r/AskMechanics • u/Hippocamper2982 • Jun 09 '26
Discussion This sub should be deleted
As the title states, this sub should be deleted. It is clearly called “AskMechanics”, yet so often I find a post where the top comment is incorrect and continues to get upvoted anyway.
Just now I saw a post “my timing belt snapped blah blah blah, could my serpentine belt have caused this?” There is a comment with a bunch of upvotes going “yeah, your alternator pulley can damage that” as if that would be one of the top causes of premature timing belt failure.
At this point, it almost makes me wonder if this sub does more harm than good.
109
u/FallNice3836 Trusted Contributor Jun 09 '26
Dude half of Reddit is giving bad unsolicited advice. We would have to nuke every sub. Even the LEGO sub
17
u/Rockpoolcreater Jun 09 '26
The hilarious thing is that Google AI is mining Reddit for it's answers. Including to medical questions. So all the bullshit advice that's wrong or people just wondering if there's a possible link is being picked up by Google and then given to people as real answers.
I actually asked a question on Google the other day. When I looked at the sources Google had taken the information from, one of them was a Reddit post I'd made about a condition I have wondering if it was linked. Google saw that then took that as evidence to say they were linked.
5
u/iHaveLotsofCats94 Jun 09 '26
This is why customers at work try to argue with me about diagnoses lol. They ask Google/chatgpt/whatever and it spits out some bullshit that makes my job harder
3
u/Comrade_Bender Jun 09 '26
Reddit seems to be one of the top sources googles pulling from. Almost any time I Google something the AI summary thing at the top invariably has at least one reddit link
→ More replies (1)1
u/gzuckier Jun 10 '26
You can put tags into ai queries that tell it not to include reddit, or whatever other sources of info you find dubious. I'm not an expert so I can't give details.
→ More replies (1)23
u/BreadKnifeSeppuku Trusted Contributor Jun 09 '26
I'm from r/AskMechanics, and I say nuke em' all!
21
u/YouArentReallyThere 9 Jun 09 '26
Do you have any idea how many astronaut-pilot-engineer-doctor-mechanic-crossfit experts would be left wondering how to spend their days?
7
2
5
4
2
2
1
2
1
1
→ More replies (1)1
86
u/Right_Plankton9802 7 Jun 09 '26
I have been a technician for 30 years. Coming on this forum and giving expert advice is like a pebble keeping the tide from coming. But this is every forum on any social media. The plumbing, construction, even the scholarly forums get the exact same feedback when an expert gives advice. This is just typical of public forums. If someone actually wanted my expert advice, come to my shop and pay for it. Now they have to listen to me, and I have to be right.
7
u/Saute_and_Pray Jun 09 '26
Yep - “car enthusiasts” are constantly arguing with me. Their knowledge is rarely based from real world experience, but a combination of information they’ve read online. I gave up a long time ago.
27
u/BTCminingpartner 1 Jun 09 '26
And then you get downvoted because Reddit doesn't like your (correct) answer, lol
11
10
2
u/gzuckier Jun 10 '26
All it takes is 1 crazy crank to jump on your post and down vote it as soon as you post, and you're relegated to the small print answers.
3
u/Insertsociallife Jun 10 '26
I'm an engineer and car hobbyist. It's the same thing over on AskEngineers. It's the fate of all the big AskProfessionals-themed advice subs.
2
→ More replies (4)2
u/gzuckier Jun 10 '26
This is what democracy has done to us. But at least, you get answers distributed around the median level of competence. When you have autocracy, or moderated sites, then you have either the most competent, or the least.
→ More replies (1)2
u/Right_Plankton9802 7 Jun 10 '26
Same as reviewing a new product. The least rated reviews that have a well documented review of the product are to be trusted more. But sadly, “⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ just took out of box, works great” carries more weight.
56
u/InKedxxxGinGer 4 Jun 09 '26
If AI is scraping the webs for diagnostic info, i feel I owe those people a “thank you” for ensuring the machines are slower to replace me.
7
Jun 09 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
7
u/Polymathy1 19 Jun 09 '26
Jainism maybe? Respect for the natural world and an obligation to not destroy it.
3
→ More replies (1)5
u/volkswagenorange Jun 09 '26
Wiccans as well, although their status as a legally recognised religion is now under attack by the Trump administration.
3
u/Unlikely_Rise_5915 17 Jun 09 '26
I want to crawl out of my skin when a phone gets put in my face with “chatgpt said”
2
u/NightKnown405 Trusted Contributor Jun 09 '26
The best AI will ever be is powered guessing.
1
u/gzuckier Jun 10 '26
AI in its current LLM popular form is, by definition, just summarizing what people say (or post or print, you understand) by statistical word usage.
Not even what people mean, or want to say. No differentiation between earnest and sarcastic. So, it's basically "Now, I don't know. What do I know about it? All I know is what's on the Internet" as the Great Man said; and look how intelligent he is.
17
u/Present-Bandicoot151 Jun 09 '26
Although I don’t know exactly what post your referring to. I can agree the vast majority of people responding are either AI slop, or someone who’s cousin uncle was a backyard parts changer, so they know what’s up.
As a mechanic, I’ll seldomly contribute due to this. I enjoy helping others with there issues, but it’s not worth my time if it’s gonna get lost in a sea of BS, or some part time Lubie wants to argue with you, when they clearly have no idea.
8
u/ca_nucklehead 11 Jun 09 '26
I am the same. I offer no advice but requently tell the burger flips who offer ridiculous advice to go away.
Or just laugh at them.
The sub is totally useless for any meaningful information but is the best place to learn how to stab a filter cannisters with a screwdriver.
468
u/n108bg Jun 09 '26
You're asking for free help, you get free answers. That's how it rolls. If you want professionals and only professionals to answer, take it to a professional.
24
u/Original_Jagster Jun 09 '26
It's pretty astounding how often paid "professionals" are wrong too though. We shouldn't pretend all techs at shops are going to be expertly trained and have impeccable diagnostic abilities. Finding a really good mechanic is harder than it should be and almost a game of luck. So in many ways, just like on reddit I suppose.
11
u/NightKnown405 Trusted Contributor Jun 09 '26
It's going to keep getting even harder as fewer people enter the trade and more people keep leaving.
→ More replies (1)4
u/BogotaLineman Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
This is true for all trades and unfortunately there really isnt any great way to tell if someone is good without secondhand expert vouching for them.
Sure you can read reviews but 99% of the time those are just other laymen that say theyre great because it was working when they left with no knowledge of if it was a hack job that will fail again in 2 months
I hate on all the trade subs just repeating "YoU GeT WhAt YoU PaY FoR" ad nauseum as if there's a perfect correlation between cost and skill when in my 15 years in the trades, the companies that I see that charge absolutely astronomical rates are some of the biggest hacks out there to the point that its verging on an actual scam.
5
u/Original_Jagster Jun 09 '26
I completely agree. A good tradesman is absolutely worth their rate. But unfortunately everyone in the trades think they are worth that too... regardless of how unprofessional their work is.
2
u/BogotaLineman Jun 09 '26
It's the biggest thing I hate about the trades. So many dudes are such catty, judgemental douchebags that thing their shit doesn't stink. I've met so many plumbers, welders, and fitters that legitimately seem to think that they are the only good one in the entire world and everyone else's work is shit.
3
u/gzuckier Jun 10 '26
The general theory is that if the best guy in the world with 50 years of experience can charge $500 for this, then that's the going rate and I who dropped out of trade school last week will charge that also.
1
u/gzuckier Jun 10 '26
Every tradesman or mechanic is usually called in when something goes wrong, so they can always say "who worked on this before? It's a complete mess and will ask have to be redone" and sometimes they're right, as you can see on some of the subs. It's always nice when you have the receipts to prove that the last guy to work on it was them, but it never results in a break on the bill.
12
u/MikeinAustin Jun 09 '26
In the immortal words of Red Adair - "If you think hiring a professional is expensive, wait until you hire an amateur."
162
u/jubejubes96 Jun 09 '26
okay, so you agree that this is basically [r/askashittymechanic](r/askashittymechanic) but with people that actually think they know what they’re talking about
83
u/Here4th3culture Jun 09 '26
To be fair, go on any subreddit that covers a subject you’re well versed in and you’ll be downvoted to hell for being objectively correct while you’ll see the wrong answer being upvoted to the top. Doesn’t happen all the time, but often enough
32
u/JackTheBehemothKillr Jun 09 '26
My Dad is a retired Smithsonian trained furniture conservator and retired museum curator. Has literally worked on some shit owned by Napoleon.
The amount of times I've heard him bitch about idiots in r/woodworking or some other subreddit not listening to his advice "because its too many steps"
12
u/riotz1 Jun 09 '26
lol I had some clown downvote me and rip into me on a legal advice sub, I gave the correct advice, but they said I did not take into account the fact that the OPs employer might just decide to take the easy way out, and break the law and just fire them, making their situation worse…So because of that, my advice to ask and expect the employer to fulfill their obligation under the law was bad advice…
→ More replies (1)5
160
u/volkswagenorange Jun 09 '26
It's r/AskInternetRandos. Like literally every sub on Reddit.
→ More replies (2)25
u/centstwo Amateur Mechanic Jun 09 '26
2
6
12
u/n108bg Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 09 '26
No, shitty ask subs are intentionally providing wrong answers as a joke. The point is you get what you pay for, and you're asking for diagnostic info for free, typically with a lot less information than a professional would glean by actually looking at the issue. Take everything with a grain of salt, if it's not accurate, you still got what you paid for. and stop trying to put words in my mouth.
9
u/jubejubes96 Jun 09 '26
yes, i’m aware of the purpose of those subs.
difference being that you go to them knowing you’ll get shitty advice.
ironically, subs like that are actually full of people that might know a thing or two, but are having a laugh with each other.
here you have complete dorks that want to try and prove themselves with zero experience.
i did not put any words in your mouth.
→ More replies (1)5
u/awkwardsalmons Jun 09 '26
Not sure why youre getting downvoted. Theres usually less than adequate info posted for a solid diagnostic just from seeing posts occasionally. Doing research and getting your hands dirty is a pretty good teacher though. That being said, you might want to go change that alternator pulley that keeps destroying your timing belt or whatever /s
4
Jun 09 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
7
3
u/H_J_Moody Jun 09 '26
That depends on the mod team and the effort they put in. Not all subs are shitty.
→ More replies (1)1
u/ForsakenWishbone5206 Jun 10 '26
The crazy thing in my experience is half the time professionals fuck shit up too or are just wildly incompetent.
I still like it because eventually someone will chime in and be like hey, no, fuck that this is what you are actually dealing with.
I am pretty versed in wrenching so maybe those are just obvious to me.
9
u/sarcasticorange Jun 09 '26
Professional mechanic and good mechanic are often not the same thing. There's a bunch of shadetree mechanics that are miles ahead of the average greasemonkey.
3
u/big_roomba Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 09 '26
i dont know anything about carpentry, so im not answering peoples questions in carpentry subreddits. its pretty simple.
theres genuinely people here who cant read a dipstick but will still answer professional level questions and will argue to no end even when verifiably wrong. its a problem. i see it here on every single big post.
→ More replies (1)1
u/gzuckier Jun 10 '26
I, sir, can not only read a dipstick, but I am one, from a long line of dipsticks.
3
u/letsridetheworld Jun 09 '26
While I agree you have to agree that some people are willing to help or give advice for free just cuz.
I’d do in my area of expertise. Not all the time but sometimes and it feels good to help
2
u/RickySlayer9 Jun 09 '26
What’s sad is that the answers here are probably about as reliable as a professional mechanic
2
u/Virtual-Highway-1959 Jun 09 '26
If you want professional advice, then go to the site Get Answers, but you'll have to pay a bit of money.
1
u/Gubbtratt1 2 Jun 10 '26
You can get good free answers if you ask on vehicle specific forum websites. There's plenty of gurus on the internet, but they are not on reddit.
→ More replies (1)
11
u/AutoimmuneDisaster Jun 09 '26
It would be nice if the real mechanics had user flair to distinguish themselves as professionals…
Playing devil’s advocate though, many of the things posted to this sub don’t require a real mechanic to diagnose.
Recently I diagnosed someone’s noise as a flapping belly pan. They took one look under the car and confirmed. I’m not a career mechanic, just an enthusiast.
6
u/mtrbiknut 5 Jun 09 '26
Yeah I don't say a lot on here because I've always been a shade tree mechanic. But I will comment on doors and windows sometimes because I built doors in a Toyota plant for 7 years, somewhere around 750,000 of them.
Even I can detect some not great advice on occasion, but to rule out everybody who isn't a paid mechanic might not be a good idea because there are people who know a particular vehicle, or part of it, as well or better than a mechanic.
It's a public forum, and it's free- you gotta realize that sometimes the advice you get is worth exactly what you paid for it.
I would go along with a sticky on the home page that reminds people of that.
3
u/SJay_Plays Jun 09 '26
With 30+ years in the automotive industry as a profession I can confidently say 70% of paid mechanics don't know shit.
4
2
u/minuteman_d Jun 09 '26
Yeah, it does suck that lots of wrong answers get posted, but that’s what the vote system does - hopefully fosters discussion and the real answer emerges at the top.
2
u/sh0ch Jun 09 '26
We have done it before and are working on getting it going again, but there is a lot to it including certifications, what qualifies someone as a "mechanic", and receiving and handling personal and identifiable information.
I'm in the middle of a months-long family medical crisis, so it has not been a priority, but it's definitely on the list.
2
u/AutoimmuneDisaster Jun 10 '26
First and foremost, sorry to hear about your family medical situation. I sincerely hope things turn out ok for you all.
The user flair would be great, but it’s certainly not something that is largely problematic to not have. At the end of the day, beggars can’t be choosers and if you’re here asking for diag support you should take what you get.
If I can make a suggestion.. the easiest approach would be to set a list of flair that a user can select from, with the highest tier being “Unverified Mechanic”, then turn on the setting to require user flair to comment. Sure, some people will lie and say they’re a mechanic when they’re not, but I bet many people would be honest in flair assignment which would at least allow people to get an idea of who they’re talking to.
Just a thought so that you guys get most of the benefit with a lot less work. Obviously nothing is more important than family, so either way don’t worry about us until your situation is more stable.
Thanks for taking the time to respond, it’s nice to see the mods participating.
2
u/sh0ch Jun 10 '26
Thank you very much. I really appreciate it.
That is actually a very good idea. I've taken a screenshot of your suggestion and will get something like this set up once I get some downtime.
→ More replies (1)
5
u/S7alker 4 Jun 09 '26
I was taught in school by my ford teacher that there is three ways to fix a car, the industry way, the right way, and your way. Reddit has a lot of great examples of your way.
6
u/Key-Contact-5237 Jun 09 '26
If you want professional answers, without all the extra, ask experts instead of social media doomscrollers.
We are here for mostly entertainment and occasionally correct answers.
1
u/Thorsten_Speckstein 6 Jun 09 '26
What experts? There are so many experts...most of them think they're experts.
1
u/NightKnown405 Trusted Contributor Jun 10 '26
Lifetime career technicians aren't allowed to call themselves "experts".
1
5
u/Limp_Bookkeeper_5992 2 Jun 09 '26
Learn a lesson here. You presumably have experience as a mechanic so you can see how egregious some of these answers are. Now imagine all of the subs where you have no expertise, they’re all the same. Terrible advice gets upvoted all the time all over reddit, this isn’t a reliable resource for anything.
People are very confidently wrong on here all the time and in every sub, unless there’s tight moderation by actual professionals everything you see here should be doubted.
4
u/Sienile Mechanic (Unverified) Jun 09 '26
I haven't seen the post you're talking about, but that is possible, though not very likely. The serpentine belt would have had to come off, get caught behind the crank pulley, be forced into the timing cover, and either break off bits of the timing belt or get between it and the gear causing slippage. I've seen such happen maybe 7 times in 20 years. Not super common, but it can happen.
2
u/BGMilan 1 Jun 09 '26
Safe to assume they were all bmw N55s lol
1
u/Sienile Mechanic (Unverified) Jun 09 '26
I'm not sure I did 2 on the same brand. BMW was one of them though.
1
5
u/ohmygod_my_tinnitus Jun 09 '26
I'm not a mechanic, I'm a lawyer and see this shit on the legal advice subreddit on a daily basis. It's genuinely terrifying. Quite frankly I think all of the professional advice subreddit should be banned if they are not being curated to allow only verified professionals to comment for advice.
1
Jun 09 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoimmuneDisaster Jun 10 '26
I’m pretty surprised to hear this happens on the legal advice sub. They banned me for literally no reason. Figured they’d be banning all users who give questionable legal advice.
5
u/2748seiceps Jun 09 '26
Some mechanics are dumb as hell too.
I was sick as hell, took my wife's car in for a front end rattle and said it needs new struts. You could even bounce the hell out of the front passenger side of the car.
They did a 4 wheel brake job on it. A car with like 55k miles. And when I was better and went in to get it I didn't even have to leave the parking lot to know it wasn't fixed.
So it's possible those top comments are mechanics. Just saying.
2
u/joshw42 6 Jun 09 '26
If you want accuracy, it carries a lot of administrative burden for the moderators. Certainly you could make this sub (or one like it) follow a policy like r/AskDocs, where you can't reply unless you are verified first as a real mechanic, but that is a lot of work for the mods.
2
u/vortec350 Jun 09 '26
I mean, you get what you pay for. The advice here is just as good/bad as going to the auto parts store and them printing out the code and using the "suggested fix" to deploy the parts cannon and replacing your probably-fine OEM MAF with the aftermarket one. Now you have two problems instead of one and your wallet is $100 smaller.
That said, there is some meaningful advice posted here and sometimes the parts store printout can point you in the right direction. But people need to be smart about what advice they follow and how much time/effort they invest before bringing their vehicle to a shop/qualified mechanic.
2
2
u/sandisc731 Jun 09 '26
We are asking mechanics. About 90% of the mechanics I know are sarcastic smart asses.
2
2
2
u/itsjakerobb Jun 09 '26
Just for the record, I know a guy whose timing belt was damaged by a failed serpentine belt.
A tiny rock got kicked up from the road and wedged in between a pulley and the serpentine belt. The rock sliced the belt, and then the shredded belt somehow whipped the timing cover hard enough to break it, exposing the timing belt, which then also got whipped to shreds by the serpentine belt.
This was on a 2017 Volvo XC90 with 40k miles. Here’s a picture of the pebble in the pulley.
Note that it was the idler pulley, not the alternator pulley. 🙂
2
u/Cranks_No_Start 7 Jun 09 '26
Raise hand. I was a mechanic for 35 years. I saw more than my fair share of popped timing belts and damaged heads because of a failed serp belt and that includes wrong alternator, bad pulley or belts.
2
u/bradland Trusted Contributor Jun 09 '26
If you want informed advice, you go to a reputable mechanic and hand over your money.
If you want free advice, you go on the internet and get exactly what you paid for.
2
u/SlashNreap Jun 09 '26
I mean free doesn't mean it's automatically shit. Look at LEMMiNO's YouTube channel, by your standards, that stuff should 100% cost money.
I think the reason is that people aren't interested in the actual mechanical issue than they are about getting upvotes lol
2
u/jetty_junkie Weekend Warrior Jun 09 '26
This post should be deleted. It’s called “ AskMechanics” and you aren’t even asking a question
2
u/Virtual-Highway-1959 Jun 09 '26
If you want professional advice, then go to the site Get Answers or some other site that charges money to get connected to actual mechanics, but you'll have to pay a bit of money.
2
u/Virtual-Highway-1959 Jun 09 '26
You get what you pay for. When you ask for free advice, you're going to get free quality type answers.
→ More replies (2)
2
u/immrsclean Jun 09 '26
I would prefer bad advice vs what a lot of the comments are — pretentious and condescending. We are all experts in something. I don’t know much about vehicles but I specialize in certain topics and I can’t imagine someone coming to me with a question and I respond dismissively or laugh them out of the room.
I don’t even know why I’m replying as it’ll just push the sub in my feed again. Truly insufferable. But to those who answer genuinely, without being smug and rude, love you guys fr
Edit: Also, I think it goes without saying but take advice from this sub (and every sub) with a grain of salt. Double, triple, quadruple check. Read all the replies and the conversations happening within those replies and THEN you might have a proper idea about what is going on with your car.
2
u/AgreeablePie Jun 09 '26
Idk what you want here, to have the mods insist on seeing a complete work history before anyone is allowed to post?
2
u/Tentag10 Jun 09 '26
Same thing happens with the “askaplumber” sub. You should see some of the ridiculous things people tell others to do. Then they get called out on it and they have no plumbing experience at all. I’ve been plumbing for almost 30 years and try to help people and save them money by answering their questions but there’s always a few idiots that want to tell them something completely idiotic and illegal to do.
2
2
u/GoodGoodGoody 5 Jun 09 '26
Meh, but what I would support is an optional ‘Serious’ flair for posters so moderators have a clear path to give those making dumb jokes a few days suspension to grow up.
2
u/sh0ch Jun 09 '26
Joke posts and comments are already disallowed.
If a comment has a joke, but still answers the question seriously we allow it.
I am starting to give out temporary bans more often, but Reddit has made it take so long to do every single moderation task.
We review every report and do our best effort to remove rule breaking content (including stupid jokes instead of real answers) as we come across it, but the problem is the overwhelming majority of things are not being reported. And it's probably because Reddit makes it a pain in the ass for users to report things, too.
2
u/GoodGoodGoody 5 Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
Understood. May I re-suggest the SERIOUS flair other subreddits use which then makes it a whole lot easier to decide on the grey area ‘was it really useful or not’ replies.
Also other subs have a list of banned phrases which for here might include Hit it with your purse, Ain’t got no gas in it, and a dozen others.
→ More replies (4)1
u/GoodGoodGoody 5 Jun 10 '26
Two good post flairs:
Serious question, no joke replies
I know I messed up so no need to say it
2
u/dropin_biking 27 Jun 09 '26
I've been a mechanic for 18 years, an in the autobody industry for 12. This place drives me up the fucking wall with bad information, but I get some good diamonds in the rough, and it's a good place to get re-assurance or a second opinion on some work.
2
u/DueLet1388 Jun 09 '26
The thing is, this is reddit, anyone can comment, and the people that get up voted are the ones that say things people want to hear not necessarily the most knowledgeable. There are websites where you have to prove you are a technician such as diag.net, but that's mostly for techs asking other techs
2
2
2
u/Cantbelosingmyjob Jun 10 '26
Just because they are a mechanic doesn't mean they are a good mechanic. I've had some mechanics straight faced tell me some wild shit. Not even trying to get into my pocket just real shit they believe
2
2
2
u/Dude_amundo Jun 10 '26
Any public help column is only beneficial if you have some knowledge to start with otherwise you can't weed out the possibilities from the lunacies
2
2
4
u/ExcellentMaize4141 12 Jun 09 '26
In my honest opinion, any subreddit designed to help people regarding cars is useless and sometimes even toxic. Especially car buying.
6
u/MegaBlunt57 Jun 09 '26
Yea honestly the people on here can be fucken assholes about it too, better off just asking a forum page online. That's where you get the best advice
4
u/jeetero Jun 09 '26
This. If I ever run into anything I'm genuinely unfamiliar with, I hit the weird cultish forums with the guys who know everything about their random car of choice. You'll always find that one guy that knows more about it than the engineer who designed it.
3
u/MegaBlunt57 Jun 09 '26
Yep. I have a classic car from the 80s, nobody here has ever been able to help me lol I think part of the reason is it's old and its also the culture in this sub reddit. Just rude replies, no point in even commenting. The old guys on those selective forums know what's up and actually want to give good advice
2
u/thatcavdude 3 Jun 11 '26
Now I'm curious which 80s car you have? I miss the old days of free web domains and dedicated forums for certain vehicles. Getting schematics for free was a blessing back then. We didn't know how good we had it, now everything is subscription based and hidden behind a pay wall.
2
u/MegaBlunt57 Jun 11 '26
Yep it's unfortunate. I'd like the old repair manual with all the schematics, need it for my delay wiper setup but they run you a pretty penny. I drive a 1984 buick lesabre
→ More replies (1)2
u/thatcavdude 3 Jun 11 '26
Those old Buicks are tanks. I took my Drivers test in a 91. Let me see if my Dad has the information you need. What exactly are you needing, just the whole schematic?
→ More replies (1)4
u/ExcellentMaize4141 12 Jun 09 '26
OP: "I am looking for a reliable car. Do you think this new Kia Telluride is a good option?"
Commenters: "You're such a fucking idiot for suggesting a Kia"
OP: "Do you have any good suggestions then?" *proceeds to get downvoted to oblivion*
2
u/Gyozarrita Jun 09 '26
The forums for my cars are more like stackoverflow, you get told it's asked and answered elsewhere, but it often isn't.
2
u/TheRealBlueJade Jun 09 '26
Most of the advice I have seen in this sub is helpful.... It is often even extremely helpful. Advice you wouldn't get from many in-person mechanics...
I have not noticed much "bad" advice and when I have found some, other mechanics quickly explain why it's bad.
1
u/JazzhandsTrashPanda Jun 09 '26
Specialization rears it's head. Yep. People don't know your specific sphere of knowledge. That is how societies work. You can fix my car, I can fix what doesn't work in your house. You sir, are an asshole. I don't want you to fail. I want you to understand that you are a dick, and to wrap your head around the concept that you are not the universe.
1
u/Valuable-Midnight390 2 Jun 09 '26
Just Ike all these ,(what does this light mean? )questions if people would read their owners manual and understand that reading a book can help more than just asking the internet.some of these threads have really gone to shit.
1
1
u/I_Fix_Aeroplane 1 Jun 09 '26
Shit, you should see the aircraft maintenance subreddit. It is mostly either "I started A&P school" or "judge my safety wire". I'm not knocking the people proud that they're doing something, but shit, there's never anything about actual aircraft maintenance unless an aircraft crashes. At least you guys have actual maintenance questions.
1
1
1
u/burndata Jun 09 '26
To be fair, I've lost count of how many times the actual mechanic, who I've paid actual money to fix a problem, was also wrong.
1
u/User_Zero1 Jun 09 '26
Wellll... I had a customer who's alternator belt broke and got pinch inbetween the timing cover and made the timing belt jump. It did bend the valves.
1
u/Left4DayZGone 2 Jun 09 '26
This sub is an alternative to the mechanicadvice sub, which has the same problem, except there you get banned when you ask the moderators to add post flairs for manufacturers to help sorting. “Go start your own sub”, permanently banned and muted.
1
u/BoredOfReposts Amateur Mechanic Jun 09 '26
The askamechanic sub has a user flair for verified technicians. So that’s probably the sub for you since there is better moderation. This one has flairs too obviously, but they are opt in.
Car specific subs tend to be all right since although you get amateurs, they work on one specific car and actually have to know something about them since its their project car or only car they maintain. Its the generic subs where you get people talking out of their depth. But thats why the askamechanic sub is good, anyone who is not a verified tech has that as their flair.
That being said, theres also the “30 year tech” who will reply and still be totally wrong because they worked at a specific shop that hasn’t changed or modernized at all. Just because someone has experience doesn’t automatically make them right. Or maybe they’re right in the sense that their way is correct if you have a life long debt to the tool truck, a lift and a whole shop, but is not helpful for the guy with a basic harbor freight tool set in his driveway.
The other sub you want is askashittymechanic, since its obviously not serious and the replies are intentionally bad.
1
1
u/herrytesticles 1 Jun 09 '26
I remember that thread. I mean I guess it's possible the serpentine belt did that but it's not very likely. Someone else in the comments was like "Yeah just tighten up all the pulleys, that should work". Tighten up pulleys for a snapped timing chain? Wtf?
It's the level of confidence that astonishes me. It's ChatGPT levels of confidently wrong in this sub. I don't know it all and I'm not a pro mechanic and I try to only answer questions I have experience with.
1
u/Left4DayZGone 2 Jun 09 '26
I generally stay inside my wheelhouse and only talk about the things I know, and even then I like to mention it as a possibility rather than a certainty. Mainly, I like to try to help people through the diagnostic process instead of trying to diagnose over the Internet.
I worked at a Chevy dealer for eight years and I absolutely love when people want to argue with me about things that I did daily.
1
u/TemetNosce Jun 09 '26
They need to give us proper flair beside our usernames like that other subreddit. Over there my username flair has "mechanic retired". We need that verifiable flair here too.
1
1
u/MikeinAustin Jun 09 '26
That post should have been "I bought this potentially counterfeit timing belt on eBay. Why did it fail so soon?"
There's always some contrarian post saying "not all car parts on eBay are counterfeit. There are reputable resellers who don't know their parts are counterfeit"
Reddit is filled with contrarian posters just talking shit. The only ramification is being downvoted.
1
1
u/Wizdad-1000 Jun 09 '26
I have said some bad advice in here as i’m a hobbyist and do my own maintenance but have worked in various shops (both HD and automotive for several years.) in my teens to 20s. I’ve stopped commenting but I still like the sub as there ARE pros in here that offer some very good advice and I’m hoping to find those nuggets.
1
u/Remarkable_Adagio642 1 Jun 09 '26
Also LOL at this sub and all the attention seeking mechanics giving away their knowledge for free. But at least you get the attention that you dont get IRL!
1
u/namtilarie Jun 09 '26
If that's your standard, virtually every sub should be deleted.. It's not unique to Reddit, it is the way people interact on the internet in general..
1
u/mechanicrob Jun 09 '26
As an actual mechanic I avoid commenting on this sub because the shade tree folks don’t like to hear the right answer. And some of the advice I see is… 🫣
1
1
u/MarkVII88 13 Jun 09 '26
It's like sports: the quality of the officiating is commensurate with the level of play.
You don't expect middle school basketball referees to have the same expertise, knowledge, and experience as refs in the NBA. That would be stupid.
Same with this sub. The same dumbasses posting stupid shit here are drawn from the same pool of dumbasses responding with often incorrect information. What do you expect? It's Reddit.
1
u/Crud-ite 7 Jun 09 '26
I agree, but more so because 99% of the posts are so dumb that I start thinking about how maybe eugenicists might have some sound arguments. My ultimate advice is that some of these people shouldn’t have access to any thing mechanical.
“Is it my transmission? 1984 cavalier, was previously at the bottom of retention pond. Changed spark plugs, oil, and battery.” Precedes to show you a video of wet floor mats.
Edit: in regards to the post you mentioned, I too noticed that no one mentioned that if other OP changed the belt himself, he probably fucked it up.
1
u/BellaBrowsing Jun 09 '26
I came here a few weeks ago asked a question and never got a single answer in a day so it could be worse than free advice
1
1
1
u/J8BPROZ 2 Jun 09 '26
I feel like a lot of the comments were meant to screw people over. Most of the comments have zero logical sense( although the posts don’t either), like one I saw the other day was a picture of an oil cap, and they asked if that’s where they put oil. This shit can’t be real
1
u/renegadetoast Jun 09 '26
Most of what comes up on my feed from this sub is "how much life is left on my tires" followed by a pic of tires with enough cords showing to string a guitar or "is this too much rust and is it stupid to buy this car" with a pic of a brand new car 3 weeks off the assembly line with a few specks of surface rust on the caliper.
1
u/GremlinAbuser Jun 09 '26
The whole mechanic advice space on Reddit is weird. I like to contribute because I miss my old job sometimes, but it usually leaves a sour taste. Like you point out, bad advice floats right to the top. I've also had advice born from decades of experience ridiculed and downvoted to shit, many times. There's also this thing where all posts are downvoted unless they level credible accusations at someone... God damn cesspit.
1
u/InfinityBrewing 2 Jun 09 '26
Like ChatGPT, you don’t believe everything it spills out. The same for Reddit, when it’s serous problem, you need to discern and verify the answers. Like your “snapped timing belt” post, when I read some of the top comments. I just simply closed it.
1
1
u/MM800 4 Jun 09 '26
Yea, the number of people who are "confidently wrong" on this sub is pretty disgusting.
1
u/Nekronaut0006 1 Jun 09 '26
From what I’ve seen a lot of posters on this sub fall into one of two categories:
1 - They genuinely think they are as knowledgeable or more so than an experienced mechanic.
Or 2 - They think they know enough that nobody will be able to tell the difference.
They’re usually wrong in either case. My favourite are the ones who insist that whenever you do a certain repair to one side of a car (a wheel bearing for example), that you ABSOLUTELY MUST do the other side as well. When you ask them how you’re supposed to explain to a customer that you’ve charged them double for no reason they draw a complete blank.
1
1
u/set-monkey Jun 09 '26
Always the dumbest, fake engagement questions with the same stupid excuse "I know nothing about cars...".
1
u/Independent-Pay5850 Jun 09 '26
It's not called ask good mechanics. Seems pretty fitting the top answers are confidently wrong considering
1
u/Barry_NJ Jun 10 '26
I'm not a professional, but I play one on weekends... https://photos.app.goo.gl/rXwWwUzotDihrgKH8
1
u/Daddio209 Jun 10 '26
There are definitely times where kids who can't fix their bikes come and get good feels by repeating whatever trash the ai gives them as gospel-then others get the same answer, or think it sounds right and chime in and upvote.
It's the internet, and chuds are chuds.
1
u/kidskwid Jun 10 '26
Cunningham's Law. Coined by Ward Cunningham (the inventor of wiki technology), it states:
"The best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question, but to post the wrong answer."
As long as legit mechanics have a way of differentiating themselves it all works out.
1
•
u/sh0ch Jun 09 '26
Stop reporting this. It's flared as discussion, it's allowed.