Engine issues are problems that can happen in a car's engine, which can make the car run poorly or not at all. It's important to know about these issues before buying a car.
General Motors is a big car company in the United States that makes many different types of cars, including popular brands like Chevrolet and Cadillac.
Hyundai is a car company from South Korea that makes a variety of cars, often at good prices. They are known for offering a lot of features for the money.
Carcomplaints.com is a website where you can find out if a car has had problems reported by other people. It can help you decide if a car is a good choice before you buy it.
A VIN number is like a car's ID card. It's a special code that helps identify the car and can tell you important details about it, like where it was made and its history.
Premium fuel is a type of gasoline that has a higher octane number. Some cars need it to run well, while others can use regular gas without any problems.
Octane is a way to measure how well gasoline can handle being compressed in an engine before it explodes. Higher numbers mean the fuel is better for powerful engines.
A high compression engine is one that squeezes the fuel and air mixture more tightly, which helps it produce more power. These engines usually need special fuel to work properly.
Electric vehicles are cars that run on electricity instead of gasoline. They are becoming more popular because they are better for the environment and can save money on fuel.
Spot delivery is when you buy a car and take it home right away, even if the dealership hasn't finished all the paperwork for financing yet. This can sometimes cause problems later on.
Loan terms are the rules about how you pay back the money you borrowed to buy a car, like how long you have to pay it off and how much interest you'll pay.
Actual cash value is how much money you can get for your car if you sell it. It considers how much the car is worth now, not what you paid for it or how much it cost new.
The check engine light is a warning light on your car's dashboard. It means there might be something wrong with the engine or emissions system, and you should get it checked out.
Tires are the round rubber parts on your car that touch the road. They help your car move and stop safely. It's important to check them regularly to ensure they are in good shape.
Factory filters are the oil filters made by the car's manufacturer. They are designed to work best with your car, so using them can help keep your engine running smoothly.
The Ford Mustang is a popular sports car that many people love because it's fast and has a cool look. It's been around for a long time and is often talked about because it's a classic American car.
The Chevrolet Camaro is a sporty car that's known for being powerful and stylish. It's been a favorite among car fans since the late 1960s and is often compared to the Ford Mustang.
Lifting a truck means making it taller by changing its suspension. While it can look cool and help with off-roading, it can also make the vehicle harder to control and less safe.
Handling dynamics are how a car behaves when you turn the steering wheel or press the brakes. Changing things like the height of the car can make it feel different and harder to control.
Tire tread is the part of the tire that touches the road. It has grooves that help the car grip the road and stay safe, especially when it's wet or slippery.
Steering systems are what help you turn the car left or right. They include the steering wheel and other parts that connect to the wheels, making sure the car goes where you want it to.
The battery gives power to start the car and run things like lights and radio when the engine isn't running. A good battery is important so your car can start every time.
The Toyota 4Runner is a tough SUV that can handle rough roads and outdoor adventures. It's known for being reliable and is a good option for people who need a vehicle for both everyday use and off-road trips.
Aftermarket wheels are wheels you buy separately from the car's manufacturer. They can make your car look better or perform better, but you need to make sure they fit properly.
Gap insurance helps you pay off your car loan if your car is stolen or totaled and is worth less than what you owe. It fills the gap between the car's value and your loan amount.
LIVE
Hey folks, welcome back to another edition, I should say a limited edition of My Car Guru.
It's limited because I'm only going to do it once.
I've done versions of this, but I get bogged down real quickly.
These are the most common questions that I have been asked over the years.
I've built up quite a list.
And so I'm going to do rapid fire answers to these questions.
And so there's no time to waste here.
I'm going to do the best job that I can.
You know, I wrote that little booklet, the My Car Guru guidebook, and it has really helped a lot of folks.
But still, there's so many different things that can go on in a person's car life.
And so many questions that people have, so many questions they don't even know to ask.
You know, one time I heard that your quality of life is dependent upon the quality of questions that you ask in life.
Like, will you marry me?
You know, I asked my wife that many years ago, she'd been my girlfriend for quite some time and she said yes.
So that was a good question.
Wouldn't you agree?
I asked my dad, I said, Dad, how are we going to pay for college?
And he said, well, you're going to go to the University of Tennessee or wherever you want to.
And I'm going to have you sign a contract to come back and work for me for at least five years
and then I can write off most of your college education.
Let the dealership pay for it.
I said that sounds like a plan.
Can I get married in the meantime?
No, you have to wait until you graduate from college and then you can get married.
You graduate in May or June and get married in July if you want to.
That was a good question, don't you think?
And that's exactly what I did.
So, but today that's we're going to talk about the questions that most people ask
and I'm going to do rapid fire answers.
So let's just get with it.
OK, what is the biggest quality issue or poor quality issue on vehicles today?
Well, right now it's engines.
Those are that's what's affecting the most people right now.
Everybody from Toyota to Hyundai to General Motors and occasionally Ford.
We have a few issues mostly with older models, but a lot of newer cars are having issues
where the machining was done improperly and all the metal didn't get cleaned out of the
engine before the rest of the components were installed.
So that's why we're having so many issues on engines before you buy a vehicle.
Go to carcomplaints.com and you can find out which ones are having the most engine problems.
OK, let's see.
How can you tell if you use car was a limit?
OK, well, I guess the best way is to call the previous owner or talk to the previous owner
and they'll tell you.
If you can't get them and the dealership won't provide it, then get the VIN number, 17 digit
VIN number of the vehicle, call a dealership that sells that particular making model and
ask them about the warranty history.
Was it in there a lot?
Do they know the car?
You know, find out where the owner took the vehicle to be serviced.
If you're in North Carolina and the vehicle was a rental car in Florida, it's not going
to work very good.
So you got to get the warranty history and that'll be available.
Am I talking too fast?
That'll be available at any dealer that sells that particular brand.
The other way is to look at the car fax to see how many times it was in the shop.
That could be an indicator.
And otherwise, are there a bunch of lemons in the backseat?
I don't know.
OK, this is a hard one to answer.
When is the best time of the month to buy a car?
That's really tough.
I like the very beginning of the month and the very end of the month.
Very end of the month, the dealers are trying to hit an objective.
Some cases they've already hit it, but many cases they haven't and they're pushing and
they're cutting deals.
Just don't pay full retail for anything in those two time periods or ever if you can
avoid it and you can't avoid it.
If you get the my car guru guidebook, all right, I'll tell you how to get that here in
just a minute.
Should you use premium fuel?
No, not unless your vehicle calls for premium fuel.
Does it help your vehicle?
Do you get better gas mileage?
No, nothing's been proven in that regard.
So don't pay extra for premium or the middle grade.
Your car doesn't know the difference.
It was designed to run on 87 octane.
So why put anything else in it?
Unless your car was designed for 93 and then if you don't put it in it, then you could
damage your engine because it is a high compression engine that needs the extra octane.
OK, all right, let's see.
Are they ever going to eliminate internal combustion engine vehicles?
I'm sure they are.
At some point, I mean, I just this electric push stalled and it's probably going to reignite
with the next, well, whenever there's a democratic or a liberal administration, who knows when
that's going to be.
But yeah, we will all be driving electric vehicles at some point.
OK, what is a spot delivery?
Boy, that's a segue.
A spot delivery is when you go in to buy a vehicle and you have credit issues and you're
kind of hurry to leave.
You've been there for a long time and the dealership has just not been able to get you
approved yet by the bank, by the financing institutions that they use.
So what they do is they take your trade in and you're not signing, please don't sign
any paperwork.
Don't sign a contract that you know that you aren't approved on.
If they say, just ask them, is this a spot delivery?
Am I approved?
Is this deal done?
If it's not done, don't sign any paperwork.
If they want to put you in a vehicle, that's a spot delivery.
They let you take it after you've signed some paperwork.
Then you come back to the store maybe on Monday.
You've been there on Saturday and they say, oh, by the way, we need more money down.
The interest rate is going to be a little bit higher.
We're going to have to extend the terms or cut the terms.
And that's when you hand them the keys to the car that they let you drive and say, thank
you very much and then you leave.
Spot deliveries are sometimes abused.
They try to get people to pay more on Monday than they were willing to pay on Saturday
because they fell in love with the car on Sunday.
So that's what a spot delivery is and you don't want to be a part of that.
Okay, another credit question.
I can't afford my car.
What do I do?
Well, that all depends on what your payoff is in relationship to what the actual cash
value of the car is.
What is the actual cash value of the car?
That's what somebody's willing to write you a check for it.
The amount that they're willing to pay you for it, just right there.
Without you trading anything.
That's the actual cash value.
Well, is it different?
Some place else could be.
You might have to go to another dealership.
The actual cash value is different there.
Well, how come they're not consistent?
Because they're different businesses.
They're different people.
It's just like everybody won't pay the same price for a house.
It depends on like one person likes a swimming pool and the other person doesn't.
So the person who likes it will pay more for a house with a pool.
You understand?
Somebody may not like your sunroof or there might be some equipment that's on your vehicle
that's not popular.
Like a loaded up car with cloth seats or maybe it's got other issues.
Check engine lights on.
One dealer's afraid of it.
The other dealer is not.
So if your payoff is considerably higher than what your actual cash value is, folks,
I'm sorry.
You're just going to have to either drive it, make the payments, go to the bank and
try to renegotiate, get them to give you a couple months off.
No, not many of them will do that, but some will.
They don't want a repo.
But you've got to have some type of a good payment record before you ask for that.
If you have been delinquent a lot before you ask for that, you're not going to get it.
And banks can be big and impersonal.
And they might just say, well, just stop paying for it.
We'll come get it.
We'll take it to the auction.
We'll sell it.
And then we're going to sue you for the deficiency.
And then we'll get it because we'll get it out of your paycheck every week.
Every time you get a paycheck, we'll garnish your wages.
That doesn't sound real comforting, does it?
So find a way to pay for it.
Bar money from your rich uncle, your rich aunt.
You know, go buy some lottery tickets.
I don't know.
Okay.
I'm about out of breath.
Let's take our first break and be back in just a minute.
Okay.
It's rapid fire car questions and I'm on a roll.
Do tires age?
Yes.
We've talked about this in the past.
Tires.
You should not keep tires on your car more than seven years.
Is that a fixed rule?
No.
But it depends on the climate that you live in.
If you live in Florida, they're going to age.
You know, really hot climates, they're going to age quicker.
If you live in really cold climates, they're going to age quicker.
You just need to move to Tennessee and you'll be just fine.
Maybe you can go eight years.
But yeah, they will age out before they're wear out in many cases.
And they become unsafe because the rubber deteriorates.
That's why.
Okay.
Should you change your own oil?
No.
You should not because you don't have any record of doing it.
Well, what about the receipts where you went and bought the oil and bought the filter and
did all that stuff yourself?
You still don't have any proof.
How does the warranty company that's going to be paying for your new engine know that
those items went on your car?
The only way they know is if you go to some place that generates a repair order with your
VIN number on it, and that's how they know that the oil was changed.
And they like it a lot better if you have it done at the dealership and not at the quick
loop place or Walmart or someplace like that.
Okay.
Let's see here.
Oh, yeah.
One more caveat to that.
If you're not using factory filters, then the warranty company could say, hey, you're
not using factory filters.
We're going to deny your engine claim because it was due to you and not to a defect in materials
or workmanship.
So take it to the dealership and use factory filters.
Well, if you don't want to take it to the dealership, you really don't like the dealership.
You don't trust them for some reason.
Buy the filters from them and take the filters with you to the quick loop place and use the
filters and then buy good quality oil and not some name brand that you haven't heard
of.
Okay.
Let's keep rolling.
Okay.
Why is my paint peeling off of my vehicle?
Well, because probably you have parked under trees its entire life and never bothered to
get the sap off of it.
Another reason could be environmental fallout, which is really not your fault other than
the fact that you didn't wash your car often enough.
Other than that, it's probably because it was painted after it was new.
So the factory put on paint, baked it on, good paint job.
You wrecked it.
Somebody wrecked it.
Painted it again.
Bad paint job.
Paint peels off.
That's just bad preparation and cheap paint.
That's what can cause that.
Okay.
Okay.
Let's jump around a little bit more.
What is a good credit score?
A good credit score is just about anything over a 700, but that doesn't mean you're going
to be able to get a car loan because if you have a very high debt to income ratio, you
may have paid all your bills, but you owe a lot and the banks don't like that.
So they won't finance you if your debt to income ratio is too high.
So it really doesn't matter what your credit score is.
Well, unless you're an 800 and they'll find a way to get you done.
Okay.
How is 0% interest possible on a car loan when bank rates are 5, 6, 7% or for some people
15%?
How do they do it?
Well, the only time you're going to see 0% is when it's coming from the financing arm
of a manufacturer like Ford Motor Credit or GM Financial or Hyundai Credit, whoever they
use.
Yeah.
It's basically the manufacturer is shifting dollars that they would use for rebates to
their financing arm so that they can buy down the rate and how the bookkeeping happens.
I don't know, but just for example on some vehicle, you may have a $3,500 cash rebate
and you'd have to finance it at the normal bank rates or you get no rebate and finance
it at zero.
So doesn't that tell you that there's some shifting around going on?
It should.
Okay.
How do I diagnose a check engine like you can't?
You've got to take it to a new car dealership.
That's the best thing to do for the brand that you sell or to a high quality independent
shop or you can go to a like an auto parts store and they'll come out and scan it, but
they can't tell you what's wrong with it really and they can't fix it.
They might try to sell you a part that you might be able to try to fix it at home, but
I don't recommend that, but it costs so much to get it diagnosed.
Yeah.
At the typical dealership, they're going to charge you one hour of labor to properly
diagnose your check engine like.
So would you rather pay anywhere from $100 to $150 to get it accurately done or to run
all over town trying to figure out what it is and buy parts and, you know, your car's
still not running the lights still on, you know, just go to the best place to get fixed,
please.
And that's a new car dealer that sells the brand that you are driving.
Okay.
What is the best car to buy for my new driver, teenager, something ugly, something that they're
slightly ashamed of, something that has good crash ratings, not powerful, not a Mustang,
not a Camaro, not a Z car, not a big truck that they can lift because when you lift a
vehicle or you lift a truck, you change the handling dynamics and you should always insist
that your youngsters do not do that to their first vehicle.
Let them do that when they can help pay for it.
Maybe when they turn 18, maybe they have a job and they want to buy wheels and tires
for that vehicle that you bought for them.
Fine.
Just discourage them from lifting it.
I know it looks better and they love it and they like to do all kinds of things to the
engine and make them louder and stuff and that's fine if they want to, but don't change
the handling dynamics on cars because when you do that, you're putting, well, you're
allowing them to put their own lives at risk and make sure they have really good tire tread
and that there's no steering issues, make sure that the vehicle is put up on a lift and inspected
by somebody who knows front ends and steering systems.
Make sure that the brakes are perfect, you know, so the engine has a little miss or the
check engine light is on.
I don't care about that really.
I don't.
I don't want them to be stranded.
I want to make sure it has a good battery, adequate antifreeze, no real bad oil leaks.
But you know, anything from a 2015 to 2018, it's got the latest generation of airbags.
They're just, they're safer.
That's what I'm looking for, you know, in a car for my, my child or grandchild.
Oh, let me give you this great example.
So I was driving out to my daughter's house and we got really close to the house and then
I saw this Toyota 4Runner kind of sideways, right, straddling the center line of the road.
It was a two-lane road, stopped dead and the left rear tire and wheel was missing.
Now, my first thought was, well, they had a flat and they're sitting there changing it,
but what a terrible place to change a tire.
But now I realized they're just standing around.
One of the kids was on the phone and I said, okay, I'm going to stop.
So I stopped, get out and I said, what's going on?
He said, well, my wheel fell off.
I said, your wheel fell off.
Where is it?
He said, I don't know.
He said, it went that way.
And I said, well, he had his buddy with him.
I said, you go find the wheel and then we'll see if we can put it back on.
Well, then I said, we need to push this thing out of the road.
Well, then I looked under it and there was no pushing it because it had,
basically the rear suspension had been drug onto the asphalt and it was bent and it was bent in
a really bad way.
There's no repairing this.
I said, here's what we need to do.
We need to call a wrecker and we need to get them over here as quickly as possible.
Do you know one?
Yeah, I slightly do.
So I called the guy that rescues me all the time.
He said, I'll be out there in 15 minutes.
So they rescued him and I got a nice call from this kid's grandfather and his father and that's fine.
But here's the deal.
They had bought aftermarket wheels and tires and the company that they bought them from
sent them the wrong lug nuts.
That's what holds the wheels onto the hub.
And they worked their way loose.
I mean, just think about how tragic that could have been, that kid and his friend.
And I don't know if they're wearing seatbelts.
A lot of them do.
Some of them don't.
And it had been the left front wheel that fell off with cars coming in the opposite direction.
That's a recipe for a disaster.
And so aftermarket wheels, make sure that if somebody's going to put them on for you,
that they know what they're doing and they know what they're talking about.
Somebody who really knew what they were doing would have seen right off the bat that those
were the wrong lug nuts and it wouldn't have been an issue.
So anytime you modify something like that, just make sure it's high quality stuff.
Don't buy the cheapest wheel.
Don't buy the cheapest tires.
Don't buy the cheapest brake pads.
You know, if you go to a typical new car dealership,
the only thing they're going to offer you is OEM equipment.
That's original equipment manufactured parts for that particular vehicle.
And they find those by the VIN number now.
So when you go to a place to get a new car dealership to get parts,
make sure you have your 17-digit VIN.
They can plug it right in.
They can get the exact part that your car was built with.
And the engineers that designed your vehicle said,
okay, based on this configuration, this wheel size, this suspension, these brakes,
this is the tire size that needs to go in that vehicle.
It's listed on the door jam on the driver's side door.
If you open up, you'll see it someplace and it says the original tire size.
If you go higher or lower than that or let's say taller, shorter, wider,
then you're changing things that were not intended by the engineers.
And it can affect the handling of the vehicle.
How much? I don't know.
You know, if you put an oversized tire, it can change your speedometer.
It can lead to a speeding ticket.
If you put the wrong size wheels and tires, when you turn,
it can actually scrub on the inside and you'll feel it.
But you won't really notice it really badly until you hit a big bump.
And if your wheels turn the right way, it'll tear your front fender off.
That's important. You need a front fender.
Okay, let's see. We talked about, well, we talk about warranties a lot,
extended service contracts.
Let's talk about this gap question.
Should I buy gap insurance or when should I buy gap insurance?
Well, what is gap insurance?
It is guaranteed asset protection means that if you wreck your vehicle,
total it, or it's stolen.
Now, those are the two events that will trigger a gap claim.
Okay, so you finance the car, you owe $20,000 on it.
The insurance company says they're only going to pay $15,000 because that's all it's worth.
So there's a $5,000 gap.
Gap insurance will step in and pay that under the right circumstances.
Sometimes they'll balk if, depending on how the policy was written.
So you need to know what the exceptions are when they won't pay the gap
or they'll only pay part of the gap.
And how long does it take to get paid?
What are the circumstances where they, like I say, they won't pay it?
I've had people come to me from other dealerships saying,
would you help me with this?
What do I got?
So, well, I have a gap claim and I can't get it paid.
I said, well, let me see a contract.
Well, I don't have it.
Well, I can't help you if I don't, if I can't see the contract
and you shouldn't have bought gap insurance if you didn't read the contract.
But most people are in a big hurry.
Should you buy gap insurance?
If you are financing a car for a long term, you're paying nothing down,
or if you're rolling in a bunch of negative equity, it's worth considering.
But just understand this, if you just wreck your car and it's repairable,
then you're not going to have a gap claim.
You only have a gap claim if your vehicle is totaled or if it's stolen.
So what are the odds of that?
I don't know.
I'm not a bookie.
I don't know the odds.
But they're pretty slim.
But it could be financially devastating for some people,
and you have to look at how much extra it's costing you per month.
It's just one less thing to worry about.
So maybe you do buy gap.
It's just a, you have to have the right circumstances for it to be justifiable.
If you need help with that kind of stuff, that's when you call me.
Okay, I'll take my last break.
I'll be back in just one minute.
Okay, so rapid fire.
I hope you enjoyed it.
If you have questions, we can talk on a much slower basis.
Maybe take our time.
Call me or send me a text with your question to 423-552-2020
or send me an email to lindeylawson2020 at gmail.com.
And if you want the My Car Guru guidebook, send me your email address,
and I'll send you a PDF copy or I'll print one out and mail it to you.
If you give me your mailing address.
And I'll see you on the next edition of My Car Guru.
About this episode
Rapid-fire answers to the most common car-related questions cover a range of topics, from engine quality issues to buying advice for used cars. The host shares insights on when to buy a car, the importance of using the right fuel, and how to handle credit issues. Listeners will learn about spot deliveries, tire aging, and the necessity of gap insurance. Personal anecdotes and practical tips make this episode a valuable resource for anyone navigating the complexities of car ownership.
