I am a small business owner and depend on LSA to compete with other larger companies and fly-by-night scammers.

After receiving the policy change email from Google in late August, I prepared my account for the change by getting a phone system with my voice stating that I do not provide a specific service, and for everything else, they can press a key to be connected to me.

This works really well, as many callers hang up when they hear I don't provide that specific service instead of pressing a key. According to Google's policy change email, I should not be charged unless the caller presses a key, but I see that I am being charged anyway.

For your reference, the verbiage from the email is below. What can I do to avoid being charged for callers wanting a service I don't provide? If I am being charged for every call, I will be spending more on LSA than I make from it. It's not sustainable. Anyone else experiencing this? Am I doing something wrong? Is there a better way to set this up to ensure I am not charged for services I don't provide? I have that service toggled off in LSA, but I keep getting callers for it through general search terms.

DO NOT PRIVATE MESSAGE ME. I WILL NOT RESPOND.

Here's the verbiage from the email...

Hello,Thank you for being a Local Services Ads customer.On October 01, 2026, we are updating how and when you are charged for call leads originating from Local Services Ads.

What’s Changing? Missed calls: Missed calls during business hours will now be charged as valid leads if a user stays on the line for more than 20 seconds, with a few exceptions (see “Protecting your business” below for more information regarding exceptions). Subsequent calls: If an initial call doesn’t qualify as a charged lead, any follow-up calls between your business and the user that meet the valid lead criteria will be charged.

Protecting your business We remain committed to protecting the integrity of your leads through the following measures: If your call-receiving setup requires customers to press a key to route them to the relevant department, then the 20 second-timer will start once customers press the key. You won’t be charged if customers don’t press a key to get routed. To safeguard against spam and malicious activity, we are introducing new safeguards to help limit robot calls and address spam call abuse.
**Why are we making this change?**Customers turn to Local Services Ads every day with immediate needs, expecting to connect quickly with a trusted local professional. This policy update helps ensure our platform continues to meet these customer expectations while rewarding businesses that provide excellent responsiveness.TimelineThese policy updates will go into effect on October 01, 2026.If you have any questions, please reach out to your account management team or contact us at any time.
Sincerely,
Local Services Ads Team

Thank you for your help in my previous post, guys :)

I was made aware in that post that I can get a phone number specifically for LSA so I can set up an auto-attendant to qualify leads before they are connected to me.

I am trying to set that up now, and the idea is to have the auto-attendant have the caller select a menu option for the service they need. If they select an option for a service I do not provide, the auto-attendant is supposed to play a message stating that I do not provide that service and disconnect the caller.

I chose the Grasshopper app/service to be my auto-attendant, but I don't see an option to disconnect the caller after playing back my recorded message. It only has the option for them to leave a voicemail. That won't work because I will still be charged for the lead if the call exceeds 20 seconds.

AI insists that Grasshopper has this feature but never finds it. If you're using Grasshopper, can you please help me find this feature? If not, can you please recommend another service I can use instead that has this feature?

Hi,

I am a Service Area Business owner and many callers coming in from LSA are calling for services I do not provide. I would like to have an auto-attendant set up to qualify my leads with prompts before they are connected to me to avoid unnecessary lead charges. I don't want to port my business phone number to the service that will provide the auto-attendant.

Is it possible to have LSA direct callers to a different phone number for my auto-attendant system before being patched through to me? Will this affect NAP trust signals for my Google Business Profile and website ranking?

Has anyone experienced this? What was the fix?

2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo Ultimate

Last year, I found motor oil in the air filter. I took it to Hyundai for repair and they stated that the entire Turbo needed to be replaced for $5000. It seemed excessive, but it only had 100K miles, so I figured it was worth it since this was the mechanical issue.

I might have overlooked that this was still happening, because a couple of months ago, I noticed the car was a quart low on oil during an oil change and once again, I found oil in the air filter. I ditched the dealer entirely because, if you're going to go for the jugular with a $5000 repair, you should be fully diagnosing the issue and be certain of that first. As it turns out, I learned about the PCV valve and realized they never replaced that (which is the supposed typical cause for this) so I had the PCV valve replaced.

When replacing the PCV valve didn't work, I took it to another mechanic. This one said he found some broken brackets behind the motor (he was not descriptive and a poor communicator in general) and I paid another $475 to fix that.

... And I am STILL finding oil in the air filter. :(

The car is currently at 124K miles. Everything else in the car is great. I would really hate to get rid of the car. So, I'm desperately looking into whether or not anyone else had this issue and how it was resolved?

AI is giving me some potential remaining causes too. Below is what Gemini believes should be the next steps (but I'm not eager to put my trust in an LLM before approaching a mechanic). Let me know if you agree or disagree with the below or have anything extra to add/check.

Gemini's Input:

Because you have already replaced the turbo, changed the PCV valve, and addressed external brackets, the issue is almost certainly stemming from internal crankcase overpressurization (excessive blow-by) or a fault in the valve cover's oil separation system.

Key Potential Causes

• Worn or Stuck Piston Rings (Excessive Blow-By):
  • How it happens: On Hyundai 1.6T GDI engines, carbon buildup can cause piston rings to stick or wear down prematurely.
  • Why it puts oil in the air filter: During combustion, high-pressure gases blow past the unsealed rings into the crankcase. This extreme pressure overwhelms the PCV system and forces oil-saturated crankcase air backwards through the valve cover’s breather hose directly into the air box and filter. This also explains the significant oil loss (~1 quart) as oil is constantly burned or forced into the intake.
• Failed Valve Cover / Internal Baffle Separator:
  • How it happens: Modern Hyundai valve covers contain built-in plastic oil-baffle channels designed to separate liquid oil mist from crankcase air before it reaches the breather hoses.
  • Why it puts oil in the air filter: Replacing the PCV valve alone won't fix a cracked, warped, or clogged internal baffle inside the valve cover assembly. If the baffle fails, raw oil vapor bypasses separation and flows straight into the air intake tube.
• Restricted Turbo Oil Return Line or Residue in Intercooler:
  • How it happens: If the turbo drain line is kinked or clogged, oil backs up inside the turbocharger housing and pushes past new seals into the intake tract.
  • Why it puts oil in the air filter: Additionally, if your intercooler was not thoroughly removed and flushed when the original turbo was replaced, residual oil trapped in the bottom of the intercooler will continuously get pulled through the intake system under boost.

Diagnostic Steps

1. Perform a Cylinder Compression & Leak-Down Test: This is the most crucial test. A leak-down test will pinpoint if combustion pressure is leaking past the piston rings into the crankcase.
2. Inspect/Replace the Entire Valve Cover Assembly: Check if oil is flowing exclusively through the fresh-air breather hose. If so, the internal oil separator in the valve cover may have failed.
3. Measure Crankcase Pressure: A mechanic can attach a manometer to the dipstick tube to check for abnormal positive pressure while the engine is running.

https://preview.redd.it/t02efxiaymih1.jpg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=98592b4af1645502973a76cb227274df2ba4a22f

Has anyone experienced this? What was the fix?

2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo Ultimate

Last year, I found motor oil in the air filter. I took it to Hyundai for repair and they stated that the entire Turbo needed to be replaced for $5000. It seemed excessive, but it only had 100K miles, so I figured it was worth it since this was the mechanical issue.

I might have overlooked that this was still happening, because a couple of months ago, I noticed the car was a quart low on oil during an oil change and once again, I found oil in the air filter. I ditched the dealer entirely because, if you're going to go for the jugular with a $5000 repair, you should be fully diagnosing the issue and be certain of that first. As it turns out, I learned about the PCV valve and realized they never replaced that (which is the supposed typical cause for this) so I had the PCV valve replaced.

When replacing the PCV valve didn't work, I took it to another mechanic. This one said he found some broken brackets behind the motor (he was not descriptive and a poor communicator in general) and I paid another $475 to fix that.

... And I am STILL finding oil in the air filter. :(

The car is currently at 124K miles. Everything else in the car is great. I would really hate to get rid of the car. So, I'm desperately looking into whether or not anyone else had this issue and how it was resolved?

AI is giving me some potential remaining causes too. Below is what Gemini believes should be the next steps (but I'm not eager to put my trust in an LLM before approaching a mechanic). Let me know if you agree or disagree with the below or have anything extra to add/check.

Gemini's Input:

Because you have already replaced the turbo, changed the PCV valve, and addressed external brackets, the issue is almost certainly stemming from internal crankcase overpressurization (excessive blow-by) or a fault in the valve cover's oil separation system.

Key Potential Causes

• Worn or Stuck Piston Rings (Excessive Blow-By):
  • How it happens: On Hyundai 1.6T GDI engines, carbon buildup can cause piston rings to stick or wear down prematurely.
  • Why it puts oil in the air filter: During combustion, high-pressure gases blow past the unsealed rings into the crankcase. This extreme pressure overwhelms the PCV system and forces oil-saturated crankcase air backwards through the valve cover’s breather hose directly into the air box and filter. This also explains the significant oil loss (~1 quart) as oil is constantly burned or forced into the intake.
• Failed Valve Cover / Internal Baffle Separator:
  • How it happens: Modern Hyundai valve covers contain built-in plastic oil-baffle channels designed to separate liquid oil mist from crankcase air before it reaches the breather hoses.
  • Why it puts oil in the air filter: Replacing the PCV valve alone won't fix a cracked, warped, or clogged internal baffle inside the valve cover assembly. If the baffle fails, raw oil vapor bypasses separation and flows straight into the air intake tube.
• Restricted Turbo Oil Return Line or Residue in Intercooler:
  • How it happens: If the turbo drain line is kinked or clogged, oil backs up inside the turbocharger housing and pushes past new seals into the intake tract.
  • Why it puts oil in the air filter: Additionally, if your intercooler was not thoroughly removed and flushed when the original turbo was replaced, residual oil trapped in the bottom of the intercooler will continuously get pulled through the intake system under boost.

Diagnostic Steps

1. Perform a Cylinder Compression & Leak-Down Test: This is the most crucial test. A leak-down test will pinpoint if combustion pressure is leaking past the piston rings into the crankcase.
2. Inspect/Replace the Entire Valve Cover Assembly: Check if oil is flowing exclusively through the fresh-air breather hose. If so, the internal oil separator in the valve cover may have failed.
3. Measure Crankcase Pressure: A mechanic can attach a manometer to the dipstick tube to check for abnormal positive pressure while the engine is running.

https://preview.redd.it/t91d5wd2ymih1.jpg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f510393430827ad1474539fb51e7edc629d4733a

Just caught up with Raw, and as it faded out, I cant help but feel like, even if it wasn't marred with injuries early, the faction would fail anyway.

Bron is doing great. But, the monster heel creative is trying to make him out to be just doesn't fit his physique when compared to other monsters. He has to constantly convince you that he is not the rookie underdog, when someone like Oba, Brock, Gunther, etc... don't have the same challenge (though Bron is doing great with the cards he's being dealt IMO)

Austin Theory has been given more mic time recently, and all of those opportunities fell flat. Now he had the main event of Raw with Rollins and just seemed to be going through motions and did nothing with that spot either.

Logan Paul stopped being impressive once he was put in The Vision. His promo weakened, his performances in ring have now become routine, and his outrage at Joe Hendry seemed over played and out of place for him too.

This is also the first time in a very long time that Paul Heyman's association with talent(s) did less to uplift them and more to hurt his merit, as his talents aren't standing out in any meaningful way.

They're just all so very disconnected from the audience, the rest of the roster, and even each other. I just don't see how they dont quickly pull the plug and give all of them a break before a refresh.

It's just strange for me to see Paul Heyman at the helm of such a weak faction backed by poor creative. I can't imagine where we go from here, but I sure hope we everyone moves on from The Visio before they become SummerSlam's bathroom break. 😔

I keep flip flopping on what to do with the citations of an SAB. Is there any data that shows us the best approach?

The business does not have a physical address, so it's already easily outranked by physical shops locally. I was taught long ago to keep the business as an SAB on its Google Profile, but have it's full address displayed in all citations otherwise: Bing, Yelp, Socials, Website, Directories, etc...

Has this changed over time? I'm starting to see a mish-mosh of strategies locally and getting confused.

Sorry if it's a dumb question.