Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with automobile

What's wrong with my car?

amro — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:33:34 -0800

What is wrong with my car? As you can hopefully see from this photo, there is something large and metal that I believe is a part of the rear axle pressing hard into my rear passenger side tire and making it bulge out rather dramatically. There are more photos here. It's clearly not driveable, and I'm having it towed to a garage in the morning. But I hate looking like a dumb broad when I describe what's going on with my car to a mechanic, and I also fear that, to someone less than scrupulous, I have a big target on my head that says, "I'm a sucker and you can charge me anything!" Unfortunately, I don't yet have a trusted mechanic in my town (although I'm asking around tonight among local friends for recommendations). Therefore, I'm hoping to get at least an idea from you fine folks as to what could have happened. I don't recall going over any large potholes, and I didn't have an accident. The car just began making a loud noise, faster or slower depending upon how quickly the tires were rotating, as I drove home from work today. The noise obviously came from the metal pressing against the rotating tire, but I can't pinpoint anything that might have caused the axle, or whatever is pressing into the tire, to come... undone. Any thoughts from the more mechanically inclined? I'll be checking in and happy to provide any additional information. Oh, and it's a 2006 Saturn Ion, automatic tranmission.

South Cariboo Camping in September?

Mitheral — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:16:18 -0800

I'm going to be spending an early September weekend in 108 Mile Ranch for a wedding. We (myself, Mrs. Mitheral and 4 year old) would like to camp for the week after in the area (say no more than a couple hours drive away, less so south eastwards). Recommendations for must see places/things or camping? We'll be car camping with a tent and wouldn't mind staying in a few different places. We don't fish though someplace my daughter could toss a line in from a dock might be a nice diversion. We prefer Provincial park style camping though a Forest Service site would be good for a few nights; a specific recommendation would be great.

Are my car's dents worth fixing?

aliasless — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:22:21 -0800

Are my car's dents worth fixing? I have a lot of dents on my 2002 Honda Civic from living in Chicago. I've since moved to an area that is much easier on vehicles. A reputable body shop gave me an estimate of $2100 to make it look like new. The dents are all cosmetic but make my car look terrible for a vehicle that's only 6 years old.

So, is it worth it? I plan on holding on to this car for at least another 3 or 4 years. Yes, I'll mentally feel better driving a car that doesn't look like a POS, but financially, does cosmetic body work translate into better resale value down the line or would this just be a sunk cost?

Help me lug luggage and Costco stuff in my car

acoutu — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:47:45 -0800

Help me stow more in my 4-door Civic sedan. I've got a 2000 Honda Civic sedan. Two kids in car seats. Stroller (double or single, depending on what we're doing.) My kids will be in car seats for years to come (to age 9).

When we want to go for a picnic or a trip to visit family, we have next to no storage space, if we take a stroller. We'd like to be able to take a big suitcase, diaper bag, diapers, possibly some gifts, etc. For the next couple of years, it would be nice to take a stroller with us, too. It would also be nice to go to Costco or a grocery store and take the stroller or some luggage. Christmas holidays are a real challenge.

But we only drive 3000-5000 km per year. Our car is low mileage. We barely drive it. These storage issues are mostly weekend and holiday problems. We rarely go on long road trips. Most of our driving is in the city, although sometimes we go to the suburbs. We might like to go on a 500-km trip once or twice a year, but not necessarily.

I'd like to avoid buying a minivan and instead stick with the Civic, if possible. Woiuld a roof top carrier help? Is there something I'm not thinking of?

What else could help us store more in and around the car? It must be easy and secure. I'm willing to get creative -- maybe we should have something other than a big suitcase. Inspire me, please!

We live in an apartment building and must fit through the garage door. We have no storage locker and no real room to store any car gear in our condo.

Thanks for your help.

So, on Monday I went to move my car only to discover that my front windshield is all cracked up and I have a lot of questions.

nooneyouknow — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:14:41 -0800

So, on Monday I went to move my car, after 4 days of being parked in the same place, only to discover that my front windshield is all cracked up and I have a lot of questions. From my cursory internet research it looks like the damage is too extensive to be repaired. How long does it take repair/replace a windshield? Ballpark, how much will it cost to get it replaced? My car is a 2004 Hyundai Elantra sedan. Do all of the glass repair people really come to your house to fix or replace the windshield?

My deductible is 500, since I assume the windshield will probably cost less than that to be replaced, should I file a claim with my insurance company, Progessive, anyway? Will my rates go up if I go through my Progressive? Progressive likes to use Safelite "or an affiliate in Progressive's network of approved glass shops". Anyone know anything about Safelite?

What about going to a Hyundai dealer to get it done? My car is still under warranty. Is the glass you get at the glass repair shop as good as the glass you get from the dealer? My windshield is tinted at the top, will the replacement be tinted?

Should I file a police report? I have no idea how it happened or who did it. It happened sometime between 7pm Thursday and 10am Monday.

Anything I should look out for in this process?

Ford's Law?

Exchequer — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:44:28 -0800

Is there a precursor to Moore's Law for internal combustion engines? If so, can you provide details, please?

Seeing (Parts of) America: Managing and Enjoying Our Big Road Trip

Clyde Mnestra — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:42:17 -0800

We actually want to spend 15-20 days this summer driving around America, buying gas and seeing stuff. The questions are, how to get to the stuff from the east coast, and what stuff? My spouse and children (5ish and 12ish) have not seen the vast majority of America, and we would like to expand our horizons. We look to have a little more than 2 weeks on our hands, and a station wagon, and a starting and ending point in the mid-Atlantic. It is probably indispensable to the trip's success to take in California. So here are the questions:

1. How do we get there and back? My original idea had been to drive from the east to the west coast and choose a different route back (e.g., go out along the south, and return through the Dakotas). But this probably chews up more time than we have. Our other thought is to fly out to Vegas or some such place, rent a car, do a loop, and return the car to Vegas (avoiding a one-way dropoff fee). Does anyone have any other clever ideas about how to manage this feat? I am conscious that the mini-loop winds up sacrificing lots that I would like to show them in mid-America, but the best may be the enemy of the halfway feasible.

2. What are some of the indispensables? My kids would like to see LA, SF, Vegas; I would like them to see some national parks and monuments and vistas, like the Grand Canyon, the redwoods, Rushmore, Yosemite, the Rockies, etc. I would love to have your input on a top ten of reasonably compatible highlights. FWIW, one of my concepts is to take in things that they are unlikely to otherwise stumble across, so bonus points for great sites that would be less likely for later destination travel.

3. Any smart travel tips? Such as, join the Holiday Inn Frequent Sleeper Club, get the combo portable DVD player/taser, etc.?

P.S. I have seen some other posts, like the best of Route 1 and Alabama to Seattle, but none have been on point, particularly as to travel with kids. Thanks!

Car CPR

bitteroldman — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 18:16:15 -0800

So after cleaning my car out of a snowbank and driving it about 100 yards the car just dies. It eventually restarts but a big BOOM seemed to come out of the exhaust as I start moving again. Did I break my car? So we had a big snowstorm this weekend, and I spent the afternoon shovelling my car out of a snowbank. I did a pretty thorough job, even cleaning what I could under the body.

This evening I needed to move the car, and as I was driving down the street, the car just died as I was hitting the brakes. For what it is worth, I was driving pretty slow but I didn't really "warm up" the car although I did spend at least 45 seconds manuvering out of my parking space.

The car would not start for a few minutes. Then finally after turning the key and holding it in the "starting" position for about 15 seconds, the engine finally started. As I started off, a big BOOM came out - it sounded like it was coming from the exhaust (although I can't be too sure), and while I drove back, it seemed like the car sounded louder but weaker than normal.

It is very possible that there still was some snow stuck under the car. Could this have had the reported effect? Did I kill my car? What was that boom? Is it safe to drive?

A few facts:

- Daewoo Lanos 2000
- Parked since Friday night (it is Sunday night now)
- Current temperature is about 15 degrees F
- I did a complete job clearing out the snow. The "exit path" from where I parked to the street was clear of snow. There were no piles of snow to drive through. I cleared everything.
- The car has never been affected by cold weather. It has always started even at temperatures way lower than this
- The only time the car "stalled" was during a flood, where I think some water might have touched the wiring, but it was OK a few minutes later.

Searching for an electronic database for every automobile ever!

Detuned Radio — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:32:42 -0800

Does anyone know of any online (or otherwise electronic) databases for every make/model of automobile every produced worldwide? This can be broken up into several separate databases, so if you know of a resource for German, Japanese, American (etc.) cars, that would help too!... I need this information to migrate over into a website I'm developing. I could probably scour for hours on end Kelly Blue Book or other similar sites, or even turn to the library and create my own database, but I'd much rather purchase or freely obtain these databases.

The rub is, I'd ideally like to be able to integrate the info into a website. The site isn't expressly to simply have this database of automobiles, but the user would need the ability to search said database for the car they own now, or owned in 1930 (which explains why I'd like it to span the history of the automobile industry).

Would I need to turn to each manufacturer (in which case, many are overseas or have been out of business for a number of years, which would make things complicated), or would dealers have this kind of info, or is it public domain kind of info and I'd be able to procure it electronically and easily (and freely!) somewhere else.

Thanks so much!

Do any of the various car search sites out there NOT require you to know in advance what make of car you want?

ArgentCorvid — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:14:17 -0800

Do any of the various car search sites out there NOT require you to know in advance what make of car you want? So, after putting my car on its' roof on the ditch last weekend (no one was hurt, thank God/Allah/The FSM), I suddenly find myself in the market for a new car.

All of the car search sites I have come across so far want me to already know what make of car I want. I really couldn't care less who made it, as long as it's reliable and has most of the features I want.

Is there a site out there that will ask me what features are important, then suggest a car, and possibly allow comparison with others?

I'm in the Midwest US, since it probably matters.

Tell me about remote starters for cars.

damn dirty ape — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 22:59:28 -0800

Tell me about remote starters for cars. I'm thinking of getting a remote starter for my older saturn, but honestly dont know much about them other than marketing claims. Can some remote starter owners tell me about cost, installation, everyday usage, things to watch out for, etc? It sounds like such a tempting toy, especially in the winter. The car is an automatic and has a factory alarm.

The only catch here is that I park on the street so the radio on this device has to be good enough to start the car from 100' or so. I usually get a space in front of my building but not always.

I got the blues, baby

Blazecock Pileon — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:30:35 -0800

1. Is blue antifreeze special? 2. If the coolant reservoir is half-full, can I keep driving until I can get what I need? My 2001 Saab 9-3 info panel is telling me to check the coolant level. I opened the hood and the clear coolant reservoir is half-full, and is blue-colored.

In reading on the web, there appears to be numerous warnings about not putting in any color of coolant but what is in the reservoir. For example, mixing orange Dexcool with anything but orange Dexcool will cause cats and dogs to rain from the sky, that sort of thing.

The Saab book also says to take to use "official Saab antifreeze" which I assume I would need to pay the dealer a premium for putting it in.

• If I go to the local auto supplies store, will I find that the blue antifreeze/coolant they sell will work in my car?

• It doesn't seem there's a leak, as far as I can tell — can I keep driving until I get what I need?

What's wrong with my car?

frobozz — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 08:13:59 -0800

Two mechanics have given up. Help me diagnose my car. I drive a 94 Honda Accord with about 194,000 miles. I have a problem with it going dead while I am driving. For the past three weeks it will, at random times (when driving, when stopped, when going very slowly or going 45 mph, uphill, downhill, even grade, and sometimes not at all for days), cut off: the check engine light comes on and the engine dies. There is no spluttering or anything, and I can start it up again easily, although lately it's been taking a little longer to start. The first mechanic found an oil leak around where the spark plugs are and changed the gasket and plugs, but this did not correct the problem. He said he couldn't find anything else wrong. Took it to the second shop for a diagnostic, and they called me back a few hours later and said they also could find nothing wrong and I could come pick it up. The mechanic there said it could be something with the distributor, but he didn't advise me to get any work done in that area because it would be a lot of money and could very easily not be it at all. He said I would most likely have to just keep driving the car until it gave out all together and then someone could find the problem. It is perhaps unnecessary for me to say that I found this suggestion to be neither convenient nor safe. What should I do? Just start changing one component at a time until I hit upon the right one?

Car stalkiing

artdrectr — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:43:08 -0800

Is my old car still on the road? I've owned several cars in my life that were dear to me.
Is there any way to find about their location, or simply (and less intrusively) if they are still operating? VIN search, license plate search, etc?...neither of which seem to google.

Pre-gapped sparkplugs

Aanidaani — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 19:54:46 -0800

Is there any difference in performance between pre-gapped sparkplugs (such as these) and ones that you have to gap yourself? I'm going to be replacing my sparkplugs soon and I wanted to make sure that these pre-gapped plugs aren't a problem. Assuming the gap is correct I can't see any reason why not to use them, but I wanted to see if anyone else had any experience with these types of plugs. Thanks!

Helpe me make lemonade from this lemon.

Lillitatiana — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 18:12:31 -0800

My practically-new car is having serious problems, but the dealers don't believe me. What can I do to get the car fixed once and for all, or else get out of my lease? My 16-month old car (2006 Audi A4 automatic coupe) is experiencing some heady mechanical issues. A few months ago it started stalling on me in the middle of traffic; I would press the accelerator and the RPMs would be going through the roof, but nothing would happen. I'd be stuck. This happens intermittently (at least once a week), but when the problem begins, it continues until I park it awhile and let it rest. The point is, I took it in to a dealership and they said it was fine. Since they couldn't replicate the issue, they said there was nothing they could do. I continued to drive it a few weeks, and then the problem reoccurred, this time in rush-hour traffic on the 101 freeway (I was nearly rear-ended). This time I had it towed to the dealership where I leased it from, but the service manager, in addition to not giving me a loaner car, told me there was nothing they could do if they tested it and it came out fine. My question is, what are my rights in this situation? If this second dealership tells me they found nothing wrong with my car, I'm afraid to drive it for fear of encountering the problem again! Am I stuck with this faulty vehicle for the remainder of my lease just because two dealerships couldn't "replicate the issue"? Can I withhold payments? If not, how else can I fight this? I only want to contact a lawyer when I've exhausted all other avenues. (My payments are being made to Audi Financial and my lease is up in July, 2009.) Thanks so much to anyone who has any suggestions/similar experiences/advice...

vroom vroom!

bitteroldman — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 20:46:37 -0800

CarMaintenanceFilter: Do I really need new spark plugs and a fuel-injector cleaning when I just got them done? April 2006, 67900 miles (10860 km), Mechanic A
I had my spark plugs replaced.

June 2007, 78000 miles (124900 km), Mechanic B
I had my fuel injectors cleaned (with the cleaning compound, using the injector cleaning machine)

Dec 2007, 78200 miles (125133 km), Mechanic C
Regular maintenance, but they tell me that my injectors need cleaning and sparks need to be replaced. When they tell me this, they don't know that I had the work done.

Mechanic A - seems to be reputable and very knowledgeable
Mechanic B - no real proof, but I am giving them the benefit of the doubt that they are honest and skilled as well
Mechanic C - this is the car dealership. Does this make them more honest or reputable? I don't know.

FWIW, I live in a relatively cold climate (winters of -10 Celsius, about 5 F), and have driven rarely in the past year (about 2700 miles, 4300 km). Most of the time, the car sits in the driveway.

So my question is: Did either Mechanic A or B do a shoddy job, is Mechanic C trying to rip me off, or is it "just the way it is", even though I was under the impression that the above-mentioned work would last a whole lot longer than 1.5 years (or 11000 miles) - I am told that sparks should last 25000 miles (40000 km) and injector cleaning should be good for 12000 miles (or 20000 km).

Is there a way to rent a car without a credit card?

General Malaise — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:58:45 -0800

I need to rent a car over the Christmas weekend. I have no credit card (nor want one). Any way to make it happen? (US) I'm flying into Manchester, NH for the Christmas weekend, and I need to rent a car to get to my parents (about an hour drive, no public transportation). However, I do not have a credit card, so I can't make a reservation for a car rental. (I do have a Visa debit card, but that is apparently unacceptable) I do not want a credit card, and even if I did, I find it unlikely that I could get one (some credit issues from a long time ago when I was younger and stupider). I would like to make a reservation, since it'll be a busy holiday weekend, so is there any way to do that without a credit card?

How do I remove a wheel from a car?

OlderThanTOS — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:26:18 -0800

This car is a '97 Toyota and it was was functioning well when parked. It had a flat tire and has been parked in my driveway for three weeks. When I went to change the flat today, I could not get the wheel off. To be clear, the lug nuts all came of relatively easily, but the rim seems to be melded/rusted onto the axle. What do I do? Crowbar? Chisel? Dynamite?

Montreal-Vermont commutes: is AWD necessary?

googly — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:11:13 -0800

Do I need an AWD car for regular trips from Montreal to Vermont? My GF and I will be moving to Montreal in two months. We are fortunate enough to also have a house about three hours away in central Vermont. This house is located about halfway up a (small) mountain, with well-kept and plowed dirt roads and a very steep but paved driveway. We plan on traveling between the two every couple of weeks, year round.

We currently live in Cleveland and own a 2004 Honda Accord. Having grown up on the East Coast and lived in Boston for 7 years, I am familiar with driving in poor weather conditions, and with the limitations of vehicles like the one that I own now. We are wondering whether we should sell the Accord and buy a 4WD or AWD. My questions:

(1) Do you think that an AWD vehicle is necessary, or would we be just fine with the Accord, snow tires, and chains?

(2) If we do decide to go for an AWD, here are our priorities, in rough order:

- Handling in bad weather.
- Reliability.
- Good gas mileage.
- Some extra room for cargo.
- Manual transmission (I really want this; my GF doesn't care)

Everything that we have read (including this and this) seem to point to a Subaru (Outback or Forester), Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, or Honda Element. The CR-V and RAV4 seem not to have manual transmission options; the Subaru seems to get slightly lower gas mileage. The Element is just...ugh. Do you have any suggestions on how to decide between these options?

Should I buy a used rental car?

Cogito — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 12:18:06 -0800

UsedCarFilter: Is buying used from a rental car company, specifically Enterprise, a good idea? First hand experiences appreciated. I just don't trust my '89 Volvo on long journeys anymore, and since I hardly drive except to go on roadtrips, it's becoming increasingly useless to me.

When I go on roadtrips I've been renting cars from Enterprise. I've been quite happy with their service and the cars seem very well maintained. I've noticed that they sell their used cars after a couple years, so I thought maybe this would be a good way to avoid the "new car" price hit, but still be sure that the car was well maintained.

I'd like to hear general thoughts as well as people's specific experiences buying from rental companies. If this question's been asked before, I couldn't find it.

My Mazda won't chill out

punkfloyd — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 08:48:32 -0800

Need help troubleshooting automotive A/C issue. A/C system blows very cold until the outside temperature reaches about 95 degrees, at which point it blows air that is only about 60% as cool; using a digital thermometer to measure. (Noticeable in Texas heat!). The air speed stays the same but it just isn’t as cool and it feels like "outside air even if system is on recirculate. It also takes about 5 minutes for air to start blowing cold if the car has been parked out in the sun. The Mazda dealer said this is normal and that the system if fine.

Any ideas? Low or bad freon? Compressor? A loose belt? Is something plugged up? Should I take to an independent shop and have them evacuate/recharge the system?

What Unmarked Black Helicopter Pilots drive on their days off?

univac — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 21:57:15 -0800

The unmarked black cars cars: why is their existence a secret? A couple weeks ago I was at a gas station in Flagstaff & noticed about six cars that were completely covered with some sort of black material. At first glance, the cars (sort of Scion-shaped, I guess) looked like they were painted black, but they were actually covered with a bunch of panels of black stuff that was criss-crossed with some sort of black tape. The black material stuck out over the edges of the doors to form "flaps" of about six inches. There were no other markings, period. Oh, except for the plates. They all had Kentucky dealer plates. The drivers were men of varied ages & ethnicities. Some of them carried 3-ring binders. I approached one of the drivers & asked him why all the cars were wrapped up like that, & he refused to say. Wikipedia tells me that there's a Toyota plant in Kentucky, so I'm thinking this was some sort of top-secret long-distance driving test of some sort of car of the (near) future.

Just curious if anyone knows what was going on here.

Unobtanium-coated wrenches?

Thorzdad — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 07:28:40 -0800

Automotivetoolfilter...So, my son is about to graduate auto tech school and enter the working world. Now comes the question about getting him properly equipped... Generally, anyone entering the auto-repair industry is expected to have his/her own set of tools. Snap-On has a deal with schools where students can buy their tools at half-price (insert rolling eyes about "half-off" inflated retail prices). We've looked through the catalog and are amazed at just how expensive their stuff is. Even simple things like socket sets and the like are jaw-droppingly expensive with the student discount.

So, my question goes out to the professional automotive MeFites out there...Are tools from the likes of Snap-On, Matco, etc. really worth the premium price? Or will a good set of (affordable!) Craftsman tools do just as well?
Obviously, setting him up with a serviceable starting-set of tools will cost a few bucks no matter where we buy them, but I don't see any reason to let our wallets get gang-raped if I can avoid it (financing tech school did that thoroughly enough already)

For background, my son focused on auto body/collision and interior trim. No engine mechanics. He hopes to work primarily in the interior/trim side of things, but will also probably do a lot of body work.

some don't like it hot

kidsleepy — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 06:41:52 -0800

For about a week, I've noticed a "hot" smell coming from my engine. I don't know how to describe it except that it smells like an iron that has been left on. What is it? I get this smell even when I drive the short (less than 5 minutes) distance between home and work. I don't notice it when I am driving, but it's obvious once I step out of the car.

I drive a 1998 Camry, 175K miles, oil last changed in May, just passed NC state inspection three weeks ago. I know nothing about cars except to check the oil gauge, which I did, and it indicated there was enough oil. Is the smell indicating something serious ($$$) or just something simple that I am overreacting about because I am automobile-ignorant?