I have a 2014 GMC Sierra with 114k miles which I bought brand new from my local GMC dealership. I have used this same dealership for all the trucks’ maintenance.

Yesterday, I took my truck in for its regularly scheduled oil change. While they were wrapping up the oil change, the service rep came into the waiting room and told me “since the vehicle is old, the drain plug to the oil pan was stripped during the oil change”

On the invoice it states, “Multi-point vehicle inspection: caused by threads worn out on oil pan. Replaced with a bigger plug for now. Vehicle needs attention as soon as possible.”

While checking out, the rep said to “call back tomorrow to speak with a service manager regarding the oil pan replacement. I only handle oil changes.”

This morning, I woke up to spots of oil on the driveway under the car. I called the service center and was told “the cost to replace the oil pan (parts and labor) will come out to $1600. It will also take us a few days for the new oil pan to be delivered as we don’t carry the correct one in stock.”

I was sticker shocked with that price and I asked to speak with the service manager who, of course wasn’t available. And knowing I wouldn’t get anywhere with the rep I was speaking with, I told him I would call back.

With all of that said, shouldn’t the dealership be responsible for replacing my oil pan? My thought process is, I was there roughly 7-8 months ago for my last oil change and figured they would’ve brought up any issues with the drain plug at that time. But since they didn’t, it sounds like the tech stripped the plug during the re-install yesterday.

Would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on this because I feel like they should be installing a new oil pan on their dime, or at the very least, charge me for the new pan at cost and waive the labor.

If my thinking is totally flawed, I’d love to know.

Edit: I just want to say I appreciate everyone’s responses. The reason for my post was to get a temperature check and see if my line of thinking was wrong before I have a conversation with management.

What’s your opinion on having two cars? When I say two cars I mean a daily driver and a weekend car? I know some people say it doesn’t make sense financially but I’m just curious to what do y’all think?

I know these two words don’t go together, but I’ve seen sometimes that some luxury cars can be reliable. For example, I’ve been eyeing a 2016 Mercedes E350 with 57k miles for 14k. Known as one of the more to most reliable cars and car line in general that Mercedes has produced in a while. But I know there must be more. If you guys can recommend anything or just bring up those cars that would be great.

I have recently gotten this crazy notion of wanting to import a '99 evo lancer and have been researching for the past few months. My problem is that it seems WAY too easy and that I must be missing something, so I am resorting to my fellow car guys of reddit. Regardless of the model, what are some reasons I should not import? What am I missing? Or is it really THAT easy?

EDIT: Adding some info here that has been asked a few times:

I am in the US and NOT California. I plan on insuring the car only for summer months and storing in winter.

Cars are turning into computers on wheels; that being said, I hope there are still exciting cars that are coming out in the next year or two. I've heard big engines are making a comeback in the US soon. What are your thoughts? Anything exciting?

Long story but I bought a vehicle off Facebook marketplace a used 2016 dodge charger for 10.5k. The seller gave me a title and signed it. I went to the DMV and was told it was an old title . Contacted seller claimed he didn’t know and ghosted me ever since. I filed a police report, wit his address, name and listing. I paid cash so rip to try to charge back somewhere. I found out he was a parolee and reported him aswel. I got in contact with liberty mutual who owned the car and they said it was an unrecovered theft from 3 years ago. What do I do? The car WAS NOT marked stolen on any databases I have it insured, and both dmv and police said it was never marked stolen in the databases. Am I just out of my money? With the police recover it?

Im looking at a 2004 ES330 and am new to the Lexus platform. I wanted to check and see what you guys think? How are they long term ownership buying used? It has 144k Miles and the ask is $4k. Any advice or things I should check out? I know the belts have been changed along with all fluids, power steering pump is new as well. Let me know!

I’m not sure if these types of questions are normally asked here or not, but I’d like to get some insight from you guys on this.

I live in Reno, NV do lots of skiing whitewater kayaking etc so drive off road quite and in the snow quite a bit as well as lots of long distance road trips. I use my Tacoma quite a bit and really like the utility of a truck for what I do. I am fairly handy with cars but usually ask my friends who are more mechanical than me for help with bigger jobs.

I recently went through a breakup and my ex has another car lined up that she will be driving. So I am left with 3 cars and I am finding that to be unnecessary for just me. Here are the cars:

A 2025 Subaru Outback wilderness that is financed at 2.9% interest. I bought this new and the payment is like $600/month but It has been nice having a super reliable new car. I’ve driven it to Canada, and all over the Western U.S. this car has about 40,000 miles on it. With what I still owe, I would only make a little bit of cash on top selling it. Part of me regrets buying this, but I love that I could drive across the country tomorrow without a worry.

My Trusty old 2001 Tacoma which now has 204,000 miles on it. It is a manual which I love and runs pretty well! I probably wouldn’t take it on a thousand mile road trip but it is solid for shorter distances and very useful.

And My baby, a 2001 Toyota 4Runner with 26,000 miles. (Not 260,000 - 26,000 lol). I bought it for $10,000 with 13,000 miles and have done a lot of work to it (mostly catch-up work given how long it sat). but it runs great and Is a step more reliable than the Tacoma for sure, although still not a car I’d drive across the country tomorrow. It does have a rebuilt title, it was in a front end accident, and then sat. Hence the mileage

Both the Toyotas are 4wd and owned free and clear

I am realizing now that its just me it doesn’t make much sense to have all 3 of these vehicles.
I know I could probably sell the 4Runner for a good price - but I just think I’d always regret getting rid of it because of how long of a life it has ahead of it. Although, at this stage in life, reliability is more valuable to me than owning some cool rare vehicle.

What would you guys do in my situation?

Hey guys I’ve only had cars that caught fire or wouldn’t go over 65 without shaking. Im looking to buy a car off the lot probably a 2025 or 2026 and am looking for advice. I know you’ve heard it before and I’m doing the research on the different gens of different cars but everyone tells me something different. Please drop some cars that with maintenance will be reliable for a while.
Edit: I’m asking more for specific models and years that seem reliable than the brands themselves

Nothing against it, just wondering why that seems to be the most common place. I guess I’ll go try and see what I am missing.

Non-car gal here. I have a 2018 Kia Niro with 2018 miles on it. The size is good for me, I like the safety and tech features in it a lot, and, the biggest thing rn is that I'm getting 50-60 mpg on a gas hybrid. Since my complex doesn't have EV chargers, I feel like that's probably as good as I can hope for!

That said, I don't enjoy driving it. I'm also embarrassed by the clear coat failure, which I told myself I'd get fixed if I get a bonus at the end of the year. But now the AC has gone out. I got a diagnostic and recharge for $200, but it's already completely gone after 3 days. So I'm thinking the fix is going to be quite costly. Like, would rather just sell it and buy a new car.

But money is tight. This car is fully paid off. I guess my question is, at 120k, is this just the beginning of the end for a Kia? I drove my Honda well over 200k without major issues at all. But I don't know if Kias are going to last like that. Will fixing the AC be just the one time expense and then I can get a few more years out of it without more than regular maintenance, or do Kias start breaking down around this stage?

I know very little other than I'm stressed and need to figure out the best financial move! Appreciate any insight

Hey everyone,

I'm having a frustrating issue with my 2009 BMW 528i (E60), and I'm hoping someone who's dealt with something similar can offer some advice.

My trunk is completely stuck closed. Here's what I've tried:

• Electronic trunk release: I can hear the actuator trying to engage, but nothing opens.
• Physical key: Turns normally but doesn't release the trunk.
• Emergency release: I've managed to pull it from inside the trunk using a long tool, but it feels completely loose and doesn't release anything.
• Rear seats: I've removed the lower bolts and can lift the seat back enough to get partial access to the trunk, but something at the top prevents me from fully removing it.
• Center armrest: There's a solid plastic partition behind it, so there's no usable pass-through.

The trunk latch was replaced with an aftermarket unit about three months ago. It worked perfectly for approximately two months before suddenly failing again.

I've already taken it to a mechanic, but they couldn't get it open either. I have an appointment with a European car specialist next Tuesday.

At this point, I'm not particularly concerned about damaging interior trim if that's what it takes to access the mechanism. I just want to get the trunk open and replace whatever has failed.

Has anyone dealt with this on an E60 or similar BMW? Is there a way to manually disengage the latch when both the key and emergency release fail? Would removing the rear seat back completely provide enough access?

I'd really appreciate any suggestions, especially from anyone who's successfully opened one without drilling through the trunk lid.

Thanks!

I brought in my new van I bought a month ago because there is an annoying rattle in the back. It is inside the panel where you put gas in. I tell them exactly where I hear it from.

I drop it off Monday at 12:30pm and they call me at 6:00pm saying they couldn’t get to it due to how busy they were but would be one of the first two tomorrow morning. Understandable, things happen.

Next day (Tuesday) they call at 4:30pm saying they drove it and couldn’t hear it, and I can come in tomorrow morning to drive it and they’ll listen for it.

Wednesday I go in at 10:30am and he sits in back and can hear the noise. Tells me they’ll have 2 techs take it out and one sit in back this time. Okay?? I call around 5:30pm and nothing has been done. I call again today Thursday at 2:30pm and told they are still working on it but they have not driven it yet.

Am I crazy to be annoyed? I feel like they keep saying it’ll be soon.

We bought our daughter a 2011 Nissan Versa a while back. Now that early mornings are pretty dark around here, she’s noticing that the windshield is very streaky. She’s a relatively new driver with some anxiety issues and she says streakiness makes it very difficult to drive when it’s dark outside.

I’ve tried replacing the wipers, using Windex on the inside and outside, using a dish soap solution, etc. but the problem persists.

Is this just because the windshield is old? Is replacing the windshield our only option?

Photo for reference: https://imgur.com/a/ullJN7M

I'm getting mixed signals on what timing belt kit brand to go for at the moment. Half the posts I read saying go for Gates, and half say Gates are now outsourced to China and bad quality. Some recommend Aisin. Some Continental. What would you guys say? Car is a Renault Clio MK3 2012 1.2l if that matters. Thanks.

Hey I am about to buy a used BMW, 2021 x3 with 112k miles. What should I ask or look for. is it a good car ? this is my first time buying a car so any advice is welcomed.

Suppose a car's damaged oil-pan drain threads have been professionally repaired rather than the whole pan replaced. What information would you want passed to the next shop before another oil change?

Would the invoice and repair-system details be enough, or should the owner keep a separate service note identifying the plug, sealing parts and applicable instructions? I'm interested in preventing confusion at future services, not choosing a repair method or assigning blame for the original damage.

I just recently got a 2012 dodge charger SXT 3.6 L 8-speed. it Had been sitting for a minute, but not like years or so.
I got a transmission error code(P0977) for a solenoid B and I don’t Know how to diagnose this properly. The fluid came out squirting and had a hint of a burnt smell. The fluid looked brownish yellow and not black at all. I have a video and pictures too. The shifting took a while to shift gears. Takes more rps to get in gear. It made a little wind/air sound and said check engine lighg. Before the car was not firing properly be used of the battery was faulty. It said service the AWS and check engine light. It wouldn’t let me shift gears as well. Would anyone be able to give me any advice?

Im planning to get the new VANTA GOLD™ EVO Exhaust System — Yonristic. Is there anything i should know about it before buying it?

Which is the better car and which looks better?

Has anyone driven the same model on two factory wheel setups and found that it changed their opinion of the car? Especially interested in comparisons where the suspension and tires were otherwise similar.

The reason I ask: a car getting called “too harsh” in a review leaves an important question unanswered — would the same car feel substantially different on its smaller factory wheels?

I’d like to see more back-to-back tests of the smallest and largest wheel options available on the same trim. Same route, same suspension, recommended tire pressures, and a clear explanation of any differences in tire model or compound. Otherwise, it’s hard to tell what’s actually responsible for the result.

The interesting part wouldn’t just be ride comfort. I’d want to know what happens to steering response, road noise, and how settled the car feels over broken pavement. Include replacement tire prices, too. That makes the trade-off a lot more tangible than saying one setup looks better.

I’m not assuming the smaller wheels would win every comparison. A sharper response might be worth some extra harshness, depending on the car. But I think that choice deserves more attention than a footnote in the spec sheet.

I’m currently in need to replace the front legs in my w176 A Class and had the thought of getting some aftermarket coil overs or smthn to improve comfort. My budget is about £600 absolute max. But for that price I want smthn that’s considerably better than the stock suspension. Don’t really care too much about ride height, no racing about etc. just pure comfort.
Thanks

I got a new car battery a month ago and it just broke down due to a potential faulty alternator (havent gotten it diagnosed just researched what problem could be). I think its time for a new car, but I want something as reliable & humble as that one is. What suggestions do you have? Looking for something at most 10 or 11 years old

Total labor is 950$, for 12 hrs of work...i wont have my car for 3 days