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THP Auto Repair Shop

AuzzieMatt said:
That green key symbol is for the immobilizer system. If there's a problem with that system, it's no wonder it would have issues starting.

If a shop want's to replace the starter because of the immobilizer, run away really fast.
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^^^ THIS
 
I'm doing surprisingly good right now. My 2022 Ford Maverick is great and my wife's 2019 Cadillac XT4 is mostly good. The only problem is a check engine
light that refuses to go out. I took it to our Cadillac dealer and he ordered a part. That was about 6 weeks ago. With the auto strike, parts are not being delivered.
He said we can drive it but I'm hesitant to drive it more that just around town. The check engine fault indicated a loss of contact with a couple of items in the car.
 
KY Golfer said:
Mine is also paid off but with 112K miles. Cost to fix probably similar to yours. May just hang on to it since my youngest is about to start driving but trading it in to save anything on something new sounds good too Lol
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It might be a big chunk of change right now, but if the truck is paid for $7,000<new car payment. And 112k on a vehicle is almost nothing. I think they lowest milage vehicle we have right now is around 180k and a couple reaching 300k.

Find a shop that specializes in transmissions and get a quote. What’s the year, make, and model?
 
I have a 2015 Kia Sorento and a 2015 Kia Optima with standard halogen headlights, but have heard some folks converting to LED headlights. The stock halogen lights are dim and don't really last long. I was thinking of trying to switch to the LED kind, but I am far from an automotive guy and I have concerns about what really has to be done as I have seen some conversions that looked simple, others that were pretty involved. I want it done the right and safe way. Has anyone tried converting headlights such as this and is it relatively simple?
 
Just_Hacking said:
I have a 2015 Kia Sorento and a 2015 Kia Optima with standard halogen headlights, but have heard some folks converting to LED headlights. The stock halogen lights are dim and don't really last long. I was thinking of trying to switch to the LED kind, but I am far from an automotive guy and I have concerns about what really has to be done as I have seen some conversions that looked simple, others that were pretty involved. I want it done the right and safe way. Has anyone tried converting headlights such as this and is it relatively simple?
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Are they projector bulb housings, or typical mirrored housings?
 
Just_Hacking said:
I believe that they are projector housings on both of them.
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If they're already projectors, you could go to HIDs and be even better off. I had LEDs in my Suburban for about three weeks before going to HIDs.
 
Just_Hacking said:
I believe that they are projector housings on both of them.
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I did that with my Sportage that has the projector housings and the difference is night and day better.
 
Apparently if you leave your truck partially in gear, it won’t start. My wife is the dumbest smart person I’ve ever met.
 
I have a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee where we were just told that it needs a transfer case and control module. The dealer estimate was $5800. I have been doing some research and it looks like frequently changing the control module can fix a lot of problems. I have found some aftermarket control module for around $220 and it looks like a plug and play replacement.

The car has 170K miles on it but until this was driving well. I reached out to a couple of mechanics I have used to get estimates and haven’t heard back yet but it looks like around 2100 in parts plus labor for new parts.

Anyone have experience with an aftermarket control module? I am thinking to try that and see if it fixes issues. There is a whining in what sounds like the transmission when the car gets warm on the highway. The car seems to shift okay. Am I throwing my money away on that. I would like to try to find a way to keep the car running without spending $6K.
 
It’s that time of the year. You should inspect your battery/terminals, then have your battery tested. Most auto parts stores will do this for free. **Please don’t clean your battery with Coca-Cola! It just makes your battery sticky and is a waste of a .75¢ soda.
 
I had a good story recently with a local mechanic. We have a 2014 Grand Cherokee with 170K on it. My son is driving it. The transmission started making noise on long drives. We took it to the Jeep dealer and they said it needed a transfer case and control module for $5800. I wasn't excited about putting that kind of money in it although the rest of the car is solid. I called the local place and talked through it with them and wound up finding a used transfer case with 60K on it. They installed it and it cost me $1200 total. We have at least a thousand miles on it since then and everything seems good.
 
smellysell said:
Apparently if you leave your truck partially in gear, it won’t start. My wife is the dumbest smart person I’ve ever met.
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I think I know her sister -- My friend Bob was vacuuming the house one and said - darn thing is not picking up anything so he went to change the bag. His wife said "Wait a minute Bob the power cord is tied in a knot - "
 
I don't know who needs to hear this but....CHANGE YOUR TRANSMISSION FLUID!!!
 
Thrillbilly Jim said:
I don't know who needs to hear this but....CHANGE YOUR TRANSMISSION FLUID!!!
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What are your thoughts on having the fluid changed without dropping the pan? I believe it's called a "flush". Personally, I would never get this done. Too many horror stories of cars going in working perfectly and the trans fails quickly thereafter.
 
badolds said:
What are your thoughts on having the fluid changed without dropping the pan? I believe it's called a "flush". Personally, I would never get this done. Too many horror stories of cars going in working perfectly and the trans fails quickly thereafter.
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Transmission flushes are fine. Mostly are done when a transmission has a non-serviceable filter. I prefer a flush over a drain and fill actually. The horror stories come from people changing burnt fluid and the transmission no longer pulls afterwards. This is due to the fluid, not the way it was changed.
 
Thrillbilly Jim said:
I don't know who needs to hear this but....CHANGE YOUR TRANSMISSION FLUID!!!
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I dunno... I don't want to crack that baby open in case the magic tries to escape.
 
Greg Kulbick said:
I dunno... I don't want to crack that baby open in case the magic tries to escape.
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I don’t know about magic, but I do know what happens if you don’t.
thanks infomercial GIF
 
Held at gate for a few:

Have a 2019 Ram 1500. While on my short stint home my Serv4WD light came on. Followed shortly by traction control and various other lights.
1000005401.jpg

Threw 8 codes
1000005402.jpg
The actuator for the 4WD is right under the oil filter and can get messed up if not careful changing oil. Stupid location.

Removed the electrical connection, cleaned and no change.

After several attempts and trace on everything...it was the battery.

Now, I had it tested under load at two different locations and both said it was okay. Both charge and cranking amps.

I didn't have a lot of time so went ahead and bought a new battery.

Everything went away and no codes.

Crazy, but known issue with all the electronics on my truck. Just posting in case someone else sees this happening. Could save a lot of time trouble shooting. Especially if your battery is 3yrs or older.

Guess it's a good early warning as would hate to have the wife drive it tomorrow and battery be dead or strand her somewhere.
 
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J4U said:
Held at gate for a few:

Have a 2019 Ram 1500. While on my short stint home my Serv4WD light came on. Followed shortly by traction control and various other lights.
View attachment 9229865

Threw 8 codes
View attachment 9229864
The actuator for the 4WD is right under the oil filter and can get messed up if not careful changing oil. Stupid location.

Removed the electrical connection, cleaned and no change.

After several attempts and trace on everything...it was the battery.

Now, I had it tested under load at two different locations and both said it was okay. Both charge and cranking amps.

I didn't have a lot of time so went ahead and bought a new battery.

Everything went away and no codes.

Crazy, but known issue with all the electronics on my truck. Just posting in case someone else sees this happening. Could save a lot of time trouble shooting. Especially if your battery is 3yrs or older.

Guess it's a good early warning as would hate to have the wife drive it tomorrow and battery be dead or strand her somewhere.
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Low voltage on modern vehicles can cause some really weird stuff. And, low voltage on a modern vehicle means anything under 12.2 Volts. If it is lower than that, the first thing should be recharge/replace the battery, then retest.
 
Tires are expensive! Make sure you are rotating and inflating your tires on schedule.
 
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