Bought a cheap EGR delete kit for my 2007 Duramax last fall to fix a clogged valve. Figured it was a straightforward job, watched a few videos, felt confident. Three months later the check engine light came on and the truck started surging at idle, real scary on the highway. Turned out the kit's block-off plate was warped, letting exhaust gases mess with the MAP sensor. Spent $340 on a new sensor and gaskets, plus a weekend of cussing in my driveway in Phoenix. Should have just paid the $500 for the OEM rebuild kit from the dealer, that would have fixed it right the first time. Anyone else get burned by aftermarket delete kits that seem like a steal upfront?
On my 2012 Ford Focus, I followed the YouTube video step by step, but the cheap plastic petcock on the radiator snapped off after I torqued it maybe 5 ft-lbs, so I had to drain the system, buy a new $140 radiator from O'Reilly in Tulsa, and pay my buddy $60 for a tow, has anyone else had those factory drain plugs just disintegrate?
My 2002 Subaru Outback has a driver door actuator that gives up below 50 degrees, and I found out from a forum post that it's a known issue with the solder joints cracking. Took me two winters and a frozen morning at the gas station on I-70 before I looked it up. Has anyone else had a car part that just quits with the weather, or am I the only one carrying a key specifically for warm days?
Went through 105 degree days in Austin for two weeks before I looked up the recall notice, and it turns out this exact compressor fails on every single one of these models, so has anyone else had a warranty fix that should've been a recall from day one?
Bought a cheap replacement for my 2005 Outback after the original died at 140k miles. Installed it Tuesday, car ran fine for 2 days. Friday morning, no start, smelled burnt plastic. Opened the under-dash panel, the relay melted into the fuse box. Dealer quote for a new ECU and harness? $1,450. The $600 OEM relay would've been cheaper. Has anyone else had a cheap electrical part take out their computer?
Last month in Phoenix my Ford Focus burned through alternators on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. First one I blamed on heat, second on a bad reman from AutoZone, but the third one made me check the wiring harness and found a chafed ground wire behind the battery tray. My debate is this: is it a bad car design when a $14 wire location can kill $180 parts repeatedly, or is that just normal wear for a 17 year old car? Anyone else chase a gremlin that kept costing more than the fix should have been?
Last April I replaced the passenger side hub for the third time in 14 months. The shop in Akron kept blaming bad roads but I noticed the ABS wire routing on these cars is garbage. The harness rubs against the inner CV boot and eventually shorts, which makes the system think the wheel is locking up. That drag cooks the bearing over time. I rerouted the wire with zip ties through the factory clip and it has been quiet for 6 months now. Has anyone else traced a weird repeat failure back to a harness that was just routed wrong from day one?
Got a 2009 work van with 180k on it. Front wheel bearing started humming so I had to choose between the cheap sealed hub assembly at 90 bucks or the old school repackable spindle setup that wouldve been 300 plus labor. I went cheap because I planned to sell the van in 6 months. That was 4 months ago. Hub failed on the highway near Toledo, tore up the rotor and melted the ABS sensor. Total bill ended up being 600 with towing. Should I have just eaten the cost upfront or is there a trick to make these sealed units last longer than 20k miles?
My 04 Outback kept eating serpentine belts every 6 months or so. A retired Subaru mechanic at the parts counter told me the starter mount was sagging and throwing off the crank pulley alignment. I ignored him for a month until I noticed the belt was rubbing the alternator bracket. I measured it with a straight edge, sure enough it was off by almost 3mm. A $12 shim kit from Amazon fixed it in an hour, no more belt squeal. Anyone else had a weird misalignment that caused a chain of failures?
A tech at a shop in Phoenix told me I was wasting time replacing just the seals without checking the valve guides. I ignored him, did the job in 7 hours, and the car smoked worse at startup a month later. Turns out worn guides let oil sit exactly where the new seals couldn't help. Anyone else skip the guide check and pay for it twice?
Stopped at Pull-A-Part in Dayton last weekend looking for a window regulator for my truck. Walked past a beat up 2002 Taurus and the rear doors were wider open than they should be. Looked closer, the previous owner had rigged up four different types of weather stripping to keep water out. Foam tape, rubber from a fridge door, some kind of shower liner. All glued and screwed into the frame. I get it, those cars are known for the door seals shrinking and leaving gaps you could throw a cat through. But seeing a shade tree fix that involved cutting up appliances, that's a new level of dedication. Either Ford made a garbage seal or that guy really loved a $500 car. Anyone else seen a DIY fix that was more work than just buying the right part?
Hit 100,000 miles this Tuesday and that same day the glovebox door just stopped staying shut, which is weird because the engine and transmission never skipped a beat, but the plastic piece nobody touches broke at exactly the milestone number, has anyone else had a dumb interior part fail right as they hit a big odometer mark?
Brought my 2014 sedan in for a weird wobble at 65 mph and the tech pointed at the inside edges, said I'd been running 38 psi when the door sticker says 32. He showed me the wear pattern and how the cupping started, so now I check pressure every fuel stop with a $5 gauge. Anyone else ever get roasted by a mechanic for ignoring the sticker numbers?}
I bought a used 2012 hatchback three years ago for $6,800. Last week the driver side door handle snapped off in my hand at a gas station in Tulsa. That's the third one in three years, and the passenger side is starting to feel soft too. The dealership wants $140 each plus labor, so I just keep a screwdriver in the cupholder to pry the latch from inside. Has anyone else dealt with a car where the same cheap part fails on a timer like this?
My neighbor's old Ford dumped a gallon of coolant on the asphalt every morning for six months because the heater core bypass was routed right over the frame rail, so when it rotted out the whole block got a rainbow stain, and I still can't figure out why Ford didn't just put a $8 drip tray under it.
I was driving through downtown Akron back in 2017 when I hit a manhole cover and the whole thing just dropped into my lap. The plastic hinge pins they used were maybe 2mm thick, completely undersized for a 3,000 pound car. Has anyone else dealt with interior bits that were designed to fail on purpose?
I know everyone loves to hate on the 6.0 but I think it got a bad rap from bad owners. I bought a 2005 F-250 back in 2018 with 140k miles on it and spent $2k on bulletproofing it right away. That truck has now got 210k miles on it and still runs strong without a single head gasket issue. The real problem was people ignoring the coolant filters and not letting the engine idle down before shutting it off. Has anybody else had good luck with a motor that everyone says is junk?
I bought a 2014 Focus used because it was cheap and got good gas mileage, right? Everyone online was screaming about the DPS6 dual clutch shuddering and I figured they were just being dramatic. Nope, 2 years in and it started jerking so bad in stop and go traffic that my coffee cup would slide off the dash. Took it to a shop in Portland and the guy said the clutch packs were cooked, common as dirt. Has anyone actually gotten Ford to cover this out of warranty or am I stuck eating the repair bill?
I had to pick between a used 2003 Mini Cooper S with 90k miles or a 2006 Civic Si with 120k miles. Both were around $6,000. I went with the Mini cause it felt more fun to drive. Six months later the supercharger coupler grenaded and the transmission started grinding third gear. Should have just bought the Honda and saved myself $2,200 in repairs. Anybody else make a bad call between two cars and regret it hard?
Was at a stoplight in Austin last Tuesday, and this older guy in the car next to me rolled down his window and yelled 'good luck with that clutch!' I had only owned the car for 3 days. He then told me he went through 3 clutch packs in 18 months on his 2015 model. That one comment from a stranger made me realize I bought a rolling headache, and I wish I had listened sooner. Anyone else get warned by a random person about a car you just bought?
Had a 2003 Toyota Camry that needed an alternator. I chose the $30 rebuild kit from AutoZone instead of a $180 reman unit from Napa. Lasted exactly 3 weeks before the bearings started screaming, now I'm pulling the whole thing out again. Anybody else learn this lesson the hard way too?
After my 2013 Focus left me stranded on I-95 outside Richmond at 2am with a shredded clutch, I still think the chassis and steering were amazing, anyone else find the good in that disaster?
I was chasing that turbo noise so bad I ordered this fancy aluminum intake from some brand I saw on Instagram. Paid $200 and spent a Sunday afternoon installing it in my driveway in Houston. Thing sounded great for about a week until my check engine light came on - the MAF sensor kept throwing codes because the tube diameter was off by like 2mm. Took it off, put the stock box back on, and the car runs fine now. Anyone else gotten burned by aftermarket parts that just don't fit right?