Revving Up Your Engines: A Guide to Car Recalls and Maintenance

When it comes to car recalls, many people wonder how long they last. According to Toby, "at least here in the US, recalls last forever as long as the company is still around." This means that if a car is recalled for something, it must be fixed forever, with no time limit on it. However, if you buy a car that's 10 years old and it has a recall for it, and you go to have the VIN number run, the previous owner may have already had the issue fixed under the recall. In this case, you don't get another one.

This raises an important point about the nature of recalls in the US. While they are intended to be permanent, many recalls are actually designed for safety reasons and are intended to keep things safe. As Cap explains, "I got a 1998 Accord that the AC doesn't work. Repair costs are more than the car is worth." In this case, it may not be worth fixing, especially if you live in an area with high humidity and can use alternative cooling methods.

For those who do want to fix their cars, conversion kits and converted cars can be a cost-effective option. However, as Logan Walker notes, "today I've actually priced it for customers and it was too high. These kits now cost just as much as repairing them with factory parts." This means that while conversion kits may have been a good option in the past, they are no longer the most affordable solution.

When it comes to diagnosing problems with your car, a compression test can be an important tool. As Logan Walker explains, "first thing you would do is have all 8 spark plugs taken out of the engine and have what's called a wet and dry compression test done." This involves taking the compression reading of all 8 cylinders dry, then adding oil to each cylinder one at a time and repeating the test. If the pressure goes up in a lot of cylinders when it's wet, it means that the piston rings are worn out and there's nothing you can do but rebuild the engine.

However, not all problems with your car require such drastic measures. As Geek explains, "if you're going to have a mechanic fix it, I'd say move on." This is especially true if the repair costs will exceed the value of the car itself. In this case, it may be better to buy a new car or consider other options.

On the other hand, if you want to tackle repairs yourself and don't mind getting your hands dirty, there are many DIY solutions available. As Hermit explains, "if you're going in the wrong direction, affordable and SUVs at least the good ones they don't belong in the same sentence." This means that while SUVs may be popular, they are also often expensive.

For those who do want to buy an SUV, there are a few options available. As Hermit notes, "if you got a limited amount and you want something that might last a few years, you could always try something like a Ford Explorer." This may not be the same as buying a brand-new SUV, but it can still be a good option for those on a budget.

Ultimately, when it comes to car maintenance and repairs, there are many different paths to take. Whether you choose to have a mechanic fix your car or tackle repairs yourself, there are many options available. By doing some research and staying informed, you can make the best decisions for your vehicle and your wallet.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enrev up your engines,toby says do recalls last a long time, wellat least here in the us recalls last foreveras long as the company is still around, ifa car is recalled for something then it hasto be fixed forever there's no time limiton it, but it's only recalled once, you buya car that's 10 years old and you see it'sgot a recall for it and you got to replacethe engine, well if you go in and they givethe vin number and they run it and say ohthe previous owner had the engine replacedunder this recall you don't get another one,but there's no time limit on them in the usif it's recalled it's recalled forever, cuza lot of it is for safety reasons and thewant to keep thing safe the don't want toun recall thing that are for safety reasons,cap says I got a 1998 accord the ac doesn'twork the repair costs are more than the caris worth, I live in Georgia and it's goingto be hot soon what should I do, move to Alaska,I don't know how humid it is where you are,guys actually can use swamp coolers that youcan stick in the window that use the evaporationof fibers and that will cool you off, butif you live in a humid area they don't workat all you know, you roll your windows downand wear shorts all the time, if it's morethan the car is worth it's really not worthfixing, now when I was young conversion kitsand converted an entire car that didn't haveac to have ac for a little bit of money, buttoday I've actually priced it for customersand it was too high, these kits now cost justas much as repairing them with the factoryparts so your not going to save any moneydoing that either,logan walker says scotty what could be thecause of a rough idle in an 03 silverado,it's 225,000 miles and runs good when it'sdriving, that many miles the engine is somewhatworn, first thing you would do is have all8 spark plugs taken out of the engine, andhave what's called a wet and dry compressiontest done, you take the compression of all8 cylinders dry, then you put like 1/2 tbspof oil one at a time in each cylinder andthen do the wet compression readings, if youfind that the pressure goes up in a lot ofthem when it's wet it means the piston ringsare worn out and there's nothing you can dobut rebuild the engine, those though thatare close and the engine still shows goodcompression, it can be that you have a vacuumleak it's sucking air you can check for vacuumleaks, it could be that as old as that thingis the fuel injectors are probably dirty,you could have the fuel injectors pressuredcleaned, I have a video on that how to cleanfuel injectors without removal from the engine,there's a lot of things you can check, butstart with the compression test cuz it couldjust be the engine is flat worn out, and they'llidle poor but they can run good once theyget going, always check something like thatfirst cuz you don't want to be running allover only to find out the engine is worn,geek says scotty I got a 2000 honda accordis has loose transmission mounts, bad ac controlunit and leaks water in the drivers floor,is it time to move on, it runs great, wellyou know it depends on the mileage and whatit looks like, your going to put some moneyon that stuff if you're going to have a mechanicfix it, so if you're going to have a mechanicfix it my advice is I'd say move on, if you'regoing to fix it yourself though and you wantto try and fix it a little here and thereand you don't mind rigging things like yousay it has a bad ac control unit, well ifyou can put a toggle switch on the dash, andrun a wire from the battery to the toggleswitch and the toggle switch to the ac compressorand then it blows cold you can do that yourself,I got videos showing people how to do it soyou know if you're going to fix a little bityourself maybe try that,fernandez says should I buy a 2010 toyotafj cruiser, well if you like it go right ahead,their well built vehicles and they don't makethem anymore, I think it was more of a marketingthing for toyota, cuz I mean their kind ofgas hogs, they use a lot of fuel up, but theydo run and don't have any real problems, andif you like that type of vehicle and yourhappy with the gas mileage that it gets andhow it rides go right ahead, you know I gotcustomers with them that love them their nutsabout them and they'll probably never getrid of them, but they stopped making them,it was a marketing thing on toyotas behalfreally,hermit says scotty I want to buy my firstused suv what would be your choice affordableplease, ok your going in the wrong direction,affordable and suvs at least the good onesthey don't belong in the same sentence, theirso popular everybody wants them, so the salesprice of them is high and higher and higherand higher, your always going to pay a lotof money for them, now I mean the best onesout there are the toyotas and lexus but you'renever going to get one cheap that's less than250-350,000 miles on it cuz everybody knowstheir good vehicles, if you got a limitedamount and you want something that might lasta few years you could always try somethinglike a ford explorer, you know I got customersthat bought used ones that had reasonablemileage for $3-4,000 and they had them fora few years and they were ok, you know you'renever going to find a toyota in that pricerange unless it's got tons of miles cuz everybodyknows their good cars, and their going topay a lot of money for them, if you reallyhave to have an suv that's what your stuckin, I mean if you want a good used car youcan find corollas and camrys all over theplace but the suvs the prices are always high,so if you never want to miss another one ofmy new car repair videos, remember to ringthat bell!\n"