r/carquestions

This past week, my car was stolen - luckily police recovered it but the key fob was never recovered. I had them tow it to the local PD impound lot. I just purchased this car a few months ago from Carvana and hadn’t gone to the DMV yet to register it. So now, the impound lot refuses to release the vehicle to me because the bill of sale I showed them is over 30 days old and I don’t have a car title yet to show them because I hadn’t got it registered yet. They said that I have to have a sheriff come to the lot and register it. But I don’t have a key to start the car for an inspection since the car is out of state and the lot doesn’t allow locksmiths on the property for me to have a new key made. The sheriff said that my only options were to call Hyundai and see if they can have a new key made (called them - they can’t). I also called Carvana and they said they can’t help either because I am out of warranty. Hyundai dealership said that the car has to be present for them to make a new key. Now, only option left is to ask for a court order that orders the lot to release it to me which seems like a lot for just trying to get my car back…and advice??

[2011 Hyundai i10, 108k miles, manual]

Last night my car broke down on the motorway. Was driving along and it suddenly turned off as if it stalled at 70mph, dashboard lit up with all the stuff that would show up if you'd just turned the battery on.

I tried turning it back on but the starter motor would only click once and the electrics would half-dim instead of fully turning off. So, obviously I had to wait on the side of the motorway with my hazards on as it was quite dark already. After about 10-15 minutes the lights slowly faded off.

After a whole adventure with my breakdown cover, we managed to get the car to a local garage. I rang up in the morning and asked them to have a look. Eventually they rang me and said that (paraphrasing of course):

- The lights of the car had been left on so the battery was flat (duh) so they'd put a new one in.

- The spark plugs were missing/broken so they'd fitted new ones.

- The missing/broken spark plugs had destroyed the engine block itself and so I would need a whole new engine block.

All in all, i was told it'd be ~£110 for the labour and spark plugs that they'd put in (which obviously did not fix the problem).

They then told me that it was probably not worth getting a new engine block (which is true given the age of the car) and if I wanted to scrap it as they have a guy around the corner. I was quoted ~£80 (immediately, by the person calling) for the scrap value even though most places online are saying ~£150 average.

So now I'm just very confused, I've spoken to quite a few people and they all seem confused at the "spark plug destroying the engine" thing (possibly due to me explaining it badly I'm unsure) and are outright telling me they are scamming me by saying they'd give £80 for the scrap value.

Given what details I was given, do you think:

- It makes sense in terms of what has supposedly happened to the engine?

- If they actually are allowed to just put spark plugs in without telling me, then charge me despite it not fixing anything?

- is it worth getting a second opinion that could save me scrapping the car?

- Or should I just accept that it's gone and cut my losses with getting some money back?

I bought a used 2018 Honda CRV from a Subaru dealership 3 hours away from where I live. It had just 32,000 miles on it and seemed to be in great condition minus some big scratches on the side. I picked it up right before the July 4th holiday weekend. As I was driving the 3 hours home, the check engine light came on. The dealership had already closed, and I was closer to my house by then, so I decided to finish the drive and figure things out the next day. I took it to an O’Rileys to get the code scanned and was told it was a bad fuel sensor. I was told it was safe to drive locally but I needed to get it fixed soon. I messaged the salesman I bought it from with the code and waited to hear back. The following week I drove to work and stopped for gas on my way home. While at the gas station the in tank low pressure fuel pump went out and the vehicle became undrivable, just 3 days after purchase.
I still had not heard from the seller so I had it towed to the nearest Honda Dealership.
The seller finally called me back the following day, saying I could bring it back to them for free maintenance work, but since they were 3 hours away, the car was no longer drivable, and it had already been taken elsewhere, they agreed to cover the cost of the new fuel pump and let the Honda Dealership do the repairs.
This was the beginning of what is still an ongoing headache with this car. After the fuel pump was replaced, I tried driving an hour out of town. The engine misfired while merging on the interstate and went into limp mode. I safely pulled over, turned the engine off and back on, everything worked. I took it back to Honda explaining what I experienced. They fixed what the computer said was the issue (fuel injectors) and gave it back, the check engine light came back on a week later and they replaced 2 ignition coils, the spark plugs and the AF sensor. The misfire/limp mode happened again while merging into heavy interstate traffic, I took it back to Honda and they replaced another ignition coil. Throughout the past 6 weeks this vehicle has been in the shop every other week. I’ve spent over $700 on repairs and the warranty company has spent $3,000.
We thought we fixed everything. I’ve gone on a couple 1-2 hour drives out of town in the past 2 weeks with no issue and thought it was finally fixed. Yesterday I was driving home from work and tried merging onto a busy section of interstate when it misfired and went into limp mode yet again. The mechanics at Honda are at a loss for words. They got the Honda tech line involved last time and it is still breaking down on busy roads.

Has anyone else experienced this continued problem with 2018 CR-Vs? What did you do to fix it? I can’t afford to keep throwing money at this car. It already caused me to cancel a road trip and miss a wedding. I drive out of state regularly and need a vehicle I can rely on.

First car, I want to change the engine myself, I dont know what kind of oil I need. I was told by different seller at Autozone/O'Reilly to get 5W-30,5W-20, and 0W-20.

Its really confusing, I live in pretty hot temperatures, ro find the right one. What's the right one?

How do i get ownership of a car/ title. For context car was used as collateral for a personal loan and i defaulted on the loan. The bank never came to collect the car. Its been over a year since I stop making payments for the personal loan.

I've been having troubling get my car ^^ to start this past week. Sunday it began. I went to go start it and the dash and AC would turn ok but the engine wouldn't. I tried several times, waiting in between each and still nothing. I jump started it with a battery pack and that worked. Car worked normally for the next 30/40mins.

Monday, next day, it turned on and worked perfectly. I drove about 200 miles this day too, having the car parked for long hours in between too. No issues.

Tuesday, yesterday, it turned on fine and I drove abt 15 miles, parked it for about 4 hrs, and turned it on to return home just fine. I stopped at a McDonalds otw back, left it parked, and when I returned, it wouldn't start the engine again. Just like Sunday, the dash would come on, the AC too, but not the engine. Tried a few times again to start it. I had my portable starter pack with me so I tried jumping it again to at least make it to an Autozone to get the battery checked. It turned on after I had jumped it the second time, and drove to Autozone. Battery tested good and employee suggested a little kit to clean the battery turmoils because it seemed battery acid had started to leak a bit. Bought the kit and they cleaned then there.

This morning, I went to go start it and the first time it didn't start the engine, only AC & dash. Second time, it worked, started engine and everything else normally. Took it to a nearby O'Reilleys to get battery tested and alternator. Both came out in good condition.

Employee suggested it could be engine fans failing to turn off once the cars off since it has been very hot where I live and the sensors could be mistaking that heat and that could be draining my battery. But I am confident they are turning off properly as the car turns off.

I'm not sure what it could be now.

My next step i'm thinking is to take it to a mechanic shop to have it inspected even closer: for example... (I don't like using AI but turned to it as a last resort here.. ChatGPT suggested I take it in and say): "I have an intermittent no-crank/no-click condition on a 2014 automatic Mustang. The dash and accessories work normally, but sometimes turning the key to START produces absolutely nothing. The battery and alternator have tested good twice, and the battery terminals were cleaned. It has occasionally started after a jump. Please check the starter/solenoid, starter relay, park-neutral safety circuit/transmission range sensor, ignition switch, and battery/ground cables, including voltage-drop testing."

Is that an appropriate next step? I'm also very good about disconnecting and turning off anything that I plug into the car like chargers, etc., so it wouldn't be a drained battery from that.

What could the issue be?

Always park facing whichever direction is more convenient without thinking about it, but recently wondered if consistently parking one way versus the other on the same regular incline could have any actual long term effect on components like the parking brake or transmission.

I really need help. I have a 2012 Honda civic and a few days ago I started getting battery sign issues and my car turned off so I went to get it changed and it worked but then the battery sign kept coming on & I gave a call to my mobile mechanic who was able to jump me coming from work after it died.. I was devastated I need my car to take me, my brother & my homie to work 8 hours shift

I can’t stand car problems. I managed to pay him $500 to change my alternator because it wasn’t charging my battery properly. The one I have on there is already new alternator that I bought 3 months ago. He changed my spark plugs because it needed to get changed badly.

I just got back from work 40 mins ago and turned on my car drove around the block, it was great! Driving fine with no lights on dash. I park and the min I am about to turn off the car.. there it was the battery sign, gave a call to my mechanic and he said he can come and try to re change the alternator? I’m confused why would he even do that

I have spent $500 on a car and I don’t even know what’s wrong with it. I am so desperate and in need of help. Thank you

Im 19 and i saved up some money to buy my first project car. I was thinking of two options either the e30 or e36. What are your thoughts? Which would be a more fun car to have. My goal is to restore it first. Then after a couple of years I’ll maybe turn it into a drift car in the future. Any advice helps.

This isn’t my first bmw nor will it be my daily.

I took my vehicle to the dealership I purchased from for a routine oil change and they recommend the following:

Fuel additive
Motor oil additive
Wheel alignment
Air cabin filter replacement

Are the first two items truly critical? My vehicle is a Lincoln aviator 2025 with about 15k miles on it. They also recommended changing the cabin air filter but my brother offered to help me do that. And I plan to buy one of the lifetime wheel alignment packages from Firestone so plan to wait on that (though I’m open to any feedback on this too).

I am out of my depths in this area so would be eternally grateful for any advice.

2024 2.5 Select S. Has about 55k Gas was at about quarter tank
(no low fuel warning light on)
Engine was shut off and vehicle powered down.
Put enough to bring it to half a tank.
As soon as I turned it back on the Low Fuel warning illuminated in the center display and the orange ⛽️ is constantly blinking.

Tried removing the cluster fuse under the hood, waited 60 seconds.

NO CHANGE.

Anyone else have this problem, and found a simple solution?? 🙏😬

I’ve narrowed it down to either a 2015 Toyota rav4 with 135k miles on it 12k asking price but it has had an accident when it was on 10k miles with 2 previous owners. It does have awd. My other choice is a 2014 Mazda cx5 touring with 122k miles on it asking price is 12k one previous owner but no awd. Whats important to me is longevity and reliability with the least amount of expensive repairs, I live in a place where it snows and I like to go fishing and hunting I drive on gravel roads but not to much I mostly stick to paved roads.

Looking to replace all 4 tires on my 2011 Accord LX sedan. Currently have BFGoodrich Advantage T/A Sport (215/60R16) tires, which are now choppy/uneven and contributing to vibration above 60 mph.

Looking for a smooth, quiet, reliable all-season tire with good tread life and decent MA winter/rain performance.

What tires would you recommend, and what’s a reasonable price for 4 installed?

Thanks