Comments by "rondhole" (@rondhole) on "The Car Care Nut" channel.

  1. The hole on the brake disc is purely cosmetics, the wiper can be replaced with Michelin or Bosch brands, much better than Valeo generic. For Brake parts, Zimmermann is better than other brands and still made in Germany.
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  2. Thanks, AMD, this is very important and one of the causes of bad accidents, tread separation. It is often caused by many factors, not just age. I often found relatively new tires <5 years old but start having cracks meanwhile others are still fine even after 12 years old because it was kept in the garage. There are no rules about the age of tires because it has many factors to determine good or bad.
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  3. ALIGNMENT check is the worst hook that hooks people. 120$ per car, for nothing. If the tires wear fine, cars go straight, no alignment needed.
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  4. Amazing technique without expensive scanner. Still classic Toyota, always way to go around without scanner
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  5. 5 years is only $500 extra by going 6 m/5k miles interval for oil change vs 12k miles. With weekly discount from autozone or advance autoparts, 5quarts only cost $30 including filter 0w20 synthetic
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  6. Thanks man, Unfortunately I cannot find it inEurope, only the whole wiper for 25 dollar
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  7. Yes it is a rare event a Toyota mechanics used other than Toyota/Lexus. and The opposite is true, most Benz or Audi mechanics, buy Lexus instead.
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  8. Exactly, Most Toyota AC last as long as 20 years unless we live in a very hot climate where the rubber gaskets start leaking. Replacing all these gaskets, vacuum, and charge the right amount of refrigerant. Cabin filters must be cleaned regularly/yearly.
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  9. I really really like your video, especially this one. Yes, the warranty does not cover typical things that fail like tires, brake pads/rotors, spark plugs, 12V batteries, timing belt, clutch, Struts, shocks. Some covers bushings, stabilizer rings, steering linkage, brake pads, bearings, brake booster in Hybrid, hybrid battery, valve cover gaskets, sparkplug seals, thermostat, sliding doors, lock-latch, and water pump.
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  10.  @Idk-bs6in  Oil burning is everywhere. However, Americans usually drive 3-4x longer and maintain less than other countries in 10 years. That's why very few Automakers survive in the demanding USA market. FIAT, VW, Benz, BMW, Nissan/Renault, GM, Crysler reputations are not good in the USA. Only Ford, Mazda, Toyota, Honda, KIA/Hyundai are still respected by the American Used car market. For me, The real AMERICAN CARS are Honda and Toyota, they are made in the USA by American workers.
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  11. Toyota/Lexus is like Calculus. Once you know how to use it, it will always work and never fail for classical problems.
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  12. Benz has hybrid but not as reliable and DIY as Lexus. If you love Benz handling on E series, GS lexus or IS are the way to go.
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  13.  @TheLifetraveler1  We always buy a new filter with known brands (Bosch, Mobil, Wix, etc). To buy Toyota parts, Denso, Aisin, Koyo, we must buy directly from the Stores (Amazon LLC, Rockauto, etc.). Third-party sellers are not recommended for auto parts, only for used books, lenses, etc. Avoid eBay sellers if they have no business address or a real Toyota dealership. WE have tons of Fake Philips HIR2, HID bulbs even in toyota box in eBay from American seller who buys stuffs from Alibaba with much lower price. Toyota brands, buy it from Toyota dealership (online or store). other brands, directly from website owners.
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  14.  @GoaWay...  For newer cars after 2010, use what is in the owner manual. For older cars that usually takes 5w-30, you can use 0w-30 German/Belgium Castrol Edge longlife oil for the best protection. But any Full synthetic 5w-30 are the best option. My Sienna 2004 for more than 200k miles, consume less than 1 oz per year or 12k miles. Yes, I do oil change once a year with Longlife 0w30 oil. If it is certified VW507, 508, BMWLL01, etc. They are really good oil that are used in europe for 20k miles/1y OCI. Oil change for Toyota in Europe cost about $200. So, people do it really once a year/10k miles and we are all fine. The problem in USA is so many Oilchange shop giving you coupon with non-qualified oil for 1 y/10k miles interval. It has to be full synthetic with 0w-20 or 0w-16 for the newer Toyota/HOnda.
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  15. With COVID-19, the case of stolen Catalytic converter exploding more than 3x in some places. I hope Toyota, especially the hybrid have catalytic converter shields installed from factory. Not just USA, the epidemic of Cat Theft also exploding in UK.
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  16. Yes, you should if you drive more than 15k miles a year. The difference is huge if you are in city traffic. It has very low maintenance, much lower than diesel in 20y. Engine components and rubber hoses also last much longer in hybrid, the engine runs cooler. My 06 prius at 230k miles valve cover gasket was still really good when I replace it. Most cars rubber seals crumble after about 6y.
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  17. I had the same experience with 2003 Corolla that is parked for years and have VVTI error code. I put in a good Castrol Syntec synthetic 0W-30 Longlife 506/507 oil, 1 week later, all the codes disappear, and were very quiet. Full synthetic oil cleans the engine safely too but still 5000 miles interval. This problem is caused by eBay, Aliexpress, and Amazon who sell Toyota fake filters from 3rd party and unknown suppliers.
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  18.  @willisix2554  NO, it is purely cosmetic for this kind of car. It is also money maker for Benz to replace it periodically because it always fail and crack from that hole. It is for cooling for F1 with carbon ceramic disc. For steel disc, it is purely cosmetic. Other patterns is more efficient like hooks or comma. But the main purpose was to keep the pads clean by shaving it more aggressively. But there is no reason of having any drilled disc in a street car.
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  19. Yes, it's true 10k miles one year mild normal drive, not short trips less than 5 miles. But the most important part is full synthetic 1 y interval, no more than 1 year.
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  20. Thank you AMD, you give a really good wisdom even in the Scientific Jobs I got my income from.
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  21.  @upnorthviking823  LOL, that's only for really clucky 1970s Chevy trucks, not modern Toyota Tundra or Tacoma with tight tolerance engines. The worst period for the engine is start and warmup, that's why newer oil is 0W-XX. Unless you drive sophisticated Tracking cars like GTR or M5.
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  22.  @judepeterrodriguez9507  insurance is about the same, about 7-15% more than nonhybrid. Hybrid drivers are usually safe drivers statistically. It is not slow in city traffic below 70 kmh because of high torque in low speed, but slower than v6 from 70 to 130 plus the characteristic of CVT gives feeling of slow acceleration. LED headlight, safety sense 2 with radar cruise control are amazing, really safe. maintenance is way cheaper in 2.5L. the v6 cost 4x more in labor for valve cover gasket, spark plugs change, etc because of more things to deals with. The rest of the hybrid cars is exactly like Camry 2.5L. The hybrid parts almost need no maintenance except the coolant change every 225k Km or 7 years that takes only 30 minutes to do, and annually clean the intake for the cooling fan for the battery, 10 mins max. You also need to change the ATF WS on the transmission every 100-160k Km.
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  23. I wished you change the valve cover gasket too. They go bad often in high mileage
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  24.  @Sanga_boy part of life, we need data to understand people behavior and help them finding what they need faster. Collecting data is part of service
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  25.  @boostedmaniac  good point, address and phone number of the dealership should match too
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  26. you are right except on some parts like AISIN water pump, DENSO compressor and alternator/starter. They are often identical with Toyota marking polished or scratched. However, some parts like AISIN brake pads are not the same as original Advics pads.
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  27. Tacoma sold more than any midsize pickup truck in USA. More than Ranger, and anything from GM or Crysler.
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  28.  @Idk-bs6in  Offcourse, sometimes it is free after the rebate program. Oil and Gasoline is 2.5x costlier in Europe. Typical Castrol full synthetic cost clost to $60 online or $80 in-store. There is some Lithuanian/German oil like Mannol 0W-20 for about 35 euro per 10L, which is the only cheap alternative we found in Europe. However, the certified longlife 508/509 Oil like Castrol Edge from Mannol is still double the price 55 euro per 10L.
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  29.  @TheCarCareNut  Nice things about USA, you can speak out for any facts although your company does not agree with all of your ideas. But I agree, Tank additive never really works.
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  30. Yaris GR is indeed the Real Toyota with full engineered in level of Toyota reliability. THe CEO is involved directly on the development and Toyota lost money on producing it because it is a symbolic car just like LFA
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  31. Good things about Toyota, you always can program it with open and close doors sequence and eventually programed the new copy key. Older cars can use used remote. Newer one must use new keys.
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  32. The New one has hex keys on the back of the sway bar links. It fits and hold better without destroying the booth. The newer one are indeed much better, almost like Moog design but sealed. I love sealed boot
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  33. LOL, Tesla violated the right of repair in USA. Tesla is a replacement of similar clunker BMW, Benz, and Audi. Not replacement for Toyota/Lexus/Acura.
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  34.  @GoaWay...  That snake oil will hurt your money and your car. Do not put anything like that. Just put high quality longlife 0w-20 Oil, or it is called extended interval in USA for 20k miles/1year. I know Pennzoil, Mobil1, and Castrol sell 0w20 extended intervals oil. It has more additives than regular 10k miles 0w20 and a clean engine better. I remember fixing my buddy 2003 Corolla from sticking VVT by putting 0w30 German Castrol Edge. After about 500 miles and He drove it in the highway for 4-hour trips, all the Check Engine light from VVT problems disappear. That high-quality oil cleans the engine well.
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  35.  @piperpilot26  It is true but not everyone needs to drive long enough daily. That's why only high-quality engines from Toyota, Mazda, and Honda are popular in the USA because their engines and transmission can take the abuse better than other brands.
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  36.  @judepeterrodriguez9507  Another benefit of Hybrid, the coolant is heated by the exhaust and reaches ideal temperature faster than a regular car. YOu also have an auxiliary electric heater and get warmer faster too.
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  37. What is the kit egr part number?
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  38.  @TheCarCareNut  Thanks for the informative video. The spark plugs show some oil consumption characteristics on the ground electrodes. The stain or corona stain is normal and harmless though.
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  39. Automatic transmission has tons of clutch packs and it is very hard to avoid after very high mileage. For Lexus 430 age, used transmission is probably still the best option for the price. But you are a mechanics. Rebuilt things really make it like new (clutch packs) at least.
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  40. The best values is about 5 years or 100k miles. It cost less than 1/2 price but we still have 5 more years warranty in US and EU or 10 more years in UK and Ireland. Yes, UK and Ireland has 15 years warranty in hybrid battery with unlimited miles. Besides that, in Europe, the battery replacement cost is about 2350 euros installed from Dealership. In USA we have tons of 3rd party such as batterybean that gives us unlimited years transferable warranty for 1000 dollars. So, overall, nothing to worry anymore these days. Toyota hybrid is already in mass productions like cockroaches on the earth.
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  41.  @TheCarCareNut  NiMh battery in 2nd and 3rd gen last really long. 500k Miles /10 years are easy as long as the weather is not really hot like Florida or Arizona. In West Europe, many are more than 15 years without issues because of mild weather. UK/Ireland have warranty for 15 years, unlimited miles.
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  42. The bushing noise you mentioned at 10:40 is on the knuckle? That will be expensive to fix. I also have this kind of noise on Corolla IM. I changed the stabilizer links and bushing with the original part and still make noise. Definitely one of the bushing on the knuckles or double-wishbone but not sure which one. Do you know which one in Corolla IM has this common issue?
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  43. The plastic pipe right after the thermostat is commonly to suddenly broke and cause overheating from coolant lost. It is a good idea to replace that pipe regularly. 100-150k miles interval is about a good interval. I had found 5 cases in my city alone in the past 3 years.
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  44.  @dimab8753  Prius 2nd gen and 4th gen are the best. 3rd gen are great especially after 2013. As long as you maintain and change all fluid and clean hybrid fan regularly. The best one is always Toyota, Honda after 2015 is OK but not the one with beltCVT. Toyota used all gears/planetary transmission, not belt-CVT like older HOnda.
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  45. HYbrid is a clear choice in Europe where gasoline cost 3x more but cars almost the same price. If we drive 10k miles per year, the difference is $550 per year in Europe or about $200 per year. So in 10 years, we easily safe $6000. 10 years warranty in battery prius in Europe with unlimited miles and 15 years in UK/Ireland. Overal it is a clear cut. But in USA, it is 50/50. Unless we drive 20k miles per year, it takes at least 5 years to get brake even point.
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  46. It is dilemmatic for me because of the typical lifespan of this kind of product is 5-10 years. Meanwhile a good Yuasa or Panasonic AGM battery in hybrid last at 7-9 years depends on the climate. I prefer to keep jumpstart cable and change the 12V battery every 8 years instead.
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  47. Most oil change shop use non qualified oil for more than 5000 miles. Some oil has 18-24k miles interval/2 years but again under normal driving condition, and usually sold only in Europe and for Cars with 7 or 8 quarts oil sump. Most Toyota have 5 quarts max.
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  48. Avoid 2014 means 2014 model or registered in 2014 (which means the 2015 model).
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  49. Thanks AMD, I know you did a right things. But, I had real bad experience with particular dealership when fixing my 10y old cars for the campaign, replacing dashboards but they do not tight all the steering wheel parts properly. I told them but they denied, so I just spent 40 minutes fixing it instead of arguing and waste my money. It is very dangerous because the wheel is wobbling but most people won't know it.
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  50.  @ThexXxXxOLOxXxXx  thanks to remind me. My point is simple, Oil is soo cheap in USA. In Europe, it may cost €40 average full HC synthetic oil or €50 for PAO like Ravenol. Typical oil change cost about €60-100 in oil change station. So, 6 months/5000 miles is still a good practice for most of us.
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