Comments by "Crime Stoppers" (@crimestoppers1877) on "The Car Care Nut" channel.

Thank You! I am slowly learning to be a Car Care nut. Oil and filter change every 3,000-5,000 miles with synthetic oil. Hand wash only, no car washes. Tire rotation every 5,000 miles.
35
Excellent! I just made a decision to find a highly qualified mechanic keep my cars in good condition. I will NOT buy a new car and feed the greedy Dealers who charge thousands above MSRP because of the Covid, Chips, "market prices" and other excuses. Dealers can keep the cars and I'll keep my money.
9
Chano Leyva 90% of automatic car washes are NOT touchless. The dirt, grime, pieces of hard material can be spun at high speed to scratch, chip and remove the top clear coat and even the pigment layers of paint. The air blowers can also force air onto weak unsupported sheet metal areas like hood, trunk and area over the passenger compartment. You can watch these large areas of sheet metal move from the power of the air blowers. The car looks clean when it leaves the machine but when you polish it later you can see damage to exterior pain areas and trim. I now wash my cars by hand. If they are dirty I use a pressure washer and the lowest settings and widest nozzle at a distance. I then use a combination of ceramic and wax coatings to protect the paint layers that remain. All coatings will become damaged over time, air pollution, wind and environmental and dust abrasion. I try to keep my cars in the garage when I am not driving them. I rebuilt my garage to be used only for a home for my cars. I built a separate workshop for tools and small projects. I am considering having a concrete company remove my existing concrete garage floor and replace with proper rebar and mesh reinforcements so I can have it flat and epoxy coated. I would like to have a CLEAN garage and small lift so I can do my own oil changes and Preventive maintenance. I am in the learning stage and will make some mistakes as I learn. I want to have a "Car Care guy" type - AMD- type of garage including clean and polished floor. My garage is over 50 feet wide by 24 feet deep. I have space for four vehicles with one HIGH bay single door. Each garage door is now insulated as are my exterior walls. All cars are expensive so they should be cared for. Up to now I have been a regular driver and just did what the Dealer mechanics said to do. Not any more!! I have caught my local Dealers lying to me too many times ( No More Fords) even with the "Platinum Extended bumper to bumper "everything" warranty. Lie to me once shame on you, lie to me twice shame on me. I refuse to be another Dealer victim.
5
@thomas9469 Thanks, I am the original owner of a 98 Accord EX with only 91K miles on it and decided to keep it until it drops. Oil change and new battery are on deck next. I don't see paying 35K to replace it with a 2022 Accord EX-L. I would rather buy oil and save my money.
5
Excellent! Question tell us about the official Toyota service and maintenance manuals. How many different manuals are available for each model ( mechanical, electrical, suspension, drive chain, body panels, interiors)?
5
@singular9 Yes there certainly is! I was just a point A to B type of car car person. Thanks to AMD I decided to stop fighting the outright lying of my local Honda dealer. I usually buy only Honda Accords once every five years and never had a problem except the lying by my local Honda Service department. How to avoid the lying? Stop buying a Honda! They can hire honest mechanics or advertise for new customers it is their choice. As a result of AMD I switched from Accord to a 2022 Toyota Corolla SE. Love that car! But a new problem. When I listened to the Toyota F&I salesman exaggerate and bloviate. I wrote down a list of items the dealer wanted to add. I said NO thank you. No addendum and paid for the car at MSRP. I left the car in front of the New car sales area and the walked over to the Parts department where I heard more bloviation about the parts " MUST BE INSTALLED" by the dealer like security lug nuts for each wheel? Give me a break, I know that $41 for a full set is cheaper than $150! The Parts manager told me that "Toyota does not have Parts numbers". So I bought the lug nuts and had my Professional auto detailer apply the "ceramic" paint coating at $900 less than the coating. What about the oil, drain plug gasket and oil filter? I bought them from a different Toyota dealer. Why do these people just plain lie? There is no one to complain to. Mr. Akio Toyoda President of Toyota motors, where are you? We must force your dealers to abide by your agreements. Are some Toyota dealers giving your brand a bad reputation?? This is why I need a full set of manuals. I am looking for one honest T-Ten Toyota trained technician. In the mean time, I need to know what to know ( maintenance manual) when I finally hire one. I do not trust two local Dealers. One uses the SAE 5-20 oil instead of Toyota SAE synthetic 0-16W (on a new car in cold weather) since "they ran out two months ago" and the other is too sketchy.
5
Goodbye Ford and Good Riddance of a POS Ford Focus which just received one more factory or NHTSA safety recall -- After I sold it! " Ford - Quality is Job 1" ROFL Hello to my first Toyota Corolla SE (2022). I plan to replace each vehicle with a Japan assembled Toyota model as they reach End Of Life. No more Fords or Hondas. I still have not found an honest Dealer mechanic, but am searching. In my area, the good independent auto mechanics are retiring. Go AMD!
4
@thomas9469 I am learning that lesson now. I have low miles on existing cars because I got bored driving them. Looking at the high cost of repairs by dishonest dealers and some mechanics has changed my mind. Time to fix up my hoopties. No battery cars for me they are Not EV's but most are battery powered just like toy RC cars.
3
David, David, Ahmed WHY? Please tell us about the external ( metal and polymer) painted vehicle parts ( Toyota and any others) ? I think it is shameful the poor wear quality of paints of most sedans and SUV's from most main stream manufacturers especially any paint with metallic ingredients. Why are the silver and Gold paints terrible? These paints might last a few months. Manufacturers and dealers already have the consumers money so should they care? The only color I can buy is a flat white with no metallic or pearl additives. Most people who work for a company do NOT have a covered garage to park during daylight hours. Silver or Gold tones, metallic paints, NEVER again. I anticipate the typical excuses (environmental, VOC's, characteristics of the aluminum powders, thinness of modern paints and more). The typical silver, gold or metallic paints make a new car look like it has a bad rash or a skin disease, flaking, rub off of very think clear coat within in DAYS. I bought one car within a few months and could not have it washed waxed and detailed. "Sorry sir there is not enough paint on this new car for me to hand polish and detail it! ". Why? My next new car I will have repainted with REAL paint that does not chip or peel when you look at it before driving it. High standards for paint coatings? Lets talk about it.
3
Excellent presentation. I have decided to make my next car a Toyota! I have two questions: Now as a consumer I have "thick" skin and want to know and be assured that after I buy a Toyota ONLY qualified Toyota technicians work on my car. How do I do this in a polite way? 1) Can I ask the Service Manager WHO will be working on my car and their Toyota Technician certifications? 2) All people have different characters and different levels of honesty. As a Toyota Master technician you know that at some Dealers your flat rate or work on the vehicle as presented to the owner may be "different" ( I am trying to be polite) how do I only pay for the work that was actually done? In the past I brought my car to a Dealer because of specific expertise they had to solve my car problem ( starter would engage intermittently). I got suspicious of the fast talking Service Manager and as my car sat not able to star, I placed a chalk mark on the side of a tire and on the ground. Two days alter I saw an estimate for over $800 so my starter would work again. I asked for the invoice for this diagnosis and it was $250. The technician who worked on my car was standing near it. The Service Manager told me that he had to put my car up on the track and it took a few hours for diagnosis. The technician told me they could not start the car and it was never on the lift. The chalk marks matched and the car never moved. I paid this bill put the key in the ignition and the car started. It did this by jiggling the key. I don't want to get ripped off like this again. I found that a regular garage mechanic diagnosed and repaired the issue in less than one hour. The starter was installed 180 degrees out of alignment and no parts were required. This is a common problem with car repair. What should we do about this?
3
How can I determine whether a Toyota Dealer parts manager knows Toyota parts? I Visited a local Toyota Dealer and the Parts manager for some parts numbers so I could do my own oil change, and he advised me that "Toyota does NOT HAVE part numbers!"? I left a visited another Toyota Dealer and the Parts Manager told me to use 5W-30 since they were out of 0W-16. On a NEW 2022Toyota for its first oil change. I had to do a LOT of calling around to buy the correct oil/filter. Why? Does Toyota require Dealer Parts training?
3
Truly a work of genius and art.
2
I bought a 2022 Corolla SE, and the "Heck" and nastiness I went through from two different Toyota Dealers is annoying at least. I told the Service Manager to have his technicians watch this channel. Dealer comment to me: "... You MUST change the oil ONLY at 10,000 miles. Trust the Dealer " Toyota care"! My Reply: "... I trust one Toyota mechanic. Mr AMD aka "The Car Care Nut". The car belongs to me and I drive it. I am responsible for Preventive and regular maintenance and NOT the Dealer. I say "MTDGA" = Make Toyota Dealers Great Again".
2
@mikehand2668 I just bought several cases of Toyota 0w-16 , several oil filters, activated carbon cabin filter and extra goodies. I lost my trust in local Toyota Dealer Service. I do not feel guilty for not trusting those who deceive others. I plan to work around problems that I identify. The car is mine and only I am responsible for preventive maintenance, maintenance and repair and NOT "Toyota care". I know that the local T-Ten trained mechanics are getting paid a barely living wage while state law requires $15.50/hour to hand sweep a parking lot and fast food order clerks make abut $22/hr to punch an icon of a burger and say " Do you want fries with this?". Dealer mechanics and Technicians are getting between $20-30/ hr with few benefits while the Dealer charges suckers like me $200/ hour labor rate. My family physician doesn't make that much. Maybe an ad in Craig's list will help me in locating a T-Ten trained technician who will work for less than $200/hour? I'll pay for the lift and equipment required. Of course I always pay with real money ie cash (" For all debts public and private") as is printed on each Federal Reserve Note. Honest mechanics will be able to survive on "side jobs" with no "upselling" or bogus findings, reports or work.
2
I just bought my first new Toyota because of this channel. AMD is honest and is the real deal of mechanics. All of us trust our lives and the lives of our families as passengers in these cars. We must be able to trust the skills knowledge and honesty of ALL our auto mechanics. I vote for AMD!
2
Excellent work!
1
@kmann1430 What year is this car?
1
This is good information. I also learned how to temporarily disable All microphones inside a Toyota whether they were installed by Toyota or others who may have a sneaky intent. I use an inexpensive 25 KHz Ultrasonic Piezo transducer powered by a 5 volt power supply and I place this in a convenient location inside the vehicle. When I want to use the Toyota installed Bluetooth microphone when using my cellphone, I just turn off the transducer and all microphones inside the car whether they are in a smartphone or part of the Bluetooth system return to normal function. When I need privacy I turn on my ultrasonic Microphone blaster and now have privacy restored. The audio frequency is so high that you can not hear (humans can only hear to a maximum of 20KHz) it but it causes a temporary scrambling of the microphone sensor membrane to jam all voice sounds. Any dog, cat or parrot you might have as a companion in the vehicle might not appreciate the 25KHz ultrasonic sounds since they might hear it
1
Thank you for your advice. Fix the problem not mend it. Don't keep old junk cars just because of good memories driving it.
1
First, I am not a mechanic. As a result of your recommendations I just bought a new 2022 Toyota Corolla SE at MSRP ( one honest salesman--who has not been trained on how to "sell". Thank You! ) This is my first Toyota. I am following all of your instructions about care of the car as well as engine break in instructions: Use caution with braking the first 200 miles and excessive idling and engine acceleration/RPM and prolonged speed for first 500 miles ( I stay below 2000 RPM). I bought the Toyota filter and 0W-16 oil for my first oil change at 1,000 miles which will be done by a local mechanic using my filter and oil. I have studied the maintenance manual and talked to the Dealer service department about the included Toyota care "maintenance". Initially, at 5,000 miles it is supposed to include tire rotation, fluid top off and not much more. I talked to the service manager and was told they will not change oil unless I direct them to and pay for it. Not a problem. I found a few words in the maintenance manual that says " 5,000 mile oil change ONLY for excessive idling such as police, delivery and other. I will use the "other idling". I know there are many different required Toyota oil filters and oil required for these vehicles based up on year, model, engine and Toyota MFG requirements for warranties. This will be a large inventory! My question is this: How do I absolutely know that the Service department will actually use the filter and oil I give them to do the job? With all the shenanigans I hear about from former Toyota Service technicians ( not you of course) , I wonder what is really going on? I have already been lied to a few times by the Toyota Parts department and the service department! Example: "Toyota does not have part numbers for its vehicle components". Say what? My mother once told me .."Lie to me once shame on you lie to me twice shame on me". Why do Toyota parts online and other dealers have part numbers and you don't?? I asked the service department which oil to use ( I gave them my VIN number) and they did not know!?? I do not want to take advantage of anyone but do not want to be cheated. Will I need to buy auto ramps and a lift to change my own oil? Lots of new Toyota owners have the same predicament: We want to TRUST the service technicians, but how do we know? Illinois is a long way to drive to get an oil change done correctly.
1
Car care nut. Why don't you have a raffle for this car for your viewers?
1
Congratulations!
1
Thanks!
1
What do you do when you learn they are actually LYING? The Service Manager will tell you x y z. I write down exactly what is said. He then changes what he said. Your vehicle has a safety recall from two years ago and we will buy back your vcar because of the safety problems with the car. This car low miles has been SITTING in the Dealer repair shop for almost 10 months for the same reason of the recall. Today, the Dealer offers less for the car ( I bought it at the same Dealer) than if they would have bought this a year ago. I drove next door to CARMAX and showed them the repair reeceipts and their mechanic looked at it and took photos. CARMAX wrote me a check for almost twice the amount that the Dealer offered. Honesty? The manufacturer no longer builds sedan cars ( Focus) even though they almost invented the car 100 years ago. Ford where Quality is Job #1. I just bought a new Toyota.
1
Fascinating to watch a real mechanic do a meticulous and honest job! I wonder if the previous mechanical work was done by a Toyota dealer or an independent mechanic?
1
When this car is complete, I plead that you do not drive it to pick up groceries from a market. Parking spaces are known to have free running shopping baskets and uncaring drivers who will find a way to park their large old rusty camper trucks right next to your car where the doors when opened will put a crease and possible dent or ding right into the beautiful exterior of you dazzling Lexus. Never park a Lexus in a parking lot.
1
I hear you! True
1
@My_HandleIs_ Fine I'll see you on a ski slope and what will happen when your car won't start. Batteries HATE the cold. Put a flashlight in a freezer sometime and see what happens. It can not work.
1
@My_HandleIs_ I live in South Lake Lake Tahoe where it gets cold in the winter. I have seen my share of EV's immobilized by the cold temperatures. I think it's great if you live near San Diego where it is warmer.
1
@My_HandleIs_ Thanks! I will keep my eyes open this winter. The good thing is I won't have to push start any of them, like the IC cars with no or low gas.
1
Is it possible that Tesla could have the attention to detail with its EV battery cars? Fit, Form and Finish? ( no gaps between body panels)
1
Thank you I learned something new about alternators.
1