r/Cartalk • • Mar 31 '26

Mod Post Report all app developers

188 Upvotes

We've been banning around five people a week for advertising their AI vibe coded apps that put a OBD2 code in and spits out generic or dangerously misleading results. Many claim to be free or claim they just want help testing them. Many are based out of countries you probably don't want your personal information getting sent to, like VIN numbers, etc. REPORT THESE POSTS FOR BREAKING SUBREDDIT RULES and the report them again as SPAM so Reddit Admins are notified.


r/Cartalk • • 3h ago

I need help fixing something Can someone name this part and why it might be doing this?

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8 Upvotes

Car make and model: Honda CRV 2011

So, for some backstory I JUST got this checked by a mechanic before it really started messing up and was told I just had no radiator fluid, cool. Filled that up and still was having cooling issues and a nagging sound in the car when driving. Sounds of hissing, gurgling, car jolting and acting sluggish when accelerating, and anything like it.

Realized while driving today I lost all of my cold air and heard this horrible squeaking, popped the hood open and this hose is almost popping like there’s major issue (could be an easy fix but it’s really causing some weird issues with my car).

If anyone could let me know what this is and maybe the extend of the issue it would be helpful. I don’t want to have another mechanic brush me off saying I just didn’t fill up the radiator and charging me an arm and a leg 🫩

***apologies for the language in the video I’m a little frustrated from the issue not being resolved before.


r/Cartalk • • 2h ago

Safety Question Had an Mot then broke down

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7 Upvotes

Hi

Just looking for some advice on what to do in this situation.

Today I took my car in for its MOT, it failed its first one due to the track rod end ball dust cover and the anti roll bar ball dust cover needing replacing both on the front left side. This work was carried out by the same garage who then passed the MOT and I collect the car this evening.

I left the garage and started to drive home, upon merging on to a parkway I break slightly and the whole car shock violently for around 30 seconds at around 60mph. Fair to say both me and my 4 year old who was in the back were a little spooked!!

Around another 800 meters later I came to a stop at a traffic lights, same shaking when I breaked. Then I could not move! The front left wheel had become completely detached from the steering rod. The RAC came out, reattached the steering rod to get me home and advise I get it looked at again tomorrow.

What should I do about the garage? It seems like a mistake but one that could have ended up very seriously?


r/Cartalk • • 6h ago

I need help fixing something Does anyone know if this is important to replace? Honda accord Sport 2016

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4 Upvotes

Hi everyone. I have a honda accord sport 2016. This piece cracked and i am hearing this noise sometimes when i am driving. I believe it's scraping the road at times. Does anyone know what this piece is called. Located by left rear wheel


r/Cartalk • • 1d ago

Car Meme Relationship with my car Be like:

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827 Upvotes

r/Cartalk • • 7m ago

Weird Noise Silverado 2023 1500

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• Upvotes

Anyone know if this is normal? Sounds very weird and it wasn’t doing this until recently. Sent it to the shop and they said they weren’t able to find anything causing besides the “lifters” not being your normal lifters. What does that even mean ?!


r/Cartalk • • 24m ago

My Project Car Any good mods for this?

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• Upvotes

Recently bought my first car I’ve always been more of an SUV guy. Got a good deal on this ‘14 Malibu Turbo. Wasn’t expecting much but it’s decently quick and is honestly a fun drive. You guys know anything that would turn this thing into a sleeper instead of regular traffic? Appreciate any advice!


r/Cartalk • • 6h ago

I need help fixing something F150 2005 v6

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2 Upvotes

The only issue I had in my truck prior to cleaning this was when I got to a stop sign. Sometimes my car would rev up at RPMs and then drop almost like it wanted to stall. But it did not stall. It’s Been a few weeks since that happened although, when you stop at a stop sign, it still wants to jump forward a little bit. It just doesn’t feel like it wanted to stall though ..
Now, yesterday after cleaning this and putting k&n filter oil on it. My truck was about to stall at a red light after the RPMs jumped. I got to a parking space put it in park. Car stalled. Turned it off. Back on left it for two minutes and then stalled again after RPM jumped. Any ideas what it could be? .


r/Cartalk • • 1h ago

Air Conditioning Need To Know Where To Get This Part

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• Upvotes

The entire piece that control air movement in my 2025 honda accord SE has detached. I have tried to find individual part but the internet, as usual, is being useless. I'm not trying to replace the entire vent if I can just buy piece itself. Hoping you guys can try to help me find out what its called. Not trying to pay a bloodthirsty mechanic hundreds for a repair that should cost no more than 5 bucks.


r/Cartalk • • 5h ago

I need help fixing something Advice on 120k maintenance recommendations

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2 Upvotes

2015 Subaru WRX, trying to figure out what to do with my car

Looking for advice on what should be repaired and what should be left for later, I love this car but this is a decent chunk of change on top of already 3k for a couple other repair items recently. I'm really not sure how much of this would be considered urgent/critical and what all is optional/leave for later. Would like to know more about avoiding potential future work, e.g. "radiator breaking is unlikely but could cause major damage" (this is a hypothetical example). I'd love to get perspectives from people who actually know stuff about automotive maintenance and repairs. Difficult for me to trust the opinion of a shop when they are in the position of both advising me and trying to sell me on service at the same time. Happy to provide any other details if I am able.


r/Cartalk • • 2h ago

Steering 2010 Hyundai Sonata Steering Question

1 Upvotes

Long story short, we just got a good deal from a mechanic on a 2010 Hyundai Sonata (80k miles). We've noticed that to make a turn though we have to turn the steering wheel like...360 degrees. The mechanic who is gonna do the inspection once we drive it around a bit (he says it won't pass emissions standards till we drive a bit) said the wheel is fine and some cars are just like that, but.... Is it? Is that weird?

Many thanks in advance!


r/Cartalk • • 3h ago

Tire question What tire to pick?

1 Upvotes

So I need to replace the tire in my 2024 Grand Cherokee Altitude. The tire that it comes with has been discontinued (Bridgestone dueler H/L 400) and Discount Tire gave me two options:

Bridgestone duller LX
Bridgestone encopia 422+

Encopia is cheaper.

Any thoughts here? I have no knowledge of tires…I live in Wichita but full time in Minnesota.


r/Cartalk • • 4h ago

DIY body damage help Q: how to fix?

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1 Upvotes

Per the pictures, have this small chip just next to the passenger door knob. Wondering what your recommendations are to best fix this. Obviously a major concern is the rust.

Thanks!

Kia Forte5 GT Limited, 2023


r/Cartalk • • 4h ago

Engine What is this under my EGR?

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1 Upvotes

What is this sticky gunk under my egr? I’ve never seen this before and my car has been having problems, probably related to my egr.


r/Cartalk • • 8h ago

How do I do it? Keep a lithium jump pack under the seat or store it inside on a charger?

2 Upvotes

My older SUV sometimes sits for several weeks, so I keep a wolfbox available instead of assuming another driver will be nearby when the battery is weak. The part I am unsure about is storage: leaving it in the vehicle means it is available away from home, but bringing it inside makes regular charge checks easier and avoids long periods in extreme temperatures. How do you store and check a lithium jump pack for a vehicle that is not driven often?


r/Cartalk • • 5h ago

Transmission Need advice

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1 Upvotes

For starters, I drive a 2012 Kia soul 2.0 with 137,400 miles on it. In the last two days sometimes when I come to a complete stop and then try and move/accelerate the car revs, RPM shoots to 3rd, and then it jerks to take off. I had my transmission fluid drained and filled about a month ago so I’m curious if possibly they put in the wrong fluid or possibly the fluid is low or dirty.
My biggest concern is that the transmission is slipping and I may have to get it replaced :(
Does anyone know what other possibilities could be the issue with the car?


r/Cartalk • • 9h ago

Weird Noise Rattling car interior - looking for solution

2 Upvotes

I want to make the interior of my Nissan Qashqai quieter, currently I have some kind of rattling, other noises when drive over uneven road patch, pothole etc. Would appreciate an advice from someone who deal with this issues. Thanks.


r/Cartalk • • 7h ago

Weird Noise Weirdly noisome smell has now gone!

1 Upvotes

I have a UK-spec Lexus LS430 (2004) which is comes as standard with a factory-fitted rear aircon evaporator. It had the common issue with this model that the the rear refrigerant lines corrode. I finally found an a/c guy who knows these cars, and he wasn't able to fix the rear lines without dropping the fuel tank and a whole bunch of other work at the back, so he capped off the rear, as many people do. It's working great now (in the front only, obvs). It was a pretty slow leak - the car was losing around 500g of charge every 6 months or so.

However, since I bought the car around a year ago, there's been an unpleasant smell, mainly in the boot (trunk), but also partially in the rear of the passenger compartment. It's a pungent chemical smell, almost fishy. Since I've had the a/c fixed, the smell has reduced noticeably.

I'm wondering if it was connected with the leak. Does PAG oil have an unpleasant smell?

Note: I've interpreted the tag "weird noise" to include "weirdly noisome".


r/Cartalk • • 1h ago

My Classic Car Hyundai Sonata

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• Upvotes

Lowkey, Hyundai has been cooking with these designs lately. What do you guys think? 👀


r/Cartalk • • 11h ago

Stock audio Underseat Subwoofer Recommendations?JBL BassPro SL2 / Nano?

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to add an underseat sub to my 2014 Hyundai i30. Budget is roughly £300. Keeping my boot space clear is a non-negotiable, so it absolutely has to be an underseat unit.

I've upgraded my head unit so I have dedicated RCA subwoofer outputs, so I'll be running a low-level RCA signal to this Sub.

I'm not expecting chest-rattling bass from a underseat subwoofer but I just want the absolute closest I can possibly get to this.

Between the SL2 and the Nano, which one would be best?

Are there any other options under or around £300 that outperform the JBLs?

Thanks in advance!


r/Cartalk • • 12h ago

Electrical How to get my left turn signal and break lights off?

1 Upvotes

For my 2001 subaru forester when I turn off my car and take they keys out my lights won't turn off. Does anyone know what could fix this??


r/Cartalk • • 13h ago

Steering This is why torquing to spec is important...

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1 Upvotes

So I've always worked on beaters and just tightened till I can't anymore, I started working on cars when I was young so I would def not bend metal but still knew when it'd be tight enough, silly ol me forgot that once I get older and naturally stronger sometimes u can't do that, was on what I told myself would be the last turn to tighten my sway bar link and felt a slip, told myself it was probably nothing and took it one a test drive and heard a snap and clunk followed by ABS light.. atleast the new struts and spring transfers are working fine ig 🥹


r/Cartalk • • 14h ago

Safety Question What should you check on your car before Dubai’s summer heat affects it?

0 Upvotes

Dubai’s heat can put extra demands on a vehicle, especially its cooling system, battery and air conditioning. I think these three areas are worth paying attention to before a small symptom becomes a bigger problem.

1. Cooling system
Watch for repeated coolant loss, visible leaks or a temperature gauge rising above its normal range. If the engine overheats, stop safely and switch it off. Never open a hot, pressurised cooling system.

2. Battery and starting
High temperatures can accelerate battery deterioration. Slow cranking or inconsistent starting can be a reason to test the battery and charging system rather than replacing parts based on guesswork.

3. Air conditioning
If the cabin takes longer to cool or airflow feels weaker than usual, the cause should be investigated. Weak cooling does not automatically mean the vehicle needs more refrigerant.

One important point: Symptoms are clues, not confirmed diagnoses. A proper inspection helps identify the cause before deciding what needs repair.

For Dubai drivers, what has been the most common heat-related issue you have experienced: battery trouble, weak A/C or engine-temperature problems? What helped you identify the actual cause?


r/Cartalk • • 15h ago

Safety Question Would an all-in-one jump starter and inflator make sense for a car that sits for weeks?

1 Upvotes

My second car sometimes sits for three or four weeks, so I have been rethinking what to keep in its small trunk. A wolfbox jump starter and inflator combo caught my attention because it covers both a weak battery and a low tire, but I am wondering whether combining the two creates more maintenance than it saves. So, a vehicle that is not driven often, would you keep a combo unit or separate tools?


r/Cartalk • • 12h ago

Tire question Are jump starter and tire inflator combos useful, or worse than two separate tools?

0 Upvotes

I keep a small emergency bag in the car, and the wolfbox caught my eye because it combines a jump starter and an air pump in one unit. The space-saving part is nice, but I am not sure if combo tools are a bad idea when you really need them. If the pump drains the battery or one function fails, you are kind of stuck. Has anyone used a combined unit long enough to trust it, or do you still prefer a separate jump pack and separate inflator?