Ask a car guy!
Well... turns out if the headrest is lifted, it un-jams the strap/latch. 
A rich old dowager was riding in the back of her limousine when it slowed and came to a stop on the side of the highway. The chauffeur said "pardon me, ma'am, but I'll take look under the hood. This should only take a minute."
The chauffeur opens the trunk, pulls out a toolbox, walks around to the front of the car and lifts the hood.
After 15 minutes or so, the posh old lady is feeling bored and helpless so she decides to see if she can help in some way.
She gets out, walks to the front of the and watches the driver tinker for a few minutes. Wanting to be helpful, she reaches into the toolbox, grabs a tool and says, "screwdriver?"
He replies, "might as well, ma'am, 'cuz I can't get this damn car fixed."
SRS light in 2003 Acura just came on. Looks like it could be an expensive fix based on a quick internet search. Anyone know a local mechanic that may handle this repair less than the dealer?
ace789nj said:
marylago said:
ctrzaska said:
ml- There's no such thing as a muffler bearing... ace was just giving him a poke in the ribs, that's all.
Now where's that left-handed screwdriver...?
No, I didn't find that. And I totally missed the joke.
LOL, sorry @marylago. Inside joke for the car people.
And the '78 beetle wasn't equipped with a radiator, it was air cooled..so no upper hose.
When I worked on cars and whenever we'd have new, younger guys, kids looking to apprentice their way through, we'd send them out for those items. Poor guys, they'd drive all of 22 before someone at a parts store would tell them.
I'm sure @Bsnapps has similar stories.
In the days of yesterday-year, friend was very loose with money and his wife doled out finds as needed. He used to hit her up for $20.00 each winter to change the antifreeze on their beetle.
Formerlyjerseyjack said:
In the days of yesterday-year, friend was very loose with money and his wife doled out finds as needed. He used to hit her up for $20.00 each winter to change the antifreeze on their beetle.
And the '78 beetle wasn't equipped with a radiator, it was air cooled..so no upper hose.
To be fair, he may well have spent the money on some sort of anti-freeze.
I miss the live Car Talk shows. I listen to the "Best of..." on Internet radio in bed at night.
I drive a 2001 [Third Generation (NM) model] Mitsubishi Pajero. In the US this was marketed as the MY2001 Mitsubishi Montero.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_Pajero
My fuel gauge has become intermittent in its operation - sometimes it shows the tank is empty, when I've just filled it, and at other times it shows as full, when I know there are only about 10 litres (about 2.5 US Gallons) left in it.
I'm told it's more than likely that the fuel tank sender unit is playing up, and that to repair it involves removing the fuel tank. To get to that, the car's rear axle has to be removed, first. It's an expensive job, and really not worth it, because of the age of the vehicle.
I can (reluctantly) live with that. I usually guesstimate that when I get to around 480 km (about 300 miles), it's time to fill up. I'll be going on a trip through the Australian Outback in a couple of months, and am already looking for some form of flexible dipstick, so that I can more-accurately check the fuel-level each day.
That's the background. I recently had the middle row of seats up (extending the carrying area at the rear) and decided to open up a steel plate that was screwed to the floor under the seats. I found a cable wrapped with protective insulation running through the cavity.
Am I correct in assuming that it was possibly the cable from the fuel sender unit in the tank? There wasn't much wriggle-room in the space, and apart from rubber grommets where it both entered and left the cavity, there was nothing else in there. What would be the point of that space? Inspection point, perhaps? Space for an option not fitted for my vehicle?
Any thoughts?
repairing the fuel sender in previous generation Saab 9-3's involved a similar messy repair as described for the Pajero... Some owners found it much easier to cut an access port under the seat, much faster to replace the sender. (Of course, close up with metal, screws, and sealant)
I have a Toyota Sienna minivan (for Click 'n Clack fans, it's silver) with a keyless entry fob. My problem is that sometimes the fob works, and sometimes it doesn't. There's no discernible reason for this: not my distance from the van, the weather, how I'm holding it, whether I'm trying to lock or unlock, alignment of the stars, etc. I bought a new fob and successfully programmed it. Same thing happened with the new fob. If I keep clicking the open and close buttons, usually, eventually it works although I've had to walk away a few times with the doors unlocked. They always open with the key. Anyone know what's going on??
I never thought of a battery--couldn't see an opening. But now I do. Duh...Thank you!
So I changed the batteries on both fobs. They still only worked intermittently. Then I reprogrammed both fobs, getting both to cycle into programming mode but couldn't get them to recognize the ADD mode. Now one fob (can't remember if it's the old or new one) doesn't work at all. The other one will work if I stand right next to the driver side bumper. The dealer wants to charge $150 just to diagnose the problem. Do you think I should I just get my car guy to install a new alarm system, which will be about $250? BTW, the van has about 150,000 miles, so not surprising that things are dying.
I would take it to a shop to be checked, but not a dealer. There are not many parts to the system. It shouldn't be horrible to fix.
security systems typically have a back up battery in the vehicle, that while designed to last a very long time - when they stop recharging themselves correctly, various things can get wonky, including remote unlocking.
Have you googled your make and model for this problem? For my one car, there are great DIY videos online of how to replace the battery (it's soldered in, FYI)
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Thanks, Pete.
I actually found that post in my web searches, and starting poking around underneath based on that discussion.
Unfortunately for me, they are discussing the *other* strap (the one that works for me, and which I can see moving a mechanism on the bottom). I need a fix for the strap/latch that locks the back of the seat upright... not the stowing strap/latch. Unfortunately, I just don't see anything moving when I pull that latch on the seat that works... so I'm afraid that some parts of the seat may need to be opened up to get to it.
Much appreciated, though!