My Cheap Chevy SSR was Hiding a Deadly Issue - Bad Mechanics to Blame!! 

Bet there is air is the steering system. They can be a bear to get bled sometimes. After a while it should get better with driving

I would put an heat shield on the cat near to the ABS module, the OG cats probably had it 😊

A Magnaflow muffler would be a great choice for a better exhaust sound.

Also if you decide to keep that car, you can easily put a heat shield between the ABS pump and the converter. Yes those are jack points. 14:33

We bought our Corolla from a guy who'd 'rebuilt' the suspension had to buy a part at O'Reilly's to get the castle nut that was 'missing' after the test drive. It was clunking after a few months and we took it to our mechanic (who does sell cars occasionally). Our mechanic who is Hispanic came out to my wife white as a sheet, asked her sheepishly "We didn't sell you this car, did we?" She answered "No." He breathed a sigh of relief, told her ALL of the bolts were loose. Charged her $80 for the labor to make it roadworthy again.

Geesh, after watching this, makes me want to check the bolts underneath my car!

I don't know how I lived without Sirius and Amazon Prime video. I'm now knee deep in the entire run of The Waltons, a show I loved growing up in the 70s Yes, I'm the sane age as Mike.

the cats probably got stolen.

The boot for the steering shaft to the rack was installed upside down. Crap will get on that upper rack shaft and cause a leak!

Be sure to check the lugnuts they could be finger tight also!! You mentioned changing the tires soon so you’ll catch at that time if an issue.

I swear by Continental tires. Some of the best all around tires at a fair price. Run the extreme contact dws 06 on my sedan and the control contact sport srs+ on my wagons. You'll like the ride and longevity of the tires.

How odd so many were loose. Maybe two mechanics were working on it and they thought the other had finished tightening it. Good job catching it. Looking forward to the exhaust upgrade video if you go that route.

Shocking on the missing bolts, I am at the 10 min mark, noticed those missing bolts and jumped down to the comments...so I know you found them and more. Thank God you were not hurt driving it. Keep up the great work...Wayne, PA

That's insane! I noticed that missing bolt as soon as you showed it because they even marked the hole, so how could they miss it? Whoever did that rack and pinion shouldn't be allowed to work on anyone else's vehicle. That is seriously dangerous!

You are a hero ,catching those loose bolts and saving someone from serious accident/injury

I have a 2004 SSR, looks exactly like yours. Usually the tires get old before they wear out. I had to get new tires in 2022, $1,800 Pirelli's, Gulp. The frame is a factory shortened Trailblazer EXT frame (-13"). The battery is not that hard to change. 13:00 that is for an Oris hitch, that style is common in Europe. You need a ABS heat shield. Simple Engineering sells aftermarket parts. Never open or close the hood touching the silver strip on the hood, it's plastic and it will break.

Thank you for sharing that great chevy truck. It was one of my favorite when they came out. Great content. Keep up the entertaining content.

thanks Pal, I'm glad you fixed that light bulb. you are a true professional.

Vary awesome indeed. Nice job on getting stuff fix on your Chevy SSR. Keep up the great work.

So many bad mechanics man. Same thing happened to my pride and joy recently, I have a Golf Mk3 and I took it to the mechanic recently to have it checked out cause it was rattling and stuff and he first took it for an absolute joyride with me in the passenger seat and called me 1hr later to tell me he noted everything down whats wrong and that he isn't gonna be able to work on the car for up to a months time... Then I told him about the fluids I wanted to put in the car and he kept saying I dont need to and that its the same thing, said climate was also not working properly cause its an old car and so on. Thank GOD I found some good guys after him and some days who complimented the car for what it is and gave me props for keeping it mint and are willing to work on it properly with me ordering all the parts and them just fitting them on including fluids. Always remember not to trust ANY mechanic more than yourself in terms of fixing things if you can or changing out simple things.

You are always good at checking things underneath the vehicle to make sure all is good and tight. I bet she will drive just fine now 🙂👍

been loving the content, keep it on man

I saw yellow SS on the road today I thought no I didn't know Randy was in town

Daaaang, all those bolts loose! That's crazy! 😱 Great video Randy!

That SSR is in great shape. What a great deal. Heat shield needed between the ABS Pump for sure. Sweet ride Randy!!

Randy I always watch the channel and I really enjoyed it and the variety is off the wall. You work hard ... it shows

Man so clean underneath Randy! Hopefully the power steering is a easy fix! Good thing you checked the bolts so surprised how many you found 😮

Great work. The final light was the finishing touch.

Great video love the new ride always thought those were cool in there own way!

Those two cat's are CARB compliant, the D798-7 refers to the CARB executive order, at the auto parts stores, they sell for $870 a piece. The 912006 is the part number from AP Exhaust, you can get them for about $350-400 a piece online. AP Exhaust is one of our vendors. (I work at O'Reilly) We either sell Magnaflow, or we have access to AP Exhaust (The manufacturer of those converters!) @Auto Auction Rebuilds. However, the 912006 is applicable ONLY for the 2003 model year of the SSR!

Randy.. now this is the video we truly appreciate of your channel.... Lon from Ohio 😸....

Your a great fixer upper si I’m sure you’ll be able to fix it! Keep it up as always man!

You did good buying that car. U5s sharp. Thanks from Eastern Kentucky.

I would blame the loose bolts and missing bolt on the dealers service department. Line Mechanics are under duress daily to knock out replacing parts. The Service Managers are xxxholes. I had my 2004 F150's power steering pump replaced at the dealer. Sure enough the two bolts that hold it on were both loose!!!!!!!! Your logic doesn't make sense as far as not blaming the dealer, just my opinion. The time you took to inspect, tighten and torque all those bolts is worth something, right? I would get a replacement bolt from the dealership -- not a hardware store. It's a nice Car/Truck/Convertible. Good on you that you fixed stuff.

Always got to stick around for the last second of the video, watch time counts. I’m sure there are many reasons why you stay wholesale, probably more than I can understand considering I’m not in the US, but I’ve got to sit here and wonder how much more you’d make being retail?! 😅 Love the content mate

I had purchaed a tahoe which was a cpo vehice , they outsourced the work to pep boys in which they made a huge mistake , they put mismatched tires on the truck and it set off the stability contol , the dealership could not figure it out even after being there a week , i took it to my local chevy dealership ,it took them a day , it all depends on how good the mechanic is , Looks like a keeper , ya right , look who I'm texting this to , lol , would have loved a late night ride along , great content as usual , will looking for the next one , peace

Hey Randy, Love it! Love it! Love it! Kudos! Been waiting for this one! Another good example of why you were the number one automotive channel on RU-vid! Variety! Honest, sincere, enthusiasm, and passion and appreciation! Not to mention the personal transparency! You’re the best buddy! Never miss an episode

Maybe they didn't "finish" the tightening after they did a test start and heard the noise. And those cats were probably stolen.

Good thing you caught those loose on missing bolts. That really is bad mechanic work there.😮 I wonder if while yo have the front wheels off the ground with the bridge jack and the engine off and turn the steering wheel lock to lock a bunch of times to maybe get some of the air out of the system. Could be too late for that. IDK. I agree with you. Those crappy front tires are most likely the cause of that steering wheel feedback you are getting. Like others have said, you might want to put some kind of heat shield/blanket around that ABS module. All in all that truck/car is pretty damn clean. I like it! It must be fun to drive! Great video as always Randy. Stay safe and safe travels.😢

The more I see this car the more and more I totally love it the colour styling everything

ABS pump definitely missing a heat shield! good find Randy

Wow Randy, glad you found all the probs before something serious happened, I know you said you’re not mad but wot if you took your stepson out for a spin and the Front end fell apart at 60-70mph??? Doesn’t bare thinking about. Watching you from the UK 🇬🇧 👍

Hello Neighbor! I’m not surprised whoever replaced the steering rack didn’t get the bolts tight. I’ve had quite a few bad experiences from dealers in the Tulsa area especially with my old BMW and Jeep. I would get them back with curb rash on the wheels and rocks lodged into the fender wells lol!

I noticed the outer tie rod ends don't seem to be centered, maybe it doesn't matter but it seems like it might put a strain on them .What I mean is the stud should be in the center not off to the side.

Yes, that thing you just took the plug out of is the tow hitch GM made a specific adapter to give you a ball in the back going rate is $350

Ok Randy you know I had to laugh when you said you was keeping this SSR. We both knew better. 😂😂 good video and nice score on this car/truck.

The satellite radio might not be hooked up the radio itself is compatible for sirius xm but the xm radio stuff might not be connected 😅

Go to video I think that plug is more like for the spare tire. I don't know, i'm not sure but that's what I would guess enjoy your videos bud keep up the good work

Don’t blame you on checking bolt torque. Subaru decided hand tight for my wrx’s passenger side rear caliper bolts was sufficient. Surprised I was able to put 100 miles on it before the caliper fell off. Glad I didn’t have to stop to avoid an accident when it did.

Did you check the rear suspension bolts off camera Randy?

Nice work randy😊😊😊😊😊

Also at 11:33 the tired end on the drivers side looks like it is jammed all the way to the outboard of the car. It looks like they just put drop springs and shocks on the car without thinking about replacing anything else.

So gald you check under for the suspension issues. It will probably save your lives 👍👍

I can't wait to get my retro SSR

That is a tow hitch. I have one on my 2004 Ssr.

looking forward to this! ❤Beautiful car!

Love this always wanted one

I agree Randy I think it was meant for you to have gotten this vehicle you looked it over and found some issues now it might just be a very good vehicle.

This is pretty damn bad if that many bolts were loose on that subframe. The whole subframe will drop down and drag on the concrete. The bolts that were tight will be broken completely off and nothing will be left to hold the new steering rack. Most likely be on the side of a ditch if not off a bridge. Terrible work from the dealer this is definitely a tech fault here.

So how many more years is Randy gonna say 'my fiancé ' ? 😉

Wow, that’s crazy man

The Hankook tires are still made. I had those on my 21 Elantra

This is certainly a win for you. Hope you enjoy it for a while and actually make some money when you send it down the road. Good luck with it!

Love watching the ssr but bad tires bad news but it will pop when your done

Love the videos

The battery is ez, the oil filter isn't. Get the abs wrap, shift linkage bolt, and the se fan. Great buy! Have fun!

Randy nice truck

What a cool ride Randy. I would not get rid of it either especially for the price that you paid for it!!

Hi Randy. Its Liam from Ireland again lol My God that was very Dangerous. Its a Good job you were not driving at any Speed. It is a good job that you Bought it. You probably just saved someone's life 😊. Anyway i really like that Car. Its so cool. Great Video Randy. I loved watching you banging stuff lol. Chat laters 😅😅 Hahaha you Cant keep every car you get 😅😅

Hey brother ! Neil from INDIANA have you ever used Priority Tire ! My Escalade Tires were 1200$ Got on Priority tire found good set 630$ Just drove Gulf shores and back on new tires Loved the ride seem to do very well Love the content ! Keep it up Brother! Truelove Bully Ranch TIC TOC !!!

Hi randy I suggested you to check the bolts and any work they do to the car just check it

That's totally irresponsible for a mechanic to leave that like that. I would go back

I give you 5 to 6 months in she's gone. Love the content

this SSR is one of my dream car as like the challenger was im looking for a thunderbird now

It definitely looks a heat shield is supposed to go over ABS module is

Nexen Roadian tyres are decent. Good value.

23:29 I don’t know Randy I can hear it in the video clunking. The other side sounded good but check the timestamp again. I can definitely hear it it’s a metallic clunking but it does sound different than previous

Randy correct me if I’m wrong but I think you were right the first time when you said the catalytic converter is the hottest part of the exhaust. Maybe I’m wrong but I think it gets hotter than the header. I mean after all that’s the way a catalytic converter works by getting extremely extremely hot. Yeah that’s not good because as you know brakes get very hot on their own just in normal operation. We certainly don’t want to add more heat to the system lol. You might want to address that somehow maybe more heat shielding?

Be sure to check for grease in your ball joints and tie rod ends.

Yeah, I’ll have to look into that what that is

Scroll through the radio and find the serious ID. Then call or go online to activate.

Just shows how useful it is to mark every bolt once it has been torqued or tightened. If companies like McClaren do this from the factory an indication that the nuts & bolts are tight it's a Fail Safe & insurance if something comes undone!

❤ very nice love it in yellow. Very good deal 👍

Reminds me of when I had my car aligned, me being very aware of certain things, I notice after a few days the left tire was leaning inward so I checked around and found the upper control arm bolts were loose as a goose. I could turn them with my finger, I was pissed. I just paid these guys for service and they put my life in danger.

that thing in the back is a removable tow hook - that system is very used in europe

Use lock tight vibration could be loosen them and for piece of mind

Quick idea - did the factory cats have a heat shield on it? Maybe they left the shield off when they put the replacements on? May be worth a look to save the ABS module.

Those were a dismal failure for GM yet I always really liked them and would love to love to own one!

For the Sirius xm to work, you need to add a subscription of their website and add the serial number on the website. Also, if you call once a year, you can get a cheaper deal.

Most times when you change the steering crack it's required you also change the steering pump

Nobody makes particularly cheap converters that are made of stainless steel. My guess is those are pretty decent. And that thing on the back looks like some odd kind of Mount to actually hang a toad device behind it because they did make trailers that match those trucks.

Didn't even know that ur yellow SSR was lowered Randy think 9:44 is good place for heat strink for abs line's especially next to catalytic converter.

I can't believe I didn't know until now that's a trailblazer chasis. the hole through the oil pan for cv axles to pass through. the front hubs have a place for a cv axle. that's a trailblazer with a different body!

Hankook still makes the venus S1 noble 2's i just put a set on my Trailblazer SS 😊

that is not safe one bit, it a good thing you got it as you fixed it right. i feel sorry for whoever paid to have that work done, they should have not paid due to how unsafe it was.

I'm a car audio guy myself if u look at my channel lol, but you honestly can't buy a much nicer 2 channel amp than that JL Audio! It's probably worth a good $300 used.

It’s like if the mechanic put the bolts in and said I’m going lunch I’ll do it after and just forgot to torque them down 😅

Detachable tow hitch. Here in the UK we have them

I think a glasspack shorty would sound sick that car is nice as hell

I am still apalled the dealer was selling a vehicle with unsafe tires! That is inexcusable!