The automotive Tech thread.

[Mosh]

Seems we have quite few auto techs in this forum.
Would like to hear some other opinions on this gloriuos field from others. Good or bad.

Someone pointed out this video to me a month ago and boy is it the truth as to what we deal with from people everyday..And it is just a comical representation of what we would like to say to people sometimes.

WARNING Explicit language in video.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDnivh5Odfk

Or how about the: "AutoZone" said this will fix my check engine light when we know it won't, but the customer will not listen to us.:wondering

Or how about the "I dont have any money" "can you do it cheaper?" customer.
Well what if you told the electric company that? They would probably say well we can shut it off for you.:lol:

Go into Best Buy and ask to buy a 500$ TV for $300.:lol: See how that works for you too.

[Bryan Raffa]

LOL I love you Man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thats PERFECT!:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

thats gotta be as close to the truth as there is....:lol:

[Thorpe]

Oh man... I wish I could have that playing in a continious loop in the shop!!!

[Mosh]

The problem is most of the general public does not undertsand how complex their cars are anymore. They still think points and spark plugs will fix any problem.
Or how about "The just plug in the computer, it will tell you the problem" idea..
Yeah right. Just like your home PC will find and fix a virus with no input from the owner.

I had a 98 Intrigue in Yesterday with no cooling fan operation. The PCM driver took a crap. His bill was about 800$ just to get his cooling fans working again. The PCM was around 500$ alone. (the scan tool showed no codes and showed the cooling fans were indeed coming on, but the fact was that scanner did not "tell me" the computer was broke.)
I had another customer this week with a 98 olds also that was missing dead on 2 cylinders. He was sure the car needed a timing chain and did not want to pay diagnostic fees to find the issue. So I checked it for free, replaced his control module under the coil packs and saved him about $600 in guess work.

People just do not understand anymore. A tech needs well over $30K in tools, about 5-8K in scanners, has to recert his certificates evy 5 years(all 9 of them) and every vehicle has about 5-8 miles of wires and up to 13 computers on them anymore.
At every driver liscense renewal, it would help if all drivers had to pass a basic auto comeptency test before they get the renewal.
The days of a crescent wrench and screwdriver have been gone for 40 years.
Most of these cars are smarter than the people who drive them (no offense to anyone) Just look at the new Fords that have automatic Paralel park assist. Most drivers fail that portion of the driver test before they get their licsense. But we are now on the brink of self driving cars.

Why is it I have to have special state liscensing to diagnose and repair a Check engine light or smog failure, but some guy at Autozone that probably use to work in a different field all together, can hook up a code reader with no certificates and sell a person parts they do not need?

That would be equivilent of me taking dental advice from a proctologist..(butt doctor):lol:

[Mrs.Mosh]

At every driver liscense renewal, it would help if all drivers had to pass a basic auto comeptency test before they get the renewal.
I also think they should teach some basic things in drivers ed like changing a tire, checking your oil, or where your manual is located:p

[Bryan Raffa]

I love how now some of these newer cars you need more than just one scanner,, you simply cannot just do it alone with a snapon scanner.. you gotta buy a Mac also because it lets you access more stuff.. theres more and more broken,rotten wires from salt in this state..

just last week a lady pulled in to the shop ,, check engine light was on,, large evap leak code,, hooked it to the smoker,,, HUMM... she had a stuffed animal for a gas cap!!!! .....enough said...

[Mosh]

Yeah. Last week some car maker just issued a safety recall for possible fuel tank explosion / or leaks due to SPIDERS making nest in the vent line..WTF?
really? A damn bug in your car could possibly cause you to burn to death. WTH have we come to?

Another rant..How many cars have you worked on that were an ABSOLUTE pig sty inside? I cant believe some people live like this. I am talking Mcdonalds bags in the back floor board piled up as high as the seat. Cars that smell like stale sour baby puke. I got tangled up in some girls dirty panites under a seat one time while changing a blower resistor on a Cavalier..and they were not small panties if you cath my drift.
Had a loaded 9mm under a seat aiming at my head one time on a Malibu I did a Blower motor on.
found a Pound of dope in a center console of a camaro one time while looking for his lug nut key.
I cant believe people drive around in their cars like this.

[4cylinders]

hey, how bout the rattle in the dash. ashtray full of change!! or the bra jammed in the seat track.

[Thorpe]

Yeah. Last week some car maker just issued a safety recall for possible fuel tank explosion / or leaks due to SPIDERS making nest in the vent line..WTF?
really? A damn bug in your car could possibly cause you to burn to death.

Was this by chance a Mazda 6?

[Slingblade]

I hear ya on the pig sty's, Mosh. I buy car's for a living and absolutely cannot believe how people destroy interiors. Molded food under the seats, back seats and trunks used as garbage dumpsters, ant and roach infestations, I've seen it all. And I don't mean some old POS car, some were late model, low mile cars. I'd really hate to see inside their houses.

I bought a repo once at an auction, drove it the 3 hr. trip home, with no tag I might add. The pop on panel in the center console wouldn't stay down, so after driving it around the house a couple more days, I decide to fix it. Jerked the panel off and what do I find.. A sandwich bag full of pot, of course. That one would have been hard to explain at road block, especially if there was a sniffing shephard present.

Anybody that's ever worked on cars for the public will appreciate that video.

[tx200m]

I had a old crappy chevy van with a no start yrs ago. Had to pull the doghouse off....garbage in it so high I had to use a shovel to gain clearance.

[briano]

Bringing this back.

Last week I replaced a front bearing hub assembly on a guy's jeep Cherokee. He whined about his money situation and I agreed that he could bring his own bearing. It's better to make money on the labor than nothing at all. I get everything buttoned up and test drive the jeep to have the ABS and traction lights come on. I hooked up our scanner to find out the cheapo bearing had a bad wheel speed sensor. I call the guy and let him know, then he wants me to take it apart and exchange his parts at the local parts store and warranty the labor. NO sir, you will have to pay labor the second time just the same as the first time. I told him if I supplied the parts then there would be no fee at all for the second time. He took his jeep back, and I just got done doing the job for the second time.

[tri again]

aaaah, my turn?
Lady freaking out, wheels gonna fall off. It was a cross tire iron
in the trunk wheel well gently tipping side to side.
Vibrator under the seat had turned itself on....our all time favorite.
"I'm an engineer" but my cooling fan won't come on.
"it starts but it won't turn over"
"how come you guys are eating lunch"? even car mechanics eat once a day.

then we adopted a policy of checking the ashtray for roaches as our first point of diagnosis

What's that price list?
50 an hour if we fix it.
75 if you watch and 100 if you help.
and 200 if you tried to fix it yourself, buy a new one and 'no' we don't want the old one.

[YTZ drew]

How about the ashtray overflowing like a volcanic lava flow all over the center console and onto both sides of the floor?

Or the nasty, morbidly obese lady who brought her volvo in with used insulin needles and alcohol swabs just laying around all over the inside?

The mom-mobile with a fresh puddle of puke on the passenger side floor?

The ancient dodge B-van with 120K on the clock, original plugs and air filter, and customer won't authorize a tune up unless I guarantee it doesn't need anything else to fix his driveability problem? Ended up needing an in-tank fuel filter to cure the 15psi of fuel pressure under load.

The wacky old lady who paid cash at the dealer I worked at to have me replace her door check (which worked fine) then accused me of not actually performing the repair because 1: I did it too fast, and 2: it didn't work any better after the repair (IT WAS NEVER BROKE TO BEGIN WITH!)

And the bag of dope everyone has found? I had a fellow tech find one in a center console and STEAL IT! And he got caught when the customer had the nerve to ask the service writer for it back!

Also found dope in a pair of my extra uniform pants hanging in the tech washroom closet THAT I NEVER HAD WORN BEFORE! AND I DON'T USE!

And my favorite, the guy with the older Ram who complained AC doesn't work. He was turning the blower speed switch to the right (white numbers) instead of left to the "blue numbers" to activate AC! Owners manual anyone?

Oh yeah, the automotive trade is a unique one.

[tri again]

Yeah. Last week some car maker just issued a safety recall for possible fuel tank explosion / or leaks due to SPIDERS making nest in the vent line..WTF?
really? A damn bug in your car could possibly cause you to burn to death. WTH have we come to?

Another rant..How many cars have you worked on that were an ABSOLUTE pig sty inside? I cant believe some people live like this. I am talking Mcdonalds bags in the back floor board piled up as high as the seat. Cars that smell like stale sour baby puke. I got tangled up in some girls dirty panites under a seat one time while changing a blower resistor on a Cavalier..and they were not small panties if you cath my drift.
Had a loaded 9mm under a seat aiming at my head one time on a Malibu I did a Blower motor on.
found a Pound of dope in a center console of a camaro one time while looking for his lug nut key.
I cant believe people drive around in their cars like this.

Any small hole or tubing, like 1/4", vacuum lines etc get plugged with mud here on the west coast.
Some kind of mud bees.
Horrible if you leave something unassembled for very long in the springtime.
I like the frod grenada design.
One v belt that ran the power steering and brake assist so if you lost that belt, you'd lose steering AND brakes.

[Chopsaw]

OK heres one from both sides of the fence. Make my living as a Carpenter , but was a ASE auto mechanic for 12 yrs before that .
Sons '01 Neon has a fluid leak , I take it to a local shop , cleans it off says it valve cover gasket , $200 . I agree and let him fix it ,,,
Pick it up get it home . and there is oil all over the top of the engine . After taking it back for the 3rd time he calls me and says its a seal behind the timing cover , come in I'll show you .
Get there he opens the hood points out the wet spot on the hood . I mean the top of the engine is dripping wet .
I said if its leaking that bad we would see it now . He says no only does it when the hoods closed ... ( really )

I look a little closer , and tell my son to turn the wheel all the way to the right .
Fluid shoots of of the pressure hose and almost hits the guy in the face .

He said " oh you have a bad steering hose too " I'll get a price on that .

I laff and have been thru alot of the things posted above .

[Lord Letto 20]

Oh man... I wish I could have that playing in a continious loop in the shop!!!
http://www.infinitelooper.com/?v=KDnivh5Odfk&p=n

[tri again]

OK heres one from both sides of the fence. Make my living as a Carpenter , but was a ASE auto mechanic for 12 yrs before that .
Sons '01 Neon has a fluid leak , I take it to a local shop , cleans it off says it valve cover gasket , $200 . I agree and let him fix it ,,,
Pick it up get it home . and there is oil all over the top of the engine . After taking it back for the 3rd time he calls me and says its a seal behind the timing cover , come in I'll show you .
Get there he opens the hood points out the wet spot on the hood . I mean the top of the engine is dripping wet .
I said if its leaking that bad we would see it now . He says no only does it when the hoods closed ... ( really )

I look a little closer , and tell my son to turn the wheel all the way to the right .
Fluid shoots of of the pressure hose and almost hits the guy in the face .

He said " oh you have a bad steering hose too " I'll get a price on that .

I laff and have been thru alot of the things posted above .

I know that turning the wheel all the way has been known to double the pressure in the system.
Makes me cringe when people turn the wheel all the way to screeeeetch.
On a side note, I've gotten lucky with an inline filter for the power steering return.
It's low pressure and mine went from brass soup to clear in about 30 seconds.
so I changed the filter again and hope it actually does something to save the seals
in the rack.