Originally Posted by
Mark
It sounds like you have very little experience watching Scotty Kilmer, & there is nothing wrong with that.
If you watch Scotty consistently, you realize his knowledge of cars is quite amazing. Unlike the regular car critic that may focus on the worthless features found on cars, Scotty addresses the more important things about a car. I have the total opposite opinion about car critics. The worst cars I have every owned are ones that were highly recommended by car critics & Consumer Reports. I own one now. Thanks to a class-action lawsuit lost by Subaru, I have an new engine in my 2011 Forester. Will I buy another Subaru? No!
After watching Scotty work on a Mini Cooper, I would never buy one. Changing something as simple as belt is a nightmare. After watching him discuss the issues with GDI engines (while working his customer's Honda CRV), I would not buy a GDI engine. At the same time, I haven't gone out & bought an old Toyota Celica either.
His videos are a mix of everything. Some are focused on one topic. Some are him answering people questions about buying a used car. He's tries to give sound advice. His advice is based on a mechanic's perspective after working on cars for decades.
I've learned some good things from watching him. For example - Buying cheap Chinese radiators is not a problem. Electronic items or things like a MAF sensor, you should stick with OEM. Going cheap there isn't worth it. I pick up all sorts of good advice. His goal is to help people save money and not make a poor invest on a car. He's wrong about the Mirage somewhat, & I won't argue that, however. Then again, most car critics are wrong on that one.
Just the other day, someone was told by the dealer they needed a rear window motor on Honda. Scotty opened the rear door, pushed the rear window button down on the front door while he hit the rear door with his fist. The window instantly came down. He then cleaned the window seals & lubricated them with silicone. The rear window worked perfectly fine afterwards. How much money do you think he saved that customer? What do you think I am going to try if I have a stuck window on my car?
If I wanted to buy a battery booster, I know which one is the best value. He's tried them all, & he's not afraid to say what's junk or good. Some of his clips aren't even him talking. It's someone else sharing their unique vehicle & why they like it.
Do I agree with everything Scotty says? No! Has Renault made Nissan better? Has Fiat made Chrysler better? I don't think so, and he's good at pointing those things out. JATCO does make junk for Nissan. Why spend your money on stuff like that? If you really want the car regardless, he recommends leasing it. Overall, most of his advice is quite sound.
Most of all, I am impressed with his knowledge about the technology in new cars. For someone who has been a mechanic for 51 years, he has not let technology get past him. He's also not afraid to say what new technology is poor or really unproven.
I don't have much respect for most car critics. If anything, I think car critics are part of the problem we currently have. They focus so much on useless features & convince everyone how important they are. Does anyone really need a $100,000 Chevy pickup? Apparently, Chevy thinks so, because they are making one. Scotty has really ripped on that, too!
I find Scotty very refreshing in today's car world!