Car maintenance

[Long Wheel Base]

I feel your pain.... Did brake shoes and slaves a few weeks back on my Frontier. Had issues with the clips and springs and when I finally got it all clipped back in I realised that I hadn't connected the handbrake cable.....

At least you realised before using the car. Imagine stopping on an incline and wanting to pull the handbrake and the thing just pulls all the way up with no tension.............

[Grebel]

At least you realised before using the car. Imagine stopping on an incline and wanting to pull the handbrake and the thing just pulls all the way up with no tension.............

 

That would be like draining your oil and forgetting to replace the sump plug before filling up with new oil.....

 

Check, check, check and the recheck to be sure. All the tools back in the tool box? Check again to make sure 

[Pure Savage]

That would be like draining your oil and forgetting to replace the sump plug before filling up with new oil.....

 

Check, check, check and the recheck to be sure. All the tools back in the tool box? Check again to make sure 

 

If you have left over parts go back and find where they go, never good having a split pin or serclip left over.

[Long Wheel Base]

That would be like draining your oil and forgetting to replace the sump plug before filling up with new oil.....

 

Check, check, check and the recheck to be sure. All the tools back in the tool box? Check again to make sure 

I like the way you work. As an aircraft mechanic it has been drilled into me since day 1 so even when working on my cars its second nature.

[Skylark]

Problem with the ELM327 is in only scans and (not always) resets the generic OBDII codes (DTCs).

 

For example it can't read or clear gearbox and ABS faults. I expect you have the ZF 6HP26 gearbox in your vehicle, the ELM327 cannot clear any of the transmission specific DTCs.

 

But as you mention you can observe a bunch of parameters which may help with diagnoses.

 

The iCarsoft i910 is the best value and most sophisticated. Although not super cheap (around the R2000 mark).

 

I have an i930 which works on both my Land Rover D3 and D4 and older models plus it can scan and clear the generic DTCs on other vehicle makes.

True that, majority of the ELM327 modules you get from Chinese sellers on eBay are just about useless, if lady luck shines down you may find it'll read some codes on your car but generally not.

 

R2000 for a decent one is hardly a lot considering you can use it on many cars, do some pretty sophisticated diagnostics on your uys and use it for years/help your mates with their cars etc.

 

Most dealers charge R500- R1k just to plug your car into their diagnostics machines.

Edited June 30, 2016 by Skylark

[Skylark]

You mean brake shoes?

If the rear(or front as well in the old beetles) has drum brakes then the "pad" on the inside is called a brake shoe.

I wonder why they wont replace those? Yes its a dirtier, slightly tougher job but still an easy job.

Yes rear brake shoes, my apologies. Replacing brake shoes on many cars is much more complicated than disc pads, some cars you need to remove the whole hub off the stub axle, special pullers needed etc and those bloody springs and clips as has been mentioned!!

[Grebel]

*Snip*

 

Most dealers charge R500- R1k just to plug your car into their diagnostics machines.

 

Had issues with my wife's Audi. R950 to run a diagnostics test and HOPEFULLY identify the problem...

[NotSoBigBen]

Yes rear brake shoes, my apologies. Replacing brake shoes on many cars is much more complicated than disc pads, some cars you need to remove the whole hub off the stub axle, special pullers needed etc and those bloody springs and clips as has been mentioned!!

 

Someone also mentioned to me that for many cars you need to send the shoes in to be 're-furbished' and that off the shelf replacements are not always available .... not sure how true that is don't have a car with them

[Andymann]

I used to own the Battery Bay in Randburg so here's a few battery tips next time you buy.

First thing - on top of the battery somewhere (it's usual in the skirt) is a 4-digit code - giving the week of manufacture and the year. So 2616 will be week 26 of 2016 - check that for the true age of your battery.

Batteries will go flat on the shelf, so check for the sticker that is stuck on the side - we used to send a lot of slow movers back to Willard to be swapped out with new ones.

Trackers kill batteries - especially if the internal battery of the tracker goes flat. Also, some used cars still have the units fitted, and sometimes more than one. Its worthwhile phoning Netstar or Tracker to see if your car ever had one fitted. Chances are it's still installed, even if it's not active.

Hondas typically have too small Batteries - especially the Accords and the Civics!

On modern cars, 2-years is about right, 3-years you are in injury time, although some OEM Batteries like VARTA and MOL used to last up to 6 years.

Of the local batteries, Willard, Sabat (actually better than Willard), Exide and Dixon are all good, but Deltec was what we recommended, especially for the ladies - double the price, but genuinely fit and forget.

Faulty Alternators cause lots of battery failures - the number of people who came to us with brand new batteries fitted because of faulty alternators was scary. Before you even replace your battery, while the car is running, let them do a charge test - should be around 13.6V - anything below 12.6V is suspect, and above 14.8V even worse!

Then let them check current draw - about 0.7A is cool, anything above 1.6A is too much - on a 60A.H battery 1.6A will destroy the battery in 30hours if the car is standing, and given that you need at least 12V to swing your engine over to start, the drop from 13.6V of a new battery to 12V is a couple of hours.

You cant load-test a flat battery, so if your battery is flat, let the battery shop lend you a loan battery for a few days while they charge yours. When you come back (we used to charge R50 to ensure this), you can be there when they load test.

I think that's about it :-)

 

Feel free to ask anything else!

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Someone also mentioned to me that for many cars you need to send the shoes in to be 're-furbished' and that off the shelf replacements are not always available .... not sure how true that is don't have a car with them

Probably fairly true, I cant think of a modern car with rear drum brakes, they have become almost obsolete.  

 

The shoes are very easy to re-line and many a small business did just that in by gone years, although I haven't really seen too many in recent times, but they would still be there, commercial and industrial machines still use drum type brakes, you may just need to hunt around a bit. 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Grumpy, I have had the opposite experience with dealers.

On my motorcycle, while under warrantee, the bike had flat spots at weird stages, after being at the dealer twice, they "updated software" which in fact did not sort out the problem.

 

After taking to the internet, I got advised to check and clean the mass airflow sensor, when I got the the sensor, I found it to be loose, half dropping down out of the airbox. Thus making the computer give wrong throttle info .

 

The second time when booking the bike in, I advised the service manager about the possibility of the maf sensor "that i read about on the internet"

 

From then, I undertook all maintenance and repair work myself along with the internet and youtube.

 

Same with my Subaru vehicle.

I have not had any reassuring service from the dealers, and to be honest the fora, and dedicated YouTube channels are a plenty, with help available virtually 24 hour support.

 

The only thing one has to have, is the ability to sift through relevant info, and discard the nonsense, or unrelated stuff.

 

Anyhow, my new little city car has been going to dealer exclusively, due to warrantee, and it being new enough not to have any issues.

Yah, I hear you RnR, but to be fair the finger of poor service and shabby workmanship can also just as easily be pointed at any independent workshop as well, stories abound.!  

 

I do agree if you can do it yourself then you are ahead of the curve and sure, you can buy good quality aftermarket parts and save yourself some cash as well as having the assurance the job was done to your satisfaction.

 

However, there is a massive portion of the population these days who dont have the time, the tools, the knowledge or the inclination to do it themselves.

 

I mean I know guys who dont even have a screwdriver, they have some funny looking thing they bought at Veri-mark on an impulse one day, and all its good for is tightening the nuts on his wheelbarrow,.... they dont even know whats under the bonnet and dont care, when the service light starts shining they start looking for a place to go for a service,....for them the dealer is always going to be the best alternative, simply because they will get the job done, it will be on time, the place looks clean and nice, and most importantly, the car will be safe to drive. The manufacturers name depends on it.

 

I still tinker around on engines, its been in my blood for 35 years so not something I can stop overnight, but spending my weekend under a car has lost its appeal to me, so Yah, ....dealer here I come.   

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Had issues with my wife's Audi. R950 to run a diagnostics test and HOPEFULLY identify the problem...

Yah, I hear you mate, it sounds a lot and it is a lot, but on the other hand (and I know dont need to tell you  ) the cost of these manufacturer specific diagnostics is immense, plus the training for the technician, the hour labour etc, etc. I am out of touch with local SA dealer hourly rates but I would guess its at least around 600 bucks an hour.?? Probably more.

 

As an aside the genuine Audi's diagnostic system is second to none in my opinion, I have always had Audi's, I am a big fan of them, and as an example,... remember the old Audi tiptronic system?....... how it often started to get sluggish on older cars,... to sort it out Audi would have to clean the memory and refresh the controller system, this was a Audi specific scan and correct, there is no alternative to this, I used to know a few guys in Audi and a genuine Audi diagnostic scanner and programme was very expensive, then you needed to send the technician for training and then update the programme all the time for upgrades, new models etc, and, Yup you guessed...     Audi doesn't supply upgrades for free.   

 

But,... I am sure they found the issue Grebel, or what did they say....?

Edited June 30, 2016 by GrumpyOldGuy

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I used to own the Battery Bay in Randburg so here's a few battery tips next time you buy.

First thing - on top of the battery somewhere (it's usual in the skirt) is a 4-digit code - giving the week of manufacture and the year. So 2616 will be week 26 of 2016 - check that for the true age of your battery.

Batteries will go flat on the shelf, so check for the sticker that is stuck on the side - we used to send a lot of slow movers back to Willard to be swapped out with new ones.

Trackers kill batteries - especially if the internal battery of the tracker goes flat. Also, some used cars still have the units fitted, and sometimes more than one. Its worthwhile phoning Netstar or Tracker to see if your car ever had one fitted. Chances are it's still installed, even if it's not active.

Hondas typically have too small Batteries - especially the Accords and the Civics!

On modern cars, 2-years is about right, 3-years you are in injury time, although some OEM Batteries like VARTA and MOL used to last up to 6 years.

Of the local batteries, Willard, Sabat (actually better than Willard), Exide and Dixon are all good, but Deltec was what we recommended, especially for the ladies - double the price, but genuinely fit and forget.

Faulty Alternators cause lots of battery failures - the number of people who came to us with brand new batteries fitted because of faulty alternators was scary. Before you even replace your battery, while the car is running, let them do a charge test - should be around 13.6V - anything below 12.6V is suspect, and above 14.8V even worse!

Then let them check current draw - about 0.7A is cool, anything above 1.6A is too much - on a 60A.H battery 1.6A will destroy the battery in 30hours if the car is standing, and given that you need at least 12V to swing your engine over to start, the drop from 13.6V of a new battery to 12V is a couple of hours.

You cant load-test a flat battery, so if your battery is flat, let the battery shop lend you a loan battery for a few days while they charge yours. When you come back (we used to charge R50 to ensure this), you can be there when they load test.

I think that's about it :-)

 

Feel free to ask anything else!

Yah, I know the Dixon family well, the old man and the son, still speak to Russel on occasion via email, we bought a lot of batteries from them, still family owned, great family and a great success story for a business in a very competitive environment.

[droo]

Someone also mentioned to me that for many cars you need to send the shoes in to be 're-furbished' and that off the shelf replacements are not always available .... not sure how true that is don't have a car with them

 

They also need to be radius ground to fit into the drum - as standard they're too big and you won't get them in there.

 

Found that one out the hard way.

[Grebel]

Yah, I hear you mate, it sounds a lot and it is a lot, but on the other hand (and I know dont need to tell you ) the cost of these manufacturer specific diagnostics is immense, plus the training for the technician, the hour labour etc, etc. I am out of touch with local SA dealer hourly rates but I would guess its at least around 600 bucks an hour.?? Probably more.

 

As an aside the genuine Audi's diagnostic system is second to none in my opinion, I have always had Audi's, I am a big fan of them, and as an example,... remember the old Audi tiptronic system?....... how it often started to get sluggish on older cars,... to sort it out Audi would have to clean the memory and refresh the controller system, this was a Audi specific scan and correct, there is no alternative to this, I used to know a few guys in Audi and a genuine Audi diagnostic scanner and programme was very expensive, then you needed to send the technician for training and then update the programme all the time for upgrades, new models etc, and, Yup you guessed... Audi doesn't supply upgrades for free.

 

But,... I am sure they found the issue Grebel, or what did they say....?

Diangosed the problem within 5 minutes. Car was in limp mode. Fault was turbo overboost. Previous owner must have used 500ppm diesel. Vanes on the VVT were stuck open. Insurance warranty paid out for a new turbo assembly and installation [emoji106]

[intern]

Grumpy, I have had the opposite experience with dealers.

On my motorcycle, while under warrantee, the bike had flat spots at weird stages, after being at the dealer twice, they "updated software" which in fact did not sort out the problem.

 

After taking to the internet, I got advised to check and clean the mass airflow sensor, when I got the the sensor, I found it to be loose, half dropping down out of the airbox. Thus making the computer give wrong throttle info .

 

The second time when booking the bike in, I advised the service manager about the possibility of the maf sensor "that i read about on the internet"

 

From then, I undertook all maintenance and repair work myself along with the internet and youtube.

 

Same with my Subaru vehicle.

I have not had any reassuring service from the dealers, and to be honest the fora, and dedicated YouTube channels are a plenty, with help available virtually 24 hour support.

 

The only thing one has to have, is the ability to sift through relevant info, and discard the nonsense, or unrelated stuff.

 

Anyhow, my new little city car has been going to dealer exclusively, due to warrantee, and it being new enough not to have any issues.

Absolutely this.

Boat motors are notoriously tricky things to keep running smoothly...well, not really. I've spent countless hours reading forums to learn everything I can about my motor - what its weak points are, what happens when things go wrong and how to fix them when they do. I've also bought the service manual and I'm reading that cover to cover; bought a cable and the software so I can log on to the EMM and read/reset faults.

Now, my boat motor is 14 years old (only has 420 hours on it though), so things are going to happen. I've had a few occasions where it has thrown a fault on the water - just from the knowledge I've gathered from all that reading, I have always been able to identify the problem and quickly solve it, thus preserving the day on the water.

It's because of that experience that I have decided to take the same interest in my car. After all, who's going to look after it better - me who depends upon it, or some oke trying to get it done as fast as possible.

 

In other observations on batteries: the E70 has a computer controlled alternator, so the car has to be programmed for the battery type installed. So if you have an AGM battery, for example, it charges differently to a lead acid. If the car isn't properly programmed, you will have battery issues. Don't know if this is an issue for other vehicles?