Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange
Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange

Most Popular

more tags
1500 questions
15
votes
5 answers

Car shakes when in gear at red light

I bought a '96 Toyota Camry about a month ago. When I first turn the car on and the engine is cold, I can have the car stopped (in gear) and it will not shake. The idle RPMs will be at 1000. After the car has heated up, I notice the idle RPM drop by…
Jack
  • 253
  • 1
  • 2
  • 5
15
votes
5 answers

Differences and Recommendation between Steel and Alloy Wheels for Winter?

There are many discussions regarding steel vs. alloy wheels in Winter on multiple forums. It would be good if someone could lay out full facts and help scale these differences (questions below). For Steel wheels: Less expensive Uniform and made…
Daemon
  • 367
  • 1
  • 4
  • 10
15
votes
4 answers

Why are these wires sticking out of battery terminal?

Could someone please explain why there are copper wires sticking out of the positive terminal on my battery? I’m trying to jump start it without success, and want to get it to an auto parts store to replace the battery. Do I need new battery cables…
Stacy Lee
  • 151
  • 1
  • 1
  • 3
15
votes
2 answers

Should I perform my first oil change at 1000 miles, or when the manual says?

I've read in various places that you should perform your first oil change on a new car at 1,000 miles or so. But the exact miles are available in the owner's manual. The owner's manual only states to change the oil every 5,000 miles. Should I go…
Evorlor
  • 285
  • 1
  • 3
  • 9
15
votes
9 answers

Leaving car in Lubbock, Texas for 1 month

I am leaving my car (2016 Toyota Rav 4 XLE) to go on vacation. This will be during the winter so December to January. It will be under covered parking, but I am worried about what the cold will do to it if it isn’t going to be driven for 1 month.…
Abbey Greene
  • 151
  • 1
  • 3
15
votes
5 answers

Cascading Repair Costs following Blown Head Gasket on a 2004 Subaru Outback

This question concerns a 2004 Subaru Outback with ~167,000 miles. All major and minor maintenance was performed (original owner car). Nonetheless, it has suffered rapid demise. How much of the following are age-related coincidences — or possible…
LYNND
  • 151
  • 1
  • 4
15
votes
5 answers

Causes of early clutch failure EXCLUDING driver style

UK 61 plate, Ford Diesel Mondeo Estate, Econetic: clutch replaced at 31,800 miles; failure caused by 'driver style' I use my car daily for commuting and for business. It's supplied to me as a company car under contract from a leasing company. I’ve…
John
  • 151
  • 1
  • 1
  • 3
15
votes
8 answers

Is Paint Protection worth paying for?

I've just bought myself a new car, and as expected the dealer is trying to sell me extra items. The two options they are trying to push on me are Paint Protection nano technology paint protection & nano technology protection for the seats. Are…
Chris McGrath
  • 253
  • 1
  • 2
  • 6
15
votes
5 answers

Do I need to take an electric vehicle to a specialist repair shop?

I am pondering getting an electric vehicle (a VW e-Golf, which is strongly rooted in the Golf "platform", just swapping the motor), and one issue amongst many is how to proceed with the maintenance. I do not have a good branded shop close by, and…
AnoE
  • 820
  • 7
  • 9
15
votes
3 answers

How low does the oil level have to get to trigger the low oil light?

I had an engine shudder during my idle after startup yesterday morning. I checked my oil level and was a full X cross hatch height below the min oil line. I added 1.5 qts to get up to the max line. It made me curious how low does the oil have to go…
jxramos
  • 1,880
  • 10
  • 34
  • 49
15
votes
6 answers

How long can I drive on a donut spare?

This is a pretty common question and I get a lot of conflicting responses from "Extremely dangerous could blow out at any minute" to "I've driven on it for a month". A mechanic at midas told me I could drive on it for a week and be fine. I'm driving…
Shykin
  • 253
  • 1
  • 2
  • 5
15
votes
9 answers

Can radiator cool down a car too much?

Recently they replaced my stock radiator with aftermarket one (at dealership, so I hope they knew what they were doing), and since then I feel that a car is not warming up enough. Even if I warm it up completely at garage - as soon as I start…
serg
  • 253
  • 1
  • 2
  • 7
15
votes
4 answers

Can I leave my car on a jack for several days?

I am doing a hub seal replacement on my old Landrover. Sadly I screwed up the new seal by putting it on too far, and then by trying to tweak it back out I wrecked the tension spring inside the seal. It'll be a couple of days before the Landy…
Criggie
  • 3,163
  • 3
  • 21
  • 37
15
votes
2 answers

What does this symbol of a car balancing on two wheels mean?

The symbol on the left in the image below is ubiquitous, yet so cryptic. What does it mean? Is it just a warning that the car is at risk of toppling over? I tried paging through the owner's manual but couldn't find this symbol.
Zaid
  • 39,276
  • 50
  • 151
  • 294
15
votes
4 answers

Car crash: when does a car catch fire?

Which kind of crash does it need for a car to catch fire? I'm asking because I was discussing about an accident where a car crashed into a full-grown brown bear. Is it realistic under normal circumstances that the car could catch fire?
abaumg
  • 253
  • 1
  • 2
  • 6
1 2 3
…
99 100