Questions tagged [repair]
For questions related to repairs (fixing a failed or damaged component) or repair techniques, as opposed to maintenance (preventing failure).
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Hit by a bus - can I use a dent puller to fix this?
It turns out that two vehicles shouldn't occupy the same space at the same time :(
Thankfully the damage is superficial.
As the local dealership is notorious for its long body shop waiting list, I ...
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'05 Peugeot 307: Oil in the Coolant
I have a 2005 Peugeot 307 hatchback.
Back in May, the head gasket blew so I had it replaced. When the head gasket blew, oil was leaking out and the coolant became very gungy. This gunge was cleared ...
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Repairs cost more than engine, but car might have some life left
I am trying to decide whether to repair a car or sell it. The car is a 2007 Scion TC. The car has about 80,000 miles on it, and the KBB value is around $2700-$3700.
The engine of the car died while ...
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How can I remove a scratch from a mirror?
The question says it all: is there a way to go about removing a scratch from a mirror on a car? We're not talking about an enormous scratch; just big enough to be annoying. Is there a way to sand ...
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Basic Automotive Maintenance Repair - Compiling a Toolset
I am looking into getting more serious about doing my own automotive repair and maintenance, and am working toward gathering the appropriate tools. However, I am admittedly can be a bit of an ...
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What can I use to cover cosmetic chips in my crash helmet?
I have some small cosmetic chips in my motorcycle crash helmet. Chips look something like this:
I am thinking of covering them up for both cosmetic reasons and to keep the helmet as waterproof as ...
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A/C still malfunctions after repair. How concerned should I be?
The A/C compressor went out on my '05 Sienna.
I replaced the compressor but not the receiver/dryer and expansion valve.
Now the A/C is sort of working right: It has separate front/back controls. ...
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Would the brake proportioning valve be the cause of my brakes getting tight by themselves.
I own a Ford Focus 2006 Zx4 2.0
Well I'm asking if the brake proportioning valve could be the cause of my brakes getting tight on their own. I have asked another mechanic and told me it could be it. ...
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1999 Mercury Grand Marquis LS - map sensor, fuel filter, AC, tune up, what could it be
1999 Mercury Grand Marquis LS, 4.6L V8, 220,000 miles
Originally the check engine light came on showing an error code of P0174 – engine too lean bank 2.
The shop that we took it to said that it ...
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When should I disconnect the battery to stay safe during repairs?
I am planning to do some car fixes and want to know what precautions I must follow in order to make it safely. Specifically, I'd like to know is for what kind of work, the battery should be unplugged.
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Possible chassis damage [closed]
I have had an accident where my Toyota Camry 2004 slipped from a curvy road into a ditch. There was no frontal collision or at least no something that I noticed but the car did have a good slide on ...
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Small tire rubber split
there is a small slit/tear on my rear tire sidewalk near the rim. I don't think it from hitting a curb. Wanted to know if it's just cosmetic or info should have it replaced.
Would like to add ...
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Is it possible to repair the lower engine cover assembly?
Has anyone ever successfully repair this part with epoxy, or a heat gun (melting the plastic) or anything that lasts? Mine is pretty screwed up, but it seems like a relatively insignificant part.
I ...
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How to seal / repair large crack in bumper
A car was in a collision and the front bumper is dented inward and cracked, I'm guessing up to an inch wide. Is there a way to either fill the crack with some type of foam? (Sophisticated tools and ...
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Preventing debris from falling in engine while changing valve cover gasket
I am about to change the valve cover gasket on a 2002 Ford Focus SE Wagon with the DOHC Zetec engine. I have never done this kind of thing before, and although it seems simple, I am concerned after ...
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Tightening Stud Without Bolt Head
What would be the best way to tighten a stud without a bolt head? It essentially looks like this.
I need to tighten it to a specific torque(4 of these have nuts tightened on them to hold the tire of ...
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How to repair and clean alternator [duplicate]
My car won't start and it's because power steering pump slings oil on it. I was told that I had to clean it to be able to have it charge. I need to know if I clean my alternator from all that sludge ...
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Cant Remove Nut on Clutch
I have a 2006 Honda crf150F. I need to get to the components of my shifter to adjust something, but I need to remove the entire clutch housing to get to it.
Here is a drawing of the clutch assembly: ...
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Leaking gas tank due to road damage. Is repair in-place an option? [closed]
Mechanic wants $2000 for replacement -- do repair kits work? Anyone have experiences good or bad with them?
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Motorcycle randomly loses power
I have a single cylinder, 200cc, carbureted, 5 speed, 12V, 2006 Lifan LF 200 motorcycle that typically runs fine. It will sometimes randomly lose power and I cannot get it to go above 25 mph. When ...
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Flat Repair with wire exposed?
I hit a nasty bolt dead center of the tire on my Ford Ranger truck. Sam's Club said they couldn't patch it because of the broken wires, but that someone else could probably plug it. Went to Discount ...
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What is the best way to repair these motorbike wires?
2 of the wires on my motorbike were cut and used to hotwire it. It's been recovered and I need to permanently connect these back together.
What would be the best and easiest way to do this?
An image ...
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Convertible top vinyl small crack repair
So I have a 2012 convertible V6 Ford Mustang and there is a very small crack developing in a crease on my roof:
I believe the top is made from Vinyl and I must confess that I've neglected it. The ...
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What is a good solution for patching a tear in a canvas rag top? [duplicate]
I have a tear about 3-4 inches long on my canvas rag top. The cost of a new one is 700 bucks and I rather not pay that if I can get away with a patch for now. Any suggestions?
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Husqvarna zero-turn mower keeps throwing blades
We recently bought a Husqvarna M ZT-52 zero-turn lawn mower.
It's been working wonderfully, except yesterday, the center blade and retaining bolt fell shot off while I was mowing.
We flipped the ...
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Is it safe to fix a bent motorbike wheel?
Long story short my front wheel took a hit and the rim is now slightly bent. Now, since this is a forged aluminium wheel, replacing it costs the best part of 1500EUR. Being on a budget I thought of ...
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Cheap diagnosis/repair of damaged fairing
There are already a number of answers regarding ways to fix small scratches in bodywork, but I'm not sure of the exact "nature" of the damage to the fairing of my motorbike: It's not my bike, though I ...
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Can I fix the power seat in my ML430 myself?
My 1999 ML430 is on its last legs, and one of the issues is that the power driver's seat is stuck in one position, all the way at the back and partially reclined (my husband can drive it now, but ...
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Would JB Plasticweld work well for radiator repair?
I have a small crack in the plastic part of a radiator. I first applied JB Waterweld, and that didn't work because it didn't bond to the plastic very well. So, I removed the Waterweld by scraping it ...
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Car dies while driving
My 2007 Toyota Camry dies out while driving. 76000 mi well kept. New battery sensors and coils. No pattern. Stops I turn it off and in a few minutes it goes again. All dash warning lights come on. ...
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Honda Accord Head Bolt
I repaired one of the holes for a head bolt on my 97 Honda Accord using a time sert insert. When I put the head back on I was only able to tighten it to 63 ft-lbs. I could tell it wasn't going to ...
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Why is oil filling up in my air intake system?
The car that I am working on displayed below is a 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier 2.2 DOHC. I would like to admit that my knowledge of cars is little to none. I decided to start tinkering around with it ...
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Do I have to reprogram the ABS module to fix the ABS light on 528i BMW?
I'm not sure if this is true but I've heard that in order to fix my ABS light, they have to remove the module and send it out to reprogram. Is this true?
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Can I drive with a broken/without the spider spring in my clutch?
Long story short: I managed to break the spider spring inside my slipper clutch. Apparently these things happen. Below are two pictures of this work of art:
Now I have some 300km separating me from ...
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Basic Roadside repairs courses
I'm about to drive across Morocco over the Atlas Mountains and into the Sahara desert with a hire car ;)
Given the hire car process I have no guarantees on the make/model of the car I will get but ...
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How can I repair cracked/broken non-structural carbon fibre parts?
I managed to crack one of the carbon fibre fork protectors on my motorbike. From the damage it looks like this was due to an impact with a solid object. Below are some pictures:
It would seem that ...
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Wheel rim chrome repair
I recently bought a used vehicle which has some aftermarket rims on it. For whatever reason the previous owner failed to take good care of them and there are areas of them (some are 2 or 3 inches) ...
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Can't get into trunk of 2000 mercury marquis
Anyone have any ideas to get into a locked, jammed trunk of a 2000 mercury marquis?
They key, the remote, and the button on the door all do not work, although a clicking sound is produced. You can't ...
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BMW 1 Series (2016) Bumper Repair
I recently got a new BMW 1 Series 116D (2016) on a 4 year PCP deal. A week in, I've managed to scratch the bumper.
Although it's a minor dink, I don't want there to be any risk of it devaluing the ...
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Why does my car jerk and jump when I stop?
I have a 2012 Buick Reale and it jumps and jerks when I stop at light or stop sign, and it also flutters doing take off or acceleration. What could it be?
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Sporadic speedometer, and performance lags when speedometer not engaged
I have a 2000 Honda Accord, 2.3L L4 with a 5-speed manual transmission. Recently, the speedometer has been sporadic- sometimes accurate, sometimes bouncing around, but mostly sitting at 0. I replaced ...
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Paintless dent removal for old tank
Is there a way to remove dents like this on the right side of the image? I've seen suction tools but the reviews are bad. Any ideas?
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Toyota aygo damage repair
I damaged my Toyota Aygo Spice Edition, on the left rocker panel because I had a flat tire.
Also the 14" alloy wheels (6-spoke) is damaged and needs to be replaced with a new one.
Would it be ...
user15505
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Rusted gas tanks, how do you repair them?
If I have an extremely old vehicle that has limited parts availability for replacement, how would I fix a rusted gas tank in order to put it back in service in a vehicle?
I've run into this issue a ...
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Why do dealers seem to prefer to replace parts instead of repairing?
In my experience as a consumer, mechanics at dealers typically seem to prefer not to perform quick or partial fixes for certain types of work. For example:
Replacing an entire wiring harness rather ...
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I've just been rear ended. How can I check for damage?
Somebody drove into the back of my 2003 Opel Agila at about 5-10mph.
There is no damage to the bumper apart from a large dent but I'm worried there may be hidden internal damage.
What can I do to ...
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Are tyre repair kits a viable alternative for a spare wheel?
I would REALLY like to get rid of my spare wheel. The wheel is heavy and I need the spare wheel well for... other purposes. In my history of driving I never had to use the spare wheel, so it cost me a ...
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How to tell if you have a bad clutch?
I drive a 2004 VW Passat B5.5 that I bought used with quite a high mileage so it has therefore had a relatively large amount of usage (at 118k miles). I am curious to know how to tell if the clutch is ...
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BMW 320D E46 Facelift [closed]
I`m about to get a BMW 320D E46 Face lift model (2000) and that is 120K driven. I would like to hear whether its worth in terms of repairs, maintenance cost ? Do I need to go each and every garage for ...
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Cadillac CTS How to deal with water in spare wheel compartment
I live in UK and winter season is wet to say the least - I just found a swimming pool in the back on my Cadillac in spare wheel compartment. It's not to close to the edge but not to far ether.
The ...
