Category Archives: PM (Preventive Maintenance)

Adjust it till it fits?

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Hack Jobs Happen…

I see some crazy short cut repairs (hack jobs). “Hack jobs” by owners, shade tree mechanics and approved auto repair shops. Then I wonder why, why try, why risk a comeback. Why take the short cut in the first place. Why risk loosing a client when the hack job fails, leaving the vehicle owner stranded on the side of the road.

A hack job will fail, it’s a sub-standard repair.

 

Today I had an odd repair issue pop into the shop. Ronda had a fuel pump replaced on her 1995 Chevy Suburban about 30 days ago in Sedona Arizona. The truck has a 5.7 TBI fuel injected engine. (Throttle Body Injection System) Ronda only had one issue with the repair, the fuel economy was reduced by 30 to 40% and this was noticed right after the pump was installed. The shop that installed the pump had double checked the fuel system, and said nothing was wrong.

Ronda had moved to Sedona last year.

The client (Ronda) use to live right around the corner from our shop, but had moved to Sedona in 2013. Ronda happened to be in the valley for some doctors visits, so Ronda stopped in to see if we had time to look at this issue.

Testing showed the fuel system was running too rich. The scan tool (a computer that talks to the car’s computer) showed that the PCM (the car’s computer) was subtracting a lot of fuel. The engine computer uses a pair of fuel trim ratio numbers to display fuel system compensation (larger number = more fuel added to the engine Or a smaller number = less fuel, fuel reduced to the engine). A repair technician can view the fuel trim numbers “live” as they update (in real-time) and watch how the system is operating, rich, lean or normal.

Next I attached a gauge used to test fuel pressure to the engine’s fuel system. The fuel pressure gauge showed that the fuel system pressure was around 19 PSI of pressure. (Why?) The TBI system specification is 9 to 12 PSI. So why was the PSI so high?

I suspected it had the wrong fuel pump installed. So, I removed the fuel pump and found a big mess. What I found was a major issue, the person that did the repairs, must have had a huge loss of reasoning. The part was clearly the wrong part for the truck. When I entered the pump part number into a parts jobber, part interchange system. I discovered the part was the wrong pump for the truck.

The shop decided to adjust the wrong part till it would fit in the tank. But wait, that’s not all. The pump was for a 1996 5.7 MPI engine. (Multi Port Injection System) not a 1995 5.7 TBI system. The 1996 MPI system runs at 60 to 66 PSI. This is clearly too much pressure for the system to handle. To bleed off the high PSI. The shop that made the repairs, had removed the hose clamp to the PSI fuel coupling hose that connects the fuel pumps outlet pipe to the metal pipe going out to the engine’s fuel injector’s. Plus the old fuel pump harness was installed on the new pump, and the electrical connector had a broken retaining clip.

The adjustments and compromises should have never happened, but they did.

Just buy the correct part, and if the part arrives wrong, get the correct part. The correct part was available in Flagstaff, less than a 2 hour round trip from Sedona. The client had already waited 5 days, what was one more day to get the right part.

We fixed the truck and it is running correctly, with the correct part. The client is happy and the mileage is back to normal. Plus Ronda will be bringing her truck to us when ever she is in town every 3 to 4 months.

Keeping up on the needs of an older vehicle may seem costly, but if you do the math. The right older vehicle can be cost-effective in the long run. Every vehicle needs repairs someday, new or old.

It’s all good under the hood, heyanthonyaz.com 2014

www.carfax.com How accurate is the service?

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Buying a used car can drain your savings, if you buy the wrong one.

In the last 10 months I have preformed 35 pre-purchase inspections, 27 cars and 8 trucks. Every vehicle had a clean carfax report. 5 of the cars and 1 of the trucks had un-reported major accident damage. They all looked fine on the outside, looking good, like nothing was wrong.

Carfax is only as good as the people who report the accident damage.

If the vehicle owner has accident repairs fixed for cash, under the table, by a discount shop. The accident damage will never be reported to carfax.

This type of repair may be hidden from view and the only thing you can do, is to make sure you do not buy any vehicle without an inspection. If the vehicle owner does not want you to take it and have it inspected, do not buy it!

You work hard for your money and it would be horrible to find big dollar repairs after you just paid a big chunk of money for what you thought was a nice used car.

Even if the vehicle has a clean carfax report and a good story about why the owner is selling the car. Get all the facts, get it into a shop for a full inspection!

The money you spend for the inspection will give you peace of mind. No one wants to buy a lemon.

It’s all good under the hood. www.HeyAnthonyAz.com 2014

Tony’s Service Center 5362 North 16th St. Phoenix, AZ 85016

4 months or 4000 miles

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Oil Change Interval

A new car will not need as much attention as a car with 120,000 miles, but new cars will have service needs too. Just because its new is not a reason to over look good service habits.

The simple method for regular oil changes; New vehicles, up to 3 years of age or 40,000 miles, will mostly need basic services, oil changes, fluid top off’s and tire rotations. Follow the normal service intervals in the owners hand book, and you will be doing great.

Regular motor oil Intervals can range from 3,500 to 7,500 miles. Full synthetic oil services can range from 7,500 to 15,0000 mile intervals.

Some repair shops, like Tony’s Service Center, have switched to Heavy Duty blended motor oils for our oil change packages.

What is a blend? It’s a mix of regular motor oil and synthetic oil. It’s a better product, and it protects your engine better than a regular motor oil.

All new vehicles sold, come with a owners hand book.

Most owners do not read it cover to cover, its boring stuff. In the back of the book, it lists your service and maintenance needs from 0 miles to 120,000. Servicing intervals are-listed two ways. Normal service and Severe service, most cars will fall into the Normal service area.

Life after 40, “the honey-moon is over.”

Vehicles older than 3 years or with 40,000 to 120,000 miles; Ok, parts are starting to wear out. Belts, Hoses, Brakes, Batteries and Tires are the most common repair needs.

Major fluids will need replacement services, and you will still have basic oil changes to do, so continue to follow the normal service intervals in your vehicle hand book. Your vehicle is starting to show its age. Prompt maintenance and repairs will prevent break downs…

NOTE; Fluid servicing is a big part of a vehicles long life. No fluids are life time. Some car makers will say they have life time fluids. GM found out painfully, that Dex-Cool, a life time coolant, was a very bad idea. “No fluids last the life of the vehicle.”

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My car only has 33,000 miles on it…

Just because your vehicle has 33,000 miles on it, does not indicate that it’s in new condition. A 12-year-old car that has 33,000 miles on it, will still need service just like a car that has 120,000 miles on it. ( It’s all about ) “Time in Service”

Vehicles over 8 years old or 120,000 and up; It’s time to step up the service intervals to severe service. Why? The vehicle is getting older and will need more services to keep it in top condition. “More repairs, more services, more love.”

How does regular servicing prevent break downs?

Having a trusted repair shop looking at your vehicle is essential to keeping your vehicle in top condition. Jumping from shop to shop is no good.

Having the same shop looking at your car will allow them to watch your needs. Loyalty will help the shop give you advice that is correct for your needs. Plus your service advisor can show you how to budget for future repairs.

It’s all good under the hood. HeyAnthonyAz.com 2014

 

 

Stop!

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*** If your engine is over heating, STOP! ***

Today I had a vehicle Towed in from the other side of town. The client lives near my shop, but works 30 miles away. The car had over heated on his way to work. He was only 7 minuets away from work, so the client continued to drive the car to work.

If you are driving along and the “red over heating light turns on” or you see the gauge in the RED! ***Stop the car safely and turn off the engine.***

Do not continue to drive the vehicle!

The engine has just over heated! shut down the engine to prevent over heating damage!!!

When an engine is over heating, it can cause major damage to the aluminum parts inside the engine.

Many of todays engines have lots aluminum parts. Aluminum parts are strong as long as they do not get too hot.

When aluminum parts gets super hot, the aluminum will expand a lot. Aluminum parts can crack as they cool back down from being over heated.

The other thing that happens when the aluminum parts expand, is the gaskets sealing the engine can be crushed or compressed during the over heating. When the engine cools down it can start leaking from the damaged gaskets.

Engine over heating can also cause big issues with plastic parts bolted to the engine, and plastic radiators.

Running an engine just a couple of extra minuets, can destroy an engine quickly. Many of todays newer vehicles have engines that can cost up to 6,000.00 just for an engine.

That is big money!

If the gauge is in the red or the red engine light is on, shut the engine off ASAP. Stop and call a Tow truck.

A Tow into the shop for repairs is nothing compared to an engine replacement.

My client was not happy, the engine was damaged from the over heating. Next week we will be installing a new engine.

It’s all good under the hood. HeyAnthonyAz.com 2014

K & N Air Filters = A Dirty “MAF”

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If you have seen any type of auto racing, than you may have seen the K & N air filter stickers on some of the race cars.

K & N air filters work great for high performance motor sports, water craft and off-road vehicles, but they are not good to use on a regular engine. Many engines today use a “MAF” sensor (Mass Air Flow Sensor) to measure incoming air going into the engine. The engine computer uses the data from the MAF sensor to adjust engine timing, fuel injection, and transmission shift points.

K & N air filters may improve engine output only by a small percentage. The way K & N does this, is by using a less restrictive woven mesh. The woven mesh is coated with a light spray of oil. The oil is used to help trap dirt in the mesh. When an engine is running, it is drawing air past the oil coated mesh. Then the oily air flows past the MAF sensor, coating the sensor in a fine oil. The fine oil attracts dirt and contaminates the MAF sensor element, just like the sensor in the video above.

Only OE quality filters should be used with a MAF systems. A quality filter will prevent the sensor from getting all clogged up with dirt. The video shows me cleaning a GM MAF sensor gently with a Q-tip dipped in alcohol. The client thought they needed a tune up. The  car was running poorly and pinging, but the computer had no code and no check engine light on.

Yes, the engine needed service, but the heart of the poor operation was a very dirty MAF sensor due to an oil soaked K & N oil filter.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2014

You broke it!

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Automotive repairs can cause high tensions with a vehicle owner.

In a perfect world, everything is free and nothing ever goes wrong… Every day I work with clients that understand that the vehicle they own will need service and repairs. The owner knows that a quality repair will cost something.

Finding good prices and honest service is the clients #1 objective.

I never force a client to do a repair with me. I give the client an estimate for the repairs needed and the client can say yes or no. Once the repairs are finished. I drive the vehicle and make sure the repairs are done correctly.

The goal is to fix it right the first time. When I return the vehicle back to the client, I know everything related to the repairs is working correctly.

It never did that before you worked on it! You broke it!

When a client says, it never did that before you worked on it.

I ask the client to stop in and show me what is going on. I will look at the clients issue, and find out how it may be related to the repairs preformed on the last visit.

99% of the time, the clients issue is not related to the last repair, it’s a new repair.

Sabotage or coincidence?

Some times things happen we can’t control. So I work hard to make sure all new issues are addressed one at a time and quickly. When I work on your vehicle, your car is in the shop because it’s broken or needs service. If something goes wrong while your car is in my care, I will openly tell you. I have no reason to hide an oops. Some times things just happen and we move on.

Case in point, Sam’s car was in for an oil service and 4 new tires. During the service work I found a left, low beam head lamp was not working and the upper radiator hose was leaking coolant.

The bulb was old and had burnt out and the hose was 10 years old and ready to be replaced. I asked Sam if he would like to replace both of the head lamps together and take care of the leaky hose. Sam said NO to both repairs. A week later Sam was back saying, I must have done something to the other head lamp, because now it does not work. Sam was angry and wanted me to give him both bulbs for free and put them in for free.

I said to Sam. Do you remember our talk about how light bulbs age and the other bulb could need replacement very soon? Plus, I asked you if you would like to replace both bulbs during your last visit, and you said NO!

Sam had zero recall about what we talked about, even though it was on Sam’s last repair order. Sam was very upset because I would not give him the bulbs for free.

I offered to install the bulbs at no labor charge, but Sam would have to pay for the bulbs.

It was not my fault that the bulbs had burnt out, but because I was the last person to work on the car it was my fault the other bulb stopped working.

Sam stormed off angry.

5 weeks later Sam’s car was back at the shop for the coolant leak repair and 2 head lamp bulbs. Sam said he over reacted to the bulb issue, and trusted our work.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2014

 

Should I fix my old car or buy a new one?

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A New car = higher costs; tags, tax, licence, payments, and insurance.

All of the above costs will be part of a buying new car. When a client says they will just go and buy a new car, I ask why?

90% of the time it is more economical to fix the car you own.

A repair of $600.00 is nothing compared to making $500.00 payments every month, just to have a new car smell. Fixing your old car may seem like it costs a lot, but if the car still looks good inside and out, fix it!

Just last week I did a $4,300 repair on an “all original 1990 300zx” with 73,000 miles on it. The 300zx was very well-kept, and the client was attached to the car. The repair costs may seem high, but the client really likes the car, so to him it was worth it to fix it right.

Most cars from 3 years to 8 years of age will need an average of $800.00 a year in overall preventative maintenance repairs. Tires, Brakes, Oil changes, Radiators, Belts and Hoses are the basic needs of any car or truck.

A/C, Suspension, Engine and Transmission repairs are less common types of repairs, but will happen some day. Over time the repair costs will average out. One year you may only spend $300.00 on basic services and the next year you may need to repair the brakes and replace the tires at $1400.00.

Consumer Reports is a great place to find out about repair costs for the new car you may want to buy. Keep in mind that this is for new cars.

For used cars, over 75,000 miles I use a vehicle service formula. You may know about how many miles you drive in a year. Use the formula to see if you are above or below the national average for service and repair costs.

Heavy trucks 1 to 1.5 ton; Mileage x .18 cents per mile driven = basic repair costs

Full size cars and 3/4 ton trucks and vans; Mileage x .12 cents per mile driven = basic repair costs

Compact cars, light trucks and mini vans; Mileage x .10 cents per mile driven = basic repair costs

This is just a basic service and repairs list, a guide to calculate average service and repair costs. Costs will adjust up for heavy use or towing, but if you baby your car, the costs would adjust down. For basic service work, use my spare change in a jug method. Again the list above is only a guide.

Buying a used car is an option, but always take it to a shop to be inspected!

Yes, buying a used car is an option, but always take it to a shop to be inspected before you buy it.

Even if you think you know it all. I will assure you, you don’t.

Unless you work on cars and trucks all the time you will miss something that can cost you big money to fix later. If you are out looking at cars, you can go to any AAA approved repair shop to get a used car inspected.

A clean CarFax report does not indicate that the car is good to go. CarFax is only a good guide if the damage and repairs got reported to CarFax.

So just because it has a clean CarFax does not indicate it’s an accident free vehicle.

If your car is still in good, overall condition, fix it! In the long run, it will save you money.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

 

A Worn Tie Rod, What does one looks like?

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Corey M. asked what does a worn out tie rod look like?

Well, I have a short video clip of a worn out inner tie rod from a Nissan Pathfinder.

The tie rod in the video clip is from a Nissan Pathfinder. It was very worn. It was causing thump and clunk noises. Plus it was causing tire wear. Tie rods are simple to change. I tell clients to change worn tie rods before they can cause bigger problems.

A torn open dust boot will allow road grime to enter the tie rod joint and cause heavy wear quickly.

Inner tie rods on a rack and pinion steering gear will normally last the life of the steering gear. If tie rods go bad, they can be replaced without replacing the steering gear. As long as the steering gear is not leaking.

Thank you for the e-mail question Corey.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

To Do List…

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To Do!

You have a ton of things that need to get done every week, and to make sure everything gets done, many people will make a to do list.

I use 3M sticky notes or my note pad on my smart phone to remind me its time to pay bill’s or go to the doctor.

Today a long time client popped into the shop with an over heating Dodge Durango. The engine had over heated and stopped running twice on the client the day before, but she never checked the coolant level.

Coolant loss because of a faulty part can happen in between oil change services. That is why, I want all my clients to stop in and let us air up the tires and check under hood fluids once a month. If I find something bad, we can handle it right away. Anyway, it only takes 5 minuets to do a quick check, so why get your hands dirty. Let us do it.

A lot can happen between oil changes, so stop in today & let us check it for you.

In this case the client ignored the (To Do) list on the last work order. The electric pump for pumping engine coolant to the rear heating system was weeping at the plastic body of the pump. I advised the client that it needed to be replaced on this visit, now!

The client declined the repair.

The client did not have the money to do the repair at that moment, so they said they would come in after the next pay-day to do the repair. They never came in, and now the engine has gone bad because the engine got way too hot.

The original leak repair would have only been $290.00 parts and labor. Now the truck needs an engine at $5,600.00. With the cost of the repair being more than the trucks Kelly Blue Book value. The customer once again declined the repair, and towed the truck home.

Pay me know or pay me later. Maintaining your car or truck will cost you less if you stay on top of your maintenance needs.

Waiting till you break down just does not work, and it will cost you more money.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

Ms. Kate

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Ms. Kate asked; why can’t you guarantee the repair will fix my car?

Ms. Kate has an almost broken car. Some failures and repairs will fall into a gray area, and Ms. Kate’s Ford was just that, a gray area repair.

The car would stall out when coming to a stop, but restart. Plus it would sometimes not start when hot. It would start after it cooled down for about 1 hour. The condition is intermittent, and it has never acted up for us in the shop. Plus the car’s computer had no codes.

The client never had time to leave the car for a full day.

Ms. Kate does not trust the car and fears driving it because it could stall at the wrong time.

After testing the car a couple of times, my best guess was it could be one of three things. #1 it could be a faulty crank shaft sensor. #2 it could be a faulty fuel pump. #3 it could be a wire fault related to a poor connection at a wire connector or wire junction. More testing was needed.

The big issue for the client is she is on a tight budget and can only spend what is needed to do the needed repair. I understand this all to well. I have a budget and have to stick to it.

To help the client, I advised her to let me have the car for a couple of days so I could leave my test gear hooked up and drive the car at random times. Ms. Kate did not like being without her car, but it needed to be done.

What I found; it did have a faulty crank shaft sensor and a bad fuel pump. The crank sensor was related to the stalling condition and the fuel pump was related to the random hot no start.

I always like to test the car and confirm the fault area. Guessing about what repairs are needed can lead to wasted money and time.

Some times a best guess is all we have, but it must be a good solid guess, 80% chance or more. Give me some time with your car and we can find the fault part 100% confirmed!

I want all my clients to feel good about the money they spend. I want 100% of your business, and I want you to be happy that you used Tony’s Service Center for your repair needs. Ms. Kate is happy because we fixed the cars issues. It did take three days to get it to act up, but only 4 hours to make the repairs once we knew what was broken.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013