Questions tagged [safety]
Questions relating to the safe use of tools, safety procedures, use of safety equipment and other methods of avoiding harm to yourself or others.
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Safe to drive back home with torn ball joint boot?
I have a torn ball joint boot on my old VW:
I'm away from home, and ideally I'd drive back the 800km/500mi and change it then. The ball joint doesn't otherwise seem to have excessive play (the car ...
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Wheel Came Off 3.5T Horse Box While Driving - Most Likely Cause?
About 4 months ago I had my Horsebox MOT’d and had brand new tyres on every wheel.
Last week while driving down the dual carriageway/highway, we heard a loud bang, I tried to brake but had no brakes, ...
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Why do cars not have ISOFIX mounting for a rear centre mounted car seat?
My understanding is that the safest position in a car accident is the centre of the rear seats. For example this paper finds that 0-to-3 year old "children seated in the center rear have a 43% ...
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Is it okay to use Loctite instead of pinning an outer tie rod lock nut?
I'm doing a rack and pinion rebuild. My rack uses lock nuts to secure the inner rod to the rack bar. The inner rods are manually preloaded with the adjustment nut and locked into place with a lock nut....
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How dangerous is it to mix tire brands?
Last year when we switched from snow back to summer tires, at a Toyota dealer as it happens, they said two of them needed to be replaced and so we installed just two new tires and kept the ok old ones....
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Is it OK practice to start a car while it's on jackstands?
Just finished putting the transmission and subframe back in after fixing a input shaft bearing, but most of the suspension (lower control arms, knuckles, ...) aren't installed yet. The front of the ...
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Is there a safety rating for the other drivers in collisions?
Does a safety rating (or any type of metric or statistic) exist that describes how safe a car is for other drivers (in other vehicles) involved in the collision?
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Changing a modern maintenance-free AGM battery - chemical burn/irritation risks
I just replaced a 5-year-old maintenance-free AGM battery (Varta silver dynamic 95Ah 850CCA), and the only precaution I took was to wear latex examination gloves. (The car is also only 5 years old).
...
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Safety of coolant question
I have a pretty nasty coolant leak in my car. I have to fill my radiator about twice a day. Anyways— because of the frequency that I have to fill my radiator I keep a bottle of coolant in my car. ...
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Why don't cars have circuit breakers instead of fuses?
While there are exceptions the majority of cars use fuses instead of circuit breakers to protect electronics and I'm wondering why circuit breakers are not more widely used. Is it practicality, cost, ...
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Should I be concerned about a bent metal bar on the underside of Ram Promaster City?
Today while driving around sunny Tucson, a javelina met an untimely demise at the hands of my 2018 Ram Promaster City. It was a bit of a strange collision with me essentially just driving over it at ...
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Stolen catalytic converter -- safe to drive to mechanic?
A friend's catalytic converter was stolen, her mechanic is about 35 miles away. What are the risks of driving the car to the mechanic (instead of having it towed)?
I'm assuming that it would be ...
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Will zip ties hold on a bumper for 200 miles?
I’m 200 miles from home for the weekend and an in-ground pipe in the parking garage tore off my front bumper (2016 Camry). We zip-tied the top of the bumper back on through the holes where the clips ...
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Why does the manual warn you not to sleep in your car? [duplicate]
'Warning
Do not sleep in a vehicle with air conditioning or heating system on. It may cause serious harm or death due to a drop in the oxygen level and/or body temperature.'
https://www.kia.com/...
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Why does my car's manual tell you not to sleep in your car with the windows up? [duplicate]
''Danger
If you sleep while operating the air conditioner or heater with all the windows closed, You may suffocate to death due to lack of ventilation. When you operate the air conditioner or ...
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Why don't manufacturers also produce "day-time running" tail lights?
I see a lot of vehicles on the road at night that have no tail lights on. From countless observations I've made, this is usually due to the vehicle having decently bright daytime running headlights (...
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Past Clutch worries over smell/dust
A while back I was driving my '92 Mitsubishi around for quite some long journeys over a few weeks. The car was given to me, but something didn't seem quite right. After a while, I noticed that there ...
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Lug nut not fitting steel rim holes?
I recently purchased a second set of rims for my car, a 2009 Kia Cee'd SW (ED). This is a set of steel rims, and as the other one are not, they had a different type of lug nuts than normal.
So the ...
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Do these rotors pass inspection?
Hello all,
Bit urgent as I'm trying my best to help my mother. She needed a safety performed so she can go from a lease to buying her car directly from Honda. Honda is also the one that performed the ...
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Why do buses not have seat belts if cars have to have them? [closed]
This has always struck me as odd. People just board this huge thing that moves around and never even question why there are no seat belts.
But a normal car (even a larger bus-like one) has to have ...
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How to make a car less bouncy?
My 2016 Camry feels very "bouncy" even on seemingly smooth roads. It is bouncy at every speed, from 30km/h to 110km/h. I can feel every groove on the road. Which components should I modify/...
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Can rear shocks affect comfort at the front?
Can bad rear shocks affect the ride quality at the front of the car? Or are they only noticeable for back passengers?
My car was really "bouncy", so I replaced the front shocks. Even though ...
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Does a car battery's acid dissolve nitrile gloves?
My battery has some liquid spill on top and on the sides.
I didn't touch it, but I assume this is sulphuric acid leaking, and not any kind of oil.
Does sulphuric acid dissolve nitrile gloves? Could it ...
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How does towing small trailer vs carrying multiple passengers affect the car?
I currently drive 2013 Subaru Impreza hatchback, which seats 5 people (1 driver, 3 comfortable passengers and 1 unfortunate passenger on the middle seat in the back row). Its towing rating in Canada ...
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Severe static shocks from car after driving
I know that you can get a static shock when exiting your car after driving for a while from the friction on the seat. However I do have my car for several years and since a week or so I am starting to ...
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Do I need to worry about the airbag when replacing indicator switch?
I'm about to replace the right indicator switch on my N15 Nissan Pulsar and have been looking up tutorials on how to achieve this. Seems simple enough but I read a comment about disconnecting the ...
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Fixing a malfunctioning seat belt sensor
I'm in the far end of a road trip, and towards the end of the road trip my seat belt warning started going off erratically. Tapping on the driver side seat belt buckle seemed to silence the warning ...
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Check for functionality of Subaru EyeSight package
I'm purchasing a used Subaru Crosstrek this week. It's a 2017 Sport model with the "Technology Package" meaning it has rear/side vehicle detection (standard on Sport model) plus Subaru's ...
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Plastic hub adapter on aftermarket rims—is it needed?
I have aftermarket aluminium rims for my car, which were manufactured to fit multiple vehicle models. Therefore, the center hole is bigger in diameter than the hub of my car, and the rims came with a ...
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how would you prevent theft in a simple way other than a kill switch?
I know you can get a kill switch for to prevent theft.
I’m a bit busy right now but I’m any case what is wrong with just removing a relay or switching a main fuse with a broken one? Might the constant ...
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Is it ok to charge battery inside car or home with no one in it?
I read that when charging a battery(charger to battery) or battery to battery(I imagine) a toxic chemical/gas is released from the battery. As such you should ventilate and not be in the home whilst ...
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turning fastener left firsts prevents cross threading a wheel nut?
I was watching a video on how to prevent cross threading a nut. Guy in was saying rather than start by turning the nut right, keep turning it left until you hear a click, then go right until right.
I ...
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Ideas to avoid sun reflections from plated surfaces while driving
It is common to find plated decorations in the interiors of cars. They are sometimes small details, but sometimes they take big, smooth, and curved surfaces, to make sure there is some part of it in ...
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Steering safety precautions on a Ford Van
So I got some steering issues with my E150 Ford van from 1998 with a 5.4 v8 in it. It kinda groans and creaks like a giant wooden ship from the 1600s when ya turn it.
Somebody on here was tellin me I ...
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How do I safely fill and use an external diesel can?
I would like to purchase an external container and fill it with diesel fuel, for use in my personal vehicle. I want to make sure that I am doing this safely.
To that end I have some questions:
If I ...
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Can ceramic disc brakes pads contain asbestos?
I have been reading articles like this one and this one, talking about how asbestos is still a problem with car brakes. There is even a post in Mechanics stack exchange from 2016 asking about ...
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(Why) is it dangerous to leave the engine running while refueling?
I searched the web and I searched this Stack exchange and I've only found answers that seem to apply at all times (static electricity is always possible, and the engine doesn't cool THAT much in the ...
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is a seriously corroded driveshaft and u joints on an F150 safe? dealer who sold me car says no
I think a corroded drive train this corroded is a safety issue, bought used f150 from dealer get out on highway and was scared to hell whole truck shook so bad -drove truck back later same day saying ...
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Is this tire damaged? (ran on flat)
Flat and after-flat pics (it was installed on the other side after flat... I think)
Ran about 70 meters (76 yards) at very-very low speed with this tire completely flat, it only has 2000 miles on it,...
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Aftermarket seats
The drivers seat in my 2011 Honda Civic causes me back and knee pain. The rest of the vehicle is fine, so I can't justify getting another one. I've spent much time fiddling with the adjustments, as ...
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How much can I load on my trailer on my 2017 Subaru Legacy?
I have a 2017 Subaru Legacy with a standard trailer hitch installed at U-Haul. I pull a 5' by 8' utility trailer bought from Tractor Supply. I would like to carry multiple bookcases in the trailer ...
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What would be so wrong with using ATV preventative tire sealant in a street car?
I've been looking for a type of tire sealant like Tireject/Slime that will prevent flats, not the emergency repair kind. Both of these companies sell the preventative goop, but they specifically state ...
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Newly purchased tire showing signs of crazing around the rim -- is this expected/normal?
I unwrapped my newly acquired motorcycle front tire (sold as new), and noticed some cracks/crazing along the rim on both sides. The tire looks brand new and perfect otherwise. Should any amount of ...
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Mismatched brand tires on back, bad on high speeds?
Wouldn't post a new question if the internet wasn't full of "Yep, perfectly fine" one one side and "Nope, you're going to hit the closest tree" on the other side.
Driving a FWD Volvo S40 2.4i. ...
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Safety Recall - Dealers say "we don't have the parts for this"
So I've been consistently getting "recall" notices for my car and every time I receive one of those mails I immediately call the number on them. I am redirected to a dealer who always answers with the ...
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How are showroom/display vehicles prepared?
These vehicles are kept in buildings, so I imagine there are some safety considerations (e.g. no fuel and oil) being followed? Are they brought in straight from manufacturing so that there is no risk ...
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Safe working technique; four axle stands
I would never dream of going under a car without it adequately supported; axle stands plus wheels, if removed, laid under the sills (rockers).
I have a full set of brake lines plus a serious amount ...
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Do you really need to replace split pins? (aka: cotter pins)
Split pins missing. Mechanic 1 told me you must do it, it is essential for safety. Mechanic 2 told me its no big deal only japanese cars have it, you don't see them on german cars and car is still ...
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Cut on the sidewall - is this safe or should i replace?
I am not sure if this is a cosmetic damage or a structural damage in the tire. The tire is a Bridgestone Turanza 225/40R18 in front. About 18k miles and almost 5 years old. I don't know where I got ...
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Tires of the same model but different sizes - how much difference in quality and performance?
ADAC tested winter tires of size 175/65 R14 T and 205/55 R16 H this year (in English: 175/65 R14, 205/55 R16). I would like to buy a set of size 185/65 R15.
Question:
Does it make sense to base the ...
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