[cardoc]

This is just for info:

Too many times I see cars and their owners get screwed by misdiagnosis or misguided assistance. A few examples follow.

A first time customer to me spends $1500 at another shop in town because her car is running bad and has a P0420. The other shop installed a catalytic converter, 2 oxygen sensors (and they installed the universal ones), MAF, 4 ignition plugs, one coil, TPS and was supposed to do an injector cleaning. Every part replacement ended with the same results. No change in engine operation and a P0420. She came to me under the advise of one of my other customers. Found the problem in 2 minutes. I could hear it. The intake manifold gasket was leaking. This was a MAF sensor engine, so the air coming in on the backside of the sensor was throwing off the ECM's fuel map making the car run extremely lean. $210 repair and it ran like a bat outa ****.

Another customer comes to me at the advise of a longstanding customer. His dash lights, door locks, radio and AC start flickering on/off intermittently. 2 shops and a dealership visit later and no one can find a problem. I talked with him 5 minutes and checked the battery output, which was at 660 amps. I then checked the conductance to the block, 555 amps. a 105 amp drop. Not uncommon. When I checked conductance to the body of the truck, 70 amps. Drastic drop. All the cable from the battery to the engine block, starter, ground straps were in place without corrosion. Load tested the alternator and it works perfect. I added a 4 gauge cable from the battery negative to the body of the truck and retested conductance. Now the body shows 550. The BCM, as well as a majority of the electronics in the truck ground to the body of the truck. 70 amps is not enough for the BCM to operate properly, thus the flickering. Increase ground conductivity, problem solved. $45.

Another customer comes from a lube shop that also does state inspections where a tech school student doing the inspection relayed to him that he needed a catalytic converter since his car failed inspection for a P0420. He came to me. I replaced the stuck open thermostat, $105, problem solved.

Guy comes in after having his truck scanned at AutoZone. P0171/172, too lean bank 1 and 2. Auto Zone tried to sell him O2 sensors. Parts guys, really?? It was a Ford 5.4. Had a vacuum leak. An elbow that attaches to the rear of the intake for PCV had deteriorated and split open, sucking in air downstream of the MAF. One hose, $5.

I can go on and on and on. Don't fret that code with the word associated with an expensive repair. Don't take one man's word for gold. If you have doubt, get another opinion. Modern vehicles are manufactured and programmed in such a way to allow for long life. The downside is we are still operating under OBDII standards and have to look for the underlying problem causing our malfunctions. Most times, in my cases, its something simple and overlooked.

Don't chase it. Find it, capture it and put it to an end.

You know why the great techs drive Subarus? They don't break down. As long as you treat them right.

Coming soon: One 2001 Outback VDC H6 Blown with 45% plus gains in HP and Torque. Reprogramming the Denso is the last obstacle and we are working on it daily. Soooo Close. Fuel Mapping and an obstinate ECM.

 

[cardoc]

I have never used a reman axle from Auto Zone. I have from other parts suppliers and have not had any problems.

What you need to understand about the parts business is that the parts companies buy products from manufacturers and sell them. Like a grocer. You find the same brand in all the stores, with slight difference in price or packaging. That house brand bread was actually made by Rainbow, just for example. Its the same blend, different package. The downside of Auto Zone is that they have a poor house brand across the board because the manufacturing specs are reduced in quality. Reduced quality equals reduced price. I do know that their electrical parts are poor.

Now, in comparison with OE parts: The auto manufacturers do not manufacture their parts. The engineers design the build for the part and contract it out to the actual manufacturer. Denso, Mitsubishi Electric, NGK, Bosch, Gates, to name a few, manufacture the parts then ship to the factory. Now, when you find that you can't get the part anywhere except the dealer, or get the one that actually works, it is because the Auto Manufacturer has locked up production and bought the rights to hold for a determined number of years, before that part can be offered in the aftermarket. That's why some aftermarket parts just don't work on a Subaru. They are not made to exact specification. Just close, not perfect. Until the production rights are released, the aftermarket can only make and sell inferior parts.

You ever get that part from the store down the street and the plug is slightly off? It wasn't an accident. That slight change allows them to sell it as a part that will fit, although incorrect. Same with the electronics, the resistance built within can be out by .001 and pass as a working part, but the PCM will see it different.

 

[cardoc]

On points:

The dealership hires people out of tech schools. Its on the job training. I've had L1 techs working under me that couldn't spell ASE and couldn't do the job correct.

My shop: first full year in the shop had a 243% increase in repairs. Second year, 27%. This year, on track for 25%. Majority word of mouth referrals. My customers post their feelings on FaceBook about me. I know I'm doing my job.

 

[cardoc]

I wish I had seen this before I took my son's 2002 in for a cat converter. I just got back with the car 10 minutes ago. It BETTER pass SI now that they did the work. They (Georgetown Subaru) told me it needed a few 20 mile cycles to reset the fault.
On the way home I realize he needs a new clutch and brake work.
Do you have your own shop? I'd like to contact you.

Weren't you buy the shop for an oil change on a 13 OB? Came back because the oil level light came on then went off? Pflugerville?

If not, then someone I talked to last week has similar problems to yours.

Sent PM.

 

[cardoc]

Thanks Raster.

I earn enough for what I need and a little extra.

The thing is, people outside this trade don't know of the cost of this profession. Here's a list:

Tools: I own approximately $60k+ in tools including specialty tools for odd balls like V6 Audi's and Ford 4.0 SOHC. And tools break or stretch out with constant use, so they need replacement. Then there's the storage for everything.

Computer equipment: Between mine and the owner's stash, probably $10-15k. And that's not the shop's computer system to run the Lube Lanes and infrastructure. That's automotive diagnostic equipment and software and some need annual updates which average $750 a pop. Then there's the alignment equipment that require regular software updates and calibrations, not to mention electronics issues or the cost when a tech drops a $1700 alignment head on the concrete.

Education: Time and money both; LOTS and its continual.

I got my knick from a customer. He likened my skills to a doctor, only I have to know more. The human body is similar throughout. Automobiles are not. Think about how much information I have that covers every manufacturer over a large number of years, and its all stored in my mind.

I favor Subaru. I repair everything.

And I love my work.

SE95, send me a PM of your problem and I'll go from there. Its a GM. Can't be that difficult.


.

 

[cardoc]

Educate. Educate. Educate.

Owners need to understand something: When the automobile was created, it was up to the owner to maintain and repair. It has gradually gotten to the point that most owners only know how to put gas in and drive it. A lot aren't even good at driving.

I try to get the owners to learn about their cars. Listen to them. Talk to them if it makes you feel better. You spend hours a day in it. KNOW it.

In some of my post, I give short answers. On purpose. You need to think, deduce and learn from it. Remember it.

The best thing that has come out of the evolution of the automobile has been computer controls. Its not that difficult, really. If you can run a PC or laptop, you can communicate with your car. Just put the effort in to it. Learn the data and how to recognize an issue before it escalates. Don't be lazy and look for the quick fix. Its not there. If you put the same effort into reading your car as you did searching the internet for hours on end trying to find that $5 fix, you may have been able to save yourself a lot of time, trouble and expense. Not to mention energy.

With rising cost of everything, I understand wanting a low cost solution. Sometimes, its not there because when the issue was small and manageable, it was ignored, put off, waited on to see if it would go away. I've had customers say that, "I thought the noise would go away.". It did, when the engine quit. $3000, please. The oil change would have been $45. Or that $10 air filter. Stop and put air in the tires. Keep it clean so you know when there is a leak; you wash the outside, vacuum the inside, why not the engine?

Little things add up. Whether its the little things you do to maintain it or the little noises that creep up on you, you must pay attention.

And if that diagnostic seems a little on the screwy side, get a 2nd, or 3rd. I don't like giving away my money any more than the next person, so I know what your thinking, but shelling out money that doesn't repair the problem means shelling out even more.

A lastly, on this post anyway, I will say one thing about Subaru owners that makes them better than the owner of most other autos; they take care of them rather than run them in the ground. I've never heard a Subie owner say, "I'm not worried about that, I'll just drive it til it quits and get rid of it."