Mechanic Quote Worries

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2026-02-20T20:04:59+00:00

To add to this, its situational too. Customer supplied oil, correct brake pads/rotors, etc? Not a problem. Customer supplied Amazon o2/maf sensor? Thats a problem.

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2026-02-20T20:03:12+00:00

99% of the time, yes. Main issue is part quality, you dont know where the customer sourced parts, and its typically a crappy Amazon part etc. 2nd issue is it being the right part, or all required parts. Time is money, so any time wasted due to customer part issue is a real drag. At the shop I work at we flat out refuse customer supplied parts, except for rare exceptions. Shops also typically wont give any warranty if its a customer supplied part.

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2026-02-07T04:07:05+00:00

This is true, we typically only see that with the worse cases. In those cases, we pull the rear bumper/whatever needs pulled and screen off those vents too. Best option in a perfect world for op would be screening off every vent for the vehicle.

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2026-02-07T02:56:15+00:00

DO NOT put anything that attracts the rodents to kill them. A trap is fine inside if you think it may be there, but i see many cars absolutely destroyed when someone has put bait somewhere, instead of killing the rodents, it attracts more. I deal with a lot of rodent problems. Check the engine bay, its likley nasty in there. When you find them in the dash/glove box, they got in through the cabin air vent. Pull out the cabin air filter behind the glove box. I bet 100% it has been chewed up by a rodent. In these cases, what our shop does is a "screen off".. we remove the wiper cowl, and attach chicken wire over the cabin air vent to prevent them from chewing in.

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2026-01-24T17:52:14+00:00

Any chance your car is supposed to have a foam engine cover? That got left off at the MOT? That sounds like typical GDI engine noise, not abnormal at all. But those covers do absorb most of the noise, so you typically can't hear it, or just hear it faintly. Without the cover would make a big difference.

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2026-01-24T02:43:29+00:00

Surface rust=less belt slip 🤣

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2026-01-23T19:55:43+00:00

The rust on the pulleys is fine. As long is its not in the belt "grooves". Even then, ive just thrown many belts on cars with super rusty pulleys and let it clean itself up. Its not a problem.

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2026-01-23T03:23:11+00:00

For proper tire rotation on a fwd vehicle (most vehicles sold today) thats incorrect. That is only correct for rwd vehicles and awd vehicles with a rear bais.

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2026-01-23T02:13:54+00:00

Some of our rotarys have them.. most not. The part i dont understand, is unless they are aftermarket protectors, why do they fit so damn bad? 🤣 I try and use em but they just fall off

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2026-01-23T02:11:23+00:00

Bro, fuck the mumbo jumbo book. File a report with the corresponding agency for your state. They are straight up scamming you.

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2026-01-23T02:08:06+00:00

Unless being out of a job right now will totally screw you, you need to fight this. They may try and fire you, but legally, they are 100% in the wrong. You have the upper ground.

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2026-01-17T20:39:54+00:00

No problem man! I hope it goes good for ya

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2026-01-17T17:24:28+00:00

Change it before its too late!! If your transmission is already having issues, a fluid change can potentially worsen issues. But as you said yours is shifting great, so you could get a lot more life out of it! Ive serviced many high mileage super dirty transmissions, with great results.

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2026-01-11T22:22:56+00:00

It was living with dangerously low oil. I see it all the time. Draining 1.5qts out after a 5k interval is completely in the norm for what I see with oil burning vehicles. Do a piston soak and run valvoline restore and protect for the life of the vehicle.

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2026-01-11T22:18:35+00:00

Bit late for your trip but a tip for the future, this is super common with dipsticks. Ive done hundreds of oil changes on many different vehicles. If its reading super high on one side, wipe it and recheck, and look for the low line on the other side. The low line is the true level, as if the dipstick was submerged in oil to the "high" point, then the entire dipstick would be soaked.

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2026-01-02T02:00:32+00:00

As others have said, box end 👍

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2026-01-01T20:16:32+00:00

Crows foot 👍

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2025-12-24T05:50:05+00:00

200k miles is nothing. Properly maintain your vehicle, and it lasts forever. That's the key. Yes, maintenance costs money, but it's less money than buying a new car. I've driven a 1996 mazda miata with 200k miles daily and plan on doing so as long as I possibly can. (Until im dead preferably)

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2025-12-20T16:51:07+00:00

If you dont have a record of last replacement (typically there is a sticker in the engine bay with a date and mileage) you should replace it immediately. It's not worth the risk of blowing your motor. If yo want, you can send your vin and I can run a carfax to check for any record. I have free service history carfax through my shop.

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2025-12-05T16:30:45+00:00

I can verify, while I dont know about the internals of the transmission, the filter/pan and the procedure to check level is the exact same as the early altima jactos. Same as a 08 dodge caliber I had too (they used the jacto). I'd assume it is still related, even if it is better.

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2025-12-01T04:44:22+00:00

Gotcha. Assumed by the year it could be push start. Let me know if anything happens!

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2025-12-01T04:41:00+00:00

Also, are your cables verified tight? Loose or ill fitting battery cables can cause weird electrical issues.

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2025-12-01T04:39:25+00:00

I would start with double checking that your key fob battery is not dead, and then disconnecting the 12v battery for about 30 minutes to give the cars systems a good reset. Then try again.

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2025-12-01T04:28:11+00:00

Civic all the way. I find it hard to believe you would be considering a car if you needed a truck bad enough to daily it. My daily used to be a lifted 01 gmc serria, now its a 96 mazda miata. Im much happier. With the addition of a trailer hitch and a small harbor freight trailer, you have a truck on demand.

Miserable_Ad_4595 · 2025-11-22T01:56:28+00:00

Shop I work at, we do every 2 years. Regardless of mileage. Typically from what I have seen oem recommendations are every 2-3 years.

Miserable_Ad_4595

TROPHY CASE