AMAs seem to be the cool thing to do lately, so thought I'd give it a try. Have been a mechanic for 15 odd years, worked on everything from Hyundai to Porsche. Recently moved to marine in the last year or so. Will try to answer when I can.
Edit - Wow this was much more popular than anticipated, thanks for the great response everyone, hopefully it's helped a few people out.
Thanks brendanm for the informative AMA.
I that a question that's pretty lengthy, so I've DMed you the question. Thanks in advance.
1.Should I warm up my car before I drive off?
2. Is it ok to constantly leave the car running and air con turning on while not moving
3.any benefit to switch off the air con before you turn off the car and only switch the air con back on after the car been running for a while next time when you drive the car again.
No.
Yes.
No.
Every time I turn off my AC, it switches from recirculated air to fresh air, and I have to switch it back because I don't want fresh air coming in. That means I always have to turn off the AC before I switch off the engine, just to make sure it's back on Recirc when the engine is off.
But is this actually doing anything? Will it go back to fresh air when I turn off the engine even though I manually set it to recirc?
What car? What does the climate control panel say the next time you start it and out a/c on?
@brendanm: it's an i30 GD 2013 model.
It has digital buttons as opposed to a slider.
Every time I turn on the AC or heater, it will go to fresh air, so I have to switch it back. When I turn it off, it does the same.
But it does this on my Toyota Corolla as well, which has a physical button that presses inwards for recirc air. The button will pop back out.
I don't think the cars like recirculated air. But as someone who can't handle pollution from other cars, I don't have a choice.
@lostn: Its pretty standard, both my cars do it as well. I assume it's a safety thing, probably not good to have no fresh air coming into a car over a long period.
@brendanm: I don't do long drives. When I open my door to get in and out, that's when the fresh air comes in.
I don't even open my windows. Like, ever. Well, except to throw out some skin I peel off around my finger nails when stuck in traffic I guess.
@lostn: If you get a BMW or anything VAG you can probably program them to remember the recirculation setting, everything else, you're just going to have to press that button every time.
@brendanm: I don't get why you would want to use it with fresh air.
When it's hot, you're constantly pulling in the hot outside air, making your AC work even harder to cool the hot air.
When it's cold and you're using heater, same problem.
@lostn: Recirc is to quickly cool or heat the interior, then you normally switch to fresh. The a/c and heater have enough heating/cooling capacity to heat and cool with it set to fresh. People don't like sitting in a sealed compartment breathing recirculated air for too long.
Excellent AMA.
What is the most reliable convertible car and easy to maintain? - if there is such a thing.
MX5s are cheap but can have overheating issues in the NA and NBs. Parts are cheap too, they're just slow.
Mx5 easily. Or a nice E30 convertible
Who would have thought this thread would be this popular! Well done on getting through all the answers.. My question is not a technical one but one I always wondered..
I work in an office job dealing with spreadsheets all day and excel models, hence when I do work on my car I really do enjoy it. Now I must say it was only last year I did my first oil change but I really enjoyed working with my hands.
Now before you got sick of working with cars and moved onto boats, the first couple of years did you actually enjoy working on different types of cars with different issues. When it’s a job do you get a sense of self accomplishment or doesn’t it just become a job.. Also when you go home are you mentally cooked?
Now I realise most likely when it’s your job it just becomes a job and the reason I enjoyed working on my car is since I don’t do it very often. However, my counter would be I doubt you open up a spreadsheet to get your rocks off when time permits!
As a side question I have managed to do an oil change on a couple of cars and change simple things such as air filters. Do you think it’s a stretch too far to attempt to replace my break rotors and discs by myself of course aided by many a diy video on you tube!
Good question! I actually still enjoy working on cars, I just dislike servicing really. I much prefer a good problem to solve, or a large job that you can really get into. Servicing is extremely boring and monotonous.
Not mentally cooked, more physically some days, especially with boats, there is a bit of contortionist work involved haha. I do still enjoy working on my boat or car sometimes, when time permits and I'm not interrupted by kids every 5 minutes.
Definately not a stretch, just have to make sure to do it by the book, torque things up correctly etc. If in doubt, stop and ask a question. You will obviously take longer than someone who does it every day, but I have no doubt you'd be able to do it if you can do basic mechanical tasks. Probably the most important thing is to not ever get under a car supported just by a jack.
Great AMA!
What do you think about the VW Tiguans? 2016/17 132 or 162TSI model.
What do you think about performing servicing at ultratune/kmart tyre and auto/etc VS dealership VS independents?
Should be a good thing as they both have the new wet clutch dsg. I don't mind the tiguans at all, pretty good fuel economy generally as well, but can burn a bit of oil.
Recently I had bad experience with my car. My coolant valve was broken so I take out coolant all from radiator but not from spare box onnnected with radiator. I top up with new coolant after replace valve.may be I spill little around. But I did fill up till top. But since when engine get hit I smell sweet smoke from aircondtion . Is it because I spill or because engine problem?
What car? Was the valve leaking? You may have a leak from the heater core under the dash, or you may have just spilt some coolant, how long ago did you replace it?
Its hundai Getz. that valve was under radiator. I replace it. Since then I keep checking seem coolant level not dropping. Before was under low line, But smell still comes. Is it because I spill around motor?
Or Is it because mix with old coolant?
Valve under the radiator? Do you mean the drain tap? It will probably be because you've spilt it, wash it down with water around the radiators where you spilt the coolant.
@brendanm: Yes. Will not affect my engine? If I spray direct around? Or if I do not wash will be any harm to engine?
@Zonty: Don't spray in the air intake, don't spray on top of the engine where the spark plugs go. Anything else is generally ok to spray. Washing it down is more to find if the smell stops, if the smell doesn't stop you probably still have a leak somewhere.
Thanks for this Brendan!
I have a 2018 Audi S3 with the DSG and am planning on getting a stage 1 ECU tune. This will likely be the only modification to the car. Thinking about keeping the car medium to long term but also worried about the effect on the reliability of the DSG particularly being a VAG car. In your opinion will a tune like this significantly affect the likelihood of running into issues in the future? Cheers
I wouldn't be worried at all. I've done a mild tune on my Passat with dsg and don't give it a second thought. Make sure to service the dsg on time! You can also get dsg tunes to firm them up if you wanted, as well as change the shifting characteristics.
why are German cars hated by some mechanics?
Probably because they are sooks. Honestly no idea, most german things are ok to work on. I suppose when they see something like an Audi where you pull the entire front clip off to do the timing belt, it looks intimidating. In reality it comes off very easily and quickly, and makes replacing the belt very simple.
Some German things require a tonne of work to do seemingly simple things, but I'm not sure why the mechanic would care, the customer would be upset if anything.
What do you think of the Skoda's ? I have the MY 18 Octavia wagon and I believe the entry models have the dry clutch compared to the wet clutch for the RS variants. Maintenance wise, is there anything I should look into for long term ?
I like Skoda, I hate dry clutch dsg. The biggest thing for dry clutch dsgs is to learn how to drive them. Don't creep in traffic, don't use them to sit on a hill, don't slip them going up driveways etc. You want the clutches to be either engaged, or disengaged, it's very similar to driving a manual. If you use the clutch to hold your car on a hill, it will dry the clutch, same thing with the dry clutch dsg.
Can I do those things if I have a wet clutch DSG?
They are much more forgiving, but still shouldn't be done too much. Anytime there is slipping, there is wear occuring. The wet clutches aren't prone to the shudder as they have the fluid to cool them, whereas the dry ones simply can't get rid of the heat.
You shouldn't hold a regular auto on a hill using just the throttle either to be honest, all that's happening is you are converting power from the engine straight into heating the transmission fluid.
Hi Brendan, I have a 2016 Golf 7 (1.4 TS). I get it serviced as per the schedule without fail. Is there anything I should be doing additional to make sure it lasts? I bought it new. Also is there anything I can do to increase its performance (without compromising the reliability of the vehicle?)
It has a DSG box.
More than likely there will be tunes available for the little 1.4. Make sure to check the oil between services, they are known to burn it.
Check out my comment above on driving the dry clutch dsg.
Hi brendanm,
Will i be able to bend this sill back? Is it a load bearing?
https://gyazo.com/442c7b8400540f2677cfeb06a8c8e830
Thanks.
You can bend that back no problem, it is simply the jacking point, someone has used a trolley jack or similar on it and tweaked it, not a big deal at all.
Thanks for the AMA!
Recently a family friend bought an used boat and it came with the Evinrude 175HP E-TEC Engine
It broke down at the river and kept saying no oil (apparently some oil thing tipped inside)
And it wasn't the first time that there was some problem with the engine
Is this engine a piece of poo that should be replaced with something better?
Thanks!
Etec can be fine, if it has issues it probably wasn't looked after very well by the previous owner. Hard to say about this particular one without knowing what the actual issues were.
Skoda kodiaq. Yay or nay?
Seem nice, haven't had much to do with them, but both engines should come with wet clutch dsg, so should be alright.
Hey OP,
Your experience with a premium SUVs with less issues?
or a suggestion for a reliable and good value for money Premium or Luxury SUV?
Lexus if you want the least issues.
P0725 Code on Mitsubishi Outlander auto 2.4 ZG 2007???
Google says Engine speed input circuit malfunction.
What to look for?
Thanks in advance.
Have never struck it but just had a look at the service manual procedure for diagnosing it and it is not an easy one. Can be malfunction of the can bus (system all the computers use to talk to each other), malfunction of the ecu, malfunction of tcu, or possibly mechanical issues as well. Would likely best be solved by a very good auto electrician.
great AMA brendanm and interesting hope the career change goes well
Thanks mate 👍
How easy is it to tell if a car's been in an accident before?
What do they do with used oil filters. Do they get recycled or straight to landfill?
Can be quite easy, other things are less obvious. Paint overspray where it shouldn't be, brand new reinforcement bars, clamp marks in the sills from a car-o-liner, new suspension components on one side only etc
Oil should be drained for at least an hour then they can technically be tossed in the standard rubbish, you can also buy it make up a little press to crush them, which gets most of the oil out, then recycle. Most filters nowadays are a reusable cap with only the internal paper element getting replaced, which greatly reduces waste.
Favourite car to work on?
Anything designed with some logic haha. Anything where they make you take off 50 things to change an oil filter gets a big thumbs down.
Hi Brendan,
Thinking about getting either a used BMW M140i or Audi S3. Which would you recommend? Would one be better for reliability and cheaper maintenance?
Probably much of a muchness really, between those two I'd drive them both and just picked whichever I enjoyed the most.
Have you ever met or know of any female mechanics?
Had a female work experience person once, that was it.
Did she enjoy it?
Seemed to, but wasn't very good, but only about 1 in 10 work experience people ever were.
I went to have a look at my Aurion air filter today. I saw this
Have nice got in to the air intake at at sometime in it's life of 10 years?
Yep that's what it looks like. Get some baits asap, they will eat your wiring loom and cause all sorts of issues.
Thanks. It would be from many years ago. The previous owner lived in a remote country area.
Wow you are a pretty awesome person answering all these questions so I thought I'd throw in my own
I have a 4wd 94 Mitsubishi Delica l400 and it seems I get charged what we in the Delica circles call "the Delica tax" for just about everything - are imports much harder to work on?
I have seen a few mechanics scratch their heads dumbfounded when I have needed some repairs
Also I keep cracking heads do you have any tips on changing a 4m40 head myself? Its mega expensive paying someone to do it and I want to give it a go next time myself
I am a fair bit mechanically minded but mostly worked on old ford escorts and 70s falcons when I was a kid
It's not so much imports as delicas themselves. Everything is a nightmare to get to engine wise. Lots of the time they seem to have rust issues as well for some reason, which makes it harder again.
Edit - also, wasting time finding parts is an issue, sometimes they are triton parts, sometimes weird bits specific to delicas, and changes with different years.
You should find out why it's doing heads rather than continue replacing them. Is the wastegate working? Cooling system ok? Injectors ok? Has the correct head gasket been used (there are different thicknesses)? Apart from that, are the crappy access due to it being a delica, it is nothing crazy to do. Replace the head bolts as well.
Thanks mate
I'll just post a little follow up
Yeah I have had the head replaced 3 times in roughly 12 years by different mechanics including specialist Delica ones
I have a standard cooling system that is supposedly ok (as said by last mechanic) and also replaced the injectors twice in the last decade, I'm guessing they used the right headgasket? But I don't really know
Thinking of modding a massive radiator into it from a pajero 55mm thick :)
Does it get hot? Wastegate working?
@brendanm: It's ok now but because it's happened a few times it's something I'm always thinking of
First time it did seem to run hot (over half on the guage on a hot day) but because i only just got it I thought that was normal (silly me I should have known)
Second head it ran cooler (I did get a new rad and cooling system looked at the same time) but when I took it camping on a 40+ degree day (it's only used for camping so doesn't get out much) it got dramatically hot about 1/2 hour away from lake Eildon and on the way back I babyed it and stopped for a break every time the guage got to 1/2 way and it made it home ok
But the next time I started it up a few weeks later it was running shht and so I took it to a mechanic and the head was cracked again
Wastegate is working just fine
It might just be my bad luck lol
Edit: it was like 5 years after the first replacement head when the second cracked
cooling system looked at the same time
Do you know what that involved?
If the radiator's been replaced and it's still overheating I'd be pulling the thermostat and inspecting the water pump before doing any modding or installing of upgraded parts.
Tridon do a high flow thermostat for your Delica (part number TT299-170) which should be easy to find online or at one of the big car parts stores.
What sub-$5k small cars from early 2000s would you recommend for a uni student learning to drive in terms of reliability and fuel economy?
Corolla probably. Hyundai Getz if you wanted to be well under budget.
I remember driving a hire car Hyundai getz and it was so horrible to drive. Corolla it is then
Hi OP, thanks for the AMA!
My wife has a forester turbo, and the mechanic we take it too is very good, but he insists we do oil changes every 5,000km for longevity of the engine etc etc.
It's a my10 XT . It's just her daily driver and she doesn't thrash it or anything.
Is he right that it needs to be done every 5,000 km?
cheers!
He is probably just being cautious as those have a habit of doing big end bearings if run a little low on oil, also of seizing turbos from coked oil. If she is just driving it around normally a good oil changes at 10k would be fine.
Hi, what are your thoughts on replacing air filters? Change as per schedule or inspect and change if it looks dirty? What’s your process
For instance if a car has done 30k in three years but all inner city and the air filter looks fine, should it be replaced?
If under warranty, replace by the log book schedule or when dirty, whatever comes first. They can look fine but still be restricted, inner city definately isn't free of dust. You can always blow back through it with an air blower and see what comes out.
Hi, I Have a Mazda 3 2008 (auto) and it's done 224,000km, should I be changing the ATF? the colour is light golden. Should I only be using the Mazda brand fluids or is any alternatives that are fit for my car is ok? also if you could give me an estimate for flush vs change (from local mech). Much appreciated!
Yes all autos need servicing, how long has it been since it was done? Any fluid that meets the specifications required is fine, the bottles will normally tell you what specs it meets. Fluid change probably $130 or so, flush at least double, a lot more time and a lot more fluid.
Okay thanks for that, I probably should do it asap, I bought it at 150, it's at 224 now lol. Still the fluid doesn't look too bad.
Hi, whats your take on the Ford Focus transmission gearbox? The car used to litteraly shake at low speeds, but after the clutch replacement it has been fine. Do you think Ford has fixed the issue or not, dealerships are very quiet on this matter.
They can't really fix it, dry clutch dual clutch boxes just can't handle the heat. If you drive it like a manual it will live longer, don't hold it on hills, don't creep in traffic etc. If they could fix it they wouldn't be buying back people's cars ;)
What are you thoughts on friction modifying oil additives? I have been using mos2 for years and swear by it
I can't see anything wrong with it at all, but I'm not a chemist haha. Molybdenum is used in assembly lines when building engines, great anti wear. It's likely the same as zinc, being removed for emissions reasons.
Hi Brendan.
I have a 2010 Yaris YR and few months ago it had water leaking under the dashboard from passenger's seat.
I found that the AC drain hose pipe was clogged because no cabin air filter!
Is it normal for cars in AU that cabin air filter is not included?
Thanks.
its the best AMA ever!
It depends on the car and the spec level. Some lower specs don't get one but have the place for one. Some people will leave them out if they get dirty and don't want to pay for another one. They are pretty cheap to have nice clean air coming into your car I think.
Jee bud, you have enough clientèle here to kick start your own business in a tick. Good on ya answering all the questions, most impressive and helpful!
Haha I've pretty much doubled my workload this week with this ama :P Cheers mate.
Hello.
I’m cross-shopping automatic 2009-2012 Foresters, 2010-2012 CRVs and 2011-2014 Tiguans (2L turbo) in the $10-15K range with <100,000KM.
What are your views on reliability from an engine, transmission and the impact on general running costs and maintenance of these three cars? I’d be driving less than 5000km per year, mostly city motoring but the fairly frequent weekend trip out of the sticks.
Brendan said 118 engine VW is not good (usually in golfs). The Tiguan if less than 100k kms and not the 118 engine, should be ok. Jeremy Clarkson mentioned Subaru doesn't die, Forester isn't bad either. I would stay away from Honda. coz it is more expensive and parts are more expensive. If odo is around 80000km you should not change the parts if it's driven ok before you. Before you hit 100,000 it will be 4 years already. You might consider to sell it and buy a new one by then. Now the word to the professional.
You've picked some good ones there! Forester head gasket leak issues have (apparently) been addressed by 2009/10, but have it checked anyway, very easy to see. It will likely feel the slowest and have the worst economy, also has a timing belt.
CRV is good, no real issues, timing chain so no belt replacement cost, nice to drive, parts tend to be a bit more expensive, buy the same can be said of Subaru.
Tiguan is nice, good power and torque, wet clutch dsg. This and CRV should have similar real world economy. It will possibly have the high oil consumption mentioned a few times in this thread. They can have issues with the silly plastic water pump, which is in a silly place under the intake manifold. You can get aluminium replacements.
The CRV or Tiguan would be my choice, only because the Subaru is a bit underpowered for my liking, but you should give all 3 a drive
I know you and the manual said 10 000kms or every 1-year engine oil change. I have made only 2000kms on fully synthetic Pnrite oil, which is the most expensive out there? Enigine is 2.1 turbo diesel. Should I still change it or can I make another 2000kms within next year with it and then change it? yey, the bargain way or ney? Thanks.
Have you done only short trips, or only a few longer trips?
short trips 40 minutes - 1.5 hour each within the eastern suburbs, 2 times a week. Thanks for the AMA. I am still reading page by page. On page 6 atm :)
Oh ok, that isn't short trips :) Shirt trips is 50m to the shop where it doesn't even have time to warm up. You should be fine to go the two years, keep in mind that other things need replacing as well, brake fluid, coolant etc.
Is it silly for me to put Michelin PS4s on my Tucson? It came with Contisports and the PS4s are in the same price bracket but they seem to be targeted at a sporty market. I'm most interested in safety and quietness.
Not at all, it's better to have too good a tyre than not good enough. You can compare the "wear rating" on the tyres to see which technically should last the longest, higher number it better. Will generally give you an idea as to which has more grip as well.
is there a website to compare tyres and see some reviews too? Which ones would you recommend? I've used http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk to choose my last tyres set
Have to disagree on the wear rating comparison between tyre brands as it's not an independent test and is easily fudged. It is useful for comparing different model tyres within a brand.
I've had 2 sets of Bridgestone RE050A with a TWR of 140. You'd think they'd last 5 minutes but I got 35k out of the first set and have 33k on current set that will need replacement in July. I've had TWR 250 tyres from other brands (Khumo / Toyo) that have lasted less kms.
Agree on PS4. A great tyre that will give fair mileage and improve most cars.
That's why I said "technically" ;) have to agree it isn't very scientific, but does give a rough idea.
Are Subarus expensive to service compared to Toyota, Mazda, Honda etc.?
Also what is the reliability of modern Kia/Hyundai?
That's correct, from memory it's on the drivers side toward the rear, an 8 or 10mm Allen key bung. Must be checked with engine running, in park or neutral, park would be the best bet if you are checking it on the ground. Should technically be checked at 70° or so fluid temp, but doing it when cold will be close enough to at least get an idea, and you won't get scorched with hot oil of you are just sliding under it to check it.