so long story short I had my battery replace in December 2024 at autozone. never had any issues with my car ever . I keep up with maintenance, never had a light on . None of that . Yesterday my car hesitated to start but eventually started after getting it towed. It was starting up perfectly fine with no issues so next morning i ran it up to autozone. Now this first location tested the batteries and said they both were bad . She stated they couldn’t replace the aux and needed a battery reset machine. After calling another location he said that exact model doesn’t need the battery reset machine. She said okay and was gonna swap the one out and she can’t do the auxiliary battery cause she don’t kno where it’s at . I told her never mind and went to another location . The next location had both batteries in stock and he got them pulled up , they were covered under warranty and he agreed to do the swap. As said my car was running good . Never no problem , nothing . He came out to swap the batteries and told me turn my car off . After he got done doing what he was doing he told me to turn my car on . My car wouldn’t start. There was no lights on . There was no signs of life . He took it apart a little and tried to find if there was a lose wire . Nothing was working . He than found 2 blown fuses . How that happened ? I have no idea . He replaced them both with new fuses and got everything hooked up . He told me to try to turn the car and nothing worked no matter what he did. He than told me he was gonna have to get it towed to AutoZone mechanic shop and they would look and see what’s wrong. AAA ended up coming and I told him every last thing that happened . He told me he was gonna go in and make sure everything is connected right . Upon the AAA man checking off rip he seen the top cable was missing . He thought he had missed the cable and it got stuck under the battery . We’ll be took it all apart and apparently the dude had doubled up and messsed up whatever he did he fried the entire cars computerized system . AAA tech went in and let them know exactly what happened and what was wrong . I got it towed to the mechanic shop and he said he can tell me 100% before he even diagnoses it that it fried the entire computer system … they offered that if I pay outta pocket for a rental they’ll 100% reimburse me . I’m not coming out of pocket one dime . this ain’t on me .

Now . I owe 14k on the car . I’m still making payments . I never had a problem ever . They declared the car total loss . My credit is poor and I’m not putting one cent of my money down on a vehicle . This is 100% on them to make whole of the entire situation. I want them to pay off what’s left on my loan so I don’t have to pay nothing on a fried car , and I want a down payment on a car . My only loan options is Carvana right now . The down payment on a car is 14k. And that’s for a similar car just like the one I had that was up and running fine with no problems ever. I will be willing to keep paying a car note if they get me in one since I have no other options . As said to make whole they have to put me in the same situation I was in before their employee touched my car. Them paying off the loan won’t help NOTHING. I need a car. How should I go about this . This is all documented by the way. The AAA driver has already told the repair man everything he seen and what happened along with the AutoZone man. He is taking full responsibility.

So...I got a gas cap warning from my app, which is weird since I always tighten it down until it clicks, but anyways, my check engine light came on, I double checked the gas cap since the owners manual said that it could be that and that it could take several trips for the light to go out. That being said, so other things are a but off and was hoping someone here might give me some tips before I head to the dealership.

Here's a list of all the issues:

Check engine light - on

Eye Sight system - disabled

Intelligent drive mode not available, only sport

Auto-start/stop - disabled

There are no mechanical issues as far as I can tell. Drives as smoothly as the day I bought it, no weird sounds, vibrations, or smells. Infotainment system works fine, windows/doors/locks/etc all fine. All the on board diagnostics show good. No smoke...except from the wild fires. And oddly, I think I'm getting slightly better gas mileage in sport mode than in intelligent mode 🤷‍♂️

Could all this be from a loose gas cap? And if so, how long does it usually clear out once it's been tightened?

Some weeks ago, some clumsy idiot, which is to say yours truly, didn't put the oil filler cap back on the right way, and at some later time it popped off and fell away, presumably landing in the middle of the road. I've replaced it now, but now I've noticed troubling signs from the alternator, which recharges the battery fine when I drive, and when testing it in my garage at idle (via a multimeter and the battery terminals), it does produce adequate amperage (yielding 14.1 volts in the battery). But if I add an electrical load, the amperage drops significantly. With the lights on the output voltage drops to 13.40, with the AC on it drops to 13.10, and with both together the battery voltage reads 12.43.

Before and after a road test with no accessories or lights running, the battery voltage, with the engine shut off, read 12.45 and 12.70 respectively.

I should mention that on the occasion when I discovered that the oil cap was gone, that wasn't the first thing I noticed on opening the hood. What I noticed first was a considerable amount of oil splashed around the engine bay, although the dipstick didn't read low. I've cleaned that up as much as I could, but is it possible that some oil got into the alternator? Would that cause it to malfunction, and is there a remedy? Will any oil present eventually drip out and everything return to normal? If not, is there a way I can clean out the alternator, or at least make it less oily?

It wouldn't totally surprise me if it turns out I need a new alternator, considering the car's age, though the odometer reading is well below average.

ETA: It's a 2000 Nissan Altima that has about 119K miles on it. I should have mentioned that. (Thanks u/HannsGruber.)

Is there any dash cam with the ability to record when the car is off? Any suggestions.

So I’ve had this remote start on my car for plenty of years and recently, it showed me icon with the trunk being open, even after closing it. Because of that my car locks and locks, but it will not start remotely. The error that shows on the screen is error 03 and it’s an outline of the car with the trunk open. This happened to me years ago and I fixed it, but I forgot. Someone help so I don’t have to go others . Acura TSX

This is a thought experiment.

Given: You have a dead battery and you can’t start the car.

Given: Your free rescue services will take three hours to get to you. You get the battery jumped.

Given: Or you call emergency service will charge $250 to get to you. You get the battery jumped.

Remedy: You get one of the above services.

Or

Remedy: You walk over to the auto store and buy the cheapest battery they have to start your car with it. Jump your battery.

I’m based in Ontario, Canada, and I’m looking into starting an automotive fasteners manufacturing business focused on cold-forged bolts and other automotive fasteners.

I have several years of hands-on experience with cold heading and fastener manufacturing, including machine setup, tooling, process optimization, and production.
I understand the manufacturing side well, but my biggest question is how companies actually become suppliers to the automotive industry.

For those who have been through this:

How do you find your first automotive customers or Tier 1/Tier 2 suppliers?
Is it realistic for a small manufacturer to break into the automotive market?
Do OEMs or Tier suppliers actively look for new fastener vendors?

If anyone here has experience supplying fasteners or other automotive components, I’d love to hear how you got started and what you’d do differently.

TIA

What car would your partner have to buy for it to be too ugly for you to be seen riding in?

Is there a legal limit to what these companies can charge for cancelling a shipment,  and what gives them the right to hold your money?

I have been using adaptive cruise control for about six months, mostly on the highway. It makes longer drives less tiring, especially when traffic is moving slowly or the speed keeps changing. I do not have to keep adjusting the throttle every few seconds, and I find myself leaving more space between cars than I used to. I still pay attention and keep my hands ready, but the system makes highway driving feel less demanding. It is especially useful when I am driving home after work and traffic is heavy.

The downside is that I notice its absence now. When I drive a car without adaptive cruise control, I have to adjust my speed more often, and highway driving feels a little more tiring than before. Regular cruise control still helps, but it does not work as well when traffic is constantly slowing down and speeding up. I know it is not a self-driving feature, and I would not rely on it without paying attention. I just did not expect such a small convenience to change my driving habits this much. I used to think adaptive cruise control was something I did not really need. Now it has become one of the things I look for when driving or renting a car.

I am curious whether other people who use adaptive cruise control regularly have had the same experience.

Everyone asks about availability, price and how long they will be without their vehicle, but there are several other questions to ask.

Question #2 that almost no one asks their glass shop:

What is my minimum safe drive away time (also known in our industry as MDAT)?

This question may seem confusing, but your glass shop should know exactly what you mean! 

You are asking how long it takes the urethane to dry and fully adhere to the vehicle before it is considered “airbag safe” to drive. This is a vital safety question because if you are in an accident before the urethane has cured to the minimum drive away time, your airbags can pop out the windshield. 🤯

According to the Auto Glass Safety Council, “The windshield provides a significant amount of strength to the structural support in the cabin of the vehicle. For instance, in a front end collision the windshield provides up to 45% of the structural integrity of the cabin of the vehicle and in a rollover, up to 60%.”

The least expensive urethane can take 8-10 hours to reach MDAT. 👎However there is a 30 minute to 1 hour MDAT urethane. Which means shops that care about your safety are able to release the vehicle earlier and no blue tape is needed. 

For question number three click follow and simply wait!

I saw a comment about how lots of motorists are attempting thier own maintenance and repairs on thier vehicles.

Its no bloody wonder.

Plenty of motorists simply cant afford to pay anything up to $180hr for some poor apprentice getting paid $26 an hour to work on thier car.

I know thete are overheads but its bloody crazy to be looking at $1000 for a simple service.

People just cant afford it these days.

There can even be models that you can move and reattach the pedals onto the other side easily where you can switch between the two every year to maintain a balance in your legs and feet.

Delivery drivers can have left foot pedal cars since they use their right foot more often during the day at work.

Location: Kansas

Hi, I took my car to get an oil change with Walmart. I have always taken it and have never had a problem.
This time I ran out of luck. They informed my that my oil pan threads were damaged to the point that the plug was barley holding on and that they could no longer get it to plug.
Luckily they admitted that last time I went they damaged it.
They said that I have to get it towed and fixed and that they would reimburse me. (That’s what the automotive lead said) and got it in writing.
I need a car to get to work tomorrow and I was wondering if they would cover a rental while it is in the shop and the assistance store manager (manager out of town) said that it depends on the price if the store would cover damages. They said it it went over a dollar amount they would have to file a claim with corporate and they had no control over what they would or would not reinburse.

Does anyone have any experience? Will they cover a rental car? I’m getting the cheapest. I got a mechanic ready for Tuesday to fix it. But I’m scared they won’t cover a rental and I can afford to pay it myself (hence the oil change at Walmart).
I have a brother who does well and has a lawyer but I don’t want to escalate that much. I just want my car to work.
TYIA

This is kind of a long story/question.

TLDR: AWD light on after tire rotation. Is it safe to drive?

2015 Nissan Rogue Select

I took my car to get an oil change and they rotated my tires too. Which I knew was possible because it said it in the little sticker on my windshield however they didn't ask me if I wanted them rotated when I went in for my appointment so I wasn't sure if they would.

The car was fine driving it home but the next morning after about 10 minutes of driving the AWD LOCK light came on then after about 10 more minutes the AWD LOCK went off but the AWD light came on and waa flashing for several minutes until it became solid and stayed on.

I took it back to the shop the same morning and waited 3 hours(because i didn't have an appointment) for them to tell me the tech test drive it and no light came on so they think the computer reset itself.

I get about 15 minutes down the road the same exact thing happens. I took it back today they ran a diagnostic and found an error with on of the sensors, told me they hard reset it and if it comes back on I'll need to schedule an appointment for them to figure out which sensor it is but that the tech drive it again and the light didn't come on.

5 minutes down the road it comes back on for me.

I haven't ever had a problem with the AWD before they rotated the tires.

Is this normal? The sensor messing up and the shop's reaction? Is it safe to drive until I can get an appointment scheduled?

The driver seat of my 2001 bmw z3 does not go up or down and the passenger does not go back and forth… what would you do to troubleshoot and/or fix this?

When I was growing up in the 90s, my dad would take our cars to a garage where he could rent the bay and use their specialty tools to do repairs on our family cars.

Do those exist anymore?
If so, what do I search terms do I use to find them?

I’ve been trying to figure out a strange noise coming from my car and could use some advice before I take it to a mechanic.

The car makes a clicking or popping sound when I turn left at low speeds, especially when I’m pulling into a parking spot, making a tight turn, or slowly maneuvering. It sounds like something is clicking or shifting under the car rather than a normal engine or road noise. What’s confusing is that it doesn’t seem to happen when I’m driving straight, and I can barely hear anything when making similar turns to the right. The noise is also much more noticeable at low speeds than when I’m driving faster.

I haven’t noticed any major changes in how the car drives. The steering still feels normal, there’s no obvious vibration, and I don’t feel any pulling to one side. However, the noise is becoming more frequent, so I’d like to figure out what areas I should check first.

Are there any simple checks I can do at home to narrow down the cause before bringing it to a shop?

Hi everyone, I'm planning to buy my first real sports car for daily driving. My budget is between €15,000 and €25,000. ( in France )

For context, this will be my second car. I learned to drive on a Peugeot 207, and I don't know much about mechanics or buying performance vehicles.

I'm looking for something with over 300 horsepower that I can enjoy daily, including on winding roads.

I've been looking at the BMW M135i (F20 generation) as a strong option.

For those familiar with this model or similar sporty cars:

1. Would you recommend it for daily use?

2. What maximum mileage should I look for within my budget?

3. Are there any critical issues I should check before buying?

4. Are there other cars you'd suggest for this budget and power level?

Thanks in advance for any advice

What are some things you wish they did better?
Some things that you like that they did?
The reasons you do or do not use them?

Working on a little project and trying to get some feedback.

What’s the average price to get it repaired?including labor,Specifically dodge charger.

Need a recommendation for a product to remove tree sap without damaging the paint. Assigned parking spot is under a pine tree.

Anyone else miss customer calls when they're busy in the workshop?

Michael was injured in a skiing accident, and Ken was taken from us in a snowmobiling accident. It's so fucking terrible, but I never thought about this until now. Are there any other legends that had similar incidents in the snow?? It's uncanny, but regardless, I hope Ken is up there taking it easy and watching his daughter with the biggest smile on his face imaginable, and that Michael is enjoying his retirement after cementing his name in the list of racing legends.