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New cars are made to be disposable. You use them for the warranty period and trade it in for the latest and greatest. Flat rate techs don’t necessarily get screwed. I’m sure it’s not the first water pump and warped heads they have seen on that engine. Pattern failures are what gets them basically free diag time, and they probably completed that job enough times to do it blindfolded. If a dealership tech is surprised, it’s probably because the customer did some extra credit work to the car, like ignoring the pegged temp gauge and overheat warning on the dash and really cooking the engine.
The manufacturer doesn’t really care about the vehicle once the warranty expires. Some of the cars i work on have twin turboed 12 cylinders monsters where a DOHC V8 would be a tight squeeze. You could dump a bag of sand over the top of the engine compartment and not have a single grain reach the ground. Replacing something like a pre-cat oxygen sensor requires dropping the engine. Warranty pays 4.7 hours to replace plugs. Everything on that engine was designed to make it through the warranty period, and once the vehicle goes second hand, it’s a disaster on wheels. Just go to a few used car lots. They are flooded with late model MB AMGs with giant engines and selling for the price of a new well equipped compact. Some people think they are getting a great deal when they choose that executive class cruiser, but have no clue what it costs to maintain it. I have customers come in all the time for diag and leave furious like i just told them their kid is ugly because their late model second hand car is now going to cost as much as a new Corolla to repair.
New cars are made to be disposable. You use them for the warranty period and trade it in for the latest and greatest. Flat rate techs don’t necessarily get screwed. I’m sure it’s not the first water pump and warped heads they have seen on that engine. Pattern failures are what gets them basically free diag time, and they probably completed that job enough times to do it blindfolded. If a dealership tech is surprised, it’s probably because the customer did some extra credit work to the car, like ignoring the pegged temp gauge and overheat warning on the dash and really cooking the engine.
The manufacturer doesn’t really care about the vehicle once the warranty expires. Some of the cars i work on have twin turboed 12 cylinders monsters where a DOHC V8 would be a tight squeeze. You could dump a bag of sand over the top of the engine compartment and not have a single grain reach the ground. Replacing something like a pre-cat oxygen sensor requires dropping the engine. Warranty pays 4.7 hours to replace plugs. Everything on that engine was designed to make it through the warranty period, and once the vehicle goes second hand, it’s a disaster on wheels. Just go to a few used car lots. They are flooded with late model MB AMGs with giant engines and selling for the price of a new well equipped compact. Some people think they are getting a great deal when they choose that executive class cruiser, but have no clue what it costs to maintain it. I have customers come in all the time for diag and leave furious like i just told them their kid is ugly because their late model second hand car is now going to cost as much as a new Corolla to repair.
Different strokes for different folks. It depends on what you get paid, what sort of work you do, and what feels good. Most of my tools are Snap-On. I buy them because the tool guy shows up every week, on time, and is as professional about the tools and his job as i am about about mine. I toss him at least $50 every week and he gets me what i need and takes care of anything i break. I don’t have to worry about the nonsense of driving out to a Sears and trying to warranty a tool that in some high school student’s opinion is ‘abused’.
Once i retire, i may pass on my tools to someone else or sell them. The brand is universally recognized by pros and the tools have resell value. There will be a Snap-On truck 40 years from now and the tools will be worth the same as they are now. If a Snap-On tool needs to be calibrated, it can be done pretty much anywhere. A couple weeks ago i asked him to send my refrigerant sniffer out for calibration since the AC season is coming up – he had it done at no charge to me.
Some of my tools are Hazet, Stahlwille, and specialty tools. Once i break those, i basically have to buy new ones. Having someone come out every week to take care of your tool issues is very nice.
Buy what you need and what you feel works for you. Tools are a very individual thing.
Different strokes for different folks. It depends on what you get paid, what sort of work you do, and what feels good. Most of my tools are Snap-On. I buy them because the tool guy shows up every week, on time, and is as professional about the tools and his job as i am about about mine. I toss him at least $50 every week and he gets me what i need and takes care of anything i break. I don’t have to worry about the nonsense of driving out to a Sears and trying to warranty a tool that in some high school student’s opinion is ‘abused’.
Once i retire, i may pass on my tools to someone else or sell them. The brand is universally recognized by pros and the tools have resell value. There will be a Snap-On truck 40 years from now and the tools will be worth the same as they are now. If a Snap-On tool needs to be calibrated, it can be done pretty much anywhere. A couple weeks ago i asked him to send my refrigerant sniffer out for calibration since the AC season is coming up – he had it done at no charge to me.
Some of my tools are Hazet, Stahlwille, and specialty tools. Once i break those, i basically have to buy new ones. Having someone come out every week to take care of your tool issues is very nice.
Buy what you need and what you feel works for you. Tools are a very individual thing.
Something tells me there is more to this story. A shop would not release a vehicle with no brakes to a customer. When you got the car back there either was air in the system or there wasn’t. You likely have a failed component and it has nothing to do with the brake line replacement or how the brakes were bled. For example a master cylinder drawing in air. Squishing noises from the brake pedal can indicate a leaking master that’s allowing fluid to enter into the brake booster and resulting in that ‘squishing’ noise. If this happened at my shop, i would have the vehicle towed in and diag it for free at this point since this is a safety issue and i don’t want customers coming back complaining of how dead they are. How they handle it is entirely up to them.
The second issue is likely the hazard switch. The flasher function is handled inside the switch. Common failure characteristics include inop indicators or an indicator that turns on but won’t flash.
Something tells me there is more to this story. A shop would not release a vehicle with no brakes to a customer. When you got the car back there either was air in the system or there wasn’t. You likely have a failed component and it has nothing to do with the brake line replacement or how the brakes were bled. For example a master cylinder drawing in air. Squishing noises from the brake pedal can indicate a leaking master that’s allowing fluid to enter into the brake booster and resulting in that ‘squishing’ noise. If this happened at my shop, i would have the vehicle towed in and diag it for free at this point since this is a safety issue and i don’t want customers coming back complaining of how dead they are. How they handle it is entirely up to them.
The second issue is likely the hazard switch. The flasher function is handled inside the switch. Common failure characteristics include inop indicators or an indicator that turns on but won’t flash.
One of my cars is almost 19 years old and is one of roughly 1000 units imported to the US. Many parts are no longer available at the dealer. To obtain these rare parts, i signed up to several communities where i can occasionally find someone parting out a crashed unit. When one of these vehicles comes up i tend to buy up the components that i expect to fail in the foreseeable future. Scouring eBay and Craigslist is another source of used parts. Most people who own these cars know how rare the parts are so they are never cheap. Needless to say i have a lot of spare parts laying around, but that just comes with owning an old car.
Some parts can be rebuilt and i have many guides written by owners of these vehicles on what components to use and how to rebuild them. The few parts that were weak from the factory and are no longer available have to be replaced with adapted aftermarket components. For example, i’m now using reliable GM LS series ignition coils along with a wire harness that i made.
Also, since these cars were a bit more common outside the US, i sometimes look at international eBay sites and talk the seller into shipping to the US.
It can be tough, but it’s totally worth it.
One of my cars is almost 19 years old and is one of roughly 1000 units imported to the US. Many parts are no longer available at the dealer. To obtain these rare parts, i signed up to several communities where i can occasionally find someone parting out a crashed unit. When one of these vehicles comes up i tend to buy up the components that i expect to fail in the foreseeable future. Scouring eBay and Craigslist is another source of used parts. Most people who own these cars know how rare the parts are so they are never cheap. Needless to say i have a lot of spare parts laying around, but that just comes with owning an old car.
Some parts can be rebuilt and i have many guides written by owners of these vehicles on what components to use and how to rebuild them. The few parts that were weak from the factory and are no longer available have to be replaced with adapted aftermarket components. For example, i’m now using reliable GM LS series ignition coils along with a wire harness that i made.
Also, since these cars were a bit more common outside the US, i sometimes look at international eBay sites and talk the seller into shipping to the US.
It can be tough, but it’s totally worth it.
Rock Auto is alright. The parts are cheap enough, but their shipping system is complicated and expensive. They have several warehouses and charge a separate shipping fee for each one. Lets say you order a set of brake pads, some plugs, and wiper blades. Each of those items may be shipped from a separate warehouse and a what was $60 in parts may now be $95 after shipping costs are applied.
I have placed countless orders with them but I’m mindful of which warehouse they are coming from so there are no additional shipping costs. Sometimes it’s cheaper to select a more expensive part just because it’s coming from the same warehouse as the rest of the order. They have only screwed up an order once, and there was one instance where the shipped the correct part number but it was the incorrect part for my car.
I only work on German cars so i often use AutohausAZ.com – Any order over $50 gets free ground shipping. They carry some parts for domestics and japs as well.
Rock Auto is alright. The parts are cheap enough, but their shipping system is complicated and expensive. They have several warehouses and charge a separate shipping fee for each one. Lets say you order a set of brake pads, some plugs, and wiper blades. Each of those items may be shipped from a separate warehouse and a what was $60 in parts may now be $95 after shipping costs are applied.
I have placed countless orders with them but I’m mindful of which warehouse they are coming from so there are no additional shipping costs. Sometimes it’s cheaper to select a more expensive part just because it’s coming from the same warehouse as the rest of the order. They have only screwed up an order once, and there was one instance where the shipped the correct part number but it was the incorrect part for my car.
I only work on German cars so i often use AutohausAZ.com – Any order over $50 gets free ground shipping. They carry some parts for domestics and japs as well.
Your engine is exposed to water all the time. Every time you drive in the rain, the spray coming through the front end of your car will soak the engine. Your engine was designed with water exposure in mind.
There are some things that i avoid getting water on like ignition coils, vents and vent holes, distributors, and plug wire boots. Sometimes plug wires and coils don’t seal properly and you can end up filling a spark plug well with water, so i pull plug wires or coils and make sure water didn’t get in. Compressed air takes care of that issue.
Also, what’s wrong with using a pressure washer? It’s the perfect tool for this job. You can spray from a distance when you need a weak mist, and you can get into tight places when you need to clean out large grime deposits in engine and transmission webbing. You don’t have to apply a direct jet to everything.
I clean engines several times a week. I have not damaged a single thing in 12 years. Customers pay me to repair a leak and they also expect me to clean up the aftermath. Some cars are bad enough that i have to clean them before starting work just so i can see what i’m working on. I’m not going to waste time, money and health cleaning everything with brake cleaner for a mediocre result. Use some common sense and you will have nothing to worry about.
Your engine is exposed to water all the time. Every time you drive in the rain, the spray coming through the front end of your car will soak the engine. Your engine was designed with water exposure in mind.
There are some things that i avoid getting water on like ignition coils, vents and vent holes, distributors, and plug wire boots. Sometimes plug wires and coils don’t seal properly and you can end up filling a spark plug well with water, so i pull plug wires or coils and make sure water didn’t get in. Compressed air takes care of that issue.
Also, what’s wrong with using a pressure washer? It’s the perfect tool for this job. You can spray from a distance when you need a weak mist, and you can get into tight places when you need to clean out large grime deposits in engine and transmission webbing. You don’t have to apply a direct jet to everything.
I clean engines several times a week. I have not damaged a single thing in 12 years. Customers pay me to repair a leak and they also expect me to clean up the aftermath. Some cars are bad enough that i have to clean them before starting work just so i can see what i’m working on. I’m not going to waste time, money and health cleaning everything with brake cleaner for a mediocre result. Use some common sense and you will have nothing to worry about.
Your engine takes about 4.5qts to reach the full mark. I have seen plenty of 1.8s overfilled much worse than what you did. If you overfilled it by a lot, you would have seen white smoke billowing out the exhaust under acceleration.
Remove the plugs and crank it. I doubt there is any oil in the cylinders, but it’s worth making sure they are clear. You said your engine doesn’t sound right as it’s cranking. Remove the oil cap so you can see the intake cam. There is a black plastic baffle over the intake cam under the oil fill hole so you will need a flashlight to look at an angle so you can see the rotating assembly inside. Have someone crank it and make sure the cam is spinning. These engines had a tendency to skip time or snap the t-belt at around 60K. It almost always happened on cold start up. Aside from that, i don’t know what else would make your engine sound ‘sick’ as it’s cranking.
Your engine takes about 4.5qts to reach the full mark. I have seen plenty of 1.8s overfilled much worse than what you did. If you overfilled it by a lot, you would have seen white smoke billowing out the exhaust under acceleration.
Remove the plugs and crank it. I doubt there is any oil in the cylinders, but it’s worth making sure they are clear. You said your engine doesn’t sound right as it’s cranking. Remove the oil cap so you can see the intake cam. There is a black plastic baffle over the intake cam under the oil fill hole so you will need a flashlight to look at an angle so you can see the rotating assembly inside. Have someone crank it and make sure the cam is spinning. These engines had a tendency to skip time or snap the t-belt at around 60K. It almost always happened on cold start up. Aside from that, i don’t know what else would make your engine sound ‘sick’ as it’s cranking.
I use purple cleaner as a degreaser. For what it costs, it’s the most effective product i have come across. Just ask for it at any auto parts store if you are not familiar with it. About $23 for a gallon jug. Also works great for cleaning around the shop or garage. http://www.clean-rite.com/purplepower_industrial_strength_cleaner_degreaser.html
I use a pressure washer to remove the bulk of the crud and then i apply the purple cleaner with a spray bottle. Let it work for a couple minutes and rinse it off.
Obviously don’t spray stuff that should not be sprayed. Blah blah blah. Damage to person and property. Fiery death. All that good stuff.
In my experience, the least effective products are the aerosol engine degreasers like the Gunk brand stuff. These are petroleum based and you are supposed to apply them to a warm engine. It leaves an oily slick everywhere without removing much grime and stinks for days as you can never rinse off all of it. It just adds to the mess and it’s awful for the environment.
For an extra step, i use Auto Magic 713 after the engine has been degreased with purple cleaner. It seems to have an additional effect of really thoroughly cleaning unpainted metal surfaces. I was out of purple cleaner and i used this stuff by itself today on a car with a nasty valve cover leak. The engine compartment looks new. http://www.automagicestore.com/713-special-cleaner.html