Need car advice

[smokey the elder]

That's a good idea, having him do a "blind" check on the car so he doesn't get any preconceived notions. My Matrix's check engine light comes on a lot; it's very picky about what gas it likes. The cat. converter did go, but it was under warrantee. (I actually had two big warranty repairs; my tranny and the catalytic converter! Not what one would expect for a Toyota, until recently.)

[Catty1]

Some lights come on because it's the LIGHT that is malfunctioning.

I suspect the smoke and continuing smell come from the rad fluid that might have spilled or overheated.

You could check your former mechanic's listing on the BBB site and see what the reports are. Bad reports aren't necessarily "bad" - it all depends on how the garage handled them!

[MoonandBean]

The 2nd mechanic said I have a bad head gasket "not quite blown but close". They don't fix those and recommended the dealer, who quoted me $1,200.00. Fun!

[Lady's Human]

It's a subi 2.5l flat 4......you can take the darned engine out and fix it on the diningroom table!

The headgasket would, however, explain the low coolant and the CEL.

Just FYI, OBD II codes (anything 1996 or later) are universal, and you don't need a Ford code reader to read ford codes, and the codes are universal. Doesn't matter if it's the scantron at AutoZone or the $20K diagnostic computer at the local auto shop, they're all reading the same failure codes.

The difference is in how deep the diagnostics can get, whether it's just reading codes or allowing the mech to do a live monitor diagnosis.

[MoonandBean]

It was the head gasket and it is fixed and running like new. I had to wear a gas mask to drive it into the dealer to be fixed; the fumes were so bad