Comments by "18rabbit" (@18_rabbit) on "The Car Care Nut" channel.

  1.  @Len10293  that's right. AND this mechanic has carefully explained previously how the decisions get made rationally. E.g. the Highlander that got an 8K job by him, it was rational of the owner, but only bcuz it was his originally brand new car 200Kmiles backi, and the Higlander is really solid, or that one was in particular. But yes, especially in today's economy, ppl cannot take risks like this IF they can buy a used car for ok money or a new car. This mechanic has explained that exact math in that Highlander case, ie how he presents the customer with the differntial of the new car payment, vs the engine replacement. He's the first mechanic i've ever come across online OR in RL, who is so smart about guiding the customer in a very realistic rational decision, which obviously has to be purely risk/reward, with clear-eyes for the risks which include later future things like transmissions etc.
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  2. would love more expansion on this topic! thx!
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  3. they prolly don't intend to be certain about all the Highlanders and Siennas, bcuz those are lower margin than Grand H and Lexus. This trend is what all the makers are doing including Honda which has not been producing base models at all! Terrible trend and likely part of the inflation numbers in total dollars terms. Horrific for america, which is not a country that has a great recent history of money-sense.
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  4. really depends on location/weather/conditions/sun. Big temp swings daily and/or daily driver vs eclusively highway driving, is a totally differnt lifespan for tires. In mild climates, good quality like for me, Michellin, last faaar longer than if in arizona e.g. or other hot areas. Same maybe with cold areas, ie big swings, etc. But yeah safety is usually a seven yr span, and by 10 it's getting late, even in the ideal place/situation. But it's not universal and so looking for dry rot, and feeling the flexiblity /hardening of the older tire is part of it. When in doubt, replace it of course. But my point is that it's not a universal rule of 6 or 7 yrs necessarily. But quality makes all the difference in how good it is at 4 yrs and 6 yrs, vs a lower quality tire. Same at age 10, IF in ideal climate and not daily driver
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  5.  @akhossain  markups are ONLY the dealer. Mfr's sell cars to dealers, and THEN the dealers price them.
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  6.  @eddieBoxer  damned right! thank u!
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  7.  @lcole7501 quite possibly but we have no idea really, bcuz it's Hyundai, not toyota or honda. No comparison really at all, and Hyundai after around '10 also had premature engine failures, ie under 150K or so. I'm not impressed w/ the koreans myself, so far. They're getting there to top flight, but not quite yet.
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  8. it's also not worth more than msrp, including to most rational sporty car buyers, and actual sports car buyers. Wait till later this yr or next yr or two & u can buy new for msrp or less.
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  9. what do u mean by 'issue of counterfeit parts is nonexistent'? it certainly does exist and in fact has plagued the Honda v6 world, for timing belt kits, causing premature failure of the tensioners bcuz they're so bad.
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  10. that's eaxctly what i wish he'd discussed, given that and other hybrid issues crop up after 200 K on these
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  11. no, it's a toyota and 180K failures (and a dealer system that would do that unwise 4500$ partial measure fix) is not 'it did its job'. This is a sad time for Toyota, and some other makers i suppose, over the past decade. Add that many american men do not appear to know the basics of cars/engines, that even non car-ppl of around maybe late 40y.o's o n up often do know, and it's a bad recipe for bad financial decisions at 180K on a seemingly solid-brand car like u had.
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  12.  @dougfromsoanierana  interesting, and not first time i've heard of those two needs. Really adds up fast! Others here have had quotes of 3K for dash, and 3K for catytlic converters, so im' a bit wary.
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  13.  @paulsi1234  by recruitment of mechanics that are truly capable and qualified. This isn't rocket engineering actually! I.e judging the quality of a mechanic applicant. That's the how/why that he and others have realized that Ahmad's shop is so good! All about the 'how they think', how intelligent they are or aren't. Ain't that complicated!
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  14.  @Wellh0wrya  not at all, and even BA is probably not nearly as bad as they look at the moment. BA/boeing is simply showing a reflection of general american culture at this particular moment , i.e. say, past decade into today. (contrast that to the ever-lasting dealer corruption!) Time for revamping and looking in mirror and proper management and oversight by federal gvt. BA is arguably one of the few most important co's on this planet, so it's kiinda a big deal. Toyota is also important, very but not at the level of Boeing.
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  15.  @derrickjohnson5219  just a semantic thing maybe but every single business/going-concern is capitalist, by definition. That's how things work.
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  16.  @imbowser  partly on purpose maybe but also part of the car makers' hedging their financial stability for the next five years. Learn some econ and some economic geography, and u'll start to get it. It's very complicated what's happening on this planet right now in the business world. We are reaching true capacity issues for total production. This is how capitalism also works, and most ppl are pig ignorant about that fact. It's not ilke china with their planned economy which does pretty good at smoothing the bumps out. That isn't how things work in econ in the free world. Don't overpay for these cars. Just 18 mos ago,iirc, a rav 4 was 4K under msrp. DO NOT OVERPAY for toyotas, it's nonsensicle unless need it now bcuz urgent needs.
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  17. this is a great point 'generally' and is absoooolutely correct! But obviously synthetic is now as cheap as regular if u buy the oil yourself! And many shops will use oil u bring! But yep, for most ppl these days who arent racking up many miles /yrs, the 3K idea is pretty smart actually.
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  18. It's not the world really, mostly it's us, ie UsofA, has developed this problem due to a couple factors including the general quality of primary education. It's the ONLY explanation, when u compare to our peers, such as the commonwealth countries (that means engilsh speaking ones if u dunno), and european countries, and japan and others. We have problems also with ambition levels, ie a lack of it. So, for those who dunno, primary education in any advanced country, includes both national standards, guidance, funding, and so on. We have NONE of that, in comparison, and guess which political party has made that so over the past fifty yrs? The conservative one. YES, for sure, for real-- there's no debating that!
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  19. love your vids! Did not understand what u said about 'same as using cheap filters', when u were talking about prefilling the filter or not doing so ?????
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  20. yep! abso change that oil super early, twice in taht first few K's. The actual expert on oil is a genuine Tribologist w/ channel here called something like Oil Geek
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  21. I think it was wise choice to repair vs buying used car now, with quite-used cars being pretty crazy money still now. (next summer or '25 will probably be tons cheaper) Surprsed Toyota doesn't sell these already ready to use, w/ the accessory parts already assembled, and then if core's parts are broken, they could charge the customer as a billing/charge. Far more secure if a dedicated outfit/co does that everyday, with parts this vital and this safety orientated. Really disappointed w/ Toyota, which should be the king.
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  22. Billstein as good , no?
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  23. well its actually a tough call with hybrids in particular, due to the unique systems including the battery pack, that start to have issues around 200K! So it's a quite complex decision w/ hybrids. Yes, toyota hybirds CAN last to 400 K, but often with very expensive parts or work done. Need to speak with a hybrid shop and/or taxi repair shop, etc, or ask this mechanic about that very question. If this were a regular non hybrid toyota i'd certainly go ahead with the short block replacement for 6500
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  24. not time for a new car if your Camry has only 209K!!! that's the ENTIRe point of this channel!!!!!
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  25.  @rtflone  dry rot signs are not usually cracks in side wall but super fine cracks within the tread rubber
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  26. well the honda probably will last that long at least, they are stellar cars actually, especially right now. But its so sad that Honda didn't make a hatch version of that, bcuz the sedan format is utterly pointless in an age when Cuv's became a thing almost entirely bcuz they are practical w/ the the layout/hatch. Sedans can be made with hatches, but these car makers are too cheap or unimaginative to do it with enough sedan type models!
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  27. well IF we get 5 yrs of life, then not only 'not bad' but fantastic vs $30K for a Corolla hybrid, which btw is technically not really at the Prius level of engineering, though perhaps it's close enough. But make sure it's not a sedan or it won't have the re-sale value or speed-of-selling that a hatchback would have.
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  28.  @BrockOBauma  if u think about that logic, u'd see it's irrelevant. Two different thing entirely unrelated: the design of an engine has limitations. Prefilling is simply a bonus when it can be done. Even for sideways and upsidedowners, u can prefill a little, enough to saturate the paper.
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  29. yes, but note that he does admit that it IS good for the engine, ie "they are right". So, facts are facts. He's simply talking about the avg person with very little experience, and he's talking statistics basically. Though i dn't grasp what he meant about somesuch related to 'as if' using cheap filters.. that was lost on me entirely.
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  30.  @Czechbound  yes we all hate that. But instead of hating it, all we need to to is TELL the car salesperson (usually a man) that we're not sure how much we will spend and instead we tell them what sort of car details we want, as u said, age, etc. You MUST show gumption and direction in the initial few sentences you speak, or u will waste your time if the sales ppl are jerks.
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  31. indeed! and ford equals trans issues and some of the engines such as 4 cyl and of course some of othe 8 cyl's
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  32. this is why in ROW and europe a great cheap brand exists called Dacia which makes mostly older Nissan/renault designs. Dirt cheap vs everyone else in europe.
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  33.  @simplysimple7628  yes, same here. Had my first run in with insurance punk, a young man, around '07, "concierge service", lol, of Progressive. It also clued me into the those born in early '80s to later '80s i guess. Disgusting
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  34.  @martinschulz9381  u didn't actually make your point. Plus it's worded wrong or is wrong, since u make it sound like the competition will do something as a result of the other co not doing it. In any case, ppl r getting mixed up about such things. These are safety and major convenience features. But Toyota getting a lot wrong in a key model IS a first for them, and is very unfortunate and very interesting.
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  35. sorry to get personal, but every opportunity for world security and econ stability is a positive thing, so: i hope your ppl start controlling the country/gvt, bcuz otherwise, mother Rus isn't just maybe going to lose a battle or even war, but it will eventually lose everthing it holds dear. This situation is untenable, and Rus has made the most grave error conceivable in the 'how' its conducting this vile 'war'. Pls fix your country, bcuz u really will lose EVERYTHING. Such a disgrace to the history of the Rus ppl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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  36.  @maxwellblackwell5045  PLUS, if u r only changing the filter by time, that makes zero sense, bcuz filters do not degrade by time, only by usage or miles
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  37.  @Zephyrdaze1819  yep and we're talking very serious fraud in this situation bcuz the headgasket or even entire engine is on the line w/ the water pumps on these particular engines. So take a close look at that metallic service, make sure i'ts not grainy and is smooth like the OEM, not this shady and/or aftermkt toyota related product IF it even is made by Astra indonesia, whichi doubt, i'm assuming it's made by a chinese outfit to look like its made by the indonesian toyota operations
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  38.  @peterscott2662  for Uber, a normal Uber driver would buy a non luxury brand, e.g. Toyota prius! Or a used hybrid from a lesser brand, or a used non hybrid. The used car mkt has come in quite nicely over past 12 months, ie downward! Have to shop smart though, obviously. But yes, your point is partially valid, i.e new toyotas are insanely priced at the moment in most locations in USa apparently. Very sad for toyota co which i never imagined would be in this situation three friggin yrs into the pandemic/postpandemic period. However, in fact , the issues started in the industry BEFORE the Pandemic, actually around '18, supply chain started to show really strange bad signs, as did some deep aspect of economics.
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  39.  @skepticalmechanic  yep, crazily this really is true, and it's especially pernicious on these hybrids whose engines operate hard, bcuz quite small and low powered and operating intermittently, off/on, off/on , ad infinitum. It's really hard on oil if it's daily driver, or even not daily but super short trips, which maaaaaany hybrids are used for. So, yeah, it's true with many late modern engines actually, ie past thirty yrs ish, that changing oil classic intervals is smart, esp smaller engines and obviously higher tech engines w/ variable valve timing, and with turbo engines. But really all engines. Many ppl go with 8 or 9 months and wing it. But in any case, six months will make it a very attractive car to a dealer or a private buyer
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  40. the paint is hilariously ..bad, as heck! The two tone is horrific w/ this design, and probably with any design. Needs normal paint and will look great. As for the technology-- not sure, but that is a ton of power and makes it very interesting. Definitely oddball w/ the injectors on top, and i fear toyota is going disposable concepts, which is the opposite of what 'sustainable' consumerism is all about, esp w/ a machine of this price point and a machine being a toyota that can last 30 yrs
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  41. yeah it was golf clubs, as in the girlfriend used golf clubs to whack on the seats when the owner made her angry.
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  42.  @DylanL69  dude, slow you roll, and ..think!
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  43.  @jessicayoung1190  have u closely inspected that RX? Has he had it for long? Regardless of where made, the RX is literally considered to be THE most solid reliable car EVER made, yeah, ever made. So.... hmm.. Otoh i do agree: i prefer made in japan. Otoh, my honda odyssey is canada made and never had a single issue for twenty yrs now, not even transmission which failed on sooo many of them
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  44. yep. Every single thing that populists complain about big gvt is only true about really big biz of insurance co's.
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  45. the odds are very low to find great techs at dealerships for the work/maint that new car gets. Indy shops of quality can be found pretty easily in SoCal.
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  46.  @jamram9924  yep! And indeed the only crucial thing is that the ATF is changed periodically with at least the regular fluid, and in hotter regions it's a real issue, in any trans from any generation.
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  47.  @davepaturno4290  or have used engine put in?
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  48. would love more in depth explanation of that white RX's problem/s in toto. Namely whether it is also prone to AC issues in that '08/09 years? I didn't understand what u meant by 'dash crumpling' ,and the 'dash pad'.
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  49. again, u r another person who missed the entire point of this video: this is due to a defect that no high-frequency of changing fluids will help! As clearly stated by him and others, all u can do temporarily is depressurize the cooling system, which if u do in hot weather, u may overheat the engine! This is a toyota defective period from around '10-'15. Even the 6 cylinder engine was defective with way too many HG's blowing!
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  50. even crppy oil will NOT sludge up an engine. It's never that.
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