Automotive code readers cause problems in the wrong hands By: Mark Smith Being an automotive jobber store has sure changed throughout the years. Those jobbers that did not adapt with the changing times are gone. That??
intrade,
Oct 14, 11:26pm
I asked one of my larger customers why they didn??
intrade,
Oct 14, 11:27pm
A good tool in the wrong hands is worse than the wrong tool in good hands. Giving a dentist a hammer and a chisel will still result in a tooth extraction, but possibly a few more than the bad tooth.
Then we have the infomercial guys. They claim that their code readers will save the consumer thousands of dollars because repair shops are diagnosing the wrong thing, or pontificating that average consumers can simply buy the part themselves, and solve the problem in DIY fashion, thus eliminating the need for a qualified repair shop. These infomercials tend to infuriate me because they actually promise consumers that they can save money by using their tool.
This is worse than a retail store scanning your car because an automotive retail employee might actually know the difference between a MAP sensor and a MAF sensor and their purpose in the grand scheme of all things automotive. But it still might not be the problem, and often times it is definitely not the problem.
By the way, one of these infomercials actually displayed the ASE certification logo during its rant about how bypassing garages and service centers will save you thousands. Anyone besides me see that and lose your ever lovin??
intrade,
Oct 14, 11:28pm
ignorant grease monkeys= swaptron-morons
Even worse, I realized that I??
tweake,
Oct 15, 12:14am
absolutely. its surprising how many lack basic diagnostic skills. even to the point of "we can't diagnose a fault because there is no fault code".
frytime,
Oct 15, 1:48am
Spot on intrade. Where did you find this?
intrade,
Oct 16, 1:15am
Its from a professional magazin i subscribed to.
billyfieldman,
Oct 16, 1:28am
I've often wonder why auto retail stores such as Repco, Supercheap or Partmasters do not conduct free DIY automotive courses the way Bunnings and Mitre10 do for home DIY.
Wouldn't it be better to encourage more regular Kiwis to DIY and buy from the store at retail prices rather than selling the same parts and tools to garages at trade prices?
intrade,
Oct 16, 2:22am
can you refrase your question billyfieldman these are 2 questions right?
elect70,
Oct 16, 2:43am
The garage i know says if its beyond his ability to diagnose complex systems then he sends the customer to relevant dealer & men in white coats . He says aint spending squillions of $ on all the tech for every make of car , as unless he was doing several a day it would never pay for itself . Still has a full workshop every week without getting into the hi tech stuff .lubes ,tyres , brakes, basic work etc keep the 2 of them busy , does quite a few engine swaps esp in older 4WD s deisels
craigsmith,
Oct 16, 7:04am
They don't have staff that are anything like qualified to do technical work, let alone teach it.
craigsmith,
Oct 16, 7:16am
[quote]I have vehemently defended our repair industry for years and years when I hear consumers argue about getting ripped off.[/quote]
Last time I had my Ford worked on I got billed about $80 just for the code scan. Considering you can buy a decent code reader for less than that, I'm not surprised at the resistance from consumers and the opportunities made for retail stores and infomercial marketers as a consequence.
In the same job I was charged $40+ per spark plug, for NGK Platinums that are available overseas for about $10 each. This was what I think is a "good" (trustworthy) place - the issue is just the 'normal' Kiwi royal piss-take with inflated mark-ups and rorts like piecemeal scanning charges.
So maybe if the 'industry' sorted out its practices, it would have less to bitch about when it comes to retail store pretenders and DIY amateurs.
franc123,
Oct 16, 7:31am
The answer to that one is than none of their staff are realistically capable, and secondly not that many people actually diagnose and fix their own cars any more. A look inside these said establishments tells you what they sell in volume and what they make money on, very basic tools, stereos, a few oils and greases, filters, bulbs, grooming materials and a whole range of tasteless junky accessories, not much more. Need a crank angle sensor for your Golf, an airflow meter for your Primera, a coil pack for your Falcon, a new short block for your Commodore, a taillight for your Civic, a diff bearing set for your Hiace? You will have to order it if they are even interested/capable of supplying it at all.
elect70,
Oct 17, 3:14am
^^ agree plus if they gave wrong info the buyer could sue them . Best left to the pros . Bit like asking pharmacist to diagnose your medical problem .
quickbuck,
Oct 17, 8:48am
Except the pharmacist actually knows a little bit about what they are selling.
***Ducking****
intrade,
Oct 25, 2:20am
bump for maitreyah.
intrade,
Oct 25, 3:32am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKRPkCdYmek pete meier explains what a tech needs to know you can clearly see codes are not parts to exchange if you whatch this video 2 parts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-sm_DNET9Q this article above comes from the motor age magazin He also explains about the 2 rooms global obd and factory enhanced he calls it . You must look in both rooms global obd2 is only emission data this car has a emission related fault . missfire you will be surprised what the problem is in the end.
intrade,
Nov 2, 5:27am
here is a thred open help request i just posted on in iatn= international-automotive-techn- ition-network.
1998 Toyota Corolla CE 1.8L Poor Idle Quality, Poor Fuel Economy, MIL Lamp on you can read what he said This Corolla is being naughty. OK, car comes in with misfire, lean codes and running rough. Replaced plugs and wires and fixed the misfires. Problem is the fuel trims are waayyyy out. It's adding about 39% ltft,19% stft. Searched all over and can't locate a vacuum leak anywhere. Pinched off PCV and brake booster. The car does not have a MAF. Tried new MAP, new upstream o2, fuel pressure in spec @52psi, about 19in vac at idle, ran car on motorvac machine at 90psi and it ran ok with stft coming down. Car runs good and revs fine if a little bit of carb spray is added. It's clearly running way lean. If the battery is disconnected, the fuel trims reset and the car is un-drivable until it relearns and sends the trims + 39%. All cylinders @180psi compression. Removed injector rail, pulsed injectors and visually they have a nice spray, all look equal. After the car learns the fuel trim it runs decent. No misfires just a little low on power but MIL comes on. The weird thing is, the back of the car is all sooted up as if was running rich. But from all the testing I think it needs more fuel. Also, the original plugs were oil, sooted up pretty bad. Thinking maybe trying all new injectors but want some advice in case I'm overlooking something else.
intrade,
Nov 2, 5:29am
notice he knows what he is doing fueltrim data tells its a lean condition or its not enough fuel now i cant see what others write only after i have sent post i can see what the other helpers wrote.
so here is what i posted to that. well thats a clue "ran car on motorvac machine at 90psi and it ran ok" . the thing is it has the right pressure, but does it supply the right amount of flow from the fueltank is what i ask my self . Also i would check the evap is not where it has a problem getting air from and i be testing if it makes a difference with fuel cap off , also ethanol content in fuel problem? all things to check and tick off as ok or not.
intrade,
Dec 2, 5:01pm
and here what the others wrote
Oct 30, 2015 5:59:53 PM
plugged air filter? Reply 5 Report Abuse ok
Oct 31, 2015 6:44:01 AM
It's worth a look at your valve clearances at this mileage. Tight exhaust valves will cause your symptoms. Reply 6 Report Abuse ok
Oct 31, 2015 8:31:09 AM
Make sure oxygen sensors operating and also cat not clogged up Reply 7 Report Abuse ok
Oct 31, 2015 9:30:43 AM
I have seen the tenshioner so worn out the timing would jump from tdc. Reply 8 Report Abuse ok
Oct 31, 2015 10:07:55 AM
Check for vacuum leaks with a smoke machine. Check fuel volume. Pull the injector rail again and place some clear cups under each injector and run all of the injectors for the same amount of time, then it can be verified if they are all flowing equally. Is the coolant temperature reading correctly? Reply 9 Report Abuse ok
Oct 31, 2015 10:18:53 AM
Need to check your fuel volume Reply 10 Report Abuse ok
Oct 31, 2015 5:52:44 PM
It is a good idea to check for alcohol in the fuel. e85 in the tank can raise the fuel trim values & create a lot of drive-ability issues. Reply 11 Report Abuse ok
Oct 31, 2015 7:41:59 PM
The 2000 and newer MAF cars are really sensitive and set lean codes easily. The speed density system in 98 & 99 didn't have enough accuracy or data to set lean codes until they barely ran. You have the aluminum intake, which doesn't leak like the plastic ones do. I am betting on injectors. Blow by bakes onto the bottom of the nozzles. Cleaning the injectors barely touches them and the pattern never looks bad. Since they come out easily and new injectors cost 1/3 of the car's value, we came up with a procedure. The four injectors get soaked upright for 30 minutes in Seafoam or Berryman's B12. Then we clean them with a gray ScotchBrite pad. Sometimes they survive years after that, but you should at least see noticeable fuel trim change. Even if the trim is still too lean, you've confirmed the injectors.
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