I'm a motors wizard

A MOTORS expert has warned drivers to check their car for a certain sticker before cashing out on buying a replacement.

The engineer who goes by the name Car Wizard on YouTube works at his shop Omega Auto Clinic in Kansas and shares his car tips and tricks.

In a recent video on his YouTube Channel Car Wizard, he explained to viewers that manufacturers and dealers have a different understanding of the term lifetime for a car than owners do.

He showed viewers another car he and his colleagues were working on in the shop saying: "So thinking of the life of a vehicle, we have now extended the life of this engine, we've extended the life of this car.

"We've added probably many more years of cruising on the road."

While working on a Ford Bronco, the car wizard noticed a sticker underneath the car that read: "Do not service."

He explained that the label did not apply to the normal process of doing a service on a car such as fluid servicing but is to do with the transmission.

"There's a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) going on with that transmission from years ago which is expired by now," the mechanic explained.

A TSB is information from the manufacturer that is passed to service centers about repairs, problems with the vehicle, etc.

The car wizard said: "Over the years I've serviced many many vehicles where there are actual stickers that say 'Don't touch the transmission fluid,' 'Don't change it,' 'Don't service it,' 'Leave it alone.'"

As a result, a number of drivers have been left confused and contacted the expert to get his advice after the sticker states that the fluid is good for the life of the vehicle without being changed.

"That definition of 'life of the vehicle' is different between the person that built the vehicle and the person who's driving the vehicle," he explained.

According to the experienced mechanic, a number of cars especially those produced from 2018 say the coolant, transmission, and differential fluid are all good for the life span of the vehicle.

BMWs with the GM 6L45 transmission have a sticker warning that it has lifetime oil, meanwhile, Toyotas, such as the 2007 Corolla, have the same sticker on the dipstick.

For Subarbus manufactured after 2012, the car wizard said: "You can actually look at the maintenance schedule, clear out to 200,000 miles, and it will never say anywhere to change the transmission fluid."

Other vehicles with similar warnings have been seen "dropping like flies," he explained and added that it was because of this lack of servicing to keep the transmission working.

The car wizard said: "Here's the thing when you or I think about the life of the vehicle, what comes to mind? 300,000 miles or possibly 400,000 miles.

"There is no transmission on Earth that will last 300,000 miles without service.

"I don't care what your manual says, I don't care what your service advisor says, they will die by 300,00 miles if you don't service them."

He then went on to explain what the dealer or manufacturer says the lifetime of a vehicle is when they claim it has lifetime fluid.

"It's not 300,000 miles. For some manufacturers, the lifetime of the vehicle is the warranty period - 60,000 miles, 40,000 miles whatever," he said.

The mechanic explained that when the car is being designed, manufacturers produce a lifespan of the vehicle which is usually between 100,000 and 150,000 miles.

"At that point, you're not supposed to fix your car to service it, to make it last longer," he said.

"You're supposed to go to the dealer, trade it in, and go buy a new car."

The car wizard continued: "It's like a company doing a big business deal but the numbers between each part [are] completely way far off.

"So, anytime you see 'lifetime transmission,' 'lifetime this', 'lifetime that,' you need to remember their definition of a lifetime is different than your definition of a lifetime."