Tag Archives: mercedes

Tune-up

Posted on by

What is a Tune-up for a modern engine?

Carbon tracking on a 112,000 mile spark plug

From the mid 2000’s and up, the term Tune-up has been replaced with preventative maintenance. Newer engines don’t have anything to adjust. Everything is pre-set from the factory and you only replace parts if they fail or if you like to follow your maintenance schedule listed in the owner’s manual.

Converter meltdown due to a miss fire condition.

A modern engine can be adjusted through software changes, electronic tuning. Software tuning is not a normal undertaking and it voids the manufactures warranty. Programmers and software changes can build big power. All that power comes at a cost, more wear to the engine. When an engine replacement costs around 6,000.00 when it fails. What did you gain? You may also not pass emissions when it’s time for tags.

PCV hose failure.

You can make changes by putting aftermarket performance parts on the engine. Many parts you can bolt on will not void a warranty in most cases. Some bolt on parts can shorten engine life and cause emissions issues.

Replacing the exhaust system can have a big effect in power output. Exhaust changes effect how loud the tail pipe sounds. A loud exhaust is not needed to build power. The exhaust only needs to flow efficiently. Too much flow “big pipe exhaust systems” can hurt low rpm torque making your engine sluggish at lower speeds “city driving” and with the a/c on.

GM HEI Distributor showing a vacuüm advance and mechanical timing advancement weights.

The days of the real tune-ups, when engines had a real distributer, plug wires and a carburetor. It was a common to have 2 or 3 tune-ups a day back in the 80’s and 90’s. The carburetor needed adjustments at lease every time the season would change or around emissions time. The distributer had mechanical parts in it that would wear out. Hoses failed, air pumps died, catalytic converters would melt down. Yep, the good old days, nothing lasted for ever.

Modern cars have owners spoiled. driving a car a 100,000 miles or 10 years and never-changing the spark plugs, coils or installing a new fuel filter is amazing. Modern engines are built better and run cleaner. The improvements do have a price.

Ignition wire failure because it made contact with the hot exhaust manifold.

When parts fail, the price to fix the failure can be very large. When sticker shock sets in, many clients ask why is it so expensive.

I can only tell them that in the good old days it cost the same, it was just done in smaller installments over a 10 year period.

Fix it right, fix it once. HeyAnthonyAz.com

Yep, it’s broken; Plastics…

Posted on by

Plastics, they don’t last forever.

Unhappy owners with broken cars arrive at my shop every month, and the owners just do not understand why the car has broken down. Well, if you drive it, it will wear out…..

Todays autos use lot’s of plastics. Auto makers have always used plastic parts, but in todays cars and trucks plastic parts are used for so many things, it can be frustrating when parts don’t last because they are made of plastic.wp-image-33241149jpg.jpg

Today I have a Nissan Frontier in the shop with a coolant leak at a plastic fitting on the heater core. This is a common thing on a vehicle that is 10 years old or older.

The hard part is informing the client that the engine is bad, because it over heated, due to a plastic part that failed. Using plastics to make a car lighter, and get better emissions is great, but at what cost to the client. I would rather have all cooling system parts made from metal. The auto maker makes the parts out of plastic because it’s cheaper to manufacture.

So what do they care if the part fails and the engine goes bad. That’s why they make new cars anyway.

Fix it right, fix it once. HeyAnthonyAz.com

FREE Oil Change Monthly Drawing at Tony’s

Posted on by

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

Adjust it till it fits?

Posted on by

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

4 months or 4000 miles

Posted on by

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.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

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

 

 

You broke it!

Posted on by

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

 

A Worn Tie Rod, What does one looks like?

Posted on by

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…

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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

For Sale

Posted on by

Yep! It’s For Sale.   ****One owner, driven only on Sunday’s!****

So you are looking for a new car. Maybe not brand new, but new to you. Surfing the web to find a car, can be frustrating.

You may find one you like, but when you go see it in person things change.

I recommend to every client, if you are going to buy a used car. Bring it into the shop for us to check it out. A full car inspection is a small drop in the bucket and it can keep you from getting into a money pit.

Some cars are not worth it, they will suck the money from your budget, and leave you disappointed. The car you choose needs to fit into your budget not eat it alive.

50 to 60% of the cars and trucks that visit the shop for a pre-purchase inspection are only in fair condition. Not worth your time or money

The seller is getting rid of a problem child.

I find a diamond in the rough from time to time, but for the most part many cars I inspect are worn out.

Buying the right car takes a little time. I find that many clients will look at more than 10 cars before they find a keeper.

Cars and trucks from an auction house can be a high risk, so beware that repairs could cost you big if you get a lemon.

So here are 5 basic steps to help you look for your new car.

Step 1: Go look at cars during the day.

Cars on the car lot will look real nice under the bright lights, but you will miss many details at night. During the day it is easy to see all the flaws. Paint color issues and poorly done body repairs are the big defects that hide at night.

Take a flashlight. You need to look behind and under the seats, in the trunk and under the dash. You are looking for anything that looks broken or in need of repair.

Step 2: Buy 2 to 4 years old, let the first owner take the hit.

When you buy a gently used 2 to 4-year-old car, the first owner will take the hit on the deprecation of the car. Almost all cars and trucks take a huge dip in value in the first 5 years. It is best to buy a car no older than 8 years. This way you will still have service parts available to keep your car looking and running good.

Auto manufactures start to drop cosmetic parts at 8 years of age. Cosmetic parts keep your car looking good. If it is in an accident it will need cosmetic parts to put it back together. So It is best to get something newer vs real old.

Mechanical parts will still be available for many years and you may have to go to a regular auto parts source (NAPA) for some things as the car ages past 15 years. Personally I drive a 1993 Toyota Tercel and my Toyota is 20 years old, but Toyota still services almost 80% of the parts for this car.

As long as you love your car and we can get quality parts for it, we can keep your car running great.

Gear head alert: If you have mechanical skills, the year of the car will never matter, but I will still recommend you to have an independent shop inspect the car, because it will be an objective opinion. If I save you money and keep you from buying a money pit, it will be worth every penny for the inspection.

Step 3: Drive the car in the city and on the freeway.

Before you bring the car in for an inspection. You can rule out some things on your own. When you drive the car, does it drive straight down the road? On flat ground, under safe conditions, lightly grip the steering wheel while driving. If the car wants to turn or pull to one side, it could indicate repairs needed. Tires can also cause a pull, but so can worn suspension parts or poor quality accident repairs.

Do the same pull check when using the brakes, does it pull or shake? Take time to listen to the car not the radio. Is the car overly noisy when driving on a smooth road? Does it vibrate at an idle when it is in gear? Does it shake at high speeds above the speed limit…

Does the car smell musty or like an old gym bag when you first get in. This is mostly noticed when you live in a hot climate area like Phoenix, AZ.

Do all the electric devices work? Does the A/C and heat work correctly. This one is a must have in Phoenix, AZ

Just check everything you can, switch everything on and off plus open and close all windows and the sun roof if it has one. If it will pass basic tests you are ready for the next part of the inspection.

Then bring the car into the shop for a full inspection. We will check the engine, fuel and Ignition systems, scan the computer, emissions equipment, transmission and under chassis. We will look for hidden body repairs that may have not been reported to Carfax. If we find issues we can give you retail prices on the needed repairs. This repair list will give you power to wheel and deal with the seller or just pass on the car.

Step 4: Stay away from cars that have “Go Fast” modifications.

Modifications do not add to the retail value or private re-sale value of the car, unless done correctly. Too many times I see cars that are just hacked up, but they look good on the outside. You can break this rule if you want to, but let me tell you why this step is important.

Let’s say you buy a Ford Mustang with a smaller V8 or V6, but later will want to add performance parts to it to make it Go Fast. You just killed the re-sale value of the car and wasted your money for a small gain.

It would be better for you to just buy the Mustang GT. The GT will hold its value because it is not hacked up, plus it is a Go Fast car to start with. Buy right, buy once.

When performance parts go bad, finding replacement parts when traveling can cause issues. A near stock car can be serviced at almost any repair location. Modifications will cost extra to maintain, and may add extra repair labor when servicing your car.

Every change you make to the car has a price. The costs go way past the original installation the parts.

Step 5: The most important step is…

*** “Do not buy any car or truck without getting it inspected!” ***

Ok, this should be a no brainer, but it’s not. I have looked at many cars that clients have already signed the papers on and they own the car.

I act on the clients behalf to protect the client from the seller. Think of it as being your second set of eyes. About 99% of all used cars older than 5 years do not come with a warranty. Yes, you can spend extra money on a 3rd party warranty, but if you buy a good car, you will not need to worry about a warranty because you did your home work. So do not sign anything till you have had it checked out at an independent shop. Even if the car is from a friend!

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

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013