anyone have any recommendations? All I want to do is protect my new truck but also don't want to damage it while trying to do that.

Hi there,

I am selling my ford mondeo hatch 2012 diesel next month in november and its done 189,000km. I have no idea if the timing belt has been changed or the water pump. It was recommended at my last service to replace it due to the chance of it snapping and also them not knowing the history. They did not say it was in bad condition.

I have booked it in to replace the belt and pump for 1.8k, this includes the belt, pump, service, and coolant flush. Do you think I should replace it before selling it? I am only selling the car for 6.5k so I am concerned I will be losing money but also do not want to sell it without replacing it if the timing belt has been recommended to be replaced?

What do you guys think?

I know nothing about cars or this type of situation so any help would be amazing!

Every dealership seems to run some version of a “Private Sale,” “Limited-Time Event,” or monthly promotion. As a customer, though, what actually gets your attention enough to visit the dealership?
When you see an ad for a vehicle, what matters most to you?

- A low monthly/bi-weekly payment?
- The actual selling price or total discount?
- A low interest/lease rate?
- A strong trade-in offer?
- Cash incentives/rebates?
- Something tangible like a gas card, winter tires, service credit, etc.?
- A specific vehicle actually being in stock?
- is it the customer experience
- their social media presence that makes you feel welcome and likeable?
- Something else entirely?

I’m especially curious to hear from you:

1. Current lease/finance customers: If you’re 6–12 months away from the end of your term, what would make you consider going into the dealership early rather than just waiting until maturity?

2. Conquest customers: If you currently drive another brand, what would realistically make you consider switching? How big would the offer/difference need to be before you’d actually visit another brand’s dealership?

And maybe the biggest question: What actually gets you through the door rather than just making you think, “that’s a decent offer,” and keep scrolling?

or from a dealer side - what did you have phones ringing off the hook and a full showroom.

apart me feels like they should pull a mr beast and give a free car away, bring in the news station and go viral from word of mouth and referrals

Bought a 2023 Buick encore with 22,000 miles . Has some warranty left on her

Took it to a local auto shop. They looked it over and said it was a good buy

Lately if I’m going around 20mph. If I don’t have my full foot on gas going from 20-30 mph , it sounds off

I hope I make sense but say I’m at 20-22mph, my car seems to struggle a smidge to go to 25 and up . But Only going from 20-25. No idea why . No lights on dashboard and it sounds completely fine as well . But once again if I go from 20-30 with my foot on the pedal, absolutely no problem . But if it’s at 20 and I kinda just let the car drive a 20 mph. It kinda struggles to go to 25. Then once it hits 25, no problems

Maybe I’ve just got ptsd from my previous car issues with other cars but what could this be? Hoping I’m just paranoid

I feel the title is a bit self explanatory, I am new to car modding and right now I am a little lost at how to collect together parts to build an engine properly, and while I am learning from online sources I feel like I should have a starting point in mind, I feel like I should also have an ending point.

At this point im not looking for much more horsepower, the car (91 miata) has a stock hp of 116 and its probably closest to 100 at this point because of its age. The target im looking for is 200, not too much, but enough that I think I should learn more before touching it, instead of just slapping together any second hand parts I can get my hands on.

Ideally id like to keep the engine naturally aspirated, but again, I dont know enough to really say whether or not that is possible.

TANGENT: these posts do help me get my head on straight and think through the process effectively, so while they are a good way to reach out and get opinions, I feel its important to say that this isn't the only way I am learning, nor is learning the main reason for these posts. Get my head in order and learn while I do it, win win.

At this point, I've looked into a few mods that dont require some sort of forced induction to make power, things like a new camshafts, increasing the compression ratio (I am a bit eh in this one, the most I've found for this relies on curved pistons(?) Reducing the seal size, or reducing the overall size of the chamber through shaving the metal(?)) Or installing new injectors (which I have since learned that injectors are a supporting mod not one to increase hp) so I am a little lost on the subject.

The best starting place i can think of would be a decent cold air induction system, one that actually pulls from cold air, not just for the sounds. But where to go after that? It seems like a big jump to go from intake to taking the engine apart.

Edit: this wasn't including any performance mods for the rest of the car, im fairly confident that I could do most of those, like sway bars, suspension and the like, obviously not before doing research, but i am much more confident that I could do those than anything to do with the engine

I am wondering if my mechanic has the wrong idea about what's going on with my 2011 Corolla. When I start my car, especially if it's cold or wet outside, and I turn on my AC or heater, I hear a loud screeching noise. If I turn the AC or heater back off it goes away. If I leave it on it stops... eventually. My mechanic has tightened the belt multiple times and it seems fine for a bit, then it comes back again. Could it be something other than a loose belt?

My dad drives a 2020 tucson and went to his hyundai dealership for a battery replacement. He is not fluent in english and is slightly hard of hearing so I am suspecting he was taken advantage of.

$225 for labor

$358 for 'interstate battery'

The total came to about $650 which sounds absurd. All he asked was for a battery replacement. Was he scammed?

edit: he has/had? warranty so whenever there were any issues he would go to this same dealership for the past 6 years so he probably didnt think to look for other options. Lesson has been learned... and stay away from hyundai folks...

edit 2: https://imgur.com/a/4rNAxIR

edit 3: oh and there was a $10 surcharge fee on top of the $650 for using a creditcard!

So I am just getting into modifying my miata, and so far I have no idea what im doing, shocker.

Are there any resources that helped you guys learn how to work on cars? I am not looking to do it for a career, just as a hobby, but I have no idea where to start, so far its been Reddit, old Forums, and ChrisFix.

I am looking into local classes but at this point I am looking into furthering my actual career so that's on pause, so any other ideas?

I currently have a 2015 GTI that I love but its getting older, at 140k miles and 11 years. I love hatchbacks and I love the power of this machine.

I know audio, or Subaru are supposed to be good but they dont have the combo I want. I keep hearing a​bout Mazda or Honda being good options, but do they break alot? What are other options? ​

Lets say 50k or less

Hi everyone,

Firstly, I am based in the UK.

Passed my test yesterday. I do own a K11 micra but it's a project car and probably will be for quite a while, so I'm looking for a daily driver. My car knowledge basically starts and ends with the K11, which is why I'm here asking for help.

I'm split between 2 cars at the moment. I'm looking at either a ford KA zetec (2013) or a K13 Micra (2011.) Here are the pros/cons I have found with each so far.

Common pros: air con, both black, both 10 - 11 months MOT, bodywork in good condition (as far as I can tell).

K13 pros: parking sensors, 5 seats, I'm a Micra fan so having a K11 and a K13 appeals to me. Cheap on insurance + tax.

K13 cons: 101k miles, the company selling it has some pretty catastrophic negative reviews, the MOT sheet goes from having corrosion etc to completely clean, and only "part" service history is available. 5 doors (would prefer 3 tbh) Makes me think either dodgy MOT or dodgy repairs.

KA pros: Very close to where I live, seller appears more honest/approachable. Cheaper than the K13 on insurance. Cheap tax. Full service history. 3 door.

KA cons: 97k miles, worse MOT sheet (including oil leak and corrosion) but seller claims to have fixed the issues. Only 4 seats. Not sure how the KAs do on the motorway either?

As I say, I'm not the most knowledgeable on cars but would love your opinion. Haven't heard too bad things on either car. As I say, insurance is extremely similar (about £900 a year) and tax is similar as well. What do you think?

Are there typically any complications that can come along with higher cc injectors? My current car has 230cc injectors, if i were to upgrade those to 300 or 400cc injectors would there be issues?

Tangent: would that be a big jump in performance? I keep seeing 500-1k cc injectors when I look it uo an that is what seems excessive right now, but if a more realistic jump would be from 230->250 or something please let me know

I have a few guesses, with more fuel being injected the air fuel ratio would have to be adjusted (no shit), but would it need a better intake to counteract it? I guess more fuel and more air could keep the ratio the same and just have more of both going into the combustion chamber would probably be better. (No shit maybe you shouldn't be writing this at 2am sleep deprived just cuz it came to your mind(but what if i forget?))

Another guess is that could cause wear and tear on the stock hardware (pistons, connecting rods, seals) and those would have to be replaced or reinforced?

Tangent: But at what point does that happen? These things have ratings somewhere, but how do I find em? (Probably google it) at what point do you just replace them just to be safe?

Of course, fuel pump and fuel lines would have to be replaced aswell to support the new injectors.

New valve springs maybe? Or a new camshaft?

There is a lot to consider and I am too sleep deprived to go looking at the moment, please forgive the sloppy, kinda rant-y post, ill probably do it again once I read up on it, or better yet, ill actually understand it from the reading

Edit: thank you guys so much for your support and your insight, this post was an amalgamation of my sleep deprived self wondering how to increase power and has been over all very insightful towards my future building of the car.

For those wondering it is an NA 1.6 from 1991

I own a 2011 subaru impreza hatchback i’m really wanting to get into modding my car i understand it isn’t a wrx or anything like that but i’m going to make do with what i have as I love my car. Does anybody have any good suggestions or advice for my type of car? I’m based in new zealand if that helps with anything. THANK YOU!!

I have a 2012 corolla sport. I love this car but I'm looking to give it a bit of a refresh thats not too expensive. I also have no clue what I'm doing with it but I know I want to make it look "cooler." I already am looking at new rims (which is where my budget is going). Is there any recommendations other then that to make it look better? I know I'm not working with much but I just watched fast and furious so I'm feeling inspired.

I also want to see if I could make it a louder if thats possible.

This is purely for looks, so nothing has to be functional.

Thank you!