Tag Archives: lexus repair phoenix

Cheap Parts & Service = Poor Satisfaction!

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The bitterness of “poor quality” lingers long after the sweetness of “low price” is forgotten: Ben Franklin

Fixing your vehicle does not have to break the bank. When a vehicle repair has good value, the cost of the repair is not a huge issue any longer. We use quality parts plus offer a solid warranty. Our goal is to offer vehicle repairs that have value and prevent breakdowns.

Knowing you get what you pay for. Haggling about the labor and using the cheapest parts possible to save money is asking for trouble. Sitting at the side of the road waiting for a tow truck is no fun.

We offer quality repairs with value. All repairs we do must stand up to our 2 year / 24,000 mile warranty. As an independent repair shop we use many dealer parts. The dealer parts fit correctly, and exceed our 2 year / 24,000 mile warranty. The aftermarket parts we use must “fit and function” just like the original equipment dealer parts we install.

Some clients will ask if we can find less expensive parts, and we say yes we can, but the part warranty may not be 2 years / 24,000 miles.

The warranty will be what the parts manufacturer offers, and you get no labor coverage. Our job is to show you the value of doing the repair correctly the first time.

“Fix my car as cheap as you can, Blah, Blah, I am selling it next week.”

Some aftermarket parts may only have a 90 day warranty. Granted most parts should last at least 90 days, but if the part goes bad you get to pay labor again, even if the part has a warranty.

For Example: A car owner goes to a quick lube shop for a 14.95 oil change, and the shop strips the threads out of the oil pan. Anyway you look at this, your cheap oil change just turned into a big mess. Our standard oil change out the door is about $41.00 but it has good value. We do not shortcut the job, just to get it out the door. We spend up to 45 minutes on your vehicle, looking for things that may cause you a break down. If we find issues that need repair, we show you what we found, and we give you prices. We help you plan for your maintenance needs.

For Example: Brake pads have one of the biggest issues with quality vs price. If you go to the dealer, they will only offer one part for your model car, and the price will be high, but the parts fit and work correctly. Now go to an aftermarket parts house, and they may have 5 to 10 different brands of brake pad, all at different prices. Some may work good but make noise, others may wear fast or worse not stop the car correctly. With aftermarket parts you must be selective.

Some aftermarket parts work very good, and if you know what works well, then it’s easy to offer the savings to the client. Our job is to know what works and offer the client the best repair.

For Example: Belts, Hoses and Water pumps have a wide range of price and quality. If I am looking for a belt in the aftermarket, and I can get Bando or Dayco I am happy. I know they are brands that last a long time. For Hoses, I look for the best fit, and rubber quality. The parts quality, affects its service life. A long service life keeps you from having to visit the shop over and over. For Water Pumps, I turn to the dealer 60% of the time, because they just last so much longer.

Fixing your vehicle correctly will reduce how many times you need to visit the repair shop each year. If you own 3 or more cars, you can see how important it is to fix it right the first time. Anyway, It’s not that we don’t want to see you again. We want our clients to be happy they used our services.

We are here to help, we fix sick cars!

With today’s vehicle’s, you visit the repair shop less often, but it feels like the repairs cost more, and more when you visit your mechanic.

Going to the “car doctor” is not on anyone’s top ten list, but when your vehicle breaks down, you know you’re going to spend money.

Preventing breakdowns is what we do. Keeping you informed of your vehicle’s condition let’s you save when faced with bigger repairs. Helping you keep your vehicle in good condition, and preventing breakdowns is our goal.

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We like our clients to visit the shop for service at least every 5,000 miles of driving or once every 4 months. Many things can happen in 4 months of driving. Our clients are always welcome to stop by in between vehicle servicings, for fluid top offs and airing up the tires.

Fix it right, Fix it once.  HeyAnthonyAz.com

The Repair you need today.

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heyanthonyaz.com bent tubes on fuel pump

Short cuts, compromises, and fix it cheep. Too many clients are asking for what they don’t want.

70% of the clients I work for, know first hand what it means to do the job right.

Lately, I have had an increase in walk in clients that want a cheep repair, but they also want a full warranty? This is not a client, it’s A person with A broken car.

Using top quality parts that come with a 2 year or 24,000 mile warranty is very important to us. Keep in mind that A bad repair will be talked about 100 times more often than a repair done the correct way.

At Tony’s we look at a car one of three ways. Does the client want to have a like new OE repair using all dealer parts. Does the clients want a high quality aftermarket parts. Or will the client just want to fix the part that is broken and nothing else.

A Tony’s we focus on the now. What do you need now, to get your car on the road.

All other repairs needed are estimated and we tell you what needs to be done. We break it down in months and by miles. We will not force you to repair your car with us. We want you to feel happy you used our shop for your repair needs. If you own a car or truck it will need repairs and service. We want you as our client, but the only way that will happen is if we do the repair the right way, not the cheep way.

The image at the top, is a fuel pump unit that was installed in flagstaff one week prior to the truck being towed into our shop with a no start condition. The pump failed because of handling and the changes done to the metal pipes. The client was very mad and had nothing good to say about the shop in Flagstaff.

We called the shop. I found out that the correct repair was offered but the client wanted to use a budget part that needed to be adjusted to make it fit. The Flagstaff shop should have said no, but they did the repair anyway. Now they have one more angry person saying ugly things about them, even though the client guided the repair. The outcome was bad, due to a shop compromise and a fix it cheep attitude.

Fix it right, fix it once. HeyAnthonyAz.com 2015

FREE Oil Change Monthly Drawing at Tony’s

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FREE OIL CHANGE @ TONY’S ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s time to change the oil!

Enter to win! Win a free oil change, enter your information @ Tony’s contact page.

Enter your contact information on Tony’s contact page & in the message box type “Free oil change monthly drawing” and include the make, model and year of your car.

You will be automatically entered into the drawing for the next months free oil change drawing. Enter as often as you like. The winner of the free oil change will be contacted by Tony’s at the end of each drawing month. The free oil change offer will be running till December 2015

The oil change includes, up to 5 qt’s of 10w30 synthetic blend oil, an oil filter, and under hood fluid top off’s, plus a vehicle safety inspection. This is a $30.00 value at our regular price & a great saving if you win it for free. So enter today, it’s easy and free.

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HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2014 ~ It’s all good under the hood…

Rent a car for your small trip.

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Ryan has a 9-year-old Pontiac G6 GT with 218,000 miles. The car is not road ready. It is not ready to take an 800 mile trip at high speeds. Taking a long road trip in a car that needs many repairs and could leave you stranded at the side of the road.

Waiting for a tow truck is no fun.

Ryan is heading out-of-town for a 4 day weekend in Las Vegas. Renting a car is a great idea for a small weekend trip. Ryan’s car needs 1,800.00 of basic mechanical repairs. Plus his vehicle also needs tires. New tires will set Ryan back another 1000.00 bucks.

Ryan has been a client for many years and I did not want to see Ryan have issues out on the road.

Without a doubt, Ryan’s car needs many repairs, but what else could fail on a long road trip? It’s hard to know what could go wrong out on the road.

We offered Ryan a rental with an upgrade to a Lincoln for his long trip. Ryan is going to travel in style and his G6 GT is going to be getting the repairs it has needed for many months. When Ryan gets back to town his car will be ready to go.

The idea is to let the rental car take the beating. Driving out-of-town at high speeds, up hills with the AC cranked on high is a lot of stress for any car, so let the rental take the beating and save your ride for the easy in-town driving.

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

 

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