48
votes
Accepted
Dealership says European cars need rotors replaced with every pad change because they use softer metals in rotors
You are right to be skeptical, the 'softer metals in european rotors' is complete horsedung. A bit of rust is completely normal, the rest of your criteria for replacing rotors is right on the money, ...
- 17.2k
30
votes
Heavy condensation inside car during winter. Tried multiple things, but no results!
Check the A/C drains are not blocked. The A/C condensates moisture from the air at the evaporator behind the dashboard. If the drains are blocked you will have a pool of water there ready to ...
- 25.5k
30
votes
Accepted
How can I prevent the backup camera from turning off in a Volkswagen Passat 2014 when going backward at over ~30 km/h?
It's set in the ECU in the "Park/Steer Assist" module and controlled by an adaption channel called "Switch-off speed for parking assist" IIRC and you can change the value there (...
- 10.3k
27
votes
Broken Coil Spring - How urgent is the repair?
That spring can rotate and rip out the tire - catastrophic loss when entering a bend could mean driver, occupants, other drivers, and/or bystanders could be singing with the angels...
Ground the car ...
- 34.7k
25
votes
How can I prevent the backup camera from turning off in a Volkswagen Passat 2014 when going backward at over ~30 km/h?
I want to offer more on the frame challenge, that you just shouldn't.
What you are doing is bypassing a convenience feature that refuses to support you being more unsafe.
Start by considering what a ...
- 381
22
votes
Could a car left sitting for 6 years ever run again?
I restored a 1981 Mk1 Golf some years ago. It was an abandoned project and came with the engine in the boot, no interior and no front wings. Total cost to put back on the road was around £550 (GBP) ...
- 23.4k
18
votes
Accepted
How do manufacturers detune engines?
There are several different ways a manufacturer can detune an engine:
Mechanically:
Cam profile can be changed. For instance, reducing the lift from one cam to another will not allow as much air to ...
- 160k
17
votes
Why are spare wheels smaller than normal wheels?
Because you rarely use it, reducing its size and weight is an effective method for cutting down costs. It also saves space and makes packaging easier for the engineers. The cost aspect is also the ...
- 2,964
16
votes
Accepted
Why are spare wheels smaller than normal wheels?
Do all cars that come factory fitted with alloys follow this rule?
No, there are three basic options that I see all the time.
An Emergency wheel - Will get you to the next tire shop or gas station. ...
- 365
16
votes
Broken Coil Spring - How urgent is the repair?
My biggest concern with issues like this is causing additional damage since the spring is no longer being supported the way it was designed to be.
Also, the rear suspension is (obviously) compromised,...
- 12.1k
15
votes
Heavy condensation inside car during winter. Tried multiple things, but no results!
I think the point everyone else (and you) are missing here is if the weather is cold enough the temperature of the windscreen is below the dew point, your breath has enough moisture in it to do ...
- 160k
15
votes
Heavy condensation inside car during winter. Tried multiple things, but no results!
If you can't find the source of the moisture, you can use a work around.
You say there isn't a problem if you leave the windows open a little to ventilate the car, but it lets in the rain. A solution ...
- 2,398
13
votes
Accepted
Why are VW tail light bulbs listed as 12W / 5W?
If it is a 21W/5W bulb, then it has 2 filaments of different brightness.
The 5W filament is for the side/tail light for night driving.
The 21W filament is for bright illumination when you press the ...
- 25.5k
13
votes
Broken Coil Spring - How urgent is the repair?
The basic issue from a mechanical point of view is that the spring (not the shock!) is what supports the weight of that corner of the car. Clearly, with a piece missing, it is not doing that as it was ...
- 2,974
12
votes
Heavy condensation inside car during winter. Tried multiple things, but no results!
You say that when you close the car, the air inside is dry.
This might be the case, but cold air can hold significantly less water vapour than warm air. That is, the same air which was "dry" when you ...
- 221
11
votes
Could a car left sitting for 6 years ever run again?
Yes it can run again, but is it worth it.
Edmunds show a poor condition 1992 as worth about $650, where as a very good condition is around $2000.
With your posting that it has rust above the wheel ...
- 1,533
11
votes
Accepted
How can I flat tow a 2003 manual Jetta 5 speed?
No you cannot safely tow the Jetta as you'll exceed the towing capacity of your Outback. The Outback can tow (depending on the options) between 2,700-3000lbs. The weight of the Jetta by itself is ...
- 160k
11
votes
Accepted
Will I be better off turning the start stop function off?
Generally, these systems don't activate until the engine is warm, so you probably won't see it for the first 5-10 minutes of your journey - of course it largely depends on the nature of your journey ...
- 28.8k
10
votes
Hit a curb today, taking a chunk out of the tire and some damage to the rim. Is it still safe to drive?
I highly recommend having the tires replaced.
Even if physical deformation/damage is not evident from a visual inspection, there could be damage to the internal structure of the tire, like the steel ...
- 129
10
votes
Is it harmful to keep 12V accessory on ignition start?
The reason for this warning is, when you start the engine of the vehicle, there is a large power draw. This drops the voltage which the Ecoflow battery will see from the charging port. When you shut ...
- 160k
9
votes
How do manufacturers detune engines?
Don't know much about detuning gasoline engines, but in diesels one way that it is done is by using smaller injectors which deliver less fuel. Since a diesel engine is designed to run with "excess" ...
- 14.5k
9
votes
Dealership says European cars need rotors replaced with every pad change because they use softer metals in rotors
No, rotors can go through 2 or 3 sets of pads.
But if a stone or piece of grit causes scoring then they need replacing. Sometimes resurfacing is sufficient but often the time needed is more than ...
- 34.7k
9
votes
Accepted
Brake pads sliding (?) between reverse and forward?
Could be a couple of problems but most likely in my mind is that the calipers are not properly fixed to the caliper brackets or the caliper brackets are not properly fixed to the the wheel hub.
I ...
- 12.1k
8
votes
Accepted
Hit a curb today, taking a chunk out of the tire and some damage to the rim. Is it still safe to drive?
The chunks taken out are not affecting the integrity of the tire.
Since there isn't any structural damage to the tire you should be fine.
If you feel some vibrations in the steering wheel after the ...
- 39.2k
8
votes
Accepted
Water temperature randomly drops while car is in motion (VW Golf Mk6)
It can be:
a sticky thermostat
Hard to diagnose properly without an independent thermometer, because a lot of modern cars show 90C at the dashboard while the temperature varies between 75C and 125C.
...
- 2,280
8
votes
Accepted
Why is the wiper fluid hose on the Mk7 Golf covered in cloth tape?
Along with what @FDryer has stated in comments, I'd suggest the primary reason for the cloth tape is abrasion resistance. Cloth tape is still very flexible, even when cold. It's just going to help the ...
- 160k
7
votes
Coolant Flange - What is it really called?
tl;dr: it's really called a coolant flange.
I had also never heard of a coolant flange but it turns out that it's a real part and, based on the video, it's a part that fails around 120K miles (which ...
- 24.5k
7
votes
why does the VW dealers in NA have a different battery than OEM?
When I worked for BMW NA, I was the 'Merican engineer responsible for batteries, start, and charging systems on BMW vehicles stateside from about 1990-95.
There was some bean-counter thing that also ...
- 12.4k
7
votes
Accepted
Is Spare Wheel is always Steel and not Alloy Wheel
I wouldn't say "all" of them use steel spare tire wheels, but the vast majority of them will. The main purpose of this is to save on cost. It's a lot cheaper for steel wheels than for alloy. If you ...
- 160k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible