c/auto-mechanics

Serious question, does a digital torque wrench really save you time on routine jobs?

I used a click-type forever, but last month I borrowed a digital one for a head gasket job on a 2018 F-150 and it was faster but the battery died mid-torque. Old-school guys say the digitals are just a gimmick, so which side do you come down on for everyday shop work?

Had a master tech tell me I was over-torquing lug nuts and it clicked

I've been doing tires for about 4 years now and always just cranked them down with my impact gun until they felt tight. One of the old guys at the shop watched me do a brake job last month and said 'you're gonna warp those rotors doing that.' He showed me how to use a torque stick and then a torque wrench to hit 100 ft-lbs exactly. Now I do it every time and I swear I haven't had a single come back on a shakey wheel since. Anyone else learn a basic thing way later than they should have?

Dropped $150 on a used torque multiplier and it saved my butt on a fleet job today

I've been doing fleet maintenance for a local delivery company here in Cleveland for about 2 years now. Last week we had a 2018 Ford Transit with a seized rear axle nut that just would not budge with my 1/2 inch impact or a 4 foot breaker bar. My coworker told me to try a torque multiplier but I was skeptical, figured it was just another gimmick tool. Found a used one on OfferUp for $150, figured I'd gamble on it. That thing zipped the nut right off in like 30 seconds, no heat or anything needed. I'm honestly kicking myself for not buying one sooner, especially since the dealership quoted $600 for an axle replacement if I couldn't get the nut off. Has anyone else had good luck with torque multipliers on rusty northern vehicles?

Hold on - those lifetime serpentine belts are NOT lifetime in salt states

I was reading through a service bulletin from Gates about their supposedly 'lifetime' belts and found they only recommend them for 5 years max in places like Ohio or Michigan where they use road salt. Nobody at my shop talks about this, everyone just slaps them on and forgets them until squealing starts. Has anyone else seen these belts dry rot way faster than expected in winter states?

Why does nobody talk about how hard it is to find a good alignment rack these days

I stopped by a shop in Raleigh last week that had a Hunter machine from like 2002 and they refused to touch my lifted truck because it 'wouldn't fit'. Drove 20 minutes to another place and they had a brand new machine but the kid running it had no clue how to adjust caster. Maybe it's just me but I feel like everyone brags about their diagnostic scanners but nobody maintains their alignment equipment. Has anyone else run into shops that just don't want to mess with lifted or modified stuff anymore?

My air hammer turned on me last Tuesday and I changed my mind about using cheap sockets

I was wrestling a seized bolt on a 2003 F-150 in Des Moines and my harbor freight deep socket just shattered. The chunk hit my safety glasses and I stood there for a minute thinking about how I saved 10 bucks but almost lost an eye. Got home that night and ordered a set of Sunex impact sockets after reading a thread on here. Has anyone else had a cheap socket explode on them or am I just unlucky?

Picked the Snap-on scan tool over the Autel and kinda wish I hadn't

I do a lot of euro cars at my shop in Omaha, so I figured the Snap-on scanner would be the safe call since it's what everyone uses. Spent like $5,500 on it and the software updates cost as much as a car payment. Anyone else try the Autel for German stuff and have better luck?

PSA: That "lifetime" serpentine belt snapped after 18 months in my Corolla

Was driving through Flagstaff last week and heard this awful squealing, then the belt just gave out. I'd bought the expensive one thinking it'd last forever, but the tensioner pulley was slightly misaligned and wore a groove in it. Anyone else had a 'lifetime' part fail way early because of a hidden issue?

My uncle swore I could fix a blown head gasket with egg whites

Tried it on my 98 Civic after he said it'd buy me two weeks, ended up with scrambled eggs in my radiator and a tow bill from the lot off I-10. Anyone else get punked by a weird family hack?

Hot take: that new chain lube everyone is raving about isn't worth the money

I tried the Squirt brand wax lube on my 2005 Honda Civic after reading 50 glowing reviews online, but it washed off after one rainy commute and left my chain squeaking worse than the cheap stuff I buy at AutoZone.

Rant: Customer argued with me for 20 minutes about a clicking noise he said I caused

Had this guy roll in yesterday with a 2014 Ford Escape, said I did something to his car after a simple oil change last week. He swore he never heard a clicking sound before I touched it. I popped the hood right there, grabbed a screwdriver, and put it to the valve cover near the injectors. Clicking was loud and clear from the driver side bank. I asked him if he ever had the timing chain looked at, and he just stared at me. Turns out it's a known issue on those 2.0L engines, chains stretch around 80k miles and he was at 92k. He still didn't believe me until I pulled up a TSB on my phone showing the exact noise. Some people just decide you're the bad guy before you even say a word. Anyone else get blamed for pre-existing problems?

Was 15 years into my career before I realized I was torquing lug nuts all wrong

I always thought tighter was better on those aluminum rims, just cranked them down with my impact gun like everyone else. Then a customer came back with a wobble at 55 mph and I found three studs had stretched on his Accord. Anyone else have a basic habit they had to unlearn after years of doing it the same way?

The difference between a 30 year old lift and a new one is bigger than I thought

I worked at a shop in Denver for 7 years that had these old Rotary lifts from the 80s. They worked fine, you just had to give them a little help sometimes. Last month I went solo and bought a brand new BendPak lift for my own garage. The arms glide smooth, the locks catch perfect every time, and it lifts a truck in half the time. Has anyone else noticed how much easier a new lift makes the job, or is it just me?

Walked into a shop in Oakland and saw a 1985 F250 with 400k miles still on the original transmission

The owner said he just changes the fluid every 30k and never had a single issue. Has anyone else seen trucks from that era go that long without a rebuild?

Just hit 500 brake jobs last week and my knees are done

I never kept count before but I added up my old work orders and realized I've done over 500 brake jobs in 12 years. That's a lot of time hunched over calipers and rotors in a cold shop in Detroit. My lower back and knees are really feeling it now, especially on the heavy truck stuff. Anyone else ever add up how many of one job they've done and feel old?

Picked up a trick for rusty bolts from an old diesel mechanic in Nashville

I was down in Nashville last summer helping a buddy swap an engine in his '78 F-250. This older mechanic walked over, saw me fighting a rusted exhaust bolt, and told me to hit it with a torch just enough to warm it up, then spray it with water. The rapid cooling breaks the rust loose better than any penetrating oil I've used. Has anyone else tried this heat and quench method or do you stick with the soak and pray approach?

Chased a bad ground for 3 hours yesterday, turned out to be a 10 cent fuse issue

Customer brought in a 2012 Civic with intermittent dash lights and no start. I did all the big tests, wasted half the morning. Turned out a blown interior fuse caused a feedback loop through the ground circuit. Anyone else ever get burned by a tiny fuse hiding something major?

My $800 Harbor Freight tool box is holding up better than my Snapon ever did

I know everyone swears by Snapon and Matco boxes but I had to sell mine during a rough patch 2 years ago. Picked up a US General 56 inch box for around $800 on sale and honestly its been fine. The drawers slide smooth, the paint hasnt chipped, and I haven't had any issues loading it up with heavy tools. My old Snapon box cost me $3500 and I was still paying it off for years. Yeah the harbor freight box doesnt have the same prestige or a slick truck coming around but it saved me a ton of money. Has anyone else tried going budget on a box and actually been happy with it over time?

Blew a head gasket on a 2002 Civic in my driveway last Sunday

I was just doing a routine oil change on my buddy's old Civic and noticed milky stuff under the cap. Pulled the dipstick and it looked like a chocolate milkshake. Anyone dealt with a head gasket on a D17 before and know if it's worth fixing or should I just look for a junkyard motor?

Broke a Snap-on ratchet on a 10mm bolt - here's what happened next

I was torquing down a lower control arm bolt on a 2012 Civic and my FR1250 just snapped clean in half at the head. Has anyone else had their Snap-on warranty give them a hard time on tools that clearly failed from normal use?

Old-school timing vs. modern scan tools for a vacuum leak

I used to spend hours chasing vacuum leaks with a can of carb cleaner and a prayer... spraying around hoses and gaskets hoping the idle would change. Now I just hook up my smoke machine and find the leak in 5 minutes flat, saved me a headache on a 2001 F-150 last Tuesday. But part of me feels like I'm losing the hands-on diagnostic skill, you know? Has anyone else switched to smoke testing and felt like you're cheating?

That old school mechanic changed my mind about scanning tools

Tossed $120 on a valve cover gasket kit from Amazon that leaked within a week

Installed it on a 2010 Honda Civic for a customer last Thursday in Dallas, and by Monday they were back with oil dripping on the exhaust. Has anyone else had bad luck with cheap gasket kits from online stores?

Took me 10 years to admit I was torquing head bolts wrong

I was working on a 5.3 Chevy in my driveway last Saturday and snapped a head bolt at 55 ft-lbs. Figured it was a bad bolt at first. Then I remembered the torque specs call for three stages with oiled threads, not just cranking it dry in one go. Replaced the bolt, did it right, and the heads sealed perfect. Anyone else skip steps for years before a failure made them read the manual?

Can we talk about people who use impact guns on oil drain plugs?

I had a Civic come in last Tuesday where the last shop literally welded the plug on because they stripped it so bad. It took me 45 minutes with a chisel to get it off. Why do some guys think torque specs are just suggestions? A drain plug needs like 30 ft-lbs max not your full ugga dugga. Has anyone else had to deal with this kinda damage from over tightening?