Category Archives: The Basics

Simple things to keep your car happy

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

 

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

For Sale

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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

 

Man Made

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A Man Made failure can be very hard to find. I get two or three a year that make me pull my hair out. Most of the time I know something is rotten, because it looks like some one has man handled the area in question.

A man-made failure is still a failure, but a man-made failure will cause many more issues during the diagnosis.

Someone caused the failure, it did not happen on its own.

What did they do or not do right…

Man made failures are not a normal condition related to age or heat. A man-made failure is caused by an owner doing DIY repairs or a junior mechanic working on the car the wrong way.

The part pictured above is from a Nissan. The Nissan was at a car wash for an engine detail and two days later it would not run correctly and set a lean code (P0171). Yes, the check engine light came on.

Issues after an engine detail are very common.

I have many car owners that have skills, and they bring the car to me when the job is outside what they can do. I am Ok with that. Doing your own repairs is fine, just do not bring it to me in a basket and expect it to be cheep to put back together.

The image above and just below are from a 6.0 V8 Chevy engine. The two Chevrolet knock sensors, live in a well under the intake manifold. The ash look on the sensors is due to an engine detail. The hot water under high pressure went into the well area and worked its way into the sensor. Boo Hoo, it set a code and it was only four days after the engine detail.

If your car is 8 years old or older, I would not recommend to do any high pressure washing around the engine and engine harness. The damage high pressure water will do, can cost you more trouble than its worth. I wash my engine bays with hot low pressure soap & water. Then I blow dry everything before re-starting the engine.

Car owners can cause more issues than a junior tech, because they just do not know any better. The next image below is just that case. The owner installed a fancy gauge kit on his Toyota Supra and then odd things started to happen about a month later.

Clients lie, yes I said it, they lie. It is just like a little kid getting in trouble, they did something that caused a problem, and now they need a bail out, but they do not want to admit they did it.

The normal story I hear often is a friend installed it for me or I had a shop install it and now it does not work.

With more Q&A you find out that they never had a friend or shop install it. Go figure.

I have worked with many junior technicians and every one of them had questions. I like it when they ask before they jump right into the fire. The image above is from a man-made failure that an 8 year tech made.

I worked with him for 4 months and never questioned his work. One day I had a Toyota Camry pop in that had an odd issue. It was running rich and had an odd flutter upon acceleration. I had never seen anything like this before.

After 2 hours of tests I had my answer. I did not like what I found. The cam shaft gear was touching the signal wire to the #1 injector. It was causing extra injection pulses, causing the rich fuel mixture and engine flutter.

The tech had just replaced the valve cover gasket the week before.

When I showed the tech the findings, he had a I don’t care response. When I asked him why he felt this way, he said, look at the car, it’s a P.O.S.

The tech quit that Friday.

It does not matter how old a car is or the condition the car is in. Every repair needs to have the same quality. Service above self. Doing your best every time not just some of the time.

P.O.S. defined:  pile of shit

 

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

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

 

P0171 & P0173

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Engine codes P0171 and P0173, a lean fuel system condition, the engine may miss fire or feel lazy. Modern cars and trucks have many sensors that send information to the engine computer. The engine computer looks at the information coming in from all the input sensors and then it makes changes to the, transmission operation, ignition timing and fuel injector delivery. The computer does this very fast, so fast most drivers will never feel the changes taking place.

The computer adjusts many outputs at the same time, every second.

The PCV hose pictured above, is for a 2009 Ford truck. The old hose went bad and caused two codes in the engine computer. P0171 and P0173 are codes for a lean condition inside the engine. The hose below failed, causing the codes to set in the engine computer.

When the C.E.L. (check engine light) comes on, it makes you wonder, is it critical or a minor issue. Plus now you have something new to fit into your budget, Great!

As long as your check engine light is not flashing at you, you can still drive your car, but should get it in for service as soon as possible. The light is on for a reason.

A lean condition can cause many issues. Fuel economy will become poor and the engine may even stall when coming to a stop. It will run rough when cold and lack power when warm. It needs attention, your ride is unhappy, and it’s time to make a repair.

Hose failure is the most common cause of a lean fuel system. Many parts on the engine can cause a lean code issue, so you should have a ASE certified shop look at your engine light issue. Free code checks at the auto parts store will not be 100%.

I use dealer parts often. In this case, the PCV hose has been updated. When ever I have a chance to make a repair that will solve more than one issue I do it. The hose was updated to prevent PCV carbon build up and the rubber hose joints are made thicker. The part was less than $30.00. An investment vs just using a regular chunk of hose, but it will last. At Tony’s service center every repair we do comes with a 2 year 24,000 mile warranty.

Stop in for a visit today.

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

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

 

Check it!

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It’s Monday, and I see a Chevrolet truck on the lot that has not been in for about 5 months.

On its last visit, it was low on oil, it did not read on the oil dip stick at all. It was low due to, the engine burns oil. The engine has no oil leaks, it burns the oil inside the engine because of its age. It’s old and has 140,000 miles of hard use.

At the last L.O.F. service, I talked to the client about checking the oil every 30 days or stopping by so I could check the oil for him. It only takes a moment to prevent a failure!

Well the engine ran out of oil for the last time. The engine failed. Checking the oil in your car or truck only takes 2 minuets, so why wait till the engine is making noise or worse.

I talk to clients about checking the engine oil, engine coolant and tire pressure every 30 days, but I only have a hand full that do it regularly. It only takes a moment to stop by for us to check it.

So why wait, check it today!

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

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

 

Lady Saturn

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Saturn

I have worked on hundreds of Saturn cars. I like them, but I find some Saturn owners are odd. Not a bad odd, just odd. Lady Saturn is just that, she is odd. Lady Saturn thinks she knows everything about everything. Google is just a click away, so why should Lady Saturn take our word that her car needs to be repaired. Lady Saturn can click her car into good health.

Lady Saturn stopped in today for me to look at a noise. (Note Lady Saturn has been in the shop 8 times in 12 months, but never said yes to any repair we estimated.) The noise was related to a drive belt that was ready to fail. The belt was missing chunks of rubber and it had a tattered edge. It was needing replacement today.

When I showed Lady Saturn the belt she debated that is was not bad enough to change yet and I must be wrong about the cause of the noise.

I just closed the hood and walked away. Lady Saturn was not seeing the need for the repair. The car is ready to break down today and Lady Saturn wants to debate that nothing is wrong.

So why did she stop in to have us look at the car? I am still wondering why.

I hate to say it, but I hope Lady Saturn does not come back.

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

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

 

Green Grass

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Is the Grass Greener on the other side?

Green grass with mint plants along a fence.

Green grass with a shrub fence line, it looks nice, but what is on the other side?

The big question of the week, is the Grass Greener? Yes, yes it is, if you are on the right side of the fence.

When do you know you are on the right side of the fence? When you get what you want, duh.

So is it Ok to jump ship for something better, yes! If it is better and not a tease.

Many “big chain” retail shops today will bid low to draw you in, then slowly add things until they get what they want. This is called (a bait and switch) Coupon shopping automotive repair can lead you to bigger problems.

mesh fence and green grass on the other side

Wow, this looks good, it’s green.

At Tony’s we have an up front pricing system.

Yes, it may seem higher if you are a discount shopper, but it is real world pricing with quality parts and a solid warranty.

Some people, including my wife will drive 10 miles to save $1.00 on a pair of $18.00 shoes. The percentage of savings ‘vs’ gas cost does not add up. The grass was not greener.

The savings has to be BIG for me to look across the fence. Service providers like to know you use them because you like the work they do. The price is not the main issue, it’s about the quality! Anyway, if I want a service to match a price, most of the time they can match apples for apples, you just have to ask.

Stacy was a long time client and her truck needed transmission repairs. Our transmission vendor looked at the truck and advised a full overhaul. The transmission had 147,000 miles on it. It lived a good life and then some. Stacy did not like the price of the repair. Stacy was mad, because she felt our price was just too high. Stacy picked up her truck and took it to a big name transmission retailer that said they could do the full overhaul 20% cheaper than we could.

Fast forward 2 months, Stacy finally got her truck back from the transmission shop. Yep, It was in the shop a long time. The first overhaul only went a week before it failed. Stacy’s second visit to the retailer took 2 weeks to sort out who would pay for the failure. In all, Stacy had to take her truck back to the shop 4 more times before it was working correctly. It was a big mess. Stacy, spent over $4,000 for all of her efforts, not including rental car charges. Stacy was not happy.

Our overhaul price was only $3,200 and it came with a 24,000 mile / 2 year warranty. The other shop only offered 1 year and 12,000 miles.

I know the full story, because Stacy’s brother is a client at our shop. I hope Stacy will return to our shop some day. Stacy found out too late, the grass was not greener.

weeds and dirt with rocks

No body want to land in something like this. Bouncing from shop to shop will not save money in the long run and you could land in a nasty mess.

Price matching an estimate is easy. I know my estimates will always be higher, I am picky about quality. If a client has a legitimate written estimate from a competitor, we can match that estimate apples for apples.

Quality vs price; the quality will be remebered long after the price savings.

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

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013