Gonzo

What I get a kick out of these DIY mods. is when they bring their car in with a problem and I tell them it's do to their add on they look at me as if I'm an idiot. Cause, they all the same thing, "I just put that on. So, that can't be the problem." amazing, simply amazing.

Rigged and Runnin’ People have been modifying their family car since the automotive industries began. No matter what the car, or its condition, somebody will modify something to suit their needs or their artistic interpretation of what their car should be. On occasions, these changes are brilliant and far better than what the designers could have ever thought. However, there are those rigged up and overly engineered home modifications that can leave the original designers and engineers in shock. Not to mention the mechanics that service them. It’s amazing how the human mind has such an endless imagination to even dream up some of these wild and outlandish contraptions. They are more than just four wheels and transportation to the creators of the masterful works of art. Although at times, some of these wacky rides might appear a bit unorthodox to the onlooker. Art cars for example, don’t follow any technical bulletins or accepted engineering practices that any sane professional mechanic would understand. Safety and performance issues are put aside for the sake of artistry. Whatever looks good is good enough for them. Whether it’s modifying an old car to look like a cow or stretching a limo so far that it can’t possibly turn at an intersection are all in the name of creativity. Then there are the backyard engineers who are not into the artistic side of the cars anatomy, but are merely after cheap functionality, no matter what it looks like. Sometimes it’s back to nature for spare parts. Logs for bumpers, wood slats for truck beds and fenders made from a sheet of plywood, just to name a few. Maybe it’s the cost of the repairs, or perhaps there are no parts to be found, so the only resource available is what they have on hand. But, not all of these intrepid designers stick with natural products to modify their rides. Some use whatever is available at their local hardware store. Bathroom faucets for heater controls, PVC pipe made into shifter handles and things like door hinges to hold a gas pedal in place. Of course, there are the “traditional” DIY fixes that everyone has tried at one time or another. You know, duct tape, coat hangers, and bailing wire. But, we can’t leave out those fixes that seem to generate from the household kitchen either. I’ve even seen repairs made using a fork, knife or a spoon from their very own kitchen to supplement the loss of an inside door handle. There are those more sophisticated modifiers who still leave me gasping. Like the large wheel rims and thin tires, or the lift kits on a family sedan that leave one wondering how much time these folks spend at their local chiropractor. Others, will spend a fortune on things like huge stereo systems or ultra-bright headlights, but never take in account the load they are putting on the electrical system of the car. Then they wonder what could be wrong with their car when they come into a professional repair shop and tell the mechanic, “I burned out four alternators in a row. So, there must be something wrong with the charging system.” Yes, you’re right. There is something wrong, but it’s not the charging system. To go to even more extremes, there are the aftermarket modifications for the engine computer control systems. There are all kinds of computer programs out there that can modify the factory specifications. Some are for racing applications, some for better towing capabilities, and some are for street performance. With all of these updates and reprogramming for the car’s computer, you better know what you’re doing before downloading them into the vehicle’s data stream. It’s kind of late to find out your car won’t run correctly or not start at all after you’ve installed some back door program from parts unknown. Maybe some people are thinking things are like they were in the early days of the car computer systems. Back then it was as simple as changing out the chip in the computer, but the chip has been done away with a long time ago. Now it’s a matter of installing a program with new data and information for the computer to interpret. Not as simple as changing a carburetor or putting in a different size cam. These days it’s all about the electronics. Just the other day a guy called and told me he has this special computer flash program that he bought to modify his diesel engine. “All you’re supposed to do is download this software into the car’s computer, but every time I hook it up it says there is no communication with the car,” he told me, “But, I had it checked at another shop and they said their computer will talk to the car. They told me to call you and see if you can make my stuff work.” Now, I’m not the kind of mechanic who would pass up a challenge, but I think this guy has a problem with his aftermarket device, and it might be wise to go back to the company he bought it from and see if their little gizmo is having some issues. (Seen this before, been there, done that.) Whether it’s a chain welded onto the car with a padlock attached because the door locks quit, or a computer modification that might end up as a malfunction it all leaves me just shaking my head sometimes. But my all-time favorite rigged up repair has to be the guy who used an old fashion horn button mounted on top of his brake pedal. This guy had two wires hooked to this horn button and taped them to the brake pedal support arm which traveled up to the factory brake light wires. So, when he put his foot on the button and mashed down on the pedal he could apply the brakes and the brake lights at the same time. Crude, but ingenious. That one made me giggle for sure. I have to admire the people out there who have thought through a problem and found a way to rig up something that gets the job done without heading down to the local repair shop or parts store. However, as a professional mechanic, I can’t justify repairing anything that way. It’s just not the way it’s supposed to be done. Problems are repaired and diagnosed with a factory manual that explains not only how the system works, but the proper procedures to make the appropriate repairs. When it comes to these home grown modifications on the other hand, all bets are off. Somehow, someway these home grown engineered cars with all their whatchamacallits and thingamajigs still managed to do the one thing the owner was really after, and that’s to keep their rigged up rigs runnin’ down the road. That is, until it messes up, then it’s off to a professional shop to solve the problem. Will there be some new doohickey added onto a car next week or next year that I haven’t seen before? Oh, you can bet there will be. View full article

Keys, what are they good for? I’m all for technology, especially any technology that makes life easier. Like keyless entry and push button starting systems, just to name a few. As we move further into the ever advancing technology, certain things of mechanical nature will be lost to electronics. Fewer cars are being manufactured that still have keys. Some only have a key fob and no metal or brass back up key at all, and soon you won’t even need those key fobs either. Everything will be programmed and controlled by your smart phone. Yep, one more thing the smart phone has taken over. What about the poor old lonely key? I guess it’s gone the way of the bench seat and wing windows. Instead of a polished piece of brass, with its saw toothed notches, the key is being replaced by a bits of plastic and a few microchips. Before the car key fades off into distant memory into the archives of a forgotten age, and ending up under glass cases as some museum attraction, I’d like to salute our faithful old friend, the key, for all the things it has done for us. We’ve reached a stage in technology that the simple act of turning a mechanical lock can been replaced by RF signals and a few electrons. Though the versatile car key has done so much more for us than turning locks. Oh sure, you can say the same thing about your smart phone, but can a smart phone, or one of those funny looking key fobs, double as a bottle opener? Probably not. Then again, a key might poke ya in your pocket, but it can’t butt dial your ex-girlfriend. Who hasn’t used their keys to dig in their ears, or used it to scratch an itch? I can’t imagine using a key fob to tighten a loose screw, but the good old key always came in handy for that. You could use a key to pry the lid off a paint can or scrape the ick out of the crevices of a console, and it came in handy for digging out that stuck change in the vending machines, too. Let’s not forget to mention the key’s sidekicks, you know, all those dangly items that people attach to their key rings that do nothing more than weigh them down. Where are all those things going to go now? No keys, no key ring, no more dangly whatchamacallits for the mechanic to sort through to find the ignition key. I don’t think you’re going to attach them to the side of your cell phone any time soon. Of course, there is one thing that a lot of people would love to see disappear: those nasty scrape marks left when somebody keys your car. I seriously doubt anyone would try to drag a cell phone across a car in the hopes of creating the same degree of damage. Most likely the cell phone would end up with just as many scrape marks as the car would. I guess that’s justice in a way. Now of course, a key will eventually wear out, but so does the phone. The key can be recopied, but the copy is only as good as what it’s copied from. When a phone wears out or is damage, there’s a possibility of never retrieving all the information stored in it. One of those bits of data might be your cars security coding. Awe, shucks, looks like a trip to the dealer for you. At least with a key ya might have been able to jiggle, wiggle and eventually get it to start the car. You can jiggle and wiggle that phone all you want, but I don’t think it’s going to help. I don’t want to leave out the bulbous key fobs that a lot of the imports have gone to either. However, when it comes to these key fobs, I can’t think of any suitable second purpose they’ll ever have in their lifetime. Not like the humble key with its thousands and thousands of uses. Sure, the smart phone has thousands of uses, but when the key breaks off in the lock you’re just locked out. When your smart phone locks you out, you’re locked out of everything. Thinking back to my high school days I can remember using a car key to carve my name in the gym’s pay phone booth, (Yep, a real wooden pay phone booth. Mine wasn’t the only name scratched into those old wooden panels, generations of names were in there). Who would have ever thought that in the future a phone booth and your keys would both fit into your shirt pocket. Hard to believe, ain’t it? I kind of miss the squeak of the door and how the light would flicker on and off just before it would finally give off its dim fluorescent glow. It wasn’t a whole lot of light, but you could read the names in the phone book with it easily enough. These days ya just reach for your smart phone and turn the flashlight feature on. Oh, phone books? It’s in the smart phone already. Not quite the same nostalgic atmosphere as the old phone booth though. While being around for decades, the humble key was far more useful than just for starting the car. I’m sure it won’t entirely go away, but for the car, it might be on its last turn of the lock. No more bar fights with a car key as a weapon, no more of the traditional tossing of the keys when your teenager gets their first car, and no more making a spare copy of grandma’s car keys just in case she can’t remember where she put them. All that will soon be history, a last turn of the lock; now just push a button. Throw away the key, because it just won’t be needed anymore. I say, “Long Live the Key”. I know what it’s good for. View full article

Ctrl-Alt-Del How many times have you been working on the computer when it suddenly locked up? Not one single key or command works, and the more you click the less it responds. The only thing left to do is hold down those three magic keys, “Ctrl-Alt-Del” or shut the whole thing off and restart the computer. Chances are you’ve just lost whatever it was you’ve been working on. (Been there, done that.) Computers, they are a fact of life anymore. They’re everywhere and into everything. They have their problems, but at least there are ways of getting some things back up and running. As far as cars, well they’ve had computers in them for years, decades actually. These days, with the advent of multiple computer systems crammed under the dash and hood, it was just a matter of time before communication between the modules was going to be an issue. The inevitable lock up of the cars computer is not too far off from what you experience with your personal laptop… almost that is. This communication breakdown is usually because of some corrupted information being passed from one module to the next. How that corrupted information got in there is still a mystery to me. I’ve run across a few common issues, like changing a battery, loose battery clamps, jump starting another car, or when somebody buys some gizmo that plugs into the ALDL. Seen it, dealt with it, and had to find a way to solve these problems. Sometimes, it’s a matter of reflashing the latest greatest software into one of the modules. Sometimes, the component is too far gone and a replacement module has to be installed, reprogrammed, and reconfigured. Ya just never know, or at least I don’t until I’m in there checking things out. Often times, I find a solution to the issues, but I’m still left with more questions, and the questions are sometimes more bizarre than the solution. For instance, this 2013 Ford that came in with no radio, no A/C and the air bag light on. Not a single button or knob on the touch screen did anything at all, although you could change the volume and select limited stations from the steering wheel controls. Oh, and the A/C was stuck on MAX hot air with the blower on high speed. (Real nice when its 95 in the shop already. But it is what it is.) Doing a full scan on the car led to 3 codes. One for the air bag, one for the radio, and one for the HVAC. Might as well start somewhere, the air bag seemed to me to be a good place. I looked up the definition of the code. U0422 “invalid serial data”, but the code description left me even more puzzled it read, “This is not a failure. This is only to report that the RCM received a missing or invalid message from another module.” So, what you’re telling me (talking to myself, as if I’m talking to the engineers that wrote the code description), is that the air bag is fine, but it’s tattle-telling on somebody else (one of the other modules), but you’re not going to tell me who. What’s that all about? I guess I’ll have to play a game of hide and seek with the other modules. This guy (the air bag module) ain’t helping at all. Both the radio and the A/C had “U” codes stored for loss of communication. Well, like if that wasn’t a surprise. Nobody is talking to nobody, but the air bag knows something and he ain’t tellin’! Good grief, I thought codes were supposed to be a direction to a repair not a gossip line! Seeing how I’ve never run across this problem before, my thoughts were to read every line, every link, and every note on the two other “U” codes in the diagnostic and description pages, and see where this hide and seek game leads. Maybe, they’ll cough up some answers, not like that stingy air bag that seems to know, but ain’t tellin’. After reading page after page of diagnostic information, which seemed to all start with, “Remove and check connections for powers and grounds”. (I was trying to ignore this. I mean come on, we’re in the computer age. We’ve got communication lines, use ‘em! Talk to each other, ya bunch of electrons!) After reading the umpteenth page, I think I found something that might be just that tid bit of information I needed to know. The sentence in the diagnostic tree read: “If none of the buttons work, disconnect the battery for 5 minutes, then re-attach the battery connections and re-start the vehicle. Within 10 seconds, touch any button on the FCIM, (Front Controls Integrated Module. A rather fancy name for the touch screen don’t ya think? Yea like, I’m going to ask the wife while we’re driving down the road, “Could you adjust the FCIM, it’s a bit chilly in here.”), after releasing the button, the FCIM will go into a re-calibration and initialization procedure. This may take a few minutes. If the buttons fail to work after this procedure, replace the FCIM.” All I can say is this better work. I left the battery disconnected for the recommended 5 minutes then followed the rest of the directions in the diagnostic chart. The screen went blank and a computer progress bar appeared that slowly went from left to right. Then the message “Calibration complete” displayed. Low and behold, everything works again! Yippee! Even that tattle-telling air bag light is off! The wonders of modern computer technology! I cleared all the codes while I sat in the comfort of the cool breeze from the air conditioner pondering what just occurred. Unbelievable, who could have imagined such a complicated scenario of events in a car just a few decades ago. But a result is a result that ends with a happy customer (and me too) for doing nothing more than, “Ctrl-Alt-Del” automotive style. Yep, I pretty much did the same thing I do with the laptop, just reboot and all the previous mishaps have vanished and forgotten about. The only thing is, I wish the info about “Ctrl-Alt-Del” would have been put on the first page of the diagnostics, and not buried amongst pages and pages of “rip this out, scan this, and check that”. Somebody needs to talk to that air bag module though! Nobody likes a tattle-taler, so quit that and just spill the beans, fella! For an old timer like myself who’s been at this car repair thing for a long time, I often wonder what the next generation of mechanics are going to be up against when it comes to solving problems on future cars. They’ll still need those wrenches and screwdrivers that’s for sure, but they’ll also need even more knowledge on computers when wrenchin’ ain’t going to solve the problem. Oh, how cars have changed. But, those weird problems still exist even in the modern automotive world. “Different, but the same”, is the way I like to say it. No wrenches needed, just a bit of computer geekdom, and an entirely different approach to solving problems. View full article

Out of work parts changers trying to find a job most likely. LOL

One of the major issues I deal with almost on a daily basis is dealing with customers who have gone to the parts hanger shops and haven't solved the problem. Then, they're out of money, out of patience, and still need help. I'd like to get paid for my time, and my work. But, some of them tend to look at another mechanic as no better than the one who threw parts at their car. That's gotta change. . . somehow. Most of these parts throwin' shops know me and know I can diag and repair whatever the problem is. But, they want to still sling parts and give it a go. Only after they've thrown their hands up will they send the customer and the car my way... but of course, cash in on the stuff they've already done. Eliminating the parts hangers and fly by night shops should increase the professionalism for the rest of us. Just sayin'

Digging up old stories while I'm working on new ones. Haven't run this story in a long time. Still a good one.

Temper – Temper The front office door swings wide and a mom holds it open for her son who is carrying in a steering column. The column is out of her sons little S-10. From the general appearance of the column it looked like somebody was trying awfully hard to steal the little truck. Everything was distorted and bent out of shape. The steering wheel was even bent, and the horn pad looked like someone had taken an ax to the center of it. There was hardly a part of the steering column that wasn't damaged in some way or form. “My husband tried to change the turn signal switch but couldn't figure out how to get it off,” the mom tells me. “Yea, I brought another column with us if you could use the parts off of it to fix this one,” the son said while sitting the bent column on its steering wheel in front of me. “So what actually happened here? I see the turn signal switch is still in place but the whole column looks like it went through a war zone. Is this a theft recovery?” I asked. No it wasn't stolen, it was dad. Seems dad had the idea he could fix it, and wasn't going to let some little steering column kick his butt. He had seen it done a number of times and even watched a video on how to do it. But it looked like the column was way beyond repair; at this point I’m thinking that good old dad didn't know what a non-mangled steering column looked like... if he would have known, he probably would have just replaced it instead of trying to bring this bent up piece of junk back to life. The key was still hanging out of the ignition as the column sat on the counter; even though the column was bent and contorted completely out of shape it did somewhat remind of the leaning tower of Pisa with a lot of pieces missing. While the ticket was being filled out I reached for a pocket screwdriver and removed the key and tumbler so that I could install it into the other column. The look on the sons face was pure shock as to how easy it was to remove the key and tumbler. “Dad worked on getting that key and tumbler out for hours, look mom he took it out with a pocket screwdriver,” the surprised young man said to his mom. The son brought in the replacement column. It had all the correct parts in place and was in fairly good shape except for a problem with the hazard switch. (Pretty much what was wrong with the other turn signal switch) It too had the ignition key hanging out of it so I showed the young lad how to push in the retaining button and remove the key and tumbler. Mom was pretty impressed and had a big smile on her face as she watched her son maneuver the key and tumbler into the replacement column. “The tow truck was right behind us with my sons little truck. How soon can you have all of this back together?” she asked. “Oh, a couple of hours should do it if I don't run into any problems. I'll change out the turn signal switch with the new one you brought since the replacement column has the hazard switch broken off of it too,” I told her, “But how in the world did the original column get in such bad shape if it wasn't from a theft?” It was dad, good old dad had been working on the little trucks steering column all weekend and had finally given up on repairing it. Mom went on to tell me the whole story. “He came inside the house, grabbed a beer and mumbled something about a sledge hammer. He headed back out to the garage and came back out with a hatchet. He was determined to get it apart no matter what. We all watched as he proceeded to go ballistic on the little truck. The next thing I know he was a cussin' and a smackin' that steering column. Parts we're a flying everywhere and that steering column still wouldn't budge for him. He kept at it until he was too tired to swing the hatchet one more time and then he just gave up, sat down next to the truck and drank his beer,” she told me while trying to hold back the laughter. The son had that look of agreement on his face as if this was nothing new with good old dad when it came to something he didn't understand. “Dad always tries to fix things around the house and after he gets done breaking things up pretty good mom will take over and save the day,” the young lad told me. When I finally got to see the little truck you could tell somebody was really having a go at destroying that steering column. With a few marks in the headliner and some obvious missed blows whacking the dash panel there was no doubt he had made up his mind that the steering wheel and the column was going to come off one way or another. The install was no big deal, luckily it was an old enough truck that there was no security system to worry about or any air bag system installed on it. Just bolt it back up, line up the shaft and put all the trim back together. (The trim needed a little TLC though) With the replacement column (which was untouched by good old dad) and the original key and tumbler installed the repair was done in no time at all. I gave the mom a call and a few hours later the boy had his truck back on the road again. “I told my husband his temper was going to get him, and it sure did this time. He's really a sweet guy, but you should see what he does with plumbing... we keep that number handy at all times.” (Chuckling as if this was nothing new with the family.) “I guess it's a male ego thing or something. He's really sorry about it all, just can't seem to get it through his thick head that he doesn't know everything.” she told me. The son then tells me, “Yea, I don't think he's going to try that again.” “Ma'am you know it would have been a lot cheaper if you would have brought it to me before it was torn apart,” I told her. She knew that already, but like I said, it seems to be the norm at their house. Let dad have a whack at it first until his temper gets the best of him and then call the pros. Well what can ya say, he tried, he failed, and he took more than a few whacks at it… chalk it up to a lesson learned I guess. The mom backed up sons comment that “dad” has sworn off car repair forever, and wasn't about to try anything remotely like auto mechanics ever again. Well, time will tell about that... temper, temper mister... why don't you take up basket weaving, model ship building, or perhaps some yoga. Maybe it’s time for a mountain retreat to work out your aggression's. One thing is for sure fella; your mechanical expertise is just one big hatchet job. Do me a favor there … “dad”… have another beer…………… but don't mess with the cars anymore OK? View full article

When I first opened my shop some 30 years ago, there were over 30 auto "electric" repair shops. Most only did alternator and starter overhauls and not wiring type repairs like I specialize in. Now there just a few shops left that still do rebuilds. You're right about the car count, but... the cars have changed so much in the past 30 years that a lot of the work we used to do is not a money maker anymore. Which is what probably drove the other shops out of business.

Last week I had to take the entire headliner down in 07 Jeep Commander to change the sunroof out. Talk about clips and fasteners. Everything is designed for easy installation not removal. It seemed every plastic bit of trim I grabbed wanted to snap in pieces before the metal clips let go.

The spaghetti monster got her. LOL

This lady used to come in all the time. But that was about 15 or more years ago.

This next story is dedicated to my two lovely daughters. Amanda Sue and Katrina Lee ... They reminded me about this lady sometime ago and told me I should write this story for them... enjoy... The Bird Lady This lady was weird. Hmm, not a great way to start a story now is it. But, it’s true. This lady was a weird as it gets. The name “bird lady” was actually from my daughters. They nicknamed this gal after a couple of trips to the shop to see what old dad was up too. On many occasions that the girls would come to visit good old dad during working hours, this car would be at the shop. There were always bird cages in the back seat, feathers everywhere, and bird droppings all over the place. Turns out, that the lady owned an exotic pet store somewhere in town. She never carried a purse it was always a “Wal-Mart” plastic shopping bag. She dressed like a bag lady, most of the time in a funky 80’s style coat with a frumpy crochet hat with kaleidoscope colors. To talk to this lady made you wonder if she wasn’t coo-coo herself, always off in her own little world, all by her lonesome. She would come in on a regular basis to have general maintenance done. Oil change one day; check the tire pressure on another trip, so on and so on. One particular time in the shop she was there to have a leaking valve cover gasket replaced. She waited up front in the lobby while we finished the job in the shop. Most of the time she was too nervous to just sit and wait for the work to be done. She would wander around the lobby looking at things or pop in and out of the door checking on her car... this time she just sat there. As I walked through the front office for something I noticed her sitting there in the lobby reading a book while crunching down on pieces of raw spaghetti noodles. You could hear the crunch from a block away. Crunch, crunch, crunch, went the noodles, as if it was an automatic reflex with her. She would start off with a full length piece and then would quickly munch it down to nothing. Over and over again she would do this. I just shook my head and went back to the business at hand. Soon we had the work completed and I went up front to finish out the invoice. You know, it’s impolite to ask people what they are doing munching on noodles like that. I’m no doctor or chef… but this can’t be good for you. I just had to ask, “What’s with the noodles, you seem to like them.” “Oh, I’m on a diet,” she said, “It keeps my mind off of eating and I feel full all the time then. Works great, I haven’t put on a pound since I started this.” Had to ask, “So when did you start this diet?” “Today.” She answered. OK then, ....I’ll just finish this invoice and send this lady back to her little nest. I really don’t want to ask her anymore questions. Oh, I’ve got plenty, but, I ain’t asking. “Would you like to try it?” She asked me. “No,… no, that’s OK,” I told her, “I’m fine, wife and I are having spaghetti tonight. Thanks for asking though.” I told this story to my wife when I got home. She couldn’t place the lady’s face until I mentioned that this is the lady the girls called the bird lady. I think the nickname fits. If you could have seen this spaghetti eating champ at work… you would have thought she had gone to the birds too. View full article

Old is New What’s the main reason for trading in that old piece of iron with four wheels? Hands down, its repair costs. I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone come into the repair shop and tell me, “Oh, I think I’m going to sell my car this week. I’m not happy with the color.” Excluding the obvious reasons for getting rid of your iron steed, such as it was in an accident and is beyond repair, company cars, and leased vehicles or over worked rentals. That stills leaves a large number of cars simply traded in for untold reasons. Chances are it’s because something needed repaired and the previous owner didn’t want to deal with it. So, how did most of these cars end up needing such costly repairs? Number one, lack of maintenance. Number two, lack of expertise in repairing and maintaining them, or a combination of both. Then again, you could have just forgotten to have the car checked out on a regular basis. You might be one of those people who have never read the section in the owner’s manual under “scheduled maintenance”, or assume that maintenance consists of filling the fuel tank up when it’s on empty, and you shouldn’t have to worry about your car until that little light comes on. But, like a lot of procrastinators, when you finally get around to an oil change and the mechanic comes back with a list of repairs you need to have done, you’re taken aback and can’t imagine how the car you drove into the shop is now in need of such major surgery. Depending on the situation you could be rather calm about it and realize he’s just there to help you, or you could be like the crazed lane swapper who flew by you on the turnpike and consider it a bogus up sell scam and blow the guy off. Let’s just suppose we’re one of those crazed lane changers who just zooms from here to there with no care as to the condition of the car and see how this scenario plays out at the repair shop. Time passes, maybe a month or two, and sure enough those motor mounts and lower control arm bushing you were warned about have now turned your car into a swimming fish on the highway. However, you’ve let it go and considered the whole thing as “it’s just an old car”. Suddenly one morning while pulling out of the garage, you hear a loud bang as you put it into reverse. Then, a cloud of vapor spews from under the hood. You shrug it off, and head on to work, already running late. On the way to work you notice the air conditioning isn’t coming on. Now that ranks up there in importance as much as the radio. Better get it into the repair shop, because we all know the air conditioning is way more important than all that stuff the mechanic told you about. You make an appointment at a different repair shop, (of course) because the first one was rude and tried to up sell you a bunch of things you didn’t need. This ‘new’ shop is unaware of the other issues. All you said to them was, “The air conditioning isn’t working, and I saw smoke coming from under the hood.” The repair shop checks under the hood. “Well, there’s your problem,” one technicians says to another. The front motor mount has completely sheared off, the rear mount is hanging on by a thread, and the upper wishbone mount is completely useless. As the motor rocked back and forth it eventually snapped the aluminum lines to the air conditioning. The shop calls the customer and asked if they kept any records from previous repairs, which of course, they do. That would be the jumbled and crumbled pile of papers stuffed into the glove box. Nice…. Eventually, the mechanic finds the invoice showing the declined work and even more news about the lower control arm bushings being bad. Now, avoiding any regular maintenance and advice from the previous shop has just raised a dilemma. Make these costly repairs…or sell it? At this point, when I’m behind the counter, I hear things like, “If I fix this you know something else is going to wrong.” or “What’s the car going to be worth after I put all this money into it?”, or “Do only part of the repair, ‘cause I’m not going to keep the car very much longer.” And the granddaddy of them all, “I can get it done cheaper down the street.” Think of it this way, your personal safety and the wellbeing of the people who ride in your car is at the fate of the cheapest made products that in some resemblance bears the likeness of a good quality component. Then, you’re going to have a second rate repair shop perform the repair. Instead of putting your trust into a qualified and certified repair person, who more than likely has a higher labor rate than the rocket scientist you’re planning on taking your car to, you’re willing to risk the safety of others based on your pocket book. What you should be doing is asking, “So what’s the game plan here? What do I need to do right now, and what can wait on and I save up for? I’m trusting you (the shop and the mechanic) to take care of my car.” The question is: Is this car destined to be an old new car, or is it going to be a used car with problems? Most anything can be maintained and/or repaired back to a new driving condition. There are limitations of course. I’ve seen so many cars being tossed away by their owners due to the costs of repairs. Such as an engine swap or for as little as HID headlights that need replaced. Things do wear out and do need servicing. But, if the maintenance is done on time and every time, and any issues as serious as a new engine that do arise it’s still cheaper than a new car off the show room floor. Aside from poor workmanship, which is usually associated with cheaper repair shops and cheap parts, a car can be kept in working condition long after the last payment is made. The problem I’ve seen over the years is not too many people are willing to keep up with the maintenance, or worse yet, waste their hard earned repair dollars at those cheaper shops with poor results. When our friend, the crazed lane changer deems his car beyond repair, its destiny is to the used car lot or auction. Then, it picks up a few new parts and a bit of polish, and is given the new title of program car, pre-owned vehicle or like one used car lot calls them, “Experienced autos”. But, even then you can’t expect it to work like new without doing the maintenance. All cars are used once they leave the show room. See your local professional mechanic; they can make it right. Old is new when it’s repaired correctly. View full article