Trucks and SUVs getting larger and larger is also contributing to accidents being more dangerous, on the whole, even as the number of accidents have gone down, the amount of fatalities in accidents isn't really. So sedans and coupes and stuff are basically just getting less and less safe while the goalposts keep moving for anything bigger than a crossover.
A lot of it is actually cars being very fast, many cars having auto braking to eliminate minor fender benders and distracted driving leading to more sever collisions as you basically take low speed inconsequential stuff out of the pool.
We got an Audi Q5 for an uber (not sure how), but I noticed it had a pretty low dash and small nose for a modern car. I ask the driver how he liked it, told me he already had to get rid of one at 50k due to engine failure. And this one had multiple electrical issues at 20k. Thought Audi got their act together
An article about F1 that's so good it was removed from Road & Track's website.
If you wanted to turn someone into a socialist you could do it in about an hour by taking them for a spin around the paddock of a Formula 1 race. The kind of money I saw will haunt me forever.
How easy is it to remove and either clean or replace a throttle body? And then, followup question, what is the likelihood I fuck something up in the process?
2011 Golf TDI
The only youtube video I can find on this is from a 2007, but the engine looks mostly the same so it's probably the same generation, I'm just trying to gauge if this is a thing I can do in an afternoon with <$300 in parts versus taking it to a mechanic and paying nearly $1100.
How easy is it to remove and either clean or replace a throttle body? And then, followup question, what is the likelihood I fuck something up in the process?
2011 Golf TDI
The only youtube video I can find on this is from a 2007, but the engine looks mostly the same so it's probably the same generation, I'm just trying to gauge if this is a thing I can do in an afternoon with <$300 in parts versus taking it to a mechanic and paying nearly $1100.
Depends on if you have the right tools available and the right size of tools to fit in the space. If you do it's probably no more than a 30 minute job to pull it, clean it with a rag and a $5 can of carb cleaner, and put it back on. If you don't, you may find it effectively impossible to get the lower bolts out. Otherwise it looks to be one electrical connector to unplug, a hose to take off, and 4 bolts.
Just plug the intake hose with a rag as soon as you get it loose so you don't accidentally drop a bolt or something down inside of it. About the only big thing you could do to really screw it up would be to overtighten and strip the bolt threads putting it back on.
Just remember that half the people you meet are below average intelligence.
Yeah the video I found makes it look about as easy as replacing a brake light bulb. I'll need to get a triple square small enough for those fittings, and may as well replace the gasket connecting the hose to the thing.
Car makers in Europe are being encouraged to stop using touchscreens for basic functions like turn signals and wipers in an attempt to promote safer driving. As reported by the Times, the European New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) — an independent and well-regarded safety body for the automotive industry — is set to introduce new rules in January 2026 that require the vehicles it assesses to have physical controls to receive a full five-star safety rating.
To be eligible for the maximum safety rating after the new testing guidelines go into effect, cars will need to use buttons, dials, or stalks for hazard warning lights, indicators, windscreen wipers, SOS calls, and the horn.
It'S probably not going far enough, but at least a bit of (voluntary) regulations against touchscreens instead of buttons.
Yeah the video I found makes it look about as easy as replacing a brake light bulb. I'll need to get a triple square small enough for those fittings, and may as well replace the gasket connecting the hose to the thing.
It sounds like you're checking videos so it may not be the case, but make sure you're verifying it's the right idea with a reliable source. Been a few years since I sold our GTI and I think it was plastic and may nit matter, but a lot of throttle bodies and intakes have coatings that you do not want to strip off by rubbing them or spraying carb cleaner etc at them. They're essentially non-stick surfaces not intended to be cleaned.
Yeah the video I found makes it look about as easy as replacing a brake light bulb. I'll need to get a triple square small enough for those fittings, and may as well replace the gasket connecting the hose to the thing.
It sounds like you're checking videos so it may not be the case, but make sure you're verifying it's the right idea with a reliable source. Been a few years since I sold our GTI and I think it was plastic and may nit matter, but a lot of throttle bodies and intakes have coatings that you do not want to strip off by rubbing them or spraying carb cleaner etc at them. They're essentially non-stick surfaces not intended to be cleaned.
I'm not cleaning it, since that'd be a failure point if I fuck something up that I just don't feel needs to exist, so I'm gonna replace it entirely. It's only like a $50 part on eBay, but I definitely have to confirm compatibility first.
+1
Nova_CI have the needThe need for speedRegistered Userregular
Touchscreen controls for TURN SIGNALS?
What in the F?
Related: Every time I see a car with the giant fucking tablet screen sticking out of the dash I shudder. It is so ugly. So very ugly.
Related: Every time I see a car with the giant fucking tablet screen sticking out of the dash I shudder. It is so ugly. So very ugly.
Will need to see the real regulations, but this could be due to manufacturers moving turn controls to haptic screens/areas on the wheel itself.
I am curious how intuitive physical turn buttons like ferrari uses on the wheel itself are. Probably works fairly well since they use a really fast steering ratio…
Yea the trend of new cars being mostly a tablet in a vaguely car-shaped dock is no good. At least the new Renault 5 is bringing some fun back, I hope it sells extremely well.
On the other hand, there's the new EV Charger, that wants to be seen as the 'anti-EV they don't want you to have' but it weighs over 5800 pounds. Talk about owning the lbs...
pimento on
0
Red Raevynbecause I only take Bubble BathsRegistered Userregular
An article about F1 that's so good it was removed from Road & Track's website.
If you wanted to turn someone into a socialist you could do it in about an hour by taking them for a spin around the paddock of a Formula 1 race. The kind of money I saw will haunt me forever.
Goddamn that did not disappoint. Thank you for sharing that.
Yea the trend of new cars being mostly a tablet in a vaguely car-shaped dock is no good. At least the new Renault 5 is bringing some fun back, I hope it sells extremely well.
On the other hand, there's the new EV Charger, that wants to be seen as the 'anti-EV they don't want you to have' but it weighs over 5800 pounds. Talk about owning the lbs...
It seems to share a lot of DNA with the sainted Mégane RS
I do think this is interesting:
Vice-president of product performance Sovany Ang was emphatic in her assurance that they want to major on authenticity. ‘What I feel and hear must be real,’ she said, adding ‘the defining sound quality will not be fake.’
Because I've been wondering what it would look like if a manufacturer leaned hard into trying to define a new kind of kind of design shorthand for performance EVs that isn't simply mimicking the characteristics that people see as desirable in IC vehicles.
+1
Nova_CI have the needThe need for speedRegistered Userregular
Related: Every time I see a car with the giant fucking tablet screen sticking out of the dash I shudder. It is so ugly. So very ugly.
Further to this, if for some reason I need to replace my Q60, I won't be buying another - not because I don't like it but Infiniti discontinued it in 2022. So I would probably go back to Subaru and get a WRX, so just thinking about it I went to Subaru's website to see what the interior of the WRX looks like now and goddamn it they have a massive tablet screen in the dash.
Anyone have any recs for steering wheel wraps/covers, my Civic's steering wheel plastics are starting to decay over time
I just buy one that feels good from like NAPA. You want one that isn't fuzzy, or faux Alcantara. Just good old fashioned pleather. It should be nice and tight, like a huge pain in the ass to put on. That way it won't slip in an emergency situation.
Wellp, found out I can't change out my throttle body because it's wedged between the engine block and the bulkhead between the engine block and the cabin, and I don't have the tools or means to pull out an entire engine block.
I'd like to thank Volkswagen for using the term "mark" without defining what it means so I watched a video of a EUROPEAN model which is apparently a mark 6 even from the same year mine was a mark 7. I don't understand anything anymore.
im okay with car companies ruining their reputations with these stupid antics, but what bothers me is that dealers are going to do everything in their power to conceal these features from their customers
if theres a car that has these subscription features there should be a form you have to sign with giant red letters that says "i am aware i am buying an extremely stupid car with stupid features"
I assume that there'll be a way for dealers to include 3 years of everything in the initial sale/lease, it's the second-hand market that this will really fuck up. Until someone hacks it anyway.
+3
Dyshow am I even using this gunRegistered Userregular
Question for anyone more mechanically inclined than I am:
I currently have my car being repaired, and I just got messaged by the guys doing it. They're saying that in order to fix the brake of a single wheel, there's a bunch of surprise work that needs to also be done on the parking brake?
I am smelling bullshit here on how they're wording this as if they are trying to sell me on stuff, what's the chance of this diagnosis actually being true?
0
webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
Question for anyone more mechanically inclined than I am:
I currently have my car being repaired, and I just got messaged by the guys doing it. They're saying that in order to fix the brake of a single wheel, there's a bunch of surprise work that needs to also be done on the parking brake?
I am smelling bullshit here on how they're wording this as if they are trying to sell me on stuff, what's the chance of this diagnosis actually being true?
How old is the car? There very well could be wear and tear on the parking brake mechanism. I’ve had to have it fixed twice on my 18 yet old crown vic for example.
Question for anyone more mechanically inclined than I am:
I currently have my car being repaired, and I just got messaged by the guys doing it. They're saying that in order to fix the brake of a single wheel, there's a bunch of surprise work that needs to also be done on the parking brake?
I am smelling bullshit here on how they're wording this as if they are trying to sell me on stuff, what's the chance of this diagnosis actually being true?
How old is the car? There very well could be wear and tear on the parking brake mechanism. I’ve had to have it fixed twice on my 18 yet old crown vic for example.
It's 10 years old, and I don't doubt that work is needed on it. Its extremely rare that I use the parking break, and from all the salt on the roads during winters around here I wouldn't be surprised if what they're telling me about it being very rusty is true to some degree.
It's just that after taking a look and diagnosing the initial brake problem yesterday, they went to fix it today and called me to tell me that they would have to also replace a number of parts with the parking break. And that unless they did that (and almost double the $1k estimate they gave me post-initial-diagnosis), doing the already planned repair is impossible.
I've told them to just put it back together to how it was when I brought it in yesterday, and I'm going to be going to a more local mechanic that my folks recommend and know I can trust. He may say the same thing, but at least I'll have a second opinion and can commit as need be at that point.
It's probably a legit thing. In modern all-disc brake vehicles, the parking brake is integrated into the rear disc brakes. When you pull the parking brake lever (or press the button, if applicable) it actuates the rear brakes with a mechanical linkage. This is different from the normal brake procedure, which uses a hydraulic system actuated with the brake pedal.
So depending on what's actually wrong with your regular brake, it's certainly possible for the parking brake to also need some work. Still, taking it for a second opinion is a good idea.
+2
webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
Also doubling a $1k repair seems EXCEEDINGLY expensive just to fix the parking brake, unless it's on something like an Audi or Mercedes or something.
I would have to see a picture to say for sure. $1000 for a brake job sounds pretty out there, but I’ve never taken a car to a shop for brakes so I wouldn’t know.
It’s definitely plausible that something in the park brake mechanism has failed/rusted. If they’re legit they should be able to point out on the car what’s wrong and why they can’t proceed without changing it.
that sounds like dealer shop rates to me... ask for a breakdown of costs... if its parts, then so be it, if they're charging you 200 dollars an hour for labor, then there's your clue
dealers are charging cuh-razy money right now (as ever), but seriously... my VW gets dealer serviced (included with the car, thank god) but they try to upsell you and my napkin math on the upsell pricing was that it roughs out to $275/hr which is like.... higher than BMW probably lmao
My dad's now working for a mechanic now so I'll ask em what a brake job is
Brakes are things people neglect tho so a straight forward job turns into a nightmare
Some dude even brought his car in after the dealership had it and they managed to install the brake pads backwards which I didn't even know you could do and I've done one brake job as a observer
I tried to replace the springs on my old Merc. There's now a spring compressor stuck inside the only (front) spring I could put back in, after a series of poor decisions got the old one out. It's booked into a suspension place to unfuck it, but they have a two month wait so.. this afternoon I'll go get some wheel dollys so I can move it out of the way enough to get the other car out that I very sensibly parked in before starting.
Work on your own car, but make better decisions that I did that day.
Edit: Just to get ahead of things, we didn't do anything wildly dangerous, but we did get to the point that the spring had the lower wishbone pressing directly into the ground while the car was on jackstands, and there was no way to get a jack or anything under that arm enough to get it back up to being able to reattach the top wishbone, so kinda just had to keep going until the old spring was out.
I don't want to be one of those 'ban the bad cars' people, but when you're getting over 4 tonnes then maybe that's a sign that it needs winding in a little.
If it were here, you wouldn't be able to use all the seats - the limit on a normal standard license is 4.5 tonnes GVM. Y'all over in the US already have a problem with old infrastructure falling over, this sort of thing really isn't going to help.
I'm getting my oil change today and valvoline (who I don't normally use) says I'm 20k miles overdue for a transmission fluid change (which they have no way of knowing anyway), which got me thinking
I checked the hyundai website which does indeed say to get it changed every 60k (I'm at 81k). However, in the actual manual that came in the car it says "no check, no change"
If it was like the same price as an oil change I'd just do it, but it's like $250-$300
anyone with a sealed transmission know what's going on?
The one time I went to Valvoline for an oil change they tried to upsell me on a new battery for $150 which I passed on. I was having no issues with my battery or the car starting so why would I spend the money on something I didn't need. Shit like that and finding a very trustworthy independent mechanic right around the corner from the Valvoline meant I never went back there again. I owned that car for 3-4 (maybe longer I forget exactly) after that still on the same battery with zero issues.
I'd skip the transmission change through them. Contact a trusted local mechanic and/or the dealership and see what they quote you. Sealed doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't need changing. It's good preventative maintenance if you plan to keep the car a long time. However, upselling you like that is just skeevy.
It's worth checking Hyundai forums or reddit to see if there's a general consensus if people do the 60k fluid change, postpone it until higher mileage, or if it's something that's covered under the 100k warranty.
It's really disheartening to see the piss poor quality of some of these factory-new parts Wade has to use. I know these things are all built to spec and shipped in to Oz from wherever, but surely there are still some boutique machine shops in the US or Japan (or hell, maybe even England) that take custom orders and make them not shite?
It's really disheartening to see the piss poor quality of some of these factory-new parts Wade has to use. I know these things are all built to spec and shipped in to Oz from wherever, but surely there are still some boutique machine shops in the US or Japan (or hell, maybe even England) that take custom orders and make them not shite?
mmm
given its james and mr dank, I wouldn't discount them buying the cheapest and most available options first before going to more bespoke options (also, australia, probably a limited set of options to pick from there to begin with. also also, ancient vehicles probably have even less options)
Posts
How easy is it to remove and either clean or replace a throttle body? And then, followup question, what is the likelihood I fuck something up in the process?
2011 Golf TDI
The only youtube video I can find on this is from a 2007, but the engine looks mostly the same so it's probably the same generation, I'm just trying to gauge if this is a thing I can do in an afternoon with <$300 in parts versus taking it to a mechanic and paying nearly $1100.
Depends on if you have the right tools available and the right size of tools to fit in the space. If you do it's probably no more than a 30 minute job to pull it, clean it with a rag and a $5 can of carb cleaner, and put it back on. If you don't, you may find it effectively impossible to get the lower bolts out. Otherwise it looks to be one electrical connector to unplug, a hose to take off, and 4 bolts.
Just plug the intake hose with a rag as soon as you get it loose so you don't accidentally drop a bolt or something down inside of it. About the only big thing you could do to really screw it up would be to overtighten and strip the bolt threads putting it back on.
https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/5/24091043/euro-ncap-safety-rating-europe-2026-touchscreen-buttons-dials It'S probably not going far enough, but at least a bit of (voluntary) regulations against touchscreens instead of buttons.
fucking ridiculous
It sounds like you're checking videos so it may not be the case, but make sure you're verifying it's the right idea with a reliable source. Been a few years since I sold our GTI and I think it was plastic and may nit matter, but a lot of throttle bodies and intakes have coatings that you do not want to strip off by rubbing them or spraying carb cleaner etc at them. They're essentially non-stick surfaces not intended to be cleaned.
I'm not cleaning it, since that'd be a failure point if I fuck something up that I just don't feel needs to exist, so I'm gonna replace it entirely. It's only like a $50 part on eBay, but I definitely have to confirm compatibility first.
What in the F?
Related: Every time I see a car with the giant fucking tablet screen sticking out of the dash I shudder. It is so ugly. So very ugly.
Will need to see the real regulations, but this could be due to manufacturers moving turn controls to haptic screens/areas on the wheel itself.
I am curious how intuitive physical turn buttons like ferrari uses on the wheel itself are. Probably works fairly well since they use a really fast steering ratio…
On the other hand, there's the new EV Charger, that wants to be seen as the 'anti-EV they don't want you to have' but it weighs over 5800 pounds. Talk about owning the lbs...
Goddamn that did not disappoint. Thank you for sharing that.
Alpine are basing their A290 off the new 5:
https://www.evo.co.uk/alpine/a290/206552/alpine-a290-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-renault-5-based-hot-hatch
It seems to share a lot of DNA with the sainted Mégane RS
I do think this is interesting:
Because I've been wondering what it would look like if a manufacturer leaned hard into trying to define a new kind of kind of design shorthand for performance EVs that isn't simply mimicking the characteristics that people see as desirable in IC vehicles.
Further to this, if for some reason I need to replace my Q60, I won't be buying another - not because I don't like it but Infiniti discontinued it in 2022. So I would probably go back to Subaru and get a WRX, so just thinking about it I went to Subaru's website to see what the interior of the WRX looks like now and goddamn it they have a massive tablet screen in the dash.
I just buy one that feels good from like NAPA. You want one that isn't fuzzy, or faux Alcantara. Just good old fashioned pleather. It should be nice and tight, like a huge pain in the ass to put on. That way it won't slip in an emergency situation.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
You can't give someone a pirate ship in one game, and then take it back in the next game. It's rude.
I'd like to thank Volkswagen for using the term "mark" without defining what it means so I watched a video of a EUROPEAN model which is apparently a mark 6 even from the same year mine was a mark 7. I don't understand anything anymore.
Fuck the entirety of that.
if theres a car that has these subscription features there should be a form you have to sign with giant red letters that says "i am aware i am buying an extremely stupid car with stupid features"
I currently have my car being repaired, and I just got messaged by the guys doing it. They're saying that in order to fix the brake of a single wheel, there's a bunch of surprise work that needs to also be done on the parking brake?
I am smelling bullshit here on how they're wording this as if they are trying to sell me on stuff, what's the chance of this diagnosis actually being true?
How old is the car? There very well could be wear and tear on the parking brake mechanism. I’ve had to have it fixed twice on my 18 yet old crown vic for example.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
It's 10 years old, and I don't doubt that work is needed on it. Its extremely rare that I use the parking break, and from all the salt on the roads during winters around here I wouldn't be surprised if what they're telling me about it being very rusty is true to some degree.
It's just that after taking a look and diagnosing the initial brake problem yesterday, they went to fix it today and called me to tell me that they would have to also replace a number of parts with the parking break. And that unless they did that (and almost double the $1k estimate they gave me post-initial-diagnosis), doing the already planned repair is impossible.
I've told them to just put it back together to how it was when I brought it in yesterday, and I'm going to be going to a more local mechanic that my folks recommend and know I can trust. He may say the same thing, but at least I'll have a second opinion and can commit as need be at that point.
So depending on what's actually wrong with your regular brake, it's certainly possible for the parking brake to also need some work. Still, taking it for a second opinion is a good idea.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
It’s definitely plausible that something in the park brake mechanism has failed/rusted. If they’re legit they should be able to point out on the car what’s wrong and why they can’t proceed without changing it.
You can't give someone a pirate ship in one game, and then take it back in the next game. It's rude.
dealers are charging cuh-razy money right now (as ever), but seriously... my VW gets dealer serviced (included with the car, thank god) but they try to upsell you and my napkin math on the upsell pricing was that it roughs out to $275/hr which is like.... higher than BMW probably lmao
Brakes are things people neglect tho so a straight forward job turns into a nightmare
Some dude even brought his car in after the dealership had it and they managed to install the brake pads backwards which I didn't even know you could do and I've done one brake job as a observer
Work on your own car, but make better decisions that I did that day.
Edit: Just to get ahead of things, we didn't do anything wildly dangerous, but we did get to the point that the spring had the lower wishbone pressing directly into the ground while the car was on jackstands, and there was no way to get a jack or anything under that arm enough to get it back up to being able to reattach the top wishbone, so kinda just had to keep going until the old spring was out.
If it were here, you wouldn't be able to use all the seats - the limit on a normal standard license is 4.5 tonnes GVM. Y'all over in the US already have a problem with old infrastructure falling over, this sort of thing really isn't going to help.
I'm getting my oil change today and valvoline (who I don't normally use) says I'm 20k miles overdue for a transmission fluid change (which they have no way of knowing anyway), which got me thinking
I checked the hyundai website which does indeed say to get it changed every 60k (I'm at 81k). However, in the actual manual that came in the car it says "no check, no change"
If it was like the same price as an oil change I'd just do it, but it's like $250-$300
anyone with a sealed transmission know what's going on?
I'd skip the transmission change through them. Contact a trusted local mechanic and/or the dealership and see what they quote you. Sealed doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't need changing. It's good preventative maintenance if you plan to keep the car a long time. However, upselling you like that is just skeevy.
It's worth checking Hyundai forums or reddit to see if there's a general consensus if people do the 60k fluid change, postpone it until higher mileage, or if it's something that's covered under the 100k warranty.
Edit: My grammar is just awful today
I only go to valvoline when I can't get a ride from my normal garage which thankfully isn't often
It's really disheartening to see the piss poor quality of some of these factory-new parts Wade has to use. I know these things are all built to spec and shipped in to Oz from wherever, but surely there are still some boutique machine shops in the US or Japan (or hell, maybe even England) that take custom orders and make them not shite?
mmm
given its james and mr dank, I wouldn't discount them buying the cheapest and most available options first before going to more bespoke options (also, australia, probably a limited set of options to pick from there to begin with. also also, ancient vehicles probably have even less options)