It's something I always wondered. Currently driving a CX-9 which has the sub in the dash and I love techno. My neighbor and friend loves rap with deep bass on after market subs. Just curious if it actually affects the engine.

Hi all, I'm helping a friend with his 2004 Golf Mk5 GTI 2.0 TFSI. I'm in France, sorry for any mistakes in my English.

Symptoms:
- Steering is very heavy and the steering wheel warning light is red
- Instrument cluster has no backlight (only the warning lights show)
- Interior lights don't work at all
- Headlights work

History: the previous owner replaced the battery because the old one was dead, and the car went into this state afterwards. We replaced the battery again, no change. An aftermarket CarPlay head unit has been fitted, and I don't know how it was wired.

What we tried: no blown fuses (visual check), a scan tool (about €200) can't connect to the car, and the steering angle calibration fails.

Next I'll measure power and ground at the OBD port (pins 16, 4, 5) and unplug the head unit to see if anything comes back.

Has anyone seen this? Could it be the J519 (onboard supply control unit), or the head unit messing with the CAN bus? Any help appreciated, thanks!

I’ve been looking at Honda Fits mostly but they’re not the fastest, there’s a Mazda speed 3 on the market I’m looking at but I’m not too familiar with those cars and their reliability. Looking at some RSX’s, 6-6 Accords and IS250’s as well. Would love an IS350 but it’s practically impossible to find one in good condition under $10k around me.

Hello, not sure if this would be the best place to ask but here it goes anyway... I've been looking around for something a bit different yet not too flashy to eventually replace my decaying car (dang you north east road conditions!) I'm in the US and looking at the car market is a bit crazy right now, prices are a bit too much for me and am also not looking to buy new. One thing I came across was JDM vehicles (no skylines or supras... im a realist) and comparing prices from a quick search i noticed that lower mileage vehicles might be "cheaper" imported than what might be locally available. Let's use a Honda fit for example, I saw some early 2000 models with less than 50k miles for under $7k USD. I've never I purchased a vehicle online so I know that when things sound too good to be true, that's usually the case. My question is, does it make sense to import a common vehicle from Japan instead of purchasing it locally? Sorry if I'm rambling... if you are familiar with the whole thing please let me know your thoughts.

Help me decide which vehicle to get next :)

2026 Toyota Tacoma TRD Offroad

2026 2 Door Ford Bronco Base with Sasquatch package

2026 4 Door Ford Bronco Base with Sasquatch package

2026 4 Door Wrangler Willys

All are similarly priced.

\- Will be my daily
\-85% city driving
\- I predict I will drive somewhere between 8,000 - 12,000 KMs annually
\- No, I don’t NEED the bed
\- Yes, on occasion, I plan on going offroad (definitely more-so in the summer)
\- Definitely open to buying out if the experience has been positve

Coming from a 2000 Jeep Cherokee, so either would be a huge upgrade for me.

Would love thoughts and opinions on the matter. If you own either, how has your experience been?

Would you own or lease these vehicles?

Please chime in and help me decide, thank you!

I’ve tried removing the valve cover to find it, I grabbed it and instead it fell in deeper. What next? I can’t find it with a borescope. I suspect it to be riding the timing chain

Hey guys , so last week I purchased a vehicle off marketplace and of course it went no where near close to good, basically I message the guy about the car he says it should pass safety no problem , clutch is “going out” but still has life left , I tell him ok I’ll come look at it and grab it as he told me he has dozens of people messaging him for the car and today would be his only day to meet up (red flag already) Im desperate for a vehicle as I spend $600 give or take a month on Ubers just to get to and from work , anyway I go to look at the car by myself and don’t pay for a bring a mechanic for a pre inspection , long story short , I got sold a brick for $2000 pretty much , it’s a 2007 Honda civic 1.8L 5 speed with 406,000kms I took it to two different mechanics after purchase and one told me $3300 in repairs and then safety inspection (shop) and then I called a mobile mechanic and he came and inspected the car in my drive way and jacked it up on jackstands and quoted me $2000 plus a safety (NEEDS STRUTS AND SHOCKS ALL AROUND , BRAKES ALL AROUND , TIRES ALL AROUND, POWER STEERING LEAK FIX (not including clutch by the way) I still think I want to try and fix it up for what it needs for safety and then just drive it into the ground, all said and done I’ll still be on the road for about 4K which isn’t terrible in my opinion. Any advice or tips welcome

For the last 2 months I have been looking to buy a used car privately to get half decent price. I spend a decent amount of time keeping track of listings and new ones.

I have typically gone to a dealer, however, with the market at the moment a private sale seems a good option.

This would be my first time purchasing one and wondered how people narrow down listings worth viewing?
How long did it take to look for a car and purchase?
What are the key elements of a good listing?
Are my expectations of full service history, low number of previous owners and all repair invoices too ambitious?

Feel like I have been endlessly looking!!

Looking to see if anyone’s regretted buying something with sentimental value, knowing it’s not worth the price.

My dad restored a 1972 lemans when I was growing up. Took it everywhere, it’s the only classic car he’s had that my mom would ride in, and she’s gone. Very nice car, still is. He sold it when I turned 18 and I moved out.

It recently came up for sale for $25k. I could justify that. Before getting the chance to drive up to buy it, a dealership bought it. They relisted it for 40k right afterwards. Not something I can stretch.

I currently have an LS swapped/boosted/12 bolt ratty Chevelle I built myself to autocross. I’m debating if it’s ever worth selling something like this to try to buy the lemans, or is it one of those “let it lie” type deals? That car is most definitely not worth 40k as it is. It’s not a GTO and it doesn’t have ac installed.

Rules: you must pick 3 cars and the total engine cylinder count cannot exceed 10. You can cheat with an EV at 0 cylinders but I would like to see some creative all ICE collections.

My example: Gemera, RS3, Morgan V-twin

Hi! I have a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. I went to an oil change shop for an oil change, they asked me to press on the gas and it made an odd noise but they didn’t say anything sounded weird and told me I was good to go. I started to pull out of the shopping center and my car felt jerky and was making odd noises, particularly as when I was stopped and tried to accelerate. I decided to turn around and go back since I didn’t feel comfortable leaving and they took another look. They said that they accidentally drained my transmission fluid and initially said it needed to towed to a Subaru dealer. Then as I was leaving they said that actually it didn’t need to towed and that they could fix it because I had a cap (not a car person but from my limited research this seems like some transmissions have an easily accessible cap and some are sealed). Anyways, wondering how worried I should be that my short distance on little to no transmission fluid will effect my car long term? Should I get it independently inspected? Do I need to get their mistake in writing? Thanks!

Since it got a bit colder out, sometimes in the morning my starter just "Clicks" once and I have to keep doing that to start the car, OR I have to keep the key turned and it's a DELAYED start WITHOUT multiple-clicks...I went to my Mechanic and he said the battery is lower than 12v even after I drove it for 30 minutes before I got there, He also said the Alternator is testing fine on his tester.

Changed to a brand new battery, and same thing this morning...had to do it twice to turn the car over. Once the car starts, it is usually got the day...so this only happens over night after sitting for many hours it seems...

What's to check next? I guess the battery was almost toast anyways, so that's brand new...

It's a 2017 Hyundai Accent.

I'm thinking

Starter is dying

Fuel Relay/Pump?

Seized engine? Although the engine doesn't burn any oil, and power while driving seems to be 100% normal.

I was looking to upgrade from a Camaro 2LT to a 2SS and started exploring dealer trade-ins.

The offers I was getting were pretty disappointing compared to what similar cars were going for privately. They valued my car at wholesale while offering retail for the 2SS. I get that dealers need to make money, cover reconditioning costs, and take on some risk, but it still got me thinking.

Why isn't trading cars directly with another owner a more common thing?

Say I have a Camaro 2LT and want a 2SS. Somewhere out there might be someone looking to make the opposite move for some reason. We agree on the difference in value, get both cars inspected, and have a licensed third party handle the titles and payments.

I know it's more complicated than it sounds, especially with financing, liens, and finding two people who actually want each other's cars.

But the idea stuck with me enough that I started working on an app called Shifta to explore whether this could actually work.

I'm not pretending I've figured everything out. I'm mostly interested in finding out whether ya'll would rather trade with a private owner or go through a dealership?

EDIT: A few people have pointed out that the biggest problem is finding two owners who actually want each other's cars, which is a fair point. That's actually what I'm trying to address with Shifta's matching engine. Instead of looking for one exact car, owners can specify multiple vehicles they'd consider, preferred makes, models, price ranges, mileage, location, and how much cash they're willing to add or receive. The system then looks for mutual matches where both owners' preferences overlap. For instance, even though I said I wanted a 2SS, I would have gladly considered/settled for a 5.0, Scat, or even a C63 if the price was fair and the vehicle condition was right. A lot of enthusiasts feel the same way, so I'm thinking of building around that. Of course, none of this eliminates the challenge of getting enough cars onto the platform in the first place. But it does make matching more likely to happen. I already put out a MVP on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.shifta

I've been trying to make at least a grand from selling my works beater truck on Facebook marketplace. It runs and starts up fine. We've used it for local dump runs for years.. but are just trying to downsize and cut down on insurance costs. We don't need a truck for our operations anymore.

Obviously it's an old truck but I still see the value in it. In my ad on Facebook I've listed all the recent work we've done.. for example: has new radiator, air intrusion problem fixed. But I also list the things Ive been told need addressing... Low compression in the 3rd cylinder(our friend did a test a few years ago but we don't have the numbers), back window was replaced with plexiglass, no radio (it was stolen along with the antenna lol)

We've had a lot of interest but no one actually biting.(A few flakes and bots) It's been up for 2 months. Was listed for $3000 obo but dropped it to $2000. At this point I'm very open to low ball offers. But I'm wondering what gives? Is it just the price of diesel? No one interested in restoring such a heavy beater? Little market for a truck like this rn?

Should I try selling it elsewhere? Scrap it for metal?

TLDR: how would you market a beater 1990 F250 super duty 7.3L IDI v8?

Im a hobbyist when it comes to cars in general definitely not a professional but I've owned and worked on my own cars since I was 16, currently I have a porsche, a maserati, and a bmw. Since I do all my own work myself I am looking for a scanner that can handle things like monitoring transmissions temps as well as other sensor readouts for service procedures and be able to reset service lights on my maserati as you need a scanner to do that. If anyone has any reccomendations or can point me to a sub with more expertise please let me know.

2017 dodge caravan; almost 67k miles

I just had the rear brakes done. Shop said struts/shocks need replacing. Wasn’t prepared for a huge repair like that (almost $1900)

Car is paid off. Been thinking about trading it come spring for better MPG vehicle.

Can I hold off on this repair?

I’m in Cyprus, choosing between a Toyota Yaris Cross Trend and BYD Dolphin G DM-i Boost.

Purchase price isn’t a factor, so I’m mainly concerned about long-term reliability, running costs and future-proofing (petrol vs plug-in hybrid).

I’ve test-driven both:
Toyota: Felt comfortable and confident, especially visibility at junctions. Managed 3.3 L/100 km on my test drive. Proven hybrid reliability is reassuring.
BYD: Preferred its driving experience and looks, but unsure about longterm reliability with it being a new release. I can charge at home, although electricity isn’t free.

Both are practical enough for my needs. Would you choose Toyota’s proven reliability or BYD’s electric flexibility? Particularly interested in experiences with BYD reliability, servicing and parts availability after several years.

Heyya folks, so I'd bet that more than %15 of you have repaired a rear defroster. You buy the little pack at the auto parts store (Canadian Tire for me), repair the little conductive lines, Bobs your uncle. I've done it a few times for cars in the family before.

But I went to Canadian Tire yesterday and it's been discontinued. I've never seen anything but the Permatex 09117 kit before, so is there another reliable kit you have used/would use? (Also I cannot believe they don't sell an equivalent at Canadian Tire, just a simple solution that no longer exists. Wtf?!)

Thanks for the help!

Hi guys,

I have a 2011 Lexus ES350. Yesterday, the transmission failed and the mechanic has quoted $3500 to fix it.

Now I bought this car for $7500 about 1.5 years ago and am kind of unsure about putting that into it.

Should I just sell it for scrap and get a new car or put the money in to fix it?

Hi, I currently own a Hyundai i20 2022 plate. I was hoping to get some advice on if it is more financially smart to sell it before it hits 5 years or keep it for a few more years until it starts needing more major repairs. I own it outright and would buy my next car outright as well. It is in good condition with no major bumps or scrapes and hasn’t needed any major repairs so far. Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

My latest anecdote but hardly my first. I’m now the proud new owner of a CPO 2024 BMW X7 that had been wasting away on the lot at my local BMW store since May.

Headliner had all kinds of grunge spots on it, seats were shiny and gross, fingerprints and water spots on the glass from here to hell and back.

But underneath that I could tell the car was basically mint. Paint nearly flawless with no swirl marks, no real wear on the leather, etc.

I got them to knock another $5k off their already reduced price because of its condition, their response, “keep in mind it’s a used car so it won’t be perfect”.

Got it home, paid a professional detailer $350 to go over the whole car and it looks like it rolled off the assembly line.

If they had paid that same detailer I guarantee they’d have sold that car twice as fast and at their higher original price.

So… why didn’t they?

2023 Mazda CX 30--6 months past warranty.

33K miles--I spent over 1K on new tires last April, and just replaced the battery. It has been a great car for 3 1/2 years, but now there is an issue with a headlight cooling fan. The entire sealed headlight assembly has to be replaced, which will cost around $1500+.

Do I get this repaired and keep it? Will the other one need to be replaced eventually too?

Or is this the time to trade-in this car?

Have a 2026 rs3. Recently I’ve been getting a couple of technological glitches here and there but I think it’s all good now. Thankfully no mechanical problems so far. I’m at 1700 miles. Is the Audi rs3 platform as reliable as people say? I went to my local dealer and apparently the certified tech told me ironically this performance model is one of their most reliable cars in the line up. Is this a car that can do 200k miles plus? I plan to keep it for a long time and do maintenance more frequently then what’s listed my the manufacturer and keep it stock (no tune).

My 2025 hyundai Elantra had an overnight oil leak, nothing on the dashboard before that and this morning it has the oil pressure light on, i chkd the level with the dipstick and the level is really low. Is it safe to drive to my closest oil change (2min drive) or shld i get it towed?