Singles' Car Questions Tips & Advice thread (married folks can post too..)

[Grace-Like-Rain]

Hi Grace. I'm not familiar with hybrid engines, but if it's similar a conventional engine, oil leaks are often from the valve cover gasket. That's basically the big cover that covers the engine and says "TOYOTA on it. If that's where its coming from (you should be able to visually see oil stains running down the block coming from the edge of the cover), then 1) its not critical as long as you keep checking your oil level, and 2) its usually one of the cheapest repairs since they usually just have to undo few screws, pull off the cover and replace the gasket which is just a fancy rubber seal between the cover and the engine block..

Now if its coming from the oilpan gasket, same deal. They can just take off the oilpan and replace the gasket.

The only other place I can think of are the oil drain plug (just replace the washer on the plug).

PLEASE DON"T put in more stop leak stuff. That stuff can clog your oil filter. Also, its just supposed to help recondition the rubber gaskets so they get back their original suppleness, but I have major doubts that it can even do that.

Like I said, an oil leak is messy but not critical as long as you don't let your oil level get low. there is always one quart between the upper and lower marks on the dipstick, so that will tell you how much you've lost and need to add.

Thanks Zero!! I'll check and see where the oil seems to be coming from. Good to know that fixing this might not be too pricey. I am worried about the oil level getting too low, but also about making a mess on my garage floor.

 

[tourist]

This is amazing!! I always feel like I'm getting taken advantage of now that I'm single, with the car thing. I don't know anything and having this as a resource is AWESOME!!

So, I have a 2014 White Ford Escape. I've been told the lug nuts...(is that what they are called?) that hold the tires on the rims will all need to be replaced. They are not cheap when you add up there are 4-5 per tire at $10-$15 a piece. I guess my car make and model has had problems with it swelling and stripping then you can't get them unscrewed? Is this s thing? I don't want to replace them at all unless it's REALLY needed. I've had a lot of unexpected financial stuff this past year. It's all overwhelming at times. Thanks again for making this thread!

You're being ripped off. Go to Auto Zone and pay less than $1 a lug nut. They will probably even put them on for you for no charge.

 

[zeroturbulence]

This is amazing!! I always feel like I'm getting taken advantage of now that I'm single, with the car thing. I don't know anything and having this as a resource is AWESOME!!

So, I have a 2014 White Ford Escape. I've been told the lug nuts...(is that what they are called?) that hold the tires on the rims will all need to be replaced. They are not cheap when you add up there are 4-5 per tire at $10-$15 a piece. I guess my car make and model has had problems with it swelling and stripping then you can't get them unscrewed? Is this s thing? I don't want to replace them at all unless it's REALLY needed. I've had a lot of unexpected financial stuff this past year. It's all overwhelming at times. Thanks again for making this thread!

Hi Sonflower. I googled this real quick and apparently it is a real issue. Not only with your SUV but with a lot of newer cars because manufacturers are being forced by the EPA to start using stainless steel caps on lug nuts instead of chrome plating them like they've always done in the past..

The new lugs made w/stainless caps are easily damaged by the powerful air wrenches that mechanics use to take them off. They have to be extra careful and make sure they're using the right size socket for them. Anyway, when the cap gets damaged/loose then moisture and rust devlops inside the cap and that causes the lug to swell and not work right.

Luckily, you can find chrome plated replacement lugs for your vehicle for a whole lot cheaper than what the dealership charges. Here is one link that someone said they bought for their Ford Escape. You can enter your car info at Amazon and it will show if this fits your vehicle or not. Only $21 for all 20 lugs..
https://www.amazon.com/DPAccessorie...ord:escape&keywords=2014+ford+escape+lug+nuts

 

[zeroturbulence]

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Sonflower, if you know someone who knows how to put lug nuts on without overtightening them you can replace them at home. It would be just like changing a tire. Don't trust anyone who uses a cheap torque wrench though! I knew someone who used a torque wrench and his wheels literally came off while he was driving because they were overtightened. (it was not me lol)

Once you feel firm resistance with the lug wrench, you should just give it another 1/4 turn and that's good enough.

 

[Sonflower]

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Sonflower, if you know someone who knows how to put lug nuts on without overtightening them you can replace them at home. It would be just like changing a tire. Don't trust anyone who uses a cheap torque wrench though! I knew someone who used a torque wrench and his wheels literally came off while he was driving because they were overtightened. (it was not me lol)

Once you feel firm resistance with the lug wrench, you should just give it another 1/4 turn and that's good enough.

Oh my gosh. I feel so blessed right now. You have no idea how much this info means to me. I'm SO clueless when it comes to this stuff and financially it's been hard...especially since I'm on my own now. I'm actually in tears. Thank you SO much.

 

[zeroturbulence]

Oh my gosh. I feel so blessed right now. You have no idea how much this info means to me. I'm SO clueless when it comes to this stuff and financially it's been hard...especially since I'm on my own now. I'm actually in tears. Thank you SO much.

Oh wow you're so welcome! I'm really glad to help. Whenever my car needs a part, I see if amazon has it first to get an idea of prices if I'm replacing it myself, or if someone's quote sounds too high. Sometimes though you might have to go with the manufacturer's brand if no one else sells a replacement, but that's rare. Also, be sure a part has good customer ratings on amazon before buying it there. There are sometimes cheap, poor quality aftermarket parts on there.

 

[beachin]

I don't really have any car issues because I thankfully have my dad close by that I can always call for car or home repairs, but I know many people are not so lucky and car repairs can get expensive. Unfortunately, I know there have been times when somebody did try to take advantage of the fact that I was a single female and they thought I wouldn't find out. All of that to say, this was a great idea and I think it is so great that you are helping people out like this!

 

[JonahLynx]

My 2014 Scion tC doesn't go fast enough. How many spoilers should I add?

 

[Fenner]

What are the best windshield wipers? Need someone that are good with wet snow.

 

[zeroturbulence]

What are the best windshield wipers? Need someone that are good with wet snow.

Consumer Reports (an old, reliable source of consumer products testing and reviews) tested a bunch of different wiper blades and found that they all performed the same.. excellent at first, then began to degrade after a few months.

Here is the article: Best Wiper Blade Buying Guide - Consumer Reports

The two things that degrades wiper blades is the sun and dirt. The rubber dries up in the sun and dirt causes the blade to streak. I used to put armor all on mine and it seemed to make them last a little longer but I kept forgetting to reapply the armor all when I wash the car.. Some people say to simply wipe them clean with alcohol every now and then to keep them working like new.

Oh and I'd stay away from silicone wiper blades. People say they work great for awhile and then soon they start leaving a film of water on the windshield when they're on that is hard to see through.

 

[Ultimatum77]

What are the best windshield wipers? Need someone that are good with wet snow.

I like Valvoline wipers they perform well and also come with rain guard protectant for the windows that makes the water pearl off and get wiped off easier...

 

[Ultimatum77]

My 2014 Scion tC doesn't go fast enough. How many spoilers should I add?

Lol, spoilers would improve your drag coefficient and thereby help your fuel economy, but overall to get more power/fuel efficiency you should look into putting a custom cold air intake.....K&N makes some good ones but you can search around for one, also they say to get maximum efficiency with a new air intake you would have to program the ECU....b/c the computer adjusts to the air intakes input/output via sensors.....

 

[Ultimatum77]

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Sonflower, if you know someone who knows how to put lug nuts on without overtightening them you can replace them at home. It would be just like changing a tire. Don't trust anyone who uses a cheap torque wrench though! I knew someone who used a torque wrench and his wheels literally came off while he was driving because they were overtightened. (it was not me lol)

Once you feel firm resistance with the lug wrench, you should just give it another 1/4 turn and that's good enough.

Hmm...learn something new everyday didn't know about the lug nuts beginning to fall off b/c of the dumb EPA....good to know

 

[zeroturbulence]

Hmm...learn something new everyday didn't know about the lug nuts beginning to fall off b/c of the dumb EPA....good to know

I learned that today too, thanks to google.

 

[zeroturbulence]

My 2014 Scion tC doesn't go fast enough. How many spoilers should I add?

I'd sell it and get a 2007 Lexus IS350. They're both toyotas and the 350 is wicked fast (0-60 in 5.0 seconds, 1/4mile in 13.5!!) and very classy. Depending on mileage they are going for around $10k-$15k.

Used 2007 Lexus IS 350 Sedan Pricing & Features | Edmunds

 

[Ultimatum77]

I'd sell it and get a 2007 Lexus IS350. They're both toyotas and the 350 is wicked fast (0-60 in 5.0 seconds, 1/4mile in 13.5!!) and very classy. Depending on mileage they are going for around $10k-$15k.

Used 2007 Lexus IS 350 Sedan Pricing & Features | Edmunds

View attachment 159237

No way! Lexus cars are the most expensive to maintain, sure they may go fast, but so will your cash ....stick with the tC Scion it's more cost effective!

 

[posthuman]

2012 subaru wrx is supposed to get 25mpg highway...

hey

sweet

i have the same car, but it's a 2011
replaced a 2002 WRX with this one.

i *can* and *have* gotten in the low 30's overall with this car too - but more typically i'm averaging ~ 26 to 28 with a mix of city & highway, and carrying 5 or 600lbs of passengers & equipment.
when i have to travel 70mph interstates, i get much closer to the 25mpg on the sticker. and stop/go city traffic absolutely kills mpg -- though using the AC does too, not nearly as much as you might think.

but it depends more on how you drive than anything else.
these cars are monsters waiting to be unleashed -- i've gotten about 16mpg overall, on over 300 miles of driving, too - by "zooming" everywhere i go.

 

[posthuman]

about MPG:

[HR][/HR][HR][/HR]
a lot of people tend to talk about their car's economy in very irrational ways. they say "i can go for this many days on a tank of gas" or "it costs me this much money to drive all week" or "i can go this many miles on a tank"

none of this tells you anything about fuel economy. all that kind of talk depends on gas price, fuel tank size, and how many miles you travel.

to measure economy, you want miles per gallon. that means you need to record miles, and gallons.
there is generally only one way to properly do this:

[TABLE="class: outer_border, width: 600"]
[TR]
[TD]when you get fuel,
((1)) fill up your tank all the way.
((2)) reset your trip meter.
((3)) next time you get fuel, fill up your tank all the way.
((4)) divide the total number of miles you've driven by the total number of gallons it took to fill up the car. [/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


for example, say from a full tank, you drive 350 miles, and you fill up again, and it takes 14.2 gallons to completely fill the tank.
your MPG is (350 mi) / (14.2 gal) = 24.6 miles per gallon.

((and -- that's the average MPG for those 350 miles not for any intermediate number of miles or for the other 90,000 miles before or after you took the reading))

the MPG gauge in your dashboard, if you have one, is usually fairly close, but it is not always accurate. it may be higher or lower by as much as 3 or 4 mpg, or way off if you didn't reset the trip meter for the full tank. you can easily fool those things to make the numbers look big by waiting until you are cruising at a constant speed, or coasting, and resetting it, then taking a snapshot after 3 or 4 miles. then, you're only looking at the average mpg for those few miles you drove after you reset it.

the only accurate way to get an average mpg for a number of miles ((or tank of gas)) is to do as i described:
fill up tank completely
reset trip meter
fill up completely again
divide total miles by total gallons used

there is no other reasonable way to talk about fuel economy!
how much money you spend on gas, or how long or how far you go between fill-ups is meaningless!
that all depends on other variables.
fuel economy depends only on miles & gallons

[HR][/HR][HR][/HR]

 

[posthuman]

What are the best windshield wipers? Need someone that are good with wet snow.

i agree with above that they mostly all work the same, though you do generally get what you pay or. the very cheapest ones you can find are probably very cheap for a reason. something that is kind of middle-priced is what i usually go for.

wet snow is pretty heavy. double-bladed ones probably work better just because there is more inertia to push it off the windshield.
keeping warm defrosting air pointed at the windshield will help keep it from freezing on the window.

if any wipers are leaving streaks, it's probably time to replace them, and if one needs replacing, all of them probably do too. if you keep seeing streaks, and you don't think the wiper itself is worn out, that's probably due to either one of two things:

(1) something is stuck on the wiper blade - ice buildup or dirt. trying to scrape blades clean can damage them by tearing off bits of the rubber, so if it's cold, you want to knock off some of the ice but mostly defrost them, and if it's warm take an alcohol wipe and wipe the rubber blade down with it.

(2) the spring on the wiper itself that holds the wiper arm to the windshield may have gone bad. if you've got a 10 or 15 year old car, that's a real possibility. it's probably about twice as expensive as new blades to get a new wiper arm, which would be the fix if that's really the cause, so i'd try new blades first, but if new blades still leave streaks, this is probably the cause.

it's also possible ((but not really likely)) that the windshield itself is pitted somehow, i guess?

 

[posthuman]

This is amazing!! I always feel like I'm getting taken advantage of now that I'm single, with the car thing. I don't know anything and having this as a resource is AWESOME!!

So, I have a 2014 White Ford Escape. I've been told the lug nuts...(is that what they are called?) that hold the tires on the rims will all need to be replaced. They are not cheap when you add up there are 4-5 per tire at $10-$15 a piece. I guess my car make and model has had problems with it swelling and stripping then you can't get them unscrewed? Is this s thing? I don't want to replace them at all unless it's REALLY needed. I've had a lot of unexpected financial stuff this past year. It's all overwhelming at times. Thanks again for making this thread!

+1 on you are getting ripped off.
+1 on get another opinion about them, and if you really do need some, get just a couple for about $1 or $2 apiece at autozone or advance or o'reilly etc.

i don't know why anyone would tell you your lugnuts need to be replaced -- all they are is nuts that thread onto some bolts and keep the wheel tight and in place. they don't "go bad"

i just bought a whole set of 20 lugnuts for my car a couple weeks ago, because i got new lighter weight wheels, and they are black, and i just wanted black lugs to match because the silver ones bothered me to look at. it cost me about $25 total to get a full set, shipped, from amazon. just plain "acorn lugs" -- none of that silly 'tuner' stuff with locks etc.

the wheel studs are the things the lugnuts actually screw onto, and these are permanently attached to the car. those can get messed up by people putting the lugnuts on sideways, in which case you won't be able to put a lugnut on it at all because the threads can be damaged.
OR -- worst case, they can get broken off, because people tighten the lugnuts way too much. you do not want to tighten a lugnut "as tight as you can" -- then there is too much stress and the force can actually break the bolt off while you are driving. they need to be put on with a torque wrench, to something relatively close the manufacturer's specification ((usually around 65 to 75 lbs of torque)) -- not with an air wrench and not 'as tight as you can' !!

[HR][/HR][HR][/HR]
about putting on/taking off lugnuts in general:

to take the wheel off your car,
* break the nuts loose while the car is still on the ground, but not all the way loose. it's just easier because when it's in the air the wheel can spin a little.
* jack up the car
* loosen all the nuts all the way and take off the wheel.
to put the wheel back on,
* hand-tighten the nuts with the wheel on the car, just enough to get it mostly straight.
* tighten one nut a little at a time in a cross pattern, always tightening the lugnut opposite the one you just tightened next. what you do not want to do is tighten one nut all the way down and then go to the next one, or one side of the wheel down before the other, so that you end up getting the wheel a little sideways. you want to gradually tighten the whole wheel side by side by side, else it will end up being put on at a slight angle. don't work in a circle; always work a little at a time and across from the one you just did, then back across to the other one, like this:



* tighten them all finally with a torque wrench to what they are supposed to be tightened to. it's going to be 'tight' but not super-tight. not hard to loosen. if you're straining to tighten them, they are too tight.
* do all this with the wheel still in the air -- if you tighten the nuts with the car on the ground, the wheel will go a little sideways as soon as you set the car down, and you will not be putting it on straight.