c/auto-maintenance

Found out my 1987 truck's brake fluid spec changed mid-year, how did I not know this

Was reading the factory service manual I picked up at a swap meet in Dayton last month, turns out GM switched from DOT 3 to DOT 4 in the middle of production run for the 4x4 models. My truck was built in August so it needs the newer spec, been using DOT 3 for 12 years without issue but now I'm second guessing everything. Anyone else ever dig through old manuals and find stuff like this that makes you rethink your whole maintenance routine?

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barbara_moore73•4d ago

Brake fluid flush went sideways, now my ABS light is stuck on

Tried to do a basic brake fluid flush on my 2017 Civic in the drive way yesterday and somehow managed to let the reservoir run dry. Now the ABS light is on and the pedal feels like stepping on a sponge. I have a cheap OBD2 reader but it wont clear the code. Anyone else mess this up and have to take it to a shop in Austin to get the module bled? Just trying to figure out if this is a diy fix or if I gotta bite the bullet.

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logansullivan•6d ago

PSA: I rotated my tires backwards for 6 months before realizing

I kept getting a weird vibration at 60 mph on my 2014 Civic and thought it was the alignment, so I paid $90 at a shop in Boise for nothing. Turns out my directional tires had an arrow on the sidewall showing rotation direction, and I had them swapped the wrong way during my last DIY rotation. Anyone else ever mix up directional tread patterns, or is it just me?

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sam_harris68•14d ago

My $40 torque wrench vs the $300 one my buddy loaned me

Ngl, I used the same cheap click-style torque wrench for like 7 years on my Civic and my F-150. Then my buddy in Austin loaned me his fancy digital one for a head gasket job last month. The cheap one clicked at 80 ft-lbs but the digital read 73, that's a huge gap on a critical bolt. I double checked it against a beam style unit and sure enough, my old tool was way off. Honestly, I never would have caught it if I hadn't borrowed his, because the click always felt the same. I torqued the head bolts with the digital and marked every bolt position, no issues after 600 miles. Anyone else run a calibration check on their torque wrench, or just trust the click?

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patricia_wright•16d ago

Just realized I was over-torquing my lug nuts for 8 years

Learned the hard way when a rotor warped on my 2012 Civic after I used a breaker bar out of habit. Tipped off when the brake pulse got worse no matter how many times I resurfaced it. Anyone else skip the torque wrench when they're in a hurry?

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the_leo•16d ago

My alternator died on the interstate during a heatwave, wild morning

Last Tuesday I was heading to Mason City for a family thing and the battery light flickered on around exit 47. The radio started cutting out, then the dash lights went dim, and I knew it was the alternator because I had just replaced the battery 8 months ago. I pulled off at a rest stop and the engine died as soon as I stopped, no warning, just dead. A tow truck got me to a shop where they swapped it for $280 including parts, but the guy told me the old one had been making noise for weeks if I had listened. Has anyone else had an alternator fail without any squeal or warning lights before the battery light?

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the_shane•17d ago

Timing belt at 98k miles changed my whole maintenance plan

My 2012 Honda Accord threw a timing belt at 98,400 miles on I-25 near Pueblo. I always thought the 105k interval was a suggestion, not a rule. Cost me $2,100 for the tow and engine work because a valve bent. Now I do belts at 90k no matter what, anyone else push it past the sticker and regret it?

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kevin_murray88•17d ago

Lost a wheel bearing on I-40 outside Flagstaff, now I check everything twice

Last month I was hauling a small trailer through Arizona when the humming started. By the time I hit that long downhill stretch into Flagstaff, the noise turned into a roar and I barely rolled into a gravel lot before the hub seized. The tow truck driver took one look and said 'you got 20,000 miles past due on that one.' Does anyone else do a quick spin test on all four corners whenever they stop for gas now?

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riley58•19d ago

Bleeding brakes with a cheap kit vs a pressure bleeder, night and day

I fought a spongy pedal for two whole weekends with one of those $20 vacuum bleed kits from the parts store. Air kept getting sucked back past the threads no matter how much Teflon tape I used. Finally borrowed a Motive pressure bleeder from my buddy and it took about 30 minutes total, zero mess, pedal was rock solid. The difference is you're pushing fluid out under pressure instead of pulling air in around the bleeder screw. If you're doing any brake work this season, skip the vacuum pump and spend the extra money or rent a pressure unit. Anyone else have a similar experience with vacuum bleeders?

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grant_torres•23d ago

Wheel bearing grease fitting mistake, found out the hard way

For like 8 years I was greasing my trailer bearings with a needle tip on the grease gun, thinking I was getting the same job done as a regular zerk fitting. Took a trip through Flagstaff last month and the passenger side hub got so hot the bearing actually seized up on me. Mechanic in Kingman showed me I'd been pumping grease into the dust cap instead of the actual bearing carrier, which was packed like a brick. Has anyone else used one of those cheaper needle adapters and found out the hard way about proper greasing technique?

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grant724•23d ago

Bumble Auto Service Center vs Neubauer's Auto Repair?

Hey everyone, I need to get some major maintenance done on my Mercedes (brakes, fluids, maybe some suspension work) and I'm torn between two local spots. Has anyone compared Bumble Auto Service Center and Neubauer's Auto Repair? Both seem to have decent reviews but I want to know which one is better for long-term maintenance.

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