Comments by "Mike Chiodetti" (@mikechiodetti4482) on "The Car Care Nut" channel.

  1. Before retirement I used to see pencils, pens, paperclips, even small tools in the defrost ducts. Didn't have to remove dash to get them, but I warned driver NOT to put any thing up on the dash because of where it goes. Thank you for this reminder and this video.
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  2. "Take care of the car it will take care of you!" I wish more people would follow that logic. This vehicle with 300,000 miles is proof the logic works! VERY good shape under the hood, interior and exterior. Thank you for this video.
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  3. I own a RAV4. I'm not a Prius lover but I sincerely hope this owner gets hundreds of thousands of more miles ! ! ! OBVIOUSLY, the owner does primo maintenance to this car. The body shine alone is amazing! The vehicle is also a testimony to Toyota's quality! Fantastic!
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  4. "The one German engineer on the team." "Controlled anger" (or something like that) "mechanic negotiation," "the gillotine" and more. You had me laughing a lot! Ya, been there done that, and now I have new mechanic's terms and words. You are persistent for sure, a great teacher, and a joy to watch. I'm definitely not laughing at you, having been through much of what you went through myself. A big THANK YOU for this video! Looking forward to the next coming videos, and again, THANK YOU!
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  5. For the money, it's a fantastic job performed on this car. I like your logic of spending time looking over the rest of the car to justify the expense for the engine replacement. Very good job AMD! With time and/or mileage proper maintenance, I hope this vehicle goes at least 200,000 on the engine!
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  6. He's right. It's almost a war now with dealerships. Even in good times, prepandemic, the extras put on a new car, not options but dealer add on's are nuts! I will add on extra warranty for the power train and the electronics, but that's it!
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  7. Your shop looks FANTASTIC! I hope you get many, many customers in your shop! I also wish you the best, ESPECIALLY very good health! I would be a little concerned about the frame going "soft" from rust in a few places. It's a shame too, the interior looks great. Perhaps that NHOU protectant would help to slow down the undercarriage destruction. Anyway, thank you for this video.
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  8. For years I've told people to get the vehicle out on the highway or freeway, get it up to the speed limit and hold it there! The more you drive it that way the better it will run and the longer the engine will last! Change the engine oil and oil filter every 3000 to 4000 miles OR every 6 months, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST! those two steps will help increase the engine's life! Toyota's got the right idea with GDI AND Port Fuel Injection. Together they do a great job. Thank you for this video.
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  9. Back in 1990, my dentist at that time bought a Lexus LS 400, and I took care of the routine maintenance for it. When he sold his business and moved away 10 years or so later the Lexus went with him. He had bought a small Honda and later on a Volvo during the time he owned the Lexus, but the Lexus was one of my favorite vehicles. In fact we he bought the Volvo, his wife refused to drive the Volvo. She felt safe and secure in the Lexus. Beautiful car! Thank you for showing the 1999 LS400. It brought back nice memories of working on and test driving the 1990 LS400.
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  10. "Check the tires once a month." Right! Like anyone does that. I use my MaxiTPMS TS401 from time to time to check my 2020 RAV4 and my 06 Nissan Frontier. Yes I've replaced the 4 sensors in the 06 Frontier. Just before I retired April 1, 2016, the left front sensor would turn on the light. Usually on a Saturday morning when it was cool/cold outside. Borrowed the shop tester on Monday, sensor read normal, so I'd reset the system. This happened twice. so, I adjusted all 4 tires to read 40 PSI, and all 4 sensors read about 2 PSI lower. Borrowed the tester again on a Friday. Sat morning I gauge checked the tire pressure. Still at 40 PSI. Turn on ignition switch and BOOM! Light stayed on. Three sensors read about 2 PSI lower than gauge, left front read 5 PSI lower than gauge. Cool morning, "intermittent problem," 10 year old vehicle and it's TPM sensors. One new Nissan sensor, all's well in Nissan land. Two weeks later, same problem. Used my previous procedure, right front's bad. Bought 3 new Nissan sensors, no more problems. It's been almost 5 years now, still working well. Thanks for your videos.
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  11. You remind me of my Dad when he did engine repairs or replacements. The word is THOROUGH! You've done a great job on that car and "with proper maintenance," should over 250,000 good miles! Thank you for this video. It gives viewers a high speed detailed look at what goes into an engine replacement job like this one. EXCELLENT ! ! !
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  12. Thank you for the info regarding nickel metal hydride vs lithium ion batteries. One thing I noticed in tools. As the nmh battery discharges, the speed of the tool drops in RPM. The L I battery has full output till there is no output from the battery and speed or light drops to zero very suddenly!
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  13. First of all, THANK YOU for this video! I'm going to email this video not only to former coworkers, but to people that have very little or no knowledge of this subject! Tires are the "Go Between" your vehicle and the road! Yet tires get a LOT of abuse, as you already know, with probably engines getting as much or more abuse than the tires. You've put out very valuable information here which, in my opinion, EVERY driver should see this video!
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  14. My 2020 RAV4 gets a lot of "around town" driving. Then I put it on the freeway, cruise control on, 70 mph for several miles, then drive it back at the same speed. Not only the combustion chambers, but the PCV system, engine oil, trans fluid and more get good and hot and helps to eliminate the moisture that gets into those fluids. The next time it's driven, it's like a young kid full of energy instead of an old person who can't move well. Also, that very slight tip-in hesitation is gone! The vehicle has "less than" 9000 miles. Not a typo! And yes I'm retired 6 years now but still work on my own vehicles. I may do overkill on preventative maintenance, but the proof is in the vehicles operation. They run great! More important. "You take care of and maintain your vehicle, it'll take care of you!" Thank you for this video. Hope the new building is coming along well!
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  15. Nice repair. Soldering and heat shrinking were my favorite way of connecting wires. For #6 gauge or larger I used my propane torch for both soldering and heat shrink. In a vibration area I found crimping and soldering with heat shrink worked. You have to be sure there is a good mechanical and electrical connection. Good one AMD.
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  16. Your "messy" cabinet is well organized! You are a perfectionist, that I understand and it's a good thing! It's so good watching and listening to how you work and clean up. It takes time to get your shop and your business up and working the way "YOU" want it to run! That's great that the floor covering is warranted AND the company will repair the "damaged" part. My suggestion with the funnels is to buy some flat aluminum plate about 8 to 10 inches wide. Make it long enough so it can sit on the oil drain containers. Drill holes in the plate to accommodate the funnel outlet tube. That should help. You can add pieces to the ends of the place so it can be held in place on the oil drain container. How about a hinge that allows the plate to be "flipped" over and out of the way. Just a thought. You could also make up a "clamping device" to go around the oil drain tank so you could mount spray can holders for cleaning and lubricating spray cans so your not running around the shop looking for one when you need it. Again, just a thought. You have a beautiful shop, I hope you're blessed with many many customers! Congrats to the new team member ! ! I would mention his name, but don't know the spelling and wouldn't want to insult him. GREAT VIDEO!
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  17. I did not know about the number on the Direct Injector. Never having worked on that system, I learned something new. Thank you for the video.
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  18. I've never seen anyone else take the time and care to do the repairs that you have done to the LS430. I sure hope the car lasts another 625,000 miles. Thank you to Mrs. TCCN for her comment. It's easy to question a vehicle owner when that owner decides to take it to the level that this LS430 has been brought up to. The saying, "Take good care of your vehicle and it will take care of you" doesn't seem to be enough of a saying for this vehicle. The care goes way beyond that saying in a very good way!
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  19. Fuel trims can throw you. For example. Watch when your LFT reads 12.5 and your SFT reads -10.5. This can confuse people, but actually, your TOTAL fuel trim is +2.0 or 2.0. The short trim is removing fuel, but the LFT is taking its time to reduce. I've seen this after a repair. The fix was to reset the fuel trims and watch. The engine has about 40K on it and the SFT reads from -7% to +7%, and it stays that way. There's other scenario's, and only by learning how SFT and LFT work with the AFR sensors is it understood. I saw one Ford V10 van that both banks LFT and SFT reading at +25% each for a combined TOTAL Fuel Trim of 50% each bank. This was at idle. As the throttle was opened slowly to 2000 RPM's, LFT's and SFT's settled down with LFT's approximately between 6 to 8% and SFT's approximately between -7 to +7%. At idle, the van shook so bad, I thought the ladders would fall from their roof racks. The cause was a tear in the PCV hose on the bottom of the hose near the port on the throttle body. Ford had an upgrade for this with a thicker hose material. With the the new hose installed, fuel trims came down, no more shaking and all was well in Ford land. The tear wasn't big, only about 1 inch long, but the engine heat and vacuum caused the tear to turn inward toward the inside of the hose. It was that thin! A tech learning about fuel trims needs to work with vehicles that are running good to get a baseline understanding of that system. Disconnect then reconnect a small vacuum hose and watch the readings. I had to learn fuel trims AND the Ford WDS diagnostic system we had before we got the IDS which I understand is still in use. Thankyou for this video.
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  20. This vehicle appears to be for the person or people who are going to drive a long distance and want a very smooth (old Cadillac type) ride. It's not a daily commuter, unless you want to spoil yourself one day a week, but it's built for comfort. Thank you Ahmed for this video. I hope the new business is doing very well!
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  21. Before I retired, I worked in a city fleet as an auto electrician. Most of the people that came to the shop were good, some not so good, and there's no money involved! Like you, I was there to do the best job I could do, and return the vehicle in a safe operating condition. Sometimes I listened to the driver's family problems. Sometimes it was questions about his or her own vehicle. It's the nature of the business. Thanks for this video.
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  22. I have a vacuum unit I've used on many vehicles and for many years. It does require an air compressor which I have and use with this tool and other air tools. I change fluid in my vehicles about every two years with Dot 3 or 4 over the counter fluid. It's best to use those black mechanic's gloves like you had on your hands. They're thicker than the blue ones. Also, use eye protection. Like any other fluid, brake fluid can bounce up when poured and will do damage to your eyes. Disconnecting the 12 volt battery on a hybrid is the best idea, just be aware of possible codes that may show up in different modules indicating battery power loss and need to be erased. Also your PCM monitors will show incomplete and require a drive cycle. Thank you for this video!
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  23.  @chrisbaty3824  I AGREE! I live in Palmdale Ca which is a dry desert. A couple miles from home, turn off A/C leave fan on high with the control on fresh (not recirc) air and one window slightly open. WORKS GREAT!
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  24. Thank you for the video. Nice clean job, no rust to deal with.
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  25. You are truly a professional! Solved the problem and left the vehicle better and cleaner than when it came in! The icing on the cake (not the road) is the video. Thank you!
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  26. Great looking old truck with a manual trans, 4WD, and it's RED! My 06 Nissan is the same. Great that Toyota still has clutch parts for this vehicle. Thank you for this video.
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  27. I really like these short block replacement videos! You cover the important parts, detail in showing us what needs replacement, what doesn't and why. Experience and a great product to start with are key to any repair! If the owner does continued T.L.C. to this vehicle, I see no reason for this engine not to go 300,000 + miles again. Very good AMD!
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  28. "Words of Wisdom from a seasoned, knowledgeable Technician!" And, "Oh the learning curve to get there!" I remember this from a racing engine builder's wife when he retired. "You should start a technical school with all your knowledge, cause when you die, all that knowledge goes with you in the box!" He did so and when he did die, there were many he had trained who could pass that information on to many, many more! Before I retired I passed on as much as I could to as many that wanted to know and learn. I sincerely hope it helped. Oh ya. Just cause you retire, doesn't mean you stop learning. I have two 15 year old vehicles, one Nissan Frontier and one Kia Sorento I've learned a lot on and one 2 year old Toyota RAV4 Base Model I'm learning about. Which is why I ask you questions from time to time. Thank you for your help BTW! Great Video!
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  29. Great tips for ball joints. Thank you for this video.
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  30.  @mikebradshaw8530  and that's no guarantee it's not going to leak at that spot again. That area on the block is compromised. Plus the engine has 200,000 + miles on it. This is not "try to run a marathon" time. Unless either Toyota comes up with a Guaranteed fix for that worn area, the problem will resurface again.
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  31. I have a Matco code reader, an Actron code reader and a little more, and a Matco MaxMe diagnostic tool. This XTool looks GREAT! It obviously looks like it will do much more than the MaxMe. The two code readers I have were used for monitor checks and any pending, current or history codes back when I was smog testing our fleet vehicles. That worked out great back then. This machine shows how far these Android Diagnostic Tools have come. Also it's much less expensive than Snap On, Matco, Mac, Autel, Bosch and others. What kind of customer service do they have if there's a problem with the tester? What kind of warranty do they have for the tester? With yearly updates at $99.00 after the three year free updates, THAT'S CHEAP! Hopefully that covers Domestic, Asian and European. TPMS has reset only, and you need a tester like Bartec to test the sensors.
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  32. I have the A25 engine in my 2020 RAV4. I've been using Mobil One 0W-16. The oil is changed every 6 months. From Nov 2019 till now the vehicle has 9200+ miles on it and it runs GREAT! Remember this. OIL IS CHEAP, ENGINES ARE EXPENSIVE ! ! ! It's not only the timing chain and gear parts, it's the wear and tear on piston rings, on crankshaft and camshaft bearings, on connecting rod bearings and MANY other rotating parts! OIL IS CHEAP! ENGINES ARE EXPENSIVE ! ! !
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  33. I'll stay with the manual rear door on my RAV4. Thank you for this video.
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  34. Great video! You've explained the finite details.which is why I use OEM parts during routine maintenance when the vehicle is under warranty! For example, Oil and Oil Filters are cheap, even with dealer parts, but engines are expensive! Thank You AMD!
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  35. Follow the maintenance guide in the owner's manual. My 06 Nissan Frontier had a great guide and I used it. The RAV4 (2020) has a good one also.
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  36. I've done this with my Nissan and Kia. You'd be surprised at the price difference, but you have to include shipping! What about tax? Remember, msrp "tax" at the local dealer will be higher than the lower cost part from the dealer selling that same part at the reduced part cost. Remember shipping cost? That's convenience! The part or parts are shipped to your door. So, are you just buying an oil filter and want to stay with OEM? Local dealer or aftermarket, your choice. Buying other parts as part of a maintenance repair? That's the time to buy filters! Include them in the order to be shipped to you. Don't need the filters now? You will soon enough! Buy 'em now, use 'em later! I've done this for years. Thank you AMD for this valuable Toyota info!
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  37. So the doors, the (run flat)tires, and the steering wheel controls are the downsides. Overall it looks like a very good car! Thank you for this video.
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  38. Thank you for this info. Never knew about this.
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  39. An old soft bristle tooth brush works well. If you remove the throttle body, you do need a new gasket and you do need to clean both surfaces, that is the throttle body and the intake manifold side. Access to the throttle plate on the back side is much better. DO NOT spray directly at the throttle plate! Just spray onto a clean cloth as AMD showed you. When you reinstall the the TB assembly, lightly tighten the bolts evenly and not with air or cordless tools! Do it with hand tools. I'm sure there's a torque setting like other vehicles use.
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  40. As a former auto electrician, I didn't fix many brake lines. But when I found a damaged line, I evaluated what was needed, how it would be run if necessary, then went ahead with the repair. Bleeding out the system was next, a thorough road test followed by a followup inspection to verify the repair. YOU DON'T MESS WITH BRAKES......PERIOD ! ! ! Thank you for this video.
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  41. The previews of the next episode. Trouble? Mystery? Who or what done it? Now you've got my attention! Like you, with the engine and transmission out, NOW'S the time to fix the leaks, crispy wiring harness, normally difficult parts to access and some parts that are still working but when the engine and trans are reinstalled, they will all of a sudden fail or cause problems.
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  42. Very beautiful car. Great features, hopefully will last a long, long time with proper preventative maintenance.
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  43. I have removed dash assemblies from Fords, GM's, Kia, and Nissan, but not on Toyota's. When you remove what is needed to get to the level AMD is at, you sit back and look at it, sometimes shaking your head. When I was finishing a Ford Truck at work, someone asked me, "would you do it again?" To which I said, "Yes....Just not tomorrow or next week!" I learned to take LOTS of pictures during teardown, and I used Green (body shop type) masking tape to identify which connectors plugged into each other and what hardware and other fasteners held assemblies together. Looks like a lot of work during teardown, made life MUCH easier during reassembly. Thank you for this video.
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  44. Except for the gas mileage, you had me. I'd have to build a new garage in the back yard just to house this vehicle. However, if I make it wide enough and tall enough, that might be my new work shop too........HMMMMMM!
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  45. Really nice looking truck! Hope the daughter gets many, many good miles from it!
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  46. This type of job is best left to people that know how to do it successfully! This is NOT a learning curve job! You've done a great repair job here AND a great service to us by explaining the how and why the job needs to be done a certain way. Thank you for this video.
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  47. That was a good vehicle inspection. It looked mostly rust free under the car. You have the correct way to diagnose "a noise." I hate intermittents, even noises. Well, time and mileage will tell.
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  48. Forgot to say, MERRY CHRISTMAS ! ! !
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  49. While this a nice car, I once drove an IS360. WHAT A HOTROD! A friend needed me to drive it while he prepared his night school assignment.
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  50. It's nice to work on something not all sludged up. They don't last forever, but you can tell when they've been well cared for. Hopefully new head gaskets, a few new parts now while things are apart and this vehicle will be on its way for many thousands of miles more. Good one AMD!
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