This is a 2013 Volkswagen Passat, and the question is about an oil leak. Oil seeping from the valve cover usually means a gasket or seal isn’t sealing well anymore.
This means the engine is 2.5 liters total and has five cylinders. More cylinders can change how smoothly the engine runs, and the size helps determine how much power it can make.
The valve cover is the top cover over the engine’s valve area. If oil is seeping from it, the seal (gasket) may be worn, and you may only need to replace that seal—or sometimes the whole cover if it’s damaged.
Term
oil on any other components
If oil shows up on parts it shouldn’t, it usually means the leak is getting worse. That’s a sign you should get it checked instead of ignoring it.
Term
leak need to be replaced or repaired
A “leak” can be small or serious. The important part is figuring out where it’s coming from so you know whether it needs a simple repair or a replacement.
A gasket is a thin seal that helps keep oil from leaking where two parts meet. If it wears out, oil can start to seep or drip, and you may need to replace it.
The exhaust is the system that carries hot engine gases out of the car. If oil gets near it, it can burn and cause smoke or smell—so it’s a warning sign.
Routine maintenance is the regular “keep it healthy” stuff you do on schedule. It usually includes oil changes and quick checks so problems get caught early, not after they get serious.
Checking the fluids means making sure the car’s important liquids are at the right levels. This helps prevent overheating and other problems that can happen if a fluid runs low.
Shocks (shock absorbers) control how the suspension moves after hitting bumps and during cornering. Worn shocks can cause excessive bouncing, reduced traction, and longer stopping distances because the tires don’t stay planted.
Tie rods connect the steering to the wheels. If they’re worn, the steering can feel off and the car may not track straight, which can also wear tires faster.
Ball joints are the flexible joints that let the suspension move while keeping the wheels aligned. When they wear out, steering can feel loose and tires can wear unevenly.
A Dodge Ram is a large pickup truck used for work and towing, but it can also be driven daily. If someone notices something when slowing down—like a change in how it feels—that usually points to how the engine and brakes are working together. Talking about a 2021 model helps because the truck’s systems can differ by year.
A coupler is a connector that helps transfer power between parts. If it’s worn, it can cause a noticeable clunk when you change from slowing down to speeding up.
A transfer case is a component that sends power to the wheels on 4WD vehicles. If it’s worn, you might hear clunks when you change how much you’re accelerating.
U-joints are parts in the drive system that let the driveshaft connect while the suspension moves up and down. If they wear out, the car can feel rough or make noises and the drivetrain can act up.
Term
UDRAP repair
They mention a specific kind of repair as being “simple,” but the exact name is unclear in the transcript. If you can share the full sentence or a clearer recording, it may be possible to identify what repair they mean.
A fluid service is when a shop changes important fluids in the car. They mentioned it as a possible simpler fix, but the later discussion points to a bigger timing problem.
The Chevrolet Equinox is a small SUV. In this story, the owner had a part replaced, then the car’s warning light came on and it started stalling, which is why they’re digging into deeper engine timing issues.
Term
solenoid for the intake
An intake solenoid is an electrically controlled part that helps control airflow into the engine. If it’s replaced but the car still stalls, it suggests the problem might be deeper than that single component.
The engine light is the car’s warning light for problems the computer detects. If it comes on right when the car starts acting up, it usually means there’s a specific fault code worth checking.
A camshaft code means the car’s computer thinks something is wrong with the camshaft timing or its sensor signals. Since the camshaft controls when valves open, timing problems can make the engine stall.
Term
timing belt or the timing chain
The timing belt or chain keeps the engine’s timing lined up. If it slips or jumps, the valves can open at the wrong time, and the engine may stall and throw warning codes.
“Slipping or jumping” means the timing belt/chain isn’t staying properly aligned. When that happens, the engine can lose correct timing and may stall or run very badly.
Term
chain ages
They’re saying the timing chain can wear out over time. As it stretches, the engine timing can get off, and eventually the car may not be able to correct it anymore.
Term
soils will adjust
The transcript says “soils will adjust,” but that doesn’t read like a real car term. It likely meant something about the engine’s ability to compensate, but the exact wording is too unclear to annotate.
Concept
trading it in
Trading in means you turn in your current car and the dealer applies its value toward buying the next one. It can reduce how much money you have to pay upfront for the replacement.
A turbo is a device that helps the engine make more power by pushing extra air into it. It can run hotter, so keeping up with maintenance (especially oil) matters a lot.
An anti-rust product is something you spray or apply to help stop rust from forming. Putting it under the truck helps protect the parts that get hit by road salt.
This is a Kia Sportage from 2024. Even if the car’s computer doesn’t show warning codes, the dealer may still need to hear the problem noise to figure out what’s going on.
“Pending codes” are like the car’s computer saying, “I might have a problem,” but it’s not 100% sure yet. This often happens with problems that come and go, so the warning light may not be on.
A diagnostic tool is a scanner you plug into the car to read the computer’s stored messages about problems. If the issue is intermittent, the scanner might not find anything at that moment.
Intermittent problems are failures that happen only sometimes, often depending on speed, temperature, or driving conditions. Because they may not occur during a scan or test drive, they’re harder to reproduce and diagnose than constant faults.
Here, “frequency” means how often the problem happens. If you can say “it happens every day” or “only after two weeks,” it helps the mechanic figure out what’s causing it.
A fault code is like an error message stored in the car’s computer. If the problem is something the sensors can detect, the car logs it; if it’s just a mechanical noise, it may not.
Concept
underlying area
This means the real problem might be somewhere else than where you first notice it. Mechanics try to find the root cause, not just the symptom.
Cabin filters clean the air that comes into the car’s interior through the heating and air conditioning. If there’s smoke or lots of dust outside, a good cabin filter can help keep it out of the cabin.
An air filter keeps dirt from getting into the engine. If it gets clogged, the engine can’t breathe as well, which can hurt performance and efficiency.
This is a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu, and the owner says it’s overheating randomly. The discussion focuses on the car’s cooling system—things like the thermostat, radiator, and cooling fans—and why repeated overheating can cause major engine problems.
The radiator is what helps cool the hot coolant coming from the engine. If it can’t move heat out well, the engine temperature can climb and overheat. That’s why it’s a common suspect in overheating problems.
This means exhaust gases are getting into the coolant instead of staying in the engine cylinders. That often happens when a head gasket fails. Mechanics test for it because it can explain overheating and other symptoms.
A compression test checks how healthy the engine cylinders are by measuring cylinder pressure. If the pressure is low, it can point to problems inside the engine. It’s one way mechanics figure out what’s going wrong.
The thermostat is a part that helps control how coolant moves through the engine. If it doesn’t open or close correctly, the engine can run too hot. That’s why it’s often replaced when a car overheats.
The water pump moves coolant through the engine so it can stay cool. If the pump isn’t working well, the coolant may not circulate enough and the engine can overheat. It’s one of the parts checked when overheating won’t go away.
The cooling fans help move air through the radiator. If they don’t run when they should, the engine can’t get rid of heat and may overheat. That’s why fan operation is part of overheating diagnosis.
They’re saying that turning the A/C on can make the cooling fans run. That’s because the A/C has a part (the condenser) that also needs airflow to work properly.
The condenser is a key part of the A/C that releases heat outside the car. It needs airflow to cool the refrigerant, which helps the A/C blow cold air.
This is when an engine can temporarily shut off some cylinders to save gas, then turn them back on when you need power. Some people worry that switching back and forth can cause extra wear.
In repair talk, workarounds are alternative fixes or procedures used when there’s a known issue or design limitation. They may involve changing how the vehicle is configured or how certain components are serviced, rather than a single universal “one-size” repair.
Lifters are parts that help move the engine valves. If lifters have problems, the engine may not run correctly, especially in systems that change how many cylinders are active.
Term
camshaft fuses
“Camshaft fuses” is a nickname for a protective part in the engine’s valve system. If it fails, it can stop the camshaft from working properly, so the fix usually means replacing the part and checking why it happened.
Full synthetic oil is a higher-end type of engine oil. It’s usually more expensive, and the question here is whether it’s actually worth paying extra for your car.
Semi-synthetic oil is a mix of synthetic oil and regular oil. It’s usually cheaper than full synthetic, and some cars do fine with it if it meets the required oil type.
0W-20 is the label on engine oil that tells you how it performs in cold weather and when the engine is hot. Lower numbers generally mean it flows better when it’s cold.
Term
530s
“530s” refers to a common oil thickness rating (5W-30). It’s generally a bit thicker at normal operating temperatures than 0W-20.
The BMW 5 Series is a luxury car that’s designed to be comfortable and smooth to drive. In car-care discussions, people often talk about engine oil because the right oil type and thickness can help the engine run properly. Different 5 Series versions (like 530 models) can have different oil needs.
Cylinder deactivation is when the engine shuts off some cylinders when you don’t need full power, like cruising. That saves fuel, but it adds extra switching and control parts, so some owners worry about long-term issues after the warranty.
Car
Dodge 5.7 Hemi
This is a Dodge truck/SUV engine that’s a 5.7-liter V8. “Hemi” means the engine’s combustion chamber shape is designed for good breathing and power. The host mentions it because some versions can shut off cylinders to save fuel, and the listener is worried about what happens after the warranty.
This phrase means “a weak spot.” The host is saying every car maker has some kind of recurring problem at some point, even if it changes over the years.
Seafoam is an additive people pour into an engine or fuel system to help loosen and clean deposits. The host’s main point is to follow the directions on the can and not expect it to fix a real mechanical failure.
A detergent is a cleaning-type additive. Here it’s being described as something that helps remove buildup, not something that can fix a mechanical problem that’s already broken.
LIVE
And we know what that tune means. It is time for car care with our buddy Nick Stoffel from
Lloyd's Automotive in St. Paul. Taking your questions about cars, what's working, what's not,
are you having a problem, you can't figure out. Nick is the man. So call us, text us,
your questions for Nick, 651-461-9226. Again, that's 651-461-9226. Good morning, Nick.
Good morning. How's it going today? It's going to be warm again, I guess. We shouldn't complain
because in about, I don't know, a few months we're going to be complaining it's too cold. So
take it in, enjoy it. It's going to be sunny. It's going to be beautiful. It's not as hot as
yesterday. So we'll make the best of it. What do you have planned for today? I think actually we're
going to go up to that car show at the fairgrounds for a couple hours. My youngest and I might go
out there and check things out for a little bit and we'll see what happens from there.
Is that the muscle car show this weekend? It is. It's the second show of the summer, yes.
I think my guys have been to that too. They're so beautiful. They're just so cool. I just love them.
I bet when you see those kinds of cars, do you wish you had one? Do you have one? Like,
are you interested in the fancy systems of these guys, these cars?
People, yes and no, I guess. I mean, I appreciate them for sure. The hard work, the energy, the
efforts, the money that goes into these machines is unbelievable and holding on to a little bit
of yesterday is kind of fun also. For me, it's just kind of cool to see all the different
things. And the creativity, there's a lot of stuff that people have their own take on it,
their own opinion. Some guys want to make it like original off the showroom floor and some folks
want to put their own spin on it and it's just kind of fun to see all the different types of
machines out there. Yeah, for sure. If you have a car care question for Nick, now's the time.
651-461-9226. Nick, we do have a texter who is asking. We have a 2013 Volkswagen Passat
with a 2.5-liter five-cylinder gas engine, 160,000 miles original owner. They have noticed some
oil seeping from the valve cover. Can I just replace the gasket or should I replace the whole
valve cover? What do you think? Well, I'm taking a step back. If it's seeping and not creating a
problem, not getting low, not getting oil on any other components, you might want to wait a little
bit longer. You know, it's always hard, subjective, I guess, a leak. You know, when's the leak need
to be replaced or repaired, when it's a gasket or component. And if it comes to a point where it's
starting to get onto other components, it's starting to get onto the exhaust, it's starting to get
low on oil, obviously that's an active leaking and seeping resolved. Seeping, sweating, a little bit
of accumulation, doesn't worry me. You know, and then depending on the vehicle, some vehicles,
you can replace just the gasket. Some vehicles, if it's a plastic cover that sometimes will warp,
might recommend doing the whole cover based on inspection. So that's not necessarily a guaranteed
thing you have to do, but based on inspection, you might want to replace the cover when you do
the gasket. Okay, when you're talking about plastic components and rubber gaskets, it makes me
think, how do those components stand up in this heat or are they just engineered to withstand it?
It's amazing. It's amazing cars will work in this heat. I know I don't want to be out there,
let alone my cars just fire up and they've all the cold air conditioning on us and they just
head down the road. But it's engineering. You know, engineering and trial and error,
you know, there's certain components and systems that have been created that don't handle the
colder the heat and then they refine them. You know, that's kind of how we learn as we go.
You know, I think there's a lot of research and development by the automakers to try to
eliminate any of those bugs, but sometimes bugs work their way through and, you know,
we have to deal with that. But I think for the most part, cars are pretty amazing,
especially the way we abuse them and just assume that we go out there and turn the key,
push the button, it's going to just work. So don't forget to maintain, give your car a little bit
of love. It likes an oil change and other services done on a periodic basis. So look at that owner's
manual. Look at that. Look online, even you'll find a maintenance schedule line for your vehicle.
Make sure you're following that schedule and keeping your car on the road.
Yeah, we did our morning questions segment last hour and the question was,
what do you wish you were better at? And one of the answers made me think of you
and bring it up with you. They, this person said, I, oh, where is it? Where is it now?
I wish I was better at, where is it? Getting my car in for routine maintenance.
So what tips would you have for somebody who wants to be better at getting their car in
for routine maintenance? Do you make yourself a little calendar? Do you, how do you
tell somebody how to be better at that? Absolutely. I, you know, I think that we're all guilty of
that and some aspect of our lives and none of us live it too rigid where we live, you know,
scheduled by schedule, but, you know, take your phone set of reminder out, you know,
just a few months out off the road and your phone will ding you one morning and say,
oh yeah, I got to schedule that appointment. And hopefully at that moment, you do it. You don't
say I'll do it later. So that's the, that's the trade off. And you're not alone. A lot of people
were so busy with everything we've gone through their lives that we, we forget that we neglecting
it's not intentional. It's just that sometimes, you know, the, the car goes to the bottom of the
list and you got things looking at you, but just take the time, take a minute, make the appointment,
arrange it around the rest of your life. You can fit it in your car. We'll really appreciate
a little bit of maintenance. And when we're talking about routine maintenance, I mean,
what is that? Just oil changes, checking the fluids, checking the tire pressure. What else is
in there? Well, you'll hear from time to time when it, when we talk to people, I don't drive a lot.
What, you know, what do I, what do I need to follow? How do I, you know, I only put on a couple
thousand miles or several thousand miles a year. I would still say that I would like to see a vehicle
inspected twice a year, whether the oil changes do or not, they can inspect oil, make that decision,
but the rest of the vehicle, you know, the shocks, the ball joints, the tie rods, the brakes, the
exhaust, the belts, all these other things should get a look at with the extreme heat that we're
going through now. That puts stress on these components, just as the cold winter months puts
a different kind of stress on all these components. So at least twice a year, have the vehicle just
looked at it. You don't have to buy anything necessarily, depending on what they learn and
find and tell you, but at least have it looked at. So you have a piece of mine, you can rely on your
vehicle, that little bit of maintenance goes a long ways. It is absolutely less expensive to
maintain a vehicle than it is to repair a vehicle. Seems silly, but I promise you, if you maintain
that, you have less repairs. Yep, I believe you. It is 714 on WCCO. You're listening to Car Care
with our friend Nick Stoffel from Lloyd's Automotive in St. Paul. If you have a question for Nick,
give us a call or a text 6514619226. Nick, when we get back from the break, I want to ask you a
little bit about the employment landscape for mechanics these days. So we'll get into that
after this on CCL.
Good morning, 718 on WCCO, little doors.
Candice on the board, our rock loving Candice. Can't beat the doors.
All right, we do have some questions to get through on the text line, and we'll get to those in
just a moment. We also have a question from in studio from our pal, Josh, today, and we are
listening to Car Care with Nick Stoffel from Lloyd's Automotive in St. Paul, taking your calls
and questions at 6514619226. And before the break, Nick, I mentioned that I wanted to ask you about
just kind of the employment landscape for mechanics these days. Do we have enough mechanics?
Are they in demand? What is the job situation like in your view?
I would say, I think with all the trades, there is a need for sure. We're sitting fine right now.
We've established ourselves. We have great folks. We've been fortunate enough to create a culture
and an environment that people are attracted to and they want to work at and be part of.
And there's a lot of places around town like us. And so if you have a relative or friend or
neighbor, something that wants to get into the business, go visit a trade school. Those schools
are, all parts of town have a different automotive school than any trade school, for that matter.
And I think if it's something that you're interested in, you can make a very good career out of it.
It's not necessarily yesterday's. We always think of the grease monkey. There's still some
oil and dirt and stuff involved, but there's a lot more computerization,
a lot more critical thinking. It's very rewarding, you know, each day is absolutely different.
No two cars are alike. So it's a lot of fun. If you're into that kind of thing, come check us out,
you know, check out the industry and I'm sure you'll find a rewarding career ahead of you.
Super. We have a caller on the line, Nick. It's Jerry in Minnetonka. Good morning, Jerry. What's
Nick? What's the, in his opinion, what's the current or most modern way of determining the value of
your vehicle? I'm old school and member of the Kelly Blue Book, but the downside of that now,
with technology, as soon as you punch in your email, you've got everybody in the galaxy
contacting you to sell and trying to, you know, obviously setting filters and so forth,
but you get the idea. What are your thoughts on that? I usually tell people, look up your vehicle
like you're going to buy it. You know, so if you're on, you know, at a dealership, you're online,
you're on one of the websites, look up your vehicles. If you're going to buy your vehicle,
don't give them any information. You don't have to put your name in your email or any of that, but
just, you know, you make miles, condition and see what similar vehicles like yours are going for.
Because people will ask that, you know, in your Kelly Blue Book, used to be a way of going about
it. You can check with a lender. They still might have a way of pricing vehicles. I don't know if
we're going to take out a loan. They need to come up with a value, but I think the easiest thing to
do is go online and look for your vehicle as if you're going to buy it and kind of get an idea
of a ballpark price and try to set the price point for meant.
Super. Thank you very much, Jerry. We appreciate the call.
Texture here, Nick. I have a 2021 RAM and when I decelerate from, like for example,
50 to 30, then accelerate, there is a small clunk. What could this be?
Maybe not be anything to be too worried about, but it could be something showing some signs of
wear. You know, you think what you joints, maybe some sort of coupler or something transmission,
transfer case. I think it's worth making a note of next time you're in for service,
have somebody take it for a drive, try to experience that, maybe they can get it up in the air and kind
of check those U joints and different pivot points and make sure everything's snug and tight.
You may be as simple as a new UDRAP repair. Maybe it's a fluid service, but I would at
least make a note of it. It's an emergency at this point, but make a note of it next time
it's in for service. Have them take a look at that. Great. Thank you for the text, Don.
Question from our buddy Josh Wheeler in studio for you, Nick. Go ahead, Josh. Hey, Nick. So I've
been emailing you kind of here and there about my Equinox issue. So I just forked over about
$404 to have them swap out that solenoid for the intake and I immediately walked out to my car and
this is them calling me saying, hey, your vehicle's ready to pick up, can get it. I literally walked
out to the car. I started it up, engine light popped on, started to drive it forward and it
literally stalled out, tried driving it a little bit around the lot to bring it back to said spot
to back it back in because I obviously am not going to take it home now and it stalled out
once or twice in that process. They ran the code. It was a camshaft code and they
yeah, they basically did some more warrantied diagnostics on it and said that they believe
that the timing belt or the timing chain is slipping or jumping and they don't know why it's
stalling out and out of nowhere like that. So your thoughts.
That's obviously that's frustrating. I know we talked a little bit about if you can do the
solenoids or the chains. I don't know what doing the solenoid would have made the chain that much
worse other than the fact that maybe it was there to the point where I doubted jumping timing,
but I think what it is that as the chain ages, it stretches, things get out of time, their
soils will adjust for that, but these components, these parts are deceptive too many miles and
years that they can't adjust anymore. I'm sure the recommendation is the chain at this point,
which is as you know, the very cost and cost of repair. So I'm not sure what the best path there
is. I don't think there's an easy button. I don't think there's a way to go back the way it was
yesterday. Replacing that solenoid, maybe some oil or sludge got freed up somewhere.
It's hard to say, obviously, over the air. So when you have a car like this that has about 150 on
it and there's only about 10 months worth of the car payment left, what is typically your
recommendation? Do you fork over that much money to fix it and then have something else go wrong,
or do you typically just say, hey, maybe it's time to look at trading it in? I don't even know
if I would get anything for it, but trading it in essentially. Yeah, I mean, it's your
pocketbook, right? It's a tough thing because you're ready. You could pay the vehicle off depending
on what that cost. You could repair the vehicle and put in that cost, weigh those two costs,
and then even if you pay it off, it doesn't work, but you got to replace it with something. So what's
that cost, right? So you got a couple different scenarios to sit down and work through. Typically,
I don't know the vehicle because I haven't seen the vehicle, but people, when they ask those
types of questions, I've learned over the years, buying a new vehicle is a payment every month
for 60 months or 48 months or 72 months. If you can fix the vehicle, you can swing it,
you're going to tighten your belt for a couple months, and then after that, you should be fine.
Now, if you maintain the vehicle, you follow the maintenance schedule, almost always it's more
better value to repair your vehicle, even if it's a couple thousand dollars,
then you replace the vehicle. Once again, depends on your pocketbook, the situation. So you guys
sit down and do that hard math on what do I owe on it, what's the cost to replace it, what's the
cost to fix it, and figure out how those pieces all come together. So I don't envy your position.
I'm sorry you're going through this. It's a tough spot to be in, for sure. It definitely is,
and some tough choices, but I'm sure you'll make the best of it. All right. Thank you, Josh. Back
engines. I have heard they run much hotter and don't last as long as a non-turbo.
Well, I think it's a more common technology now. They find way to create power to allow for engines
to be a little bit smaller in design, maybe a little better fuel economy, better power for the,
you know, bane for the buck will say, but I also, but next breadth also say it's really
important they maintain them. You know, they're talking about the net lasting as long,
why I think those situations happen because we don't maintain, there's a lot of oil
flow going through there, a lot of pressure going through there. So if you follow the maintenance
schedule, you do your oil changes that should help prolong the life and keep that turbo
lasting as long as the engine itself does. So it's a technology, it's out there. I think it's
a good technology to answer the question. And I think we'll see a lot more of that moving forward.
All right. If you have a question for Nick Stoffel, the number to call is 6514619226.
That is also our text line. So if you'd rather text in, that is just fine too 6514619226.
Another text or Nick thinking about spraying an anti-rust product under my truck,
would you recommend that and what should they cover?
You know, we get that question from time to time. And my opinion is, as always, I think that the
treatments that are on the vehicle that are new should last the life of the vehicle. I think
it's kind of upon us to keep it clean. So you hear me say from time to time, when you went into the
car wash, pay the extra dollar to get the undercarriage spray, I think that alone does a significant
difference, especially in the winter months with the salt and such. So even in the winter
months, you know, you find that nice day in the winter where it's a little bit warmer,
get in that long line for the car wash. I know it's a long line, but run through that, you know,
get your car cleaned up top and bottom to kind of help preventing that corrosion or rust
growing from underneath. Very good. We have about 15 minutes left with Nick Stoffel taking your car
care questions at 6514619226 by text or by phone. Right now, we're going to take a break. We'll be
back with Nick in just a moment.
Hey, good morning. Welcome back. It is 7 33 on WCCO radio. My name is Laura
Oaks and we are joined by Nick Stoffel from Lloyd's Automotive in St. Paul, taking your
car care questions either by text or by phone.
The number to call is 6514619226.
Okay, Nick, back to the text line.
What do you do with the intermittent and then now we have air quotes.
What the heck is that noise?
They have a 2024 Sportage, no pending codes from that diagnostic tool that you plug into
the car, the dealer says they need to hear the noise to be able to figure it out.
What do you think?
Well, I'm on the same page there and the best thing people can do is get a notepad and
I promise I like a broken record, but make a note of it.
It just made that noise.
What were you doing?
Were you slowing down?
Were you turning?
Were you accelerating?
Do you just start the vehicle?
Any of those clues you can make a note of gives us the opportunity to try to do the same
thing.
If we can do the same thing, hopefully we can experience the same problem and those intermittent
problems are always the hardest, but by doing that, it gives us a better chance of making
it happen.
Frequency too.
If you're like, oh, it does that once I read two weeks, it's going to be really hard, right?
Or it was making a noise and now it changed to this.
Any of those differences, any of those nuances really can help us try to get to the bottom
of it and the dealerships right a lot of times you have to experience the problem to know
what it is.
That can be frustrating, but be patient, make notes and hopefully we'll figure it out.
Is this something where a shop like yours would do some kind of a diagnostic test, like
a digital analysis of the whole computer system and the components?
Would you bring that out for something like a noise that they can't identify?
Not necessarily.
If we can hear the noise a lot of times, if it's something that's mechanical, rotating,
rubbing, there's not going to be any kind of fault code.
If it's something internal to an engine or transmission or something like that, maybe
there could be, but it kind of comes down to, if this is a problem that they've been
having for a period of time and we've had several attempts or people taking several
attempts to figure it out, we're probably going to dig a little bit deeper and see if
there's any underlying area that might give us a clue of some sort.
But when you connect the diagnostic computer to the vehicle, what you're retrieving is
codes, and codes are when sensors and such don't like what they see so they flag it.
They don't see the voltage or the pressure or what they're looking to see so they flag
that code, and it's up to us to go to those components and try to determine what happened,
whether it's a faulty component or something further up the stream created a problem and
it, with the result of this code.
So there's a lot of variables there, but typically noises, that's not the first place
you're going to start.
Like I said, if it's something you've been chasing for quite a while, we might do something
like that to try to dig out another clue somewhere, but it's usually patience and hopefully the
vehicles willing to participate.
Okay, gotcha.
If you have a question for Nick, give us a call or a text at 6514619226.
Back to the text line, Nick.
Say, Laura, one second, I got a retirement update.
I heard that on that spot in the last break there, Denny stopped by to get services last
week.
Oh, good.
He's doing well.
I think he's learning to enjoy retirement.
You know, he's been on the air for longer than I've been alive.
So that's a change for sure.
Yeah, big change, but he's doing well.
So anyone born or what's Denny up to, he's getting his oil changed, which you all should
be doing.
That's good.
And he's just enjoying the summer.
Oh, I'm glad to hear that.
I'm glad to hear that.
I haven't been in touch with him for a few weeks, so I'm going to have to give him a
hello.
Thank you very much for that.
Here's another text question, Nick.
Can the wildfires up north have an effect on cars?
That's a good question.
I was thinking that myself, you know, I don't, I'm obviously cabin filters, air filters,
those types of things.
Yes.
But the mechanics of it, I don't, I don't think it really makes enough of an effect.
There's still plenty of oxygen here and that's what we need to have combustion.
So I think it's more of an irritant for us.
If you, you know, if you're very sensitive lungs, having a hard time breathing after
we had that short spells a couple of days, you know, if you're still having some lingering
issues, maybe replace that cabin filter in the vehicle.
This is a precautionary step there.
But the car itself, I think it's, I think it doesn't mind and it can, you know, drive
down the road, this is it should.
All right, Nick, we have Nick on the line from Spring Valley.
Nick, what's your question for Nick?
I have a 2020 Malibu with a 1.5 turbo.
And it randomly overheats really bad.
They've replaced the thermostat and the radiator and it's only got 40,000 miles on it.
It runs great.
They did a test for compression, combustion gases in the coolant and didn't see any change
in the chest material.
So I was wondering if Nick had an idea of what maybe that might be.
Well, you know, you mentioned that they did the thermostat, which controls the temperature.
If it's overheating really bad, either the fans are not coming down to cool it or something's
restricted and not flowing, maybe something with the water pump.
It really depends how often that happens.
As you know, if the car is overheated and should not be driven, you don't want to overheat
overheated too many times because then you will create permanent damage.
That's what they're checking with that looking for the combustion gases, you know, looking
for a head gasket failure.
But, you know, unfortunately, I would say that the next step for me would be like making
through the cooling fans, that system's operating a couple of things you can do yourself.
If you start the vehicle, turn the air conditioning on, should
turn the fan on because it uses that to cool the condenser also.
So make sure the fans are operating and then, you know, make notes that when it does overheat,
you know, if the shop, for example, experienced it, hopefully they can determine what's going
on at that moment, either cool flow or air flow, the two areas that we would likely have a problem.
All right. Thank you for the call, Nick. Here's another text, Nick.
I've been told that the Chevy pickups that go from four cylinder to eight cylinder
isn't good for the engine to run in that mode and they make a workaround for that.
Do you have, is that something to look into?
You know, we put vehicles back the way we were designed.
There's a lot of workarounds from a lot of different problems, not just the Chevrolet
cylinder displacement issue. And I know there's a lot of folks that believe in it and do that.
I'm not going to say it's good or bad. I think it does work. It can be costly, but so can they
repair. We've obviously done those repairs with those lifters and we've done it to the extent
we've had camshaft fuses depending on the make, the model, the vehicle. So I would say it's kind of a
conversation with your shop, your mechanic, your dealership, see what the recommendation is,
but our practice has always been put them back the way we were designed. The ones that we repaired
seem to have been fine. So, you know, like most repairs, if you do something once, obviously
it's an expensive repair. If it works as design going forward, that's the correct repair.
Perfect. Here's an oil question. Is full synthetic worth three times the cost of semi-synthetic?
I don't think it's three times the cost. It probably depends on the brand.
And depending on the weight of oil, for example, 0W20, the way it's made is synthetic oil,
but more of the conventional weights, the 530s and such that we've seen in the past. There's a
whole variety. You go to the parts store or to the discount retailer and you'll see 100 different
options. And some of it's marketing. My advice for people is I like to use a branded product
that way, at least you have some integrity there. But I wouldn't pay three times the price for any
oil. I don't think it's that much, to be honest. I think it might be a 50 cents, a dollar or more
a quart, but I'd like to use a good quality brand would be my recommendation. Great. What is your
opinion on cylinder deactivation engines? I have a Dodge 5.7 Hemi and I'm worried once it gets out
of warranty. We just had that question with the Chevrolet. So, you know, maintain the vehicle.
There's a lot of stuff online. Every manufacturer has an Achilles heel. Every manufacturer has
something with a current model or five years ago, 10 years ago, and it changes. Chevrolet might have
a problem with this and then in five years, Chrysler might have that problem or they're forward
or Toyota or Honda. It kind of cycles around. So, the best thing you can do is do a little bit of
research, but maintain your vehicle to prevent a lot of those mishaps. So, if you have a vehicle
that you like, enjoy it. I wouldn't get rid of a vehicle based on a what if, you know, because you
don't know. If you do the maintenance and repairs are going to come along, do the repair and move on
from it and your car should work this as it was designed. All right. Time for one more texture.
I have a truck with about 80,000 miles on it. Would like to know if adding eight ounces of
seafoam before an oil change would be beneficial. Seafoam. Yeah, that's a detergent. I would say
I would only use a product as was designed or based on the can itself. So, if that's a
procedure that they recommend, I would follow that procedure as designed. I think a lot of the
products you can buy in a can are good for maintenance. I do know, based on my opinion,
you cannot repair a problem out of a can. So, something's broken. There's not a secret potion
that's going to fix it. You know, there's as maintenance goes for cleaning and some of those
things. I think they do a fine job, but I don't think you're going to repair a problem with one
of those products. So, if the product itself is designed for that procedure, it describes it on
the can, follow it as described, and you should be fine. Alrighty. Lots of good calls and questions
and texts today, and we thank you so much, Nick, from Lloyd's Automotive in St. Paul. Next week,
we'll be back with your texts and your calls and write the number down so you don't have to wait
till the end of the show and then maybe not get your question answered. The number is 6514619226.
We'll be back with Nick Stoffel next Saturday at this time. Ted Ferrell's weekly wine chat coming up.
About this episode
A listener asks about oil seeping from a 2013 Volkswagen Passat valve cover—should they replace just the gasket or the whole cover? The hosts explain how to tell minor seepage from an active leak, and why sticking to the maintenance schedule matters. They also recommend routine checks twice a year and discuss why paying for undercarriage spray at the car wash can help prevent winter salt corrosion. Along the way, they touch on scan-tool codes vs mechanical noises and how to track intermittent symptoms.
Laura chats with Nick Stoffel of Lloyds Automotive about how to save money on car maintenance. Plus mileage recommendations, “funny noise” diagnosis, and rust prevention. If you have a car question or need your vehicle looked at visit Nick and his team at lloydsautomotive.net or give them a call 651-228-1316!
