Todays @WordPress.org prompt was about confidence. It ties into working on cars perfectly. Confidence will get you through the job, it’s about having faith in yourself and your ability.
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Clean Cars Get Better Diagnosed?
Someone recently told me that clean cars get a better level of diagnosis and I laughed. But the comment stuck in my head and after a day or two of it rattling around in there it started to make sense to me.
If you’ve ever been stuck on a job and feel all avenues have been exhausted its not failure to ask someone for a second opinion. In fact it’s probably the best move you can make.
Making assumptions about important decisions in life is something very few if any will do. But when it comes to cars some technicians seem to take this approach in the hope of getting to a fix quicker.
Mostly this ends in frustration and added costs. But why is this happening?
The failure is the man who stays down when he falls.
David Dunbar Buick
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Wrong diagnosis sells more parts
I got a call a few days ago to diagnose a hard-start/long crank complaint on an Audi A6 3.2 V6 (C6). Nothing odd about that, these are the types of vehicle I mostly work on. Right up my street.
The complication here was going to be that others had looked at this and they all had their opinions. The diagnosis given by most, including two major car parts retailers who do the “free scan” and then sell you parts, was a crankshaft sensor.
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So much horrible advice out there
YouTube is a fantastic source of information. Whatever subject you can think of there’s a how-to on there. This is never truer than when it comes to car repairs.
There are literally thousands of videos out there for any problem you might encounter. I’ll consult a select few myself to see if the problem I’m having is covered. It’s a great way to see other people’s perspective.
What I notice is that a lot of customers will say they saw something about an issue they’re having on YouTube and the guy just did this or that and it fixed it. And always it’s the “quick fix” or the video with the guy pouring salt and toilet cleaner down the intake to clean out a turbo! Basically nonsense stuff.
My question is. How, with all the good information on there do people almost always find the nastiest way of doing something – and believe it – before finding the right way of doing it?
I’m guessing simple explanations are more emotionally satisfying than a proper diagnosis.
A BMW arrived into the workshop with a complaint of the headlight leveling system not working.
Where I worked at the time this system was a roadworthiness test fail and the owner had been quoted around $2000 for headlamp unit replacement.
I was tasked with checking this out as a second opinion. The owner really didn’t want to spend this kind of money if it wasn’t necessary.
I watched a guy being sold a tire repair kit today in a well known tool supply store. And it was excruciating to witness.
This kit is cheap. Too cheap. I know. I bought one when it was on special offer to see what it was like.
This VW Golf came in with a severe misfire. A quick visual inspection showed 2 heavily corroded plug leads. The fix was a set of spark plugs, coil pack and 4 new plug leads.
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Chloe’s Diner Massillon Ohio
My first time at Chloe’s Diner in Massillon Ohio, having just moved to a city about 40 mins away. Well worth the trip for the memorabilia alone, service and the food was also fantastic!
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Do you take notes as you diagnose?
Years ago I started taking notes as I diagnosed vehicles. It helped me remember what I’d done as the job progressed and cut down on double checking myself when I’d find a strange reading elsewhere.
This post relates directly to my Mercedes ML Wandering Steering Fix post. This time it’s a VW with a similar issue but with a real dull knock from the undercarriage that was hard to pin down at first
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Why won’t this car start?
This Mercedes came in with a no start complaint. According to the owner this has happened before but he has no documentation showing what the issues were and what work was needed to fix it. Of course I can’t assume it’s the same problem.
You know you’re a mechanic when someone sends you this image and says, “can you tell me what’s wrong”
The light is not the problem it’s just an indicator of an emissions/drivetrain related fault
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Mercedes ML W164 Wandering Steering Fix
Does your Mercedes ML W164 have floating steering or feel like it’s wandering when trying to drive in a straight line? This relatively simple fix could be the cause.
The photo above shows the 4 bushings that hold your steering rack in place. It’s a very similar set up for the VW Touareg and a number of other vehicles. These are a very common wear item and are also commonly overlooked.