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Does anyone know the best way to remove a stripped rotor screw?
05/11/2026

Does anyone know the best way to remove a stripped rotor screw?

What could possibly have caused damage like this?? šŸ˜­no signs of rodents anywhere, no similar damage on the rest of the w...
05/11/2026

What could possibly have caused damage like this?? šŸ˜­no signs of rodents anywhere, no similar damage on the rest of the wiring, and somehow the wires inside still seem fine because the car runs perfectly. I genuinely cannot figure out what couldā€™ve done it.

Master L**e Tech here and Iā€™m gonna say what nobody else in this shop has the courage to admit. There is absolutely ZERO...
05/11/2026

Master L**e Tech here and Iā€™m gonna say what nobody else in this shop has the courage to admit. There is absolutely ZERO reason to own 6 point sockets. None. Not one. A 12 point does everything a 6 point does AND more, so if youā€™re buying both sets you are literally just throwing money away because the tool truck guy told you to. A 12 point fits 6 point bolts just fine if you actually know how to hold a ratchet straight and donā€™t round everything off like a rookie.

Every time I see a box full of 6 point sockets I already know that guy spends more time reading torque specs than actually turning wrenches. Real mechanics grab the 12 point, zip the bolt out, and move on with the job instead of standing there debating contact surface geometry like theyā€™re in engineering school. If your bolt heads keep stripping thatā€™s not the socketā€™s fault thatā€™s operator error.

Honestly if you think you need both 6 and 12 point sets you should just hand your tools over to the guys who actually work for a living and go back to pencil whipping repair orders, because the only thing youā€™re qualified to do is take instructions from us real mechanics while we finish the job you overcomplicated.

How long can I drive like this until replacement????I had an incident where my ball joint broke (I didnā€™t hear anything ...
05/11/2026

How long can I drive like this until replacement????
I had an incident where my ball joint broke (I didnā€™t hear anything beforehand). The car skidded off for about 20 yards so this happened to the left tire...
As you can see the tires a new and I called the place where I bought them for the warranty. Now that the ball joint/axle are repaired and the tire was placed in the back (car is fwd).
My question is : how long can I drive on them until the place honours their warranty ? Is the car unavailable until then ?
Sorry if seems stupid....

What do you guys usually do with all the extra 10 mm sockets you have laying around?
05/11/2026

What do you guys usually do with all the extra 10 mm sockets you have laying around?

This contest is over, Andres Huertas is the winner with a guess of 620 (The actual number was 619!)
05/11/2026

This contest is over, Andres Huertas is the winner with a guess of 620 (The actual number was 619!)

Apparently youā€™re not allowed to build engines anymore unless every cylinder wall looks like a surgical instrument under...
05/11/2026

Apparently youā€™re not allowed to build engines anymore unless every cylinder wall looks like a surgical instrument under a microscope. I showed this bore mark to a guy at the machine shop and he started talking about ā€œlocalized heat distortion pathwaysā€ like he was briefing the Pentagon. LOCALIZED HEAT DISTORTION PATHWAYS??? Itā€™s a tiny scuff not a sinkhole. Meanwhile old school dudes used to throw together junkyard V8s with cylinder walls that looked clawed by wild animals and still run 10s all summer long.

Modern mechanics will spend $4,000 chasing perfection just to panic over a spot smaller than a thumbnail.

Be honest with meā€¦ how urgent is this tire replacement looking?I recently had my car serviced and they told me both fron...
05/11/2026

Be honest with meā€¦ how urgent is this tire replacement looking?
I recently had my car serviced and they told me both front tires need to be replaced ASAP, but they didnā€™t have the tires in stock at the time. Iā€™ve got an upcoming holiday trip planned and Iā€™m really hoping I can squeeze another few hundred miles out of them before replacing once I get back.
Looking at the wear, would you personally still drive on these for a short while, or is this getting into ā€˜donā€™t risk itā€™ territory?
I know theyā€™re worn pretty badly and Iā€™m honestly a little stressed about it, especially with highway driving involved. Just trying to figure out if Iā€™m being overly cautious or if these are genuinely at the point where I shouldnā€™t push my luck anymore.

To the people online who say ā€œU-joints are easy with a vise and a socketā€ ā€” I hope youā€™re all proud of yourselves becaus...
05/11/2026

To the people online who say ā€œU-joints are easy with a vise and a socketā€ ā€” I hope youā€™re all proud of yourselves because I am now emotionally trapped inside a driveshaft fl**ge.

I successfully pressed one bearing cap through like a responsible mechanicā€¦ EXCEPT the opposite cap stopped just short of coming out far enough to grab with vice grips.

Now the U-joint itself is contacting the fl**ge, meaning I physically cannot press it any farther because itā€™s gone full metal-on-ā€¦

Throwaway because Iā€™m genuinely stressing myself out over this. šŸ˜…Someone recently pointed out the sidewall cracking/dry ...
05/11/2026

Throwaway because Iā€™m genuinely stressing myself out over this. šŸ˜…

Someone recently pointed out the sidewall cracking/dry rot on my tires and now I canā€™t stop staring at them. Both rear tires and one front tire all look pretty similar to this photo. I know the obvious answer is ā€œreplace them,ā€ and yes, I probably will this weekend at the earliestā€¦ but now Iā€™m spiraling wondering whether itā€™s even safe to drive until then.

The confusing part is I was JUST at my mechanic ā€” who I honestly trust a lot ā€” for unrelated work, and they never mentioned the tires at all. So now Iā€™m stuck wondering:

* Are these ā€œreplace soonā€ bad?
* Or ā€œdonā€™t drive another mileā€ bad?

Where I live, basically every trip involves at least some highway driving, which is whatā€™s making me nervous. I was supposed to go somewhere tonight but now Iā€™m sitting here debating whether Iā€™m being irresponsible even driving the car at all.

Am I overreacting, or does this level of sidewall cracking actually mean thereā€™s a real blowout risk in the near future? Trying to balance being safe without completely panicking over something that might not be immediately catastrophic.

My car suddenly started showing a check engine light, low oil pressure warning, and making strange noises, so today I to...
05/11/2026

My car suddenly started showing a check engine light, low oil pressure warning, and making strange noises, so today I took it to the nearest garage to have it checked out. šŸ˜­
I normally take it to another shop for oil changes every 3,000ā€“5,000 miles, and this current oil change only has around 1,000 miles on it.
I honestly donā€™t understand how the car could suddenly end up like this. Does anyone know what might cause these symptoms?

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