Sorry but I'm not going to waste anymore time on that guy than it takes to post this.

 

SuperRu: Exactly. This guy has flip flopped his opinion more times on Subaru than I can count, plus he constantly gets stuff wrong (e.g. said their CVT transmissions were manufactured by Jatco, lumped the H6's in with the EJ25's head gasket issues, etc.) This guy is a crock and is only concerned about one thing- getting his viewer numbers up.

 

Like most of YouTube now, that guy’s videos are just clickbait garbage.

 

I do find him intresting to watch, he does have great knowledge. He may lack knowledge about some cars. I would not stop watching him, just because he may have some false information.

 

Scotty is a closet Subaru lover.

 

Here's a fine example of the "knowledge" this guy has- he posted a video about fixing automotive brake lines, where he specifically suggested using the compression fittings he's holding in his hand here:

Anyone see a particular problem here?

He also said to clean out catalytic converters using lacquer thinner. Here's what happened when Eric the Car Guy tried it:

Kilmer has since removed both of those videos from YT, along with the ones where he claims Subaru's CVTs are made by Jatco. Knowledgeable? Not sure that's the word I would use.

 

He also said to clean out catalytic converters using lacquer thinner. Here's what happened when Eric the Car Guy tried it:

I note that Eric is pretty careful to use a funnel when he pours the lacquer thinner into the gas tank .... everyone knows what happens to the paint on a car if any of this stuff is spilled, yes? Just waiting for someone to follow Scotty's advice, pour a quart into the tank, but spill some down the side because not all of it made it into the tank.

 

well that’s a big oops.

 

ReV uP yOuR eNgInEs!

 

For me the wind went out of his windbag when he sold his longtime residence in Texas and became some kind of nomad up North.
Just not the same w/o that garage full of junk in the background.

 

For me the wind went out of his windbag when he sold his longtime residence in Texas and became some kind of nomad up North.
Just not the same w/o that garage full of junk in the background.

I thought he moved to Clarksville Tenn, maybe he went somewhere else after that wasn't aware since I stopped watching his BS.

 

Yea, that guy also has Subaru boxer hate videos. Its just about views, nothing else. There is one video that says stay away from the Subaru boxer hype.....they are terrible.

 

Seems like the consensus here on poor Scotty is running against the opinions expressed in the OP's post, and we may need a new title to this thread .... Suggestions?

 

I don't mind watching the videos if I'm bored, but either he changes his opinions too much or he is just using click-bait tactics.

 

Bingo.

Scotty is making a genuine fortune off his videos. He knocks out at least 4 - 5 a week, and many have some really provocative titles, such as "The End of Toyota", "Don't ever buy this car" (with a picture of a Toyota or another good car), and so on. It's all about the clicks. He bashes Subaru in one video, then compliments them in another, then says you shouldn't buy a Forester, then he buys an '05 OB LL Bean. Click, click, click... ka-ching.

And he is making some major league coin. Scotty is reported to be worth well over a million dollars, and he continues to rake in the coin. Not bad for an old mechanic making car videos, hmmmm?

BTW, seb001, I agree with your list above, particularly Sarah-N-Tuned & Mr. Subaru. Just watched two videos where she replaced the interior in her reworked '15 Forester with that from a BRZ. Nice.

 

Well, generally, Scotty mentions all the weak spots when piling on Subaru - head gaskets, CVT, poor fuel economy. I am pretty sure that in one of the videos he mixed up H6 and H4. But he always thumbed up symmetrical AWD and actually recommended Outback for snowy regions on a couple of occasions ("if you need an AWD - get an Outback"). I am pretty sure he bases his opinion on models up to 2015 or so. I tend to agree with what he has to say based on my own experience. He is somewhat sloppy, I admit. He is more into show and kind of has that "old school" attitude. "I have been a mechanic for 50 years, so I know it all". So safety, say, don't apply. I recall I always cringe when he gets under a car supported just by a hydraulic jack. I recall he was using an angle grinder, he was flailing his hands so much, I fully expected his fingers to fly all over the place. The paint thinner is a known trick, it may or may not work. If you are trying to save yourself a fortune on a new cat. you might as well try. So cut him some slack. His message is that the last good car ever made was '94 Toyota Celica. I don't disagree necessarily. IMO 90s were the golden age and then CAD and market pressure resulted in planned obsolescence.
Back to Subaru - my other cars have been Hondas... Many a time I ask myself - why would I ever buy something else. But yet I did and obviously have irrational attachment to my Subie.

 

I have never been able to watch his videos. Not my thing I guess. I prefer Doug Demuro style reviews.

 

Eh- don't care for that guy either. he comes across to me as an ultra rich guy trying to pass himself off as a down to earth regular Joe, just seems a bit condescending. I'm sure that's not what he intended but that's the vibe I get. Plus I can't stand the car wizard.
My go to car content on YT is (in no particular order):

Eric O @ South Main Auto
Ivan @ Pine Hollow Diagnostics
Sarah N Tuned
And of course, Mr. Subaru

 

He claims that the H6 destroy the E5AT in stock form. Funny... I have that combo laying down 300hp and yeah 160+K and it still screams. he also moans and groans about the CVT thinking at one point it was a JATCO box until the internet slapped him silly. MrSubaru187 went to town on him several times...

 

Yep Sarah is the REAL down to earth YT car person, never takes things too seriously, talks and jokes around as if she's just chatting with a neighbor, reviews cars using scores like the Penguin score to rate the coolness of a car, etc. I think that interior was actually from a Forester STI (that we don't get here in the states) I could be wrong.

 

Dunno. A chick in short shorts working on a car seems like an obvious sexist trap for me. Just like countless videos of bikini clad glamour dolls washing "their" bikes.
Scotty and his titles.... That's his thing. I am not sure how much more views they generate. I just mostly watch his channel for entertainment and, of course, for that warm and fuzzy feeling that someone has, generally speaking, similar views as I am (not just cars, he rambles about many things). And those who say that he flip flops. I don't see it. He calla it as it is and sometime would recommend a car he previously was disparaging based on the utility. E.g. he has always said "Subaru perfected AWD, get one if you really need AWD at the best price point".

A funny story... I was looking for some advice on replacing rack and pinion on my son's Honda Civic. Well, checked Scotty's video on the subject. It was like 10 minutes. And it basically said - unbolt the fasteners and then will a lot wiggling and a lot of cursing we get the thing out.... Well, nothing I could learn from that.
Eric The Car Guy has 2 parts almost 1 hour each videos on how to do it on a Civic with every detail covered. Of course Eric beat Scotty on that one.
So, for me, Scotty is entertaining. But not entertaining as a clown sort of way. Just entertaining. I like how his videos are put together... For specific advice I look to the guys that have been mentioned already - Eric the car guy, South East Main Auto, MrSubaru and sometime even ChrisFixIt.

 

I get what you're saying and yes Sarah does take a bit of time to see through the surface gloss, but once you do she comes across as more of a "girl next door" type who happens to dress and act that way sometimes. But she does know what she's doing (or at least enough to get help from others when she needs it.) Her channel is not like the others posted, in that she's not a mechanic per se, more like a car enthusiast who does both car reviews and works on projects, but she keeps it all on a pretty easy-going level and her enthusiasm is infectious.
Scotty on the other hand, I wouldn't care if he never posted another video again. He hasn't given one single useful piece of advice ever with his flip flopping click baiting, most of his "advice" is completely obvious rhetoric to anyone even half knowledgeable about cars, and as I said earlier some of the stuff he has put out is flat wrong, sometimes even dangerous.

 

In a way, Youtube demonstrates that Idiocracy is happening. A lot of the high subscriber channels are low on information and high on antics. We're seeing silly shows on TV now that are the same way and it boggles my mind that they are popular. So vapid. Then you have things like the HIstory Channel and Science Channel showing fake documentaries like UFO's, ancient aliens, bigfoot, ghosts, and it contributes to the dumbing-down of society where fact and fiction are blurred.

Channels like Veritasium are the rare good ones with good numbers:

https://www.youtube.com/c/veritasium/videos

 

B/c most of the entertainment is tailored for kids and teenagers. Not just shows. Look at the garbage that Hollywood produces. Everytime I go to the movies with my kids - it is always a cringe fest. Everything is recycled, one dimensional, predictable garbage.
So, yeah, to quote Idiocracy, "read a book or something" an advice one wants to offer to the young generation.
BUT..... The bright side of a platform like YT, there is plenty of solid channels (I am specifically interested in DIY channels) that offer mind boggling quality content. You could never get that amount of useful information in years back in the past scouring the libraries.

P.S.: despite mom's objections I recently watched Godfather 1 with my son. Was pleasantly surprised that he was glued to the screen and we even had a lot to discuss after that. Will see if we can move on to Taxi Driver (my all time favorite movie).

 

I can’t really stand any of those car vid hacks. Jason Cammisa on the other hand, that guy I really like.

 

So what's the tremors guy's youtube channel? I want to check it out.

Veritasium has a video on clickbait.

 

I love that there is a video analyzing click bait. Gonna have to watch.

Here is SS Wilson

 

This guy has always rubbed me the wrong way…sounds like a bad tv evangelist.