Recent content by Subsidy2295

44 year old here. I vote for travel. I have owned cars that I loved, but as i get older it is the flashes of places, sights, and smells that touch my soul. Sunset in Iceland with my kids beats any car ever, ever.

Just wondering if it was the sales person or a member of the service department that said 3,000 miles. Service advisor or manager would absolutely know the factory service schedule. Sales... not so much.

I absolutely need air tools. But I use them less and less as a percentage of my work. The things that make a car a car have all gotten better. Engines,transmissions, suspension, and brakes all last a lot longer with fewer problems. I spend most of my day updating software, listening for...

Originally Posted By: AVB It also is not that physically demanding. My laptop and my Snap-on pocket screwdriver are the only tools that I use every single day at work. I am actually going to downsize my toolbox next year since I rarely use so many of the tools I purchased 20 years ago.

Hyundai/Kia will allow use of 10w-30 in many of their engines. Going to QSUD 10w-30 as a summer oil in the 1.6 GDI Soul due to fuel dilution.

The sevice is handled like warranty. Any authorized dealer can perform the service, but has to be within 1 month or 1,000 miles (don't quote me) of when the service is due. All of your service history is in the Dealer Daily system. I'm a mechanic, not an advisor so not 100% on how it is exactly...

The Toyota free maintenance program is done by the dealers but paid for by Toyota Motors, much like warranty work. The dealers have to follow the schedule as laid out by Toyota or they will not be reimbursed for the service. The OP is due for the 5,000 mile service which is just a tire rotation...

Back in January, before BITOG: 12 quarts. Today: 67 quarts. (And 23 oil filters too.)

Last summer we rented a car to drive from San Francisco to LA. Everyone was charging a hefty drop fee for not returning at the same airport with the exception of Alamo. As you can guess, they hit me with a drop fee that doubled my bill. Showed my contract and took several minutes, but got it...

I was a Saturn mechanic from 2000 to 2007. The L series had problems. The six cylinder is a bit of a boat anchor, waterpump/oil cooler leaks causing overheating being a major problem as I recall. Body ECU would cause some goofy stuff. Excessive tire wear in the rear. However, they did get...

2016 Corolla S $1000 @ signing $99 per month X 24 months $300 @ end of lease Best deal ever. If it had been available when my lease was up, I totally would have done it again, forever. 24 month lease means no tires to replace and free maintenance for the entire lease period.

How, in my opinion, the Prius does it. The hybrid system spins the motor up to about 800 rpm to start the ICE. Happens almost instantly. This happens every time, including cold starts. The ICE uses an Atkinson cycle engine so it is a low compression, low power motor. The ICE will never see...

Your car should have two years of free maintenance, oil changes at 10 and 20K, rotations at 5,15,and 25K. I would definitely take the free oil changes. You will be fine with 10K oil changes. If you prefer every 5K, any good synthetic will do. These engines are very reliable and will likely be...

I have been a dealership mechanic for almost 20 years and can honestly say that the majority of people here know more about oil than dealership service staff. But the thing is, we don't need to know, and it doesn't matter as much as people here make it seem (in my opinion). At my work, we use...

Toyota Mechanic here. Toyota has already releases an update for multiple software issues, including Bluetooth. Depending on how old your car is (as in production date), it may need updated. It takes about 15 minutes to perform and is covered under warranty. That said, your phone may be too old...