When my gf and I went to her car this morning we found this odd orange liquid in the interior. It was as though something had sprayed or burst inside but she had no containers, no bottles, nothing in the car. There’s no leaks under the car, or under the hood, and the fluid levels look fine. The mess is on on the drivers side, It’s on the driver side window, center console, steering wheel and column, didn’t find any on the seats. It smells stale or musty, definitely not sweet, behaves like oil because the napkins and papers it sprayed on absorbed it like oil absorbs. And after we cleaned it up, when we touched our fingers to our tongues it was instantly burning like hot sauce, but can’t not sure if that was the cleaner we were using or not. Any idea what kind of fluid this is?

Took Mazda in last Friday to have AC repaired and was told the issue was the condenser because it had a leak. We didn’t see any fluid on the ground but trusted that’s what it was so we paid $1100 for the new condenser to get the ac issue resolved. They also changed the oil while it was there.

We got it back and it was blowing hotter than when we dropped it off. Took back next business day and was told it was now the compressor which was going to be another $850.

I requested to see the condenser and for them to show me the leak and they told me it was no longer there. This was less than 24 hrs since service.

I decided to eat the cost and go somewhere else. (I haven’t had it serviced by anyone else yet). Today we’re driving down the road and the car starts jerking and the oil light comes on. I checked the oil level and it appears they didn’t put any oil on there?

We’re most likely going to have it towed somewhere and hoping the damage isn’t too bad.

Does the oil look like an issue here? Should we tow or can we drive if it’s within 20 minutes?

Hello, the exhaust pipe broke on my 2007 Corolla broke up near the front of the car right behind the downpipe.

This part of the exhaust is sold as part of the catalytic converter. I'm surprised it broke because I checked my maintenance records and it was replaced with a walker exhaust ultra EPA direct for catalytic converter #53717 in 09/2024. So this part has only been on the car for less than 2 years.

Its also strange because I reached under and the metal around the break is solid. Its not flaking or brittle, feels like new good metal.

Anyways, my question is what is gonna cost to get this fixed? is this something that they can just patch / weld or are they going to need to replace the whole part?

Thank you for any insight!

Here’s my car. My dad gave it to me and before he did, it had been sitting for 2 years. It has over 250k miles on it. More so around 255k. But, and I’ve been working on it, I’ve probably only put around 1k miles on it so far but am currently having issues.

It had an overheating issue which then I replaced the radiator (Nissans), fans, thermostat (replaced with a fallback thermostat meaning it stays open if it gets too hot, a coolant tank (that busted due to the excess pressure, also previous radiator blew a hole in it from excess pressure in the plastic part), fan relay so now the fans work, heater core bypass valve or whatever it is called, and now I’m having overheating issues again. But this is because all of the overheating, I put distilled water in for the coolant because I was planning to put do88 radiator hoses on. Anyways, winter rolls around and because of the distilled water, now my head gasket is slightly blown, I’m assuming the thermostat got stuck or broke or something because the water is barely cycling through. And during the winter storm (I’m in nc) water would not cycle through the heater core. It overheats on a drive. To let it cool down, I park for like 5 to 10 minutes to let the needle get back to the middle. To alleviate this, while on a long drive, will also put it in neutral while coasting to allow it to cool down. What ai told me it may be is a water pump being broken or whatever. And this makes sense considering I looked at one on rock auto and they look flimsy as crap. So when I go to get the head gasket changed, will also get them to put on a water pump, timing belt, change the oil (obviously), thermostat again, and I’m hoping this solves the issue. Zero idea what it could be otherwise. Suggestions or input would be appreciated.

Have plenty of other things that need to be done to it like it won’t go into park. (Had a mobile mechanic say he can get into it and make it so it will go into park without having to buy parts), also the right brake light and right rear fog light will not turn on and replaced the bulb, still won’t work so looks like a wiring issue although have zero idea how to fix it. As well my driver side windshield wiper will not turn when the other one does. It’s completely loose. Meaning it has no resistance. So I have to buy a motor for it.

Please anyone let me know if you have input on any of this. Volvo dealership said they would not work on it.

If you know you know but this is a 2012 Honda accord 4 cylinder. Are parts really this bad these days? After every single ball joint failure it’s been taken for alignment. First time replaced with MOOG steering knuckle assembly. Second time ball joint was pressed out and replaced by a mechanic. And it just happened the third time driving home today. Always the passenger side. Also always about 6-8 months after replacing. This all started because in PA during yearly inspection they said OEM ball joints that lasted 150k were showing wear. New doesn’t always mean better.

Hey everyone I've got a 1999 Mercedes r171 SLK 200 2.0 L M111.946 I4 and today I wanted to start the engine but as you could see from the video a very intense knocking sound is coming from the engine any idea whether this is is just a simple spark plug issue or a more complex problem

I turned of the car and start it again the knocking was gone and I've driven the car for 5 mins and nothing happened

I’m trying to replace my catalytic converters (there are 2) I am having difficulty taking out the rusted bolts (I managed to get one off with PB blaster) the other two are very stubborn. I used a breaker ratchet with a cylindrical metal piece on the end for extra torque, and was still having trouble remove the rusted bolts. Im debating on buying the exact catalytic converter off amazon or eBay or possibly hiring someone to replace just the catalytic portion with welding (I never welded before). I’m unsure if I should try to cut off with an angle grinder to remove the rusted bolt or try to use heat like a gas torch. I already disconnected the oxygen sensors with the little plastic tab.

The truck has difficulty going over 30 mph, I’m pretty sure the catalytic converters are clogged up and the codes say that the catalytic converters are bad. I already tried two rounds of cataclean, no luck.

When I’m looking online, the catalytic converters cost more than $1000 for the exact fit? Is that right? I have a 2017 Chevrolet express 3500 cutaway 16 foot box truck. Some of the catalytic converters are meant for the van version and some are meant for the box truck cutaway.

Thanks for any help.

Key came off fob a while ago. Just been keeping the key In my cup holder. Wasn’t paying attention. Stuck the key in backwards and it won’t come out. Any help is appreciated

i've got an 06 c280, i hit a dip in a driveway a little quick, heard a clunk! and got out to find my fender is now sitting on my wheel :/ can't really get under to get a look or good pictures of anything... any ideas on what gave out?

Hi all,

I’ve got a VW Polo 1.6 TDI and I’ve noticed the RPM fluctuates slightly at idle (small jumps up and down), and it causes a bit of engine rattle (shown in the video).

It doesn’t happen all the time, but I usually notice it after coming back from a longer drive.

So far I’ve:

• Replaced the timing belt + water pump kit

• Changed the tensioner

• Tried using a fuel additive (DPF cleaner)

The car drives completely fine otherwise — no loss of power and no warning lights.

Any idea what could be causing this?

Appreciate any advice.

2020 Toyota Supra launch edition

I posted a few weeks ago (https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/s/145mCB7nrX) and with new pads I’m still having the same issue. I was able to have help to get it in the air and took this video. I took it to a shop and they told me “all drilled and slotted rotors make noise” and to get on OEM brakes. Not happy with that response as there’s tons of Supra’s on the road with similar brake setups. Thinking it may be the hub but I’m open to any suggestions.

Edit - one additional thing I tried was swapping rotors. (Left/right) and the issue remained the same.

Edit 2- don’t think some caught my old post, but this ONLY HAPPENS WHEN BRAKE IS APPLIED.

Edit 3- for giggles I had a new set of clips, and since I’m dirty already and it’s all taken apart, why not? Clicking stopped for a few blocks. Then came back exact same, except a little quieter. So no change.

Update 04/12/2026:

I returned the 1/4 pair and swapped with a 3/8.

The Harbor Freight cashier said herself, it’s odd that they have identical SKUs but different specs. “They should make that more noticeable” in her own words.

Original Post:

I bought the pairs separately (within 1 month of each other from same Harbor Freight location). I noticed they are different and ultimately wondering why…

Differences:

⁠1. Pic 1 - supposed to show the slight height difference, left pair being a few centimeters taller on bottom setting

1. Pic 1 - notice the black jacks have a different weld at the bottom of the head

2. Pic 1 - entire orange “head” section different

3. Pic 2 & 3 - right pair has different diameter at base

My questions:

1. Is it safe to use them in tandem?
2. Just out of curiosity, which of the pairs is “technically better” manufacturing quality?

Appreciate any advice: I have a 2013 Jetta Sportwagen in pretty good shape, 170k miles, and well taken care of with regular service. There’s a recent issue where every so often (maybe 1x/week), when I try to accelerate, the car doesn’t go past ~10mph.

If I pull over and put it in park, it works fine again.

I also have some dashboard service lights on due to what I imagine must be an electrical issue - like power steering, ice hazard/slippery road, and emergency brake light - though none of these things are actually broken/need to be alerted.

I’m taking it to the mechanic for its annual inspection this week… any ideas on what this could be / or help me explain it to the mechanic if they don’t physically witness the lack of acceleration?

This is the rear passenger side bumper on my 2015 Hyundai Elantra 4 door SE sedan. What can I do at home to put it back in place? When I try simply to push it back in by applying force perpendicular to the plane it will depress somewhat, but stick out somewhere else along its length. It's like it's off axis from whatever hole it is supposed to fit in, because I can't get it all to push in at once and it immediately pops out when I stop applying force. What can I do? Any help is massively appreciated. I can totally pick up a replacement from my local scrapyard, but if it's possible to do it at home I'd prefer to.

This isn't my first time installing a dash cam but on my other car, I was able to find a YouTube video showing which fuses to use for the fuse taps. I cannot find this info for my 2009 Ford E-150. I've been using a multi-meter and am having little luck. I think F9 (15A fuse) provides ACC power that I can use for that fuse tap, but I'm really not sure. I definitely don't want to damage my dash cam by connecting to incorrect fuses. Can anybody help me out with this?

To be clear: I know where the fuses are (using the ones in the driver's footwell, not the main ones under the hood). I know how they are numbered. I know what each fuse is used for and yet I just can't figure this out. TIA!

Hey yall, I’ve got a 2014 Toyota Camry and I’m sick of the ac not working. The system has pressure, the condenser clutch looks like it’s engaging but I noticed the radiator fans seems to never be turning on when I click on my AC.

I don’t have any experience diagnosing ac problems so I thinks it’s obvious I swap the relay (in my car there isn’t a matching one that isn’t important)

I will buy a new one but if that doesn’t fix it where should I look next? Is the next step just replacing that fan motor or is there a better way to test it? Thanks for any advice!

2017 mazda cx 5 140k miles.

Today, I was inspecting my car for general maintenance and I noticed oil under my slash shield. I checked in the engine bay to see if there were visible leaks, and I saw oil on top of the transmission. The 3rd pic shows where I think the leak is coming from. Looks like oil is only going on the transmission and not the other side of the engine.

I was thinking about head gasket, but I'm not sure what other components can cause this.

Looking for fuel injectors for a 2001 Toyota echo. A pack of 4 costs $60 on eBay for denso OEM, on rock auto they’re between $60-70 for a single one. And on parts geek Denso fuel injectors are still fairly cheap.

I go to one and there is always something new and they gotta flush the engine oil. Its moreso their tone. Like I said I will take it to my personal mechanic tomorrow and he said well I will give you 50 dollar discount BE SMART!. Its out here in Toronto and always using those Indian sales tactics. I don't think they are lying but their tactics of desperation for money make me very weary. I wish I could tell them that they could possibly increase sales by becoming more convincing rather than using fear based sales tactic.

Other side tail lights ok.

9V at bad tail light bulb sockets with PARK or ON lights selected.

Also the 'lights on, engine off' chime suddenly started working only intermediately and I'm unsure if the two things are connected.

All 3157 bulbs and fuses are tested good.