The first time I saw a Hoovie video I had no idea who he was, but I thought this guy must be an idiot buying an exotic car sight unseen and THEN sending it to a mechanic for a POST-purchase inspection
from what I remember that emergency trunk release originates from a case in central Florida where a teen was locked in the trunk for hours in the hot Florida sun while the teens that car jacked him were joy riding. he survived but suffered severe brain damage and other injuries. his mother pushed for a mandate that trunks should have a internal release. his name was Philip Clayton Chandler
I love the cut the firewall idea. I would also cut a hole to access the fuel pump. The factory should have built them with easy access to all potential failure parts.
As a mattress salesman I was once asked for a bed made at the factory in the morning! The customer said they felt the workers did a better job when they weren't in a rush to get home! I have learned not to argue with crazy and simply replied "That's why we always request AM production" and she was happy enough.
I had a mechanic friend tell me he had a customer that only wanted 4 of his 8 spark plugs changed to keep his bill low. He said "which ones do you want me to change, the four corners or the four inner ones "? 😂
Reminds me of how me and my late brother bought a '00 E39 BMW M5 back in 2009 (I still have it and it's still on the road), and one of the first things we did was to change the spark plugs just in case - found out that one bank of the V8 had OEM plugs, the other bank had completely different non-OEM iridium plugs. And the coil cover wiring harness boots were both just flapping in the wind, likely since they're pretty difficult to align correctly so that stay in place at the hole at the firewall end of the cover. Some people...
You’re not kidding! My idiot friend removed the drums on his cutlass to do burnouts! Couple of days later the the rear wheel cylinders blew and he lost all brakes at 50km. Hit a bus and wrecked the car and his arm. He still gets called No Brakes Bacon!
@@francoisloriot2674there isn't typically two separate pistons at least not that I've seen but maybe there is on something idk haven't worked on everything, there is just one but it has o rings/seals that separate it so in effect it functions as two and the fluid reservoir is split in half also so failure of one half isn't a complete failure, for safety/redudndency.
@@francoisloriot2674Not on old cars. Even in the 70s most cars had a single master cylinder. If the brake lines leaked anywhere, you lost pressure in the entire brake system, no more brakes. I have a 60s car with this system still in place and I just have to keep the brakes well maintained to prevent the loss of brakes - but upgrading the brakes to a dual circuit setup is a really common mod for safety reasons and is on my list of things to do.
>>. 1:12 This is what I LOVE about my Ford, door unlock keypad ....locking keys in car NEVER a problem. And great when I just need to grab something out of quick...no need to dig key out of pocket.
The Camaro story, obviously the dude never heard of a Line Lock (Roll Control). Not even that expensive to do, and the back brakes work normally in regular use.
@CarWizard Fair enough. I had a speed shop in Memphis for years. You definitely have to cya with regards liability. Enjoy your videos for years now. Appreciate the response.
When the line lock fails, it just won't work. The brakes should work fine. Probably not street legal, aaand to install it the front and rear have to be separate, no cross braking. So it is "less safe."
I own a 1979 Subaru. The official service manual procedure for changing the heater core is to cut a hole directly through the side of the heater box, pull out the heater core, and make a rubber sheet to cover the hole. This was the actual procedure that Subaru came up with because it's nearly impossible to remove otherwise. The heater box is exposed underneath the dashboard, so by cutting it nothing else has to be removed. The burnout guy should have just gotten a line lock. Couldn't believe he had never heard of one. Couldn't believe that Wizard didn't suggest one either. Push brakes, engage line lock, front brakes are locked, release brakes and rear brakes are unlocked. They have been around for a really long time.
eh eh eh.. not only that, he did not even tell the truth to the customer, that he could not just cut the brake lines, all the fluid would gush out; (no need to go into more details, split system etc, the customer would thank him).
I know a person that thinks that going to ANY repair shop and asking for a diagnostics procedure on any of his vehicles FOR FREE. He has plenty of money but he doesn’t think that he should pay for something that takes 23 minutes. I tried to explain that those machines cost around $50,000 dollars. His response is well charge the person that actually has the repair done TWICE the amount..
I worked at a restaurant that was financially failing and people in the neighborhood thought the owners were rich and could contribute to all kinds of charities.
Eh, that really depends on the customer and the shop owner. I befriended a local shop owner and we both benefited from that relationship immensely. I got a bunch of discounts and even some freebies out of it while they got several new clients I sent over (I'm a car guy, non-car people ask me about this stuff) and of course all of the work they did on my cars since I owned quite a few in the last few years. It helps that they do good work in general of course. I think everyone's pretty happy here.
You have to know who to choose. People who have money and understand business are okay. People who don't have money or not willing to spend the money is not okay. At the end of the day it's a business and we need money to stay in operation. I'm okay cutting a deal or doing a favor, but I can't go so far that I'm being taken advantage of. I don't hangout with customers or anything because that normally turns into them doing me a favor and I don't need that. If cases of emergency arise, then I can cut a deal. We had a customer that a water pump relay went bad for a condominium irrigation system. We cut him a deal because a hurricane was coming. Sadly the water pump and generator went under water in the building during the hurricane.
Story #5, the truck fuel pump job... That is classic narcissist behavior. As soon as I detect any narcissist behavior, it's over. I will have nothing to do with those losers.
The Heater core/firewall idea, so long as it's sealed with gaskets and proper fasteners to prohibit any gasses from getting into the cabin, I don't see an issue with such a modification. It wasn't THAT long ago where a heater core was relatively easy to access and did NOT require complete removal of the dashboard. Nowadays it seems that step one in manufacturing an automobile is "Mount heater core" then everything else goes around it.
And there is absolutely no reason they need to bury it like that, whatsoever, and they KNOW it will need replacing long before the car's design life is through.
I miss those older cars, like the ones I had in my youth. I wouldn't get much deeper on anything newer, than routine maintenance and spark plug changes. Everything else is ridiculous to work on.@@jkeelsnc
I was in the construction business for 25 years. When I ran into any weirdos or people my instincts were screaming at me not to trust, I was not shy at all telling them I’m not interested in your job. I usual just said it, turn around and walked away not even giving them the chance to respond.
@@zm321 Exactly! I had to learn that the hard way, but luckily I learned it very young and early. Getting burned by a crook when my gut was screaming at me to run when I was looking at the job, but I ignored it and paid dearly. That left a lasting impression on me!
One customer refused to pay for work, he put a chain around a brick wall he built. I'll take down it down, if your trying to stiff me. He got paid and never did that mistake again.
Damn, All mechanics I ever met tried to charge me for working on my car! (And the people willing to work on it for free weren't even worth that..) I guess I've never come across a "good" mechanic😂
I got a dude i use to do the stuff i dont want to do or cant do atm on cars everything else i do myself and i never complain on the price cause i know if i dont want to do it the poor sap is doing the job for me.
The other reason to roll down the windows in the shop is for situational awareness. You will hear if someone calls to you or if you start to run over something or if something on the car isn’t right after the repair.
Same goes for spark plugs and valve cover gasket’s Some vehicles require way too much prep work to get to easy fixes GM is really bad with this when it came to their 3400 sfi engines and their rear spark plug access
That was an actual thing 50 years ago. I remember replacing one on an older vehicle I was driving. Didn't have to do much beyond "2 hoses, and 4 screws, boom part in hand"
How often are you guys changing your heater cores!? Try a regular coolant change (1-2 years or something) and 99% of issues go away. That said I have a 90s Toyota so mine is behind one trim panel then has two screws, two hose fasteners and it wiggles out. Is also full brass so no cracked plastic etc.
One of the common failure points on my 2010 Camaro SS is the HVAC blend door plastic snapping from the actuator and instead of paying the quoted $3500 to repair it, I went through the driver foot well area and cut a trap door on the side underneath the dash where the door is located and then sealed it back up. $20 hot knife, $5 for some plastic sealer and about 2 hours of my time and it was working again 😂
Sad reality is that cheap prices attract cheap people. I drive a cab as a side hustle. To get more fares when things are quiet I use one app that's known for its low prices. More than half of the customers from that app are obvious junkies, or drug dealers delivering "product".
It's probably higher than that. The reality is most people need cars, regardless of how much they make or what they do for a living, and the generally are not cheap to fix in any capacity. With all the info on the web etc, sometimes containing step by step videos, I always encourage people to try to do their own repairs if they have some tools and some patience. I know that won't work for everyone and the potential reasons are too many to list, but it's well worth it in the long run. It's really nice not to have to depend on someone else when the prices some of these places charge are so expensive.
When I was in trade school, our instructors said: Never do work for preachers, family members, or friends. They always expect something for nothing. After 25 years, I've found that is mostly true. Not absolutely, but mostly.
My grandmother years ago would walk to the grocery store a couple of blocks away regularly. The preachers wife would see her walk by and would yell out the door she needed some groceries so grandma would pick up stuff and drop it off receive no payment ever. So grandma finally started to walk the long way around the block just to avoid the preachers house. Some people expect everything for nothing.
I laughed at the "cut the firewall" idea as I did exactly that on a late 70's Granada. The book wanted the A/C evacuated, evaporator removed, dash torn apart, and I believe the steering column (it was a long time ago) needless to say cutting and patching the firewall was much easier!
I'd have to say that customer scams are the most frequent. Everyone wants something for Free, and everyone wants the "good buddy deal". Years ago we didn't charge for diagnostics, now you have to or you go broke in a hurry. And really there is nothing more insulting than someone making you do the hard part that took time to develop that skill, only to have them take it home and "sometimes" get it fixed.
I'm still kinda mad at this one local shop I used to go to. Story goes I had them replace the entire AC system in my car for like $3,600 and then a year or so down the road but over 40k miles because I drive a lot (the warranty was like 1 year 36k miles or something) the AC stopped working. I had already switched to another shop I started using because I thought the one that did the AC was expensive and they're always super busy. Anyway, AC stopped working so I was like well I should take it back to them to see if it's still under warranty. I drive there, drop it off and wait in the lobby for my ride to come get me, within like 40 minutes or so before my ride even got there they were like well we found your issue a wire had got cut or worn out rubbing on something so they needed to splice the wire I was like okay whatever just do it cause I'm already here. Also to add context I do Doordash delivery full time and this was when it was really hot out so not having AC was a huge pain. Start to finish they got it fixed within like hour and a half or so and then give me a bill for nearly $400 to splice a wire. I'm not the type of guy to complain in the office because I don't like conflict. But they charged for the diagnosis fee of like 180 and then for an hours labor at like 150 or something and then shop parts of a couple bucks and taxes and random crap like always. So somehow replacing an entire AC system is $3,600 but splicing a wire is almost $400? They should've waived the diagnosis fee in my opinion because I had them do the work. Should've been free too though even because I paid them to install the AC and it really should be a warranty issue, why was a wire they probably installed able to be compromised. But they might've been mad at me because I straight up told them that I was only there because they installed it originally and because I thought it might still be under a warranty else I'd take it to another shop. So maybe they just wanted to screw me over. Either way their loss I have 5 cars and won't go back there and other family in the area isn't going to go back there either because they're always expensive it seems like.
I can't comment on how or why that shop did that, but it does seem a little off IMO. Under those conditions if you brought it to Ron's Automotive in Idaho (my father's shop before we retired it a few years back) it would've been covered in the shop warranty of our work (aka we would eat the cost of making it right). Shop Rates (their hourly rate) goes up and down depending on your area, but most of us do follow the Flat Rate Hourly System when it comes to that. There's a "booked amount of time" we all go off of that is set by the industry on how many hours you are allowed to charge for each job. It keeps it fair even if the shop you took it to did that 2 hour (booked) job in only 1 hour because they are good at it, and the shop that is not so good might take 6 hours to do the same job - but they can only charge you for the 2 hour limit... if that makes sense. Even if the employees of that shop are making straight hourly wages, the shop itself goes off this system on how much they charge you in most cases (that's all part of that $10k per month Car Wizard is talking about in how much it costs to keep a shop in business). Also, wiring or electrical problems usually show up in "the book" as "straight time", meaning just that, you charge however many hours it takes because there are too many variables in diagnosing electrical & "computer" problems. Personally, I fought a Lincoln Navigator for 3 days straight to get it to shift properly, only to find out it was a dirty connection in the 3rd Brake Light Bulb. The light worked, but there was just enough corrosion in the socket to effect the body control module (in the computer system) that wouldn't allow the transmission to shift properly. A 5 minute repair that took around 30 hours (of extreme frustration) to diagnose. Luckily it was my vehicle, and I sold it for $500 just so I would never see that thing again, and I only work on classics now that have NO computers and VERY basic & easy to diagnose electrical systems. @@dedalliance1
@barerose garage you used to not charged for diagnostics? That’ was super generous of you. I hope people appreciated that. Some people think plugging in a code scanner is all one does to diagnose a car.
yeah, that was back before OBD2 for the most part, when things where a lot simpler and you are 200 percent correct, that scanner is only as good as the person reading it. you know as well as I do, how many people think that you can push a magic "fix it now" button on that thing and make it all right again.... lol.@@pops55650
I can totally relate to people asking you to work for free. I used to be a wedding photographer. I’d regularly get requests to shoot a wedding for free. The faulty logic was “if you photograph my wedding for free, I’ll let you hand out your business card to all my friends, who will then hire you to shoot their weddings.”
I made ones car motor for free and the motor puked on him short time after, now he blame me for not fixing the engine properly. The same with photos just because I have a 5d mk2 people think I will photograph their wedding or other events.
I remember the heater core box video, you did a really nice job and if i was buying a Jeep (not my style) I'd see it as a feature, not a defect. I really wish there was a manufacturer that makes overbuilt heater cores for the vehicles that take so much work to replace. Frustrating to do a repair and know that it's really only temporary because the quality of replacement parts is so low. I'd happily pay an extra few hundred bucks for a quality part and not have to pay a thousand dollars+ to do it again in a five years.
The heater core through the firewall trick goes back a long time, I believe my dad had it done on an older truck and was either the '83 F100 or '69 C10, he's mentioned it a few times but can't remember which one it was but that's how the mechanic replaced it but that was back in the old days with a lot less going on around the firewall.
Interesting about the smell car. My brother is a chemical engineer. Europe has requirements that cabin pollution particulates must be in parts per billion vs parts per million allowed by USA new car manufacturers. Glues, formaldehyde, various petrochemical odors, etc., are not good for you. One reason for the new car high especially first 6 months new car ownership with degassing of materials.😊
The cabin particulate filter's function is to filter the outside air that enters the cabin of the car. It does not address the gases emanating from within the car due to the materials/glues used to create the interior fixtures - unfortunately you have to 'grin and bear' those.
The one at 6:30 *A trick people used to do for that was to use vice grips on the rear brake rubber hoses* to prevent the rear brakes from receiving hydraulic pressure. NOT SAFE either. But was temporary if you wanted to do such a thing just once or so. 😮
The heater-core access hole is pretty smart, _if there is room for it._ The problem is that on the majority of late-model vehicles, you would have to take the engine out to expose it, or at least tear the engine down significantly. Also, on unibody cars you compromise the structural integrity by cutting a large hole in the firewall. The Jeep of course had a frame and plenty of room so that was a smart move in a way.
I was both an auto adjuster and for a short time a body shop service advisor and about half the customers were decent and the rest ranged from weird/kooky to otherwise awful human beings. The worst part is your job and sometimes how much you make depends on the survey from these people. I am glad I left that industry and am in a small niche business that while we are open to the general public most of our business is from companies. Also, there is no such thing as a survey now.
Yep fuck the surveys, I got hired as a service advisor and they fired me for bad surveys without even telling me what I was being surveyed on so I didn’t even know what I was doing wrong or how to do a better job but I was so fed up with the job anyways that when they told me that they were letting me go I immediately felt so relieved to be free from that scummy hellhole.
Had a ‘96 Chevy pickup a few years ago. That pickup was notorious about fuel pumps failing every 70-80k miles. The previous owner was honest about the fuel pump failure rate, and also showed me where he’d cut a hole in the bed to access the fuel pump, and eliminating the need to drop the fuel tank. There was a plate screwed down to cover the hole. I’m glad the previous owner had done the access hole in the bed because I had to replace the fuel pump once, and it was an easy repair.
Oh I absolutely support access holes for the heator core and evaporator core, and 9ne for the furl pump so you don't have to drop the tank. Sounds great!
I've done the fuel pump hole with mine already. The heater and evaporator cores I just did the proper way. I didn't have to remove the dash but had to loosen the bolts. Just had to lift the passenger side of the dash just an inch to get enough clearance to pull the HVAC box. I don't understand the hole cutting for heater cores because those are almost always inside the HVAC box which must be disassembled to get access to.
I was amazed that when I had to replace a fuel pump on my 1995 Audi a6 there was a sealed access hole for it in the trunk if u pulled the carpet up, not the most comfortable place to get into and work but easily a 20-30min job, the heater core on that car a diff story tho, like many it was a pita.
#6 reminds me of a "no start" diagnosis I got once. No power when I turned the key. OK, no problem, so I popped the hood. The engine was disassembled to the point where it had no cylinder heads. Out of curiosity, I opened the trunk. It was full of random engine parts, including the heads, intake pushrods, carb (a late 80s Caprice, IIRC). Reported that to the service writer, who then called the customer. Apparently, the customer was mad that we didn't reassemble his engine, and then figure out why it wouldn't start. For a one hour diag fee. Easy enough to do on those old, simple engines, but would have taken some time, even assuming all the parts were present. And we won't talk about needing new gaskets, head bolts, and the like for a proper reassembly.
I bet the trunk latch guy was doing prank call recordings - there’s a whole genre of entertainment where people call businesses and make these kinds of really on the nose requests that overtly point to something nefarious going on. Sometimes on something like the trunk latch thing they’ll get ahold of a legitimate shady shop who’ll give them the “wink wink, okay - yah we don’t ask questions. Bring it in” kind of response and those are the funny ones - bc comedy and tragedy and much the same.
Here's one for you... Years ago I did a review of my Bendpak lift when I got it. Maybe two months later I get an email from a UA-camr who saw my video and he's like "I am reasonably local to you, can I bring my car over to work on it in your garage?" I was so pissed off that I must have typed five different emails that were nothing but obscenities... I deleted them all and Ifinally replied back with "Nope can't do that. My Home Owners wouldn't cover me if you got killed working on your vehicle". The absolute ignorance and nerve of some people is beyond the pale.
@@Cheepchipsable They were not a UA-camr they didn't have a channel. It was just some rando that saw my video and asked if he could come use my lift. At the end of the day the response I sent was the correct one. I can't take on the liability of working on someone else's car on a lift in my home garage in case something happened.
@@TL-wy1nkAs a "God person," that stuff really pisses me off. We're not all like that, and I have no stomach for phoniness, manipulation and hypocrisy. (Though I am a hypocrite. We all are, which is kind of the point of grace) I grew up within that flavor of "Christianity" and I want nothing to do with it. I'm sorry you were treated that way. There's nothing in the Bible that gives someone permission to use another person. Man, that makes me angry. It shames the name of Christ. I hope the younger generations will be more genuine and honest.
"Yeah this is gonna be my 18 year old daughters first car, love her so much, just trying to fix it up for her." Well it's gonna need pads and rotors all around, the tires are 11 years old, lower ball joints are bad, and the ABS warning light is on. "Oh! well it's just my daughter's college car, we're not trying to spend a buncha money on it, go ahead and just do an oil change."
Damn wizard, this is good info for those with a shop. When my son took over his transmission shop the first thing he did was say no to a lot of people. The guy who owned the shop before was just churning Business and not making any money on them. He started asking for credit card numbers up front so if guys didn't want to pay he just ran the card anyway. Ten years later he tells me most of his business comes from repeat or referrals. And he is doing well, makes money, and no arguments.
On the Camaro, we used to put a nail in the rear line comic off the master cylinder that way we could remove later if wanted. This was on old field cars tho.
I was a car audio installer in the Detroit and Flint area for 18 years. I've seen some pretty wild shit when it comes to these type of customers. There will be more to come.
Because most car audio guys have room temp IQs and think good sound quality means loud with a lot of bass. They breath from the mouth. So yeah. You're going to encounter almost exclusively idiots with shit taste in music.
You're not alone! I was a hair stylist for almost 20 years and I did modeling shows, contests, and pageants. But moms would bring their daughters to the salon, asking me to cut/style for free. They usually met my cost/time objections with, "She's really a beautiful girl, though!" Always got a chuckle out of that because EVERY PARENT thought their kid was beautiful and deserved free things. 😂
My sister was a hair stylist for many years. She has many stories of people who want her to work for free. One story she tells often is when she cut the hair of her husband's sister. It was done at a home and the woman had a very large family. As she was cutting the woman's hair, five family members came into the room and sat on the couch, waiting for their turn at haircuts. This was completely unexpected and she didn't know what to do. But she did give all five a haircut. She was not offered any money, not even a tip. Afterwards she said she felt like a fool. But she learned a lesson - never again will she work for free.
I think too many people have seen shows like _____"insert car repair show here"________ and have unrealistic expectations of shop life off camera. Sad.
Incredible, But not surprising. Love the experiences shared, Mr Wizard. Your postings inspire me, especially after losing Mom a couple months ago. It’s been very challenging, and your repair pursuits and experiences doing them are worthy of your own channel. Thank you, Sir.
I've seen guys like Mr. Red Chevy Truck in residential construction. Guys that are always trying to get a freebie to where you regret ever having them as a customer. They're usually the most nitpicky bastards also.
I know exactly the sort. And I can guarantee he'll have very strong political opinions about people wanting handouts, social care or help with student debt.
It doesn't stop there. I did satellite TV install more years ago than I'd like to admit. The people that got the premium packages and/or a bunch of TV's hooked up were the most chill people you could meet. It was ALWAYS the single TV, cheapest package people that were the jerks. Watch you while installing, had all kinds of irrelevant questions, and ALWAYS complained after the fact. Some people are just not worth having as customers.
The #4 "front brakes only" sounds like a hack to mimic the old Hurst Line Lock where you pressed a button on the shifter to lock the front brakes for burnouts and not rolling at the dragstrip. (At least it didn't disable the rear brakes when driving normally.)
I had a call on Thanksgiving day First I was taken that they called on a holiday, then asked if I could remove their cat and install a straight pipe.... I said I am a specialist and hung up.
0:00 - Introduction to crazy customer requests 0:16 - First customer request: Mercedes with windows up 1:02 - Second customer request: Chevy Blazer burnout video 2:52 - Third customer request: Jeep Wrangler heater core 5:07 - Fourth customer request: Filming while fixing 8:13 - Fifth customer request: Camaro rear brake disable 11:11 - Sixth customer request: Porsche 928 assembly by mail 13:56 - Bonus: Scary trunk emergency release disable request 15:55 - Conclusion and shoutouts to Mrs. Wizard's artwork 16:47 - End of the video
Love the first tip! Turn the car on and always roll a window down! We did the exact same thing at the Toyota dealership I worked for about 15 years ago.
As soon as you said you always mandate one window be open, I knew it was keys. I'm the same way with work trucks on job sites. Last place I want to be is with my crew locked out of the work truck at 4 PM, an hour and a half from the shop and another half hour from home!
My 2012 Nissan Frontier 4x4 has always had an issue with throwing heat out of the vents. It does sometimes and other times it doesn't. But I want to be on film while you fix it... Lol😂 That's the craziest request I've ever heard. Lol.. I'm used to my trucks heater issue so I'll live with it. Great video.
I am an Airframe and Powerplant mechanic that is currently employed by a regional airline. When I worked in General Aviation, I can certainly relate to #5 and #6. Aircraft owners would try to build a rapport with the shop mechanic, later on to want the mechanic to perform a cheap $300 Annual Inspection and find "nothing wrong". When the mechanic finds something wrong, the owner explodes and has a "religious experience", then either takes the plane somewhere else, or wants the mechanic to fix things over time out of the "kindness of your heart". Yeah, I agree with you saying that we need to keep the lights and heat on in the shop, and pay for employees. Interesting how people that own expensive toys don't want to pay for the maintenance and upkeep.
In my years of doing business with people in various industries, I've never met ONE customer who would put their arms around someone at the place of business and NOT also try to con their way out of a price tag.
I do the “driver window open” all the time when I work on my own cars for that reason. (Even though I could just go in and grab the spare) It’s just good sense. Keys in the car, window open whenever you’re working on or trying to get car that’s stuck in the snow ect. out.
I had an early 60's International Scout That required you to pull the engine to remove a bolt on the starter motor so I cut a hole on the culling that was in the passenger area, to access the mounting bolt covered by a locking auxiliary gas tank filler ports like on pickups. Never ever felt bad.
I Actually own a shop also Mr Wizard. I absolutely love watching you guys, I feel like we operate a lot alike only doing repairs the right way and no other options…. Other shops also bring me their “unfixables”. Also It never ceases to amaze me people all the time (sometimes even weekly) “expect” “free” work. I also have my own Hoovie(s). Really enjoy his car adventures also !!!!
Years ago I worked in an auto body shop ,lots of times we'd get a vehicle in that needed a little repair. The people would say well your all set up you got the paint why don't you just fix this little dent over here or paint up that chipped area over there and they didn't want to pay any extra. You explained it takes more time and time is money but they didn't want to hear that.
The thing with the heater core access is a good idea. I used to own a mid 80s Grand Prix which had just such easy access to the heater core. Replacing the core was a simple job.
It’s great to see how honest you are with not meeting customer demand/request against shop technique/protocol such as even leaving windows up. (Knowing one has to be open to prevent lock outs) And you didn’t tell them and risk them taking car somewhere else’s or just telling customer we won’t do work on the car. Am sure no one would turn down a job over simple request of leaving windows closed and crazy how people request these things like they’ll know better!? Unless they plan on dropping thru in middle of job
@@rysterstechI think the problem is when someone approaches you with something fishy like that it's often not until after that one realizes what just transpired ... Rather unfortunate but hopefully the next crazy customer CrazyD is ready for and takes a name/number down
Spilled manual transmission fluid( 70-90 w gear) yes some manuals do use ATF but the gear oil smell can really linger and get into things- smell wise. But I bet Omega is so clean Mr and Mrs Wizard could eat off the floor!
Doubt they would want a part of that either, when the guy ends up driving through someones living room, your name is on the modification that caused his car to go out of control
@@trentryan27his point is that you assume risk by recommending and/or installing that kind of modification, as you could be liable for damages resulting from its use in the event of an accident
7:00, customer can put in a solenoid on his rear brakes where when he flips a switch the solenoid turns the rear brake circuit off to do...whatever he wanted to do.
On the heater core story: How many times have you changed the heater core more than once in the same car? 2,The guy that wanted you to remove the rear brake lines out so he can do burnouts, did he ever hear of a line lock?
On #2 I was wondering if the guy was really disappointed because he couldn’t at least gets a few selfies with Wizard holding one end of the bad plug he the other.😆😆😆
He made the right calls in all cases. And I wish that carmakers would design some kind of access for heater & evap cores (even a modular inside solution). Last one I did myself was a 1978 Ford Bronco, full dashboard unbolting & lifting up, but I had another vehicle to drive to my job, so I was able to spread the work over several days.
My dad had an electric motor sales and repair business. I'd go visit him when I had the time, it was usually pretty entertaining. My favorites were when some guy would bring a motor to the shop in a box, completely disassembled, they'd be trying to tell dad what was wrong with the motor and dad would tell them he didn't work on basket cases. The guys always left mad. Dad didn't care, people who try to fix it themselves, then figure out they have no idea what they're doing, then expect someone else to assume the liability for fixing a problem when they have no idea what the customer has already done. Just not worth it.
I wonder to what extent you guys engineered the firewall hole. A little swing door with hinges and a door seal around it with a handle lock would be sick 😂 Should be there from the start!
Yes, doesn’t even have to be as fancy as hinges. Just a halfway scored outline of a door so that when the core goes bad then it can be cut the rest of the way and all of a sudden you saved $2,000.
The heater core access is fantastic idea if done properly and sealed from engine. Unfortunately unless it's a large engine bay it wouldn't work. Most engines are shoe horned into the bay there's barely any room to even get to the parts already. Even with access hole by the factory will require engine out to get to it. The whole thing needs to be moved out of the dash and into the trunk where it can be accessed.
ironically, the burnout customer was the most reasonable. but like you said you open a business to the public and then keep it going for 10, 15, 20, 30 years you’re gonna get a lot of crazies.
At work we had a van that always got a window left open if the key was in it, reason being that after having it's back doors replaced shutting the back doors would lock all the doors. Citroen/PSA quality! Never got fixed and has now gone back to the leasing company.
Hoovie is his own “Special” category 😂
Who else but Hoovie? 😂
Yeah, Wizard should do one of these videos just about Hoovies’ strange requests
The first time I saw a Hoovie video I had no idea who he was, but I thought this guy must be an idiot buying an exotic car sight unseen and THEN sending it to a mechanic for a POST-purchase inspection
People are very cheap and want everything for free and think they deserve it😂
But he ALWAYS PAYS
from what I remember that emergency trunk release originates from a case in central Florida where a teen was locked in the trunk for hours in the hot Florida sun while the teens that car jacked him were joy riding. he survived but suffered severe brain damage and other injuries. his mother pushed for a mandate that trunks should have a internal release. his name was Philip Clayton Chandler
I love the cut the firewall idea. I would also cut a hole to access the fuel pump. The factory should have built them with easy access to all potential failure parts.
It's cheaper and easier to not care about repairability
@@jamesmiddleton4741until it fails under warranty and your paying your mechanic to disassemble the entire dash to get at the hvac actuator
@@ogonbio8145 They pay half time for warranty work they couldn't careless.
They manufacturers used to have an access panel to the fuel pump in the trunks of cars.
Yeah especially the Lambo transmission
As a mattress salesman I was once asked for a bed made at the factory in the morning! The customer said they felt the workers did a better job when they weren't in a rush to get home! I have learned not to argue with crazy and simply replied "That's why we always request AM production" and she was happy enough.
You should have told her the factory's hours are from 3 am to 11 am for that very reason and that the staff leave for home at 11 am.
So you lied?
yes@@asensibleyoungman2978
@@asensibleyoungman2978 Crazy people get lied to sometimes
@@asensibleyoungman2978he's a salesman
How much you wanna bet the guy who wanted to be filmed, broke the sparkplug himself
Pretty well guarantee it!
💯 % 😂
It seems he was smoking that porcelain because he was nuttier than a train load full of peanuts.
He dropped the camera on the spark plug !
That sounds pretty damn plausible now that you mention it.
I had a mechanic friend tell me he had a customer that only wanted 4 of his 8 spark plugs changed to keep his bill low. He said "which ones do you want me to change, the four corners or the four inner ones "? 😂
Some people just don’t have the money. If four gets them down the road today for another month then that’s just what they have to do.
I've had people insist on changing bad brake pads on only one wheel, for the same reason.@@thatairplaneguy
@@thatairplaneguy Some cars where a bank of plugs is blocked by the intake manifold people just do the accessible ones.
This is very common. Some plugs are super hard to get to.
Reminds me of how me and my late brother bought a '00 E39 BMW M5 back in 2009 (I still have it and it's still on the road), and one of the first things we did was to change the spark plugs just in case - found out that one bank of the V8 had OEM plugs, the other bank had completely different non-OEM iridium plugs. And the coil cover wiring harness boots were both just flapping in the wind, likely since they're pretty difficult to align correctly so that stay in place at the hole at the firewall end of the cover. Some people...
You’re not kidding! My idiot friend removed the drums on his cutlass to do burnouts! Couple of days later the the rear wheel cylinders blew and he lost all brakes at 50km. Hit a bus and wrecked the car and his arm. He still gets called No Brakes Bacon!
he wouldn't have lost all brakes? don't you have 2 separate circuits working diagonally?
@@ithecastic yes, but most master cylinders have 2 pistons feeding 2 completely independent lines. designed this way for security.
@@francoisloriot2674 YES rear Brake line rusted out. My Guy Replaced all in back $500 Super Cheap
@@francoisloriot2674there isn't typically two separate pistons at least not that I've seen but maybe there is on something idk haven't worked on everything, there is just one but it has o rings/seals that separate it so in effect it functions as two and the fluid reservoir is split in half also so failure of one half isn't a complete failure, for safety/redudndency.
@@francoisloriot2674Not on old cars. Even in the 70s most cars had a single master cylinder. If the brake lines leaked anywhere, you lost pressure in the entire brake system, no more brakes. I have a 60s car with this system still in place and I just have to keep the brakes well maintained to prevent the loss of brakes - but upgrading the brakes to a dual circuit setup is a really common mod for safety reasons and is on my list of things to do.
>>. 1:12 This is what I LOVE about my Ford, door unlock keypad ....locking keys in car NEVER a problem. And great when I just need to grab something out of quick...no need to dig key out of pocket.
The Camaro story, obviously the dude never heard of a Line Lock (Roll Control). Not even that expensive to do, and the back brakes work normally in regular use.
Exactly. Could've upsold him on installing a line lock, explained how much more safe that would be, and charge extra for it.
@@End3r_WigginWe arent a race shop. Id hate to hear from this guys lawyers if the line lock failed.
@CarWizard Fair enough. I had a speed shop in Memphis for years. You definitely have to cya with regards liability. Enjoy your videos for years now. Appreciate the response.
When the line lock fails, it just won't work. The brakes should work fine. Probably not street legal, aaand to install it the front and rear have to be separate, no cross braking. So it is "less safe."
I rode in a rat rod once that had a ball valve to shut off the rear brakes 😂
I own a 1979 Subaru. The official service manual procedure for changing the heater core is to cut a hole directly through the side of the heater box, pull out the heater core, and make a rubber sheet to cover the hole. This was the actual procedure that Subaru came up with because it's nearly impossible to remove otherwise. The heater box is exposed underneath the dashboard, so by cutting it nothing else has to be removed. The burnout guy should have just gotten a line lock. Couldn't believe he had never heard of one. Couldn't believe that Wizard didn't suggest one either. Push brakes, engage line lock, front brakes are locked, release brakes and rear brakes are unlocked. They have been around for a really long time.
eh eh eh.. not only that, he did not even tell the truth to the customer, that he could not just cut the brake lines, all the fluid would gush out; (no need to go into more details, split system etc, the customer would thank him).
Narcissist always wants people to work for free
Yep, this is plain to see with most 'influencers'.
Or cheap.
Yes, I was wondering about that too. When you tell them no or stand up to them, the tune immediately changes and they say you're the problem.
I know a person that thinks that going to ANY repair shop and asking for a diagnostics procedure on any of his vehicles FOR FREE. He has plenty of money but he doesn’t think that he should pay for something that takes 23 minutes. I tried to explain that those machines cost around $50,000 dollars. His response is well charge the person that actually has the repair done TWICE the amount..
I worked at a restaurant that was financially failing and people in the neighborhood thought the owners were rich and could contribute to all kinds of charities.
Yes people think someone running a business has infinite funds.
Businesses appear to be fair game for all the 'charity grifters '
@@Cheepchipsable Usually socialist politicians!
My mentors advice: never let your relationship with clients go beyond professional.
Eh, that really depends on the customer and the shop owner. I befriended a local shop owner and we both benefited from that relationship immensely. I got a bunch of discounts and even some freebies out of it while they got several new clients I sent over (I'm a car guy, non-car people ask me about this stuff) and of course all of the work they did on my cars since I owned quite a few in the last few years. It helps that they do good work in general of course. I think everyone's pretty happy here.
Disagree - like the other reply states, depends on the individuals. My dad and now me have a great relationship to our mechanics.
Well unless he's a millionaire idiot with a UA-cam channel!
You have to know who to choose.
People who have money and understand business are okay.
People who don't have money or not willing to spend the money is not okay.
At the end of the day it's a business and we need money to stay in operation.
I'm okay cutting a deal or doing a favor, but I can't go so far that I'm being taken advantage of.
I don't hangout with customers or anything because that normally turns into them doing me a favor and I don't need that.
If cases of emergency arise, then I can cut a deal.
We had a customer that a water pump relay went bad for a condominium irrigation system. We cut him a deal because a hurricane was coming. Sadly the water pump and generator went under water in the building during the hurricane.
David and Tyler would've never had the friendship they have today if they left things as "just professional"
Story #5, the truck fuel pump job...
That is classic narcissist behavior. As soon as I detect any narcissist behavior, it's over. I will have nothing to do with those losers.
The Heater core/firewall idea, so long as it's sealed with gaskets and proper fasteners to prohibit any gasses from getting into the cabin, I don't see an issue with such a modification. It wasn't THAT long ago where a heater core was relatively easy to access and did NOT require complete removal of the dashboard. Nowadays it seems that step one in manufacturing an automobile is "Mount heater core" then everything else goes around it.
And there is absolutely no reason they need to bury it like that, whatsoever, and they KNOW it will need replacing long before the car's design life is through.
many really older cars had the heater core and valves sitting pretty as you please right on the firewall. A 20 minute job to replace.
I miss those older cars, like the ones I had in my youth. I wouldn't get much deeper on anything newer, than routine maintenance and spark plug changes. Everything else is ridiculous to work on.@@jkeelsnc
There r vehicles that require a dash removal for a cabin air filter
well that's why we want an access plate!@@johnnypk1963
I was in the construction business for 25 years. When I ran into any weirdos or people my instincts were screaming at me not to trust, I was not shy at all telling them I’m not interested in your job. I usual just said it, turn around and walked away not even giving them the chance to respond.
The phrase "We don't do that sorry"
Sometimes the best deals you do are the ones you don't do.
@@zm321 Exactly! I had to learn that the hard way, but luckily I learned it very young and early. Getting burned by a crook when my gut was screaming at me to run when I was looking at the job, but I ignored it and paid dearly. That left a lasting impression on me!
@@dennisconrad6124 Our instincts are usually right!
One customer refused to pay for work, he put a chain around a brick wall he built. I'll take down it down, if your trying to stiff me. He got paid and never did that mistake again.
Damn, All mechanics I ever met tried to charge me for working on my car!
(And the people willing to work on it for free weren't even worth that..)
I guess I've never come across a "good" mechanic😂
And the mechanics I meet won't accept bartering for their services either...unreasonable...🙂
I don't guess you put your hand on their shoulders?
People tried to overcharge me for one of my cars everytime to the point I learned to do it myself
I did have a mechanic do some work for free... after he did an oil and filter change on my car by mistake. I had just done it myself!
I got a dude i use to do the stuff i dont want to do or cant do atm on cars everything else i do myself and i never complain on the price cause i know if i dont want to do it the poor sap is doing the job for me.
The other reason to roll down the windows in the shop is for situational awareness. You will hear if someone calls to you or if you start to run over something or if something on the car isn’t right after the repair.
The balls of someone expecting you to do work for free!
It's a great thing to occasionally offer to do work for free for someone genuinely in need. But not as an expectation.
A fine looking cat Daisy is at 6:20. I hope she becomes a featured player in future presentations.
😂 I'm all for the firewall access cutout. Also one for the A/C evaporator. This should be mandated by law 😂
It’s like requiring a cellphone to have a user-replaceable battery, really!
Same goes for spark plugs and valve cover gasket’s
Some vehicles require way too much prep work to get to easy fixes
GM is really bad with this when it came to their 3400 sfi engines and their rear spark plug access
That was an actual thing 50 years ago.
I remember replacing one on an older vehicle I was driving.
Didn't have to do much beyond "2 hoses, and 4 screws, boom part in hand"
How often are you guys changing your heater cores!? Try a regular coolant change (1-2 years or something) and 99% of issues go away.
That said I have a 90s Toyota so mine is behind one trim panel then has two screws, two hose fasteners and it wiggles out.
Is also full brass so no cracked plastic etc.
My best was to do "night rider" lights on an Austin Allegro here in the UK.
One of the common failure points on my 2010 Camaro SS is the HVAC blend door plastic snapping from the actuator and instead of paying the quoted $3500 to repair it, I went through the driver foot well area and cut a trap door on the side underneath the dash where the door is located and then sealed it back up. $20 hot knife, $5 for some plastic sealer and about 2 hours of my time and it was working again 😂
I liked the firewall idea. Especially when you show the effort to remove the dashboard.
Neat to hear the weird stuff small businesses deal with. It seems like 20% of running a small business is avoiding cheapskates' drama.
Sad reality is that cheap prices attract cheap people. I drive a cab as a side hustle. To get more fares when things are quiet I use one app that's known for its low prices. More than half of the customers from that app are obvious junkies, or drug dealers delivering "product".
I sold my business and went back to being an employee for this one reason. I got tired chasing people for money. I'm not good at it.
It's probably higher than that. The reality is most people need cars, regardless of how much they make or what they do for a living, and the generally are not cheap to fix in any capacity. With all the info on the web etc, sometimes containing step by step videos, I always encourage people to try to do their own repairs if they have some tools and some patience. I know that won't work for everyone and the potential reasons are too many to list, but it's well worth it in the long run. It's really nice not to have to depend on someone else when the prices some of these places charge are so expensive.
When I was in trade school, our instructors said: Never do work for preachers, family members, or friends. They always expect something for nothing. After 25 years, I've found that is mostly true. Not absolutely, but mostly.
you forgot teachers and lawyers.
My grandmother years ago would walk to the grocery store a couple of blocks away regularly. The preachers wife would see her walk by and would yell out the door she needed some groceries so grandma would pick up stuff and drop it off receive no payment ever. So grandma finally started to walk the long way around the block just to avoid the preachers house. Some people expect everything for nothing.
And gypsies
12:55 basically how all our restorations come in lol but those guys also come in with envelopes of cash ready to pay to play so it works out great
Careful of the IRS! Those envelopes will get you into big trouble
I laughed at the "cut the firewall" idea as I did exactly that on a late 70's Granada. The book wanted the A/C evacuated, evaporator removed, dash torn apart, and I believe the steering column (it was a long time ago) needless to say cutting and patching the firewall was much easier!
"Strange" is a little understatement.
Cute little cat your Daisy.
I'd have to say that customer scams are the most frequent. Everyone wants something for Free, and everyone wants the "good buddy deal".
Years ago we didn't charge for diagnostics, now you have to or you go broke in a hurry. And really there is nothing more insulting than someone making you do the hard part that took time to develop that skill, only to have them take it home and "sometimes" get it fixed.
I'm still kinda mad at this one local shop I used to go to. Story goes I had them replace the entire AC system in my car for like $3,600 and then a year or so down the road but over 40k miles because I drive a lot (the warranty was like 1 year 36k miles or something) the AC stopped working. I had already switched to another shop I started using because I thought the one that did the AC was expensive and they're always super busy. Anyway, AC stopped working so I was like well I should take it back to them to see if it's still under warranty. I drive there, drop it off and wait in the lobby for my ride to come get me, within like 40 minutes or so before my ride even got there they were like well we found your issue a wire had got cut or worn out rubbing on something so they needed to splice the wire I was like okay whatever just do it cause I'm already here. Also to add context I do Doordash delivery full time and this was when it was really hot out so not having AC was a huge pain. Start to finish they got it fixed within like hour and a half or so and then give me a bill for nearly $400 to splice a wire. I'm not the type of guy to complain in the office because I don't like conflict. But they charged for the diagnosis fee of like 180 and then for an hours labor at like 150 or something and then shop parts of a couple bucks and taxes and random crap like always. So somehow replacing an entire AC system is $3,600 but splicing a wire is almost $400? They should've waived the diagnosis fee in my opinion because I had them do the work. Should've been free too though even because I paid them to install the AC and it really should be a warranty issue, why was a wire they probably installed able to be compromised. But they might've been mad at me because I straight up told them that I was only there because they installed it originally and because I thought it might still be under a warranty else I'd take it to another shop. So maybe they just wanted to screw me over. Either way their loss I have 5 cars and won't go back there and other family in the area isn't going to go back there either because they're always expensive it seems like.
I can't comment on how or why that shop did that, but it does seem a little off IMO. Under those conditions if you brought it to Ron's Automotive in Idaho (my father's shop before we retired it a few years back) it would've been covered in the shop warranty of our work (aka we would eat the cost of making it right).
Shop Rates (their hourly rate) goes up and down depending on your area, but most of us do follow the Flat Rate Hourly System when it comes to that. There's a "booked amount of time" we all go off of that is set by the industry on how many hours you are allowed to charge for each job. It keeps it fair even if the shop you took it to did that 2 hour (booked) job in only 1 hour because they are good at it, and the shop that is not so good might take 6 hours to do the same job - but they can only charge you for the 2 hour limit... if that makes sense. Even if the employees of that shop are making straight hourly wages, the shop itself goes off this system on how much they charge you in most cases (that's all part of that $10k per month Car Wizard is talking about in how much it costs to keep a shop in business). Also, wiring or electrical problems usually show up in "the book" as "straight time", meaning just that, you charge however many hours it takes because there are too many variables in diagnosing electrical & "computer" problems. Personally, I fought a Lincoln Navigator for 3 days straight to get it to shift properly, only to find out it was a dirty connection in the 3rd Brake Light Bulb. The light worked, but there was just enough corrosion in the socket to effect the body control module (in the computer system) that wouldn't allow the transmission to shift properly. A 5 minute repair that took around 30 hours (of extreme frustration) to diagnose. Luckily it was my vehicle, and I sold it for $500 just so I would never see that thing again, and I only work on classics now that have NO computers and VERY basic & easy to diagnose electrical systems. @@dedalliance1
@barerose garage you used to not charged for diagnostics? That’ was super generous of you. I hope people appreciated that. Some people think plugging in a code scanner is all one does to diagnose a car.
yeah, that was back before OBD2 for the most part, when things where a lot simpler and you are 200 percent correct, that scanner is only as good as the person reading it. you know as well as I do, how many people think that you can push a magic "fix it now" button on that thing and make it all right again.... lol.@@pops55650
My Guy Loves me lot's of Pizza"s and a Few $100 Bills GOT 5 more Cheap out of it.
This is great fun!!! I love hearing weird crazy stories like this. I mean who on earth expects a shop to do 10+ hours worth of work for free lolololol
I live in Canada and there is no snow here. I am really suprised that it is snowing there in November. By the way, you can keep it!
You are so generous.
I can totally relate to people asking you to work for free. I used to be a wedding photographer. I’d regularly get requests to shoot a wedding for free. The faulty logic was “if you photograph my wedding for free, I’ll let you hand out your business card to all my friends, who will then hire you to shoot their weddings.”
I made ones car motor for free and the motor puked on him short time after, now he blame me for not fixing the engine properly. The same with photos just because I have a 5d mk2 people think I will photograph their wedding or other events.
Bands get that same request.
@@montereyjack3679 Especially the cheezy bands! Happy New Year!
How could anyone turn down that deal. 😂
Kind of like an inverse Ponzi Scheme
I remember the heater core box video, you did a really nice job and if i was buying a Jeep (not my style) I'd see it as a feature, not a defect. I really wish there was a manufacturer that makes overbuilt heater cores for the vehicles that take so much work to replace. Frustrating to do a repair and know that it's really only temporary because the quality of replacement parts is so low. I'd happily pay an extra few hundred bucks for a quality part and not have to pay a thousand dollars+ to do it again in a five years.
Daisy is a sweetheart, thank you for allowing her in the video!
I was happy to hear you separate "Bad" people from "Weird" people.
Very important determination!
The heater core through the firewall trick goes back a long time, I believe my dad had it done on an older truck and was either the '83 F100 or '69 C10, he's mentioned it a few times but can't remember which one it was but that's how the mechanic replaced it but that was back in the old days with a lot less going on around the firewall.
Interesting about the smell car. My brother is a chemical engineer. Europe has requirements that cabin pollution particulates must be in parts per billion vs parts per million allowed by USA new car manufacturers. Glues, formaldehyde, various petrochemical odors, etc., are not good for you. One reason for the new car high especially first 6 months new car ownership with degassing of materials.😊
it was an early 2000 mercedes. there is no way that there is still new car smell after 20+ years
The cabin particulate filter's function is to filter the outside air that enters the cabin of the car. It does not address the gases emanating from within the car due to the materials/glues used to create the interior fixtures - unfortunately you have to 'grin and bear' those.
@@Midg-td3tyMercedes retain a particular smell. I think that’s what they meant. My 1992 W124 still has a smell. It’s the materials used.
The one at 6:30 *A trick people used to do for that was to use vice grips on the rear brake rubber hoses* to prevent the rear brakes from receiving hydraulic pressure.
NOT SAFE either. But was temporary if you wanted to do such a thing just once or so. 😮
As an engineer, I'd install a valve or two, but then again I would never do that at all.
The heater-core access hole is pretty smart, _if there is room for it._ The problem is that on the majority of late-model vehicles, you would have to take the engine out to expose it, or at least tear the engine down significantly. Also, on unibody cars you compromise the structural integrity by cutting a large hole in the firewall. The Jeep of course had a frame and plenty of room so that was a smart move in a way.
You need a split dash so you could remove the centre section, but then it would take more than 90 seconds to install at the factory.
I was both an auto adjuster and for a short time a body shop service advisor and about half the customers were decent and the rest ranged from weird/kooky to otherwise awful human beings. The worst part is your job and sometimes how much you make depends on the survey from these people. I am glad I left that industry and am in a small niche business that while we are open to the general public most of our business is from companies. Also, there is no such thing as a survey now.
Surveys are so dumb. I been there as well
Yep fuck the surveys, I got hired as a service advisor and they fired me for bad surveys without even telling me what I was being surveyed on so I didn’t even know what I was doing wrong or how to do a better job but I was so fed up with the job anyways that when they told me that they were letting me go I immediately felt so relieved to be free from that scummy hellhole.
I love how Daisy stares at Mrs. Wizard when learning about the Camaro story in pure disappointment!
Daisy is so cute. Hope we get to see her occasionally.
Had a ‘96 Chevy pickup a few years ago. That pickup was notorious about fuel pumps failing every 70-80k miles. The previous owner was honest about the fuel pump failure rate, and also showed me where he’d cut a hole in the bed to access the fuel pump, and eliminating the need to drop the fuel tank. There was a plate screwed down to cover the hole. I’m glad the previous owner had done the access hole in the bed because I had to replace the fuel pump once, and it was an easy repair.
Oh I absolutely support access holes for the heator core and evaporator core, and 9ne for the furl pump so you don't have to drop the tank. Sounds great!
I've done the fuel pump hole with mine already. The heater and evaporator cores I just did the proper way. I didn't have to remove the dash but had to loosen the bolts. Just had to lift the passenger side of the dash just an inch to get enough clearance to pull the HVAC box. I don't understand the hole cutting for heater cores because those are almost always inside the HVAC box which must be disassembled to get access to.
I was amazed that when I had to replace a fuel pump on my 1995 Audi a6 there was a sealed access hole for it in the trunk if u pulled the carpet up, not the most comfortable place to get into and work but easily a 20-30min job, the heater core on that car a diff story tho, like many it was a pita.
#6 reminds me of a "no start" diagnosis I got once. No power when I turned the key. OK, no problem, so I popped the hood. The engine was disassembled to the point where it had no cylinder heads. Out of curiosity, I opened the trunk. It was full of random engine parts, including the heads, intake pushrods, carb (a late 80s Caprice, IIRC).
Reported that to the service writer, who then called the customer. Apparently, the customer was mad that we didn't reassemble his engine, and then figure out why it wouldn't start. For a one hour diag fee. Easy enough to do on those old, simple engines, but would have taken some time, even assuming all the parts were present. And we won't talk about needing new gaskets, head bolts, and the like for a proper reassembly.
Yeah. Cut the hole in the firewall so its easier to replace the heater core. I like that one.
I bet the trunk latch guy was doing prank call recordings - there’s a whole genre of entertainment where people call businesses and make these kinds of really on the nose requests that overtly point to something nefarious going on. Sometimes on something like the trunk latch thing they’ll get ahold of a legitimate shady shop who’ll give them the “wink wink, okay - yah we don’t ask questions. Bring it in” kind of response and those are the funny ones - bc comedy and tragedy and much the same.
Could even have been a "Morning Zoo" radio show host.
I mean we do live in a pretty stupid country with stupid criminals too though...
Very well spotted.
Makes sense. Hardly a difficult job. If you can work out how to do a kidnapping you can work out how to snip a cable😂
Here's one for you... Years ago I did a review of my Bendpak lift when I got it. Maybe two months later I get an email from
a UA-camr who saw my video and he's like "I am reasonably local to you, can I bring my car over to work on it in your garage?"
I was so pissed off that I must have typed five different emails that were nothing but obscenities... I deleted them all and Ifinally
replied back with "Nope can't do that. My Home Owners wouldn't cover me if you got killed working on your vehicle".
The absolute ignorance and nerve of some people is beyond the pale.
You in NE PA? I need somewhere to work on my cars. 😂
@@Derek8487 LOL I was like come on.. I have plenty of my own junk to work on :)
Plenty of YTers do crossovers.
I wouldn't take it too personally.
@@Cheepchipsable They were not a UA-camr they didn't have a channel. It was just some rando that saw my video and asked if he could come use my lift.
At the end of the day the response I sent was the correct one. I can't take on the liability of working on someone else's car on a lift in my home garage in case something happened.
@@GearHead4Lyfe so can I use your garage?
You know something's up when someone you don't know shows up being all nice and friendly putting their hands on your shoulder.
Some churchy types are like that, acting like you're their buddy when you're really wishing they'd take a hike.
I think it is always the God people trying to lower your guard.
@@TL-wy1nk Some of them are the sneakiest, most conniving individuals, at least on Sunday afternoon through Saturday evening.
@@Rick-S-6063 Sadly true but hilarious comment
@@TL-wy1nkAs a "God person," that stuff really pisses me off. We're not all like that, and I have no stomach for phoniness, manipulation and hypocrisy. (Though I am a hypocrite. We all are, which is kind of the point of grace) I grew up within that flavor of "Christianity" and I want nothing to do with it. I'm sorry you were treated that way. There's nothing in the Bible that gives someone permission to use another person. Man, that makes me angry. It shames the name of Christ. I hope the younger generations will be more genuine and honest.
I use to get request from husband's, can you do it with cheaper parts my wife only drives the kids to school and home.
"Yeah this is gonna be my 18 year old daughters first car, love her so much, just trying to fix it up for her."
Well it's gonna need pads and rotors all around, the tires are 11 years old, lower ball joints are bad, and the ABS warning light is on.
"Oh! well it's just my daughter's college car, we're not trying to spend a buncha money on it, go ahead and just do an oil change."
What a selfish (French word for shower)
Damn wizard, this is good info for those with a shop. When my son took over his transmission shop the first thing he did was say no to a lot of people. The guy who owned the shop before was just churning Business and not making any money on them. He started asking for credit card numbers up front so if guys didn't want to pay he just ran the card anyway. Ten years later he tells me most of his business comes from repeat or referrals. And he is doing well, makes money, and no arguments.
Waiting patiently for the Eldorado......
Want to see how you set it up.
On the Camaro, we used to put a nail in the rear line comic off the master cylinder that way we could remove later if wanted. This was on old field cars tho.
I was a car audio installer in the Detroit and Flint area for 18 years. I've seen some pretty wild shit when it comes to these type of customers. There will be more to come.
You must have dealt with some of the most awful people on the regular then.
Ah yes the ghetto shit
Oh Yeah, but I also met some of the greatest people. Everyday was an adventure.@@estuardo2985
Because most car audio guys have room temp IQs and think good sound quality means loud with a lot of bass. They breath from the mouth. So yeah. You're going to encounter almost exclusively idiots with shit taste in music.
can you tell us a story?
You're not alone! I was a hair stylist for almost 20 years and I did modeling shows, contests, and pageants. But moms would bring their daughters to the salon, asking me to cut/style for free. They usually met my cost/time objections with, "She's really a beautiful girl, though!"
Always got a chuckle out of that because EVERY PARENT thought their kid was beautiful and deserved free things. 😂
My car is a beautiful girl and deserves free stuff too.
Hey, you don't ask, you don't get! 🤣
My sister was a hair stylist for many years. She has many stories of people who want her to work for free.
One story she tells often is when she cut the hair of her husband's sister. It was done at a home and the woman had a very large family. As she was cutting the woman's hair, five family members came into the room and sat on the couch, waiting for their turn at haircuts. This was completely unexpected and she didn't know what to do. But she did give all five a haircut. She was not offered any money, not even a tip. Afterwards she said she felt like a fool. But she learned a lesson - never again will she work for free.
I think too many people have seen shows like _____"insert car repair show here"________ and have unrealistic expectations of shop life off camera. Sad.
Incredible,
But not surprising.
Love the experiences shared,
Mr Wizard.
Your postings inspire me,
especially after losing Mom a couple months ago.
It’s been very challenging, and your repair pursuits and experiences doing them are worthy of your own channel. Thank you, Sir.
I've seen guys like Mr. Red Chevy Truck in residential construction. Guys that are always trying to get a freebie to where you regret ever having them as a customer. They're usually the most nitpicky bastards also.
Yes they are. Fully agree.
Seen it in electrical work. Change Orders are obviously part of the original bid
I know exactly the sort. And I can guarantee he'll have very strong political opinions about people wanting handouts, social care or help with student debt.
It doesn't stop there. I did satellite TV install more years ago than I'd like to admit. The people that got the premium packages and/or a bunch of TV's hooked up were the most chill people you could meet. It was ALWAYS the single TV, cheapest package people that were the jerks. Watch you while installing, had all kinds of irrelevant questions, and ALWAYS complained after the fact.
Some people are just not worth having as customers.
The #4 "front brakes only" sounds like a hack to mimic the old Hurst Line Lock where you pressed a button on the shifter to lock the front brakes for burnouts and not rolling at the dragstrip. (At least it didn't disable the rear brakes when driving normally.)
I had a call on Thanksgiving day First I was taken that they called on a holiday, then asked if I could remove their cat and install a straight pipe.... I said I am a specialist and hung up.
Mr Wizard is now working with cats too
as someone with an auto locking alarm, I get the window down. I've even had my keys get locked in, at a carwash. hahaha
0:00 - Introduction to crazy customer requests
0:16 - First customer request: Mercedes with windows up
1:02 - Second customer request: Chevy Blazer burnout video
2:52 - Third customer request: Jeep Wrangler heater core
5:07 - Fourth customer request: Filming while fixing
8:13 - Fifth customer request: Camaro rear brake disable
11:11 - Sixth customer request: Porsche 928 assembly by mail
13:56 - Bonus: Scary trunk emergency release disable request
15:55 - Conclusion and shoutouts to Mrs. Wizard's artwork
16:47 - End of the video
Fail, you forgot one
928 in boxes got me laughing. Willing to bet there are all sorts of boxes at the house. Thanks for the laughs, Car Wizard.
The guy with the red Chevy truck was one utterly entitled individual~!
Great video!
Male Karen vibes
Love the first tip! Turn the car on and always roll a window down! We did the exact same thing at the Toyota dealership I worked for about 15 years ago.
As soon as you said you always mandate one window be open, I knew it was keys. I'm the same way with work trucks on job sites. Last place I want to be is with my crew locked out of the work truck at 4 PM, an hour and a half from the shop and another half hour from home!
Love your 20th Anniversary Kitten, Daisy. She's a calming influence for you. 😸😻😼😽❣
My 2012 Nissan Frontier 4x4 has always had an issue with throwing heat out of the vents. It does sometimes and other times it doesn't. But I want to be on film while you fix it... Lol😂 That's the craziest request I've ever heard. Lol.. I'm used to my trucks heater issue so I'll live with it. Great video.
I am an Airframe and Powerplant mechanic that is currently employed by a regional airline. When I worked in General Aviation, I can certainly relate to #5 and #6. Aircraft owners would try to build a rapport with the shop mechanic, later on to want the mechanic to perform a cheap $300 Annual Inspection and find "nothing wrong". When the mechanic finds something wrong, the owner explodes and has a "religious experience", then either takes the plane somewhere else, or wants the mechanic to fix things over time out of the "kindness of your heart". Yeah, I agree with you saying that we need to keep the lights and heat on in the shop, and pay for employees. Interesting how people that own expensive toys don't want to pay for the maintenance and upkeep.
That's how people get rich, by saving the pennies!
In my years of doing business with people in various industries, I've never met ONE customer who would put their arms around someone at the place of business and NOT also try to con their way out of a price tag.
Yes, touching someone is meant to create an intimate connection and usually means they are going to ask for a big favour.
I do the “driver window open” all the time when I work on my own cars for that reason. (Even though I could just go in and grab the spare) It’s just good sense. Keys in the car, window open whenever you’re working on or trying to get car that’s stuck in the snow ect. out.
I had an early 60's International Scout That required you to pull the engine to remove a bolt on the starter motor so I cut a hole on the culling that was in the passenger area, to access the mounting bolt covered by a locking auxiliary gas tank filler ports like on pickups. Never ever felt bad.
I agree about the Jeep heater core request. That is a smart move. It needs to be done for 1997-2003 Durango and Dakota models too.
I Actually own a shop also Mr Wizard. I absolutely love watching you guys, I feel like we operate a lot alike only doing repairs the right way and no other options…. Other shops also bring me their “unfixables”. Also It never ceases to amaze me people all the time (sometimes even weekly) “expect” “free” work. I also have my own Hoovie(s). Really enjoy his car adventures also !!!!
Funny how people want so much for free.
Years ago I worked in an auto body shop ,lots of times we'd get a vehicle in that needed a little repair. The people would say well your all set up you got the paint why don't you just fix this little dent over here or paint up that chipped area over there and they didn't want to pay any extra. You explained it takes more time and time is money but they didn't want to hear that.
Love how you show an unassembled model kit for the 928 bit lol
The thing with the heater core access is a good idea. I used to own a mid 80s Grand Prix which had just such easy access to the heater core. Replacing the core was a simple job.
The firewall hole is pretty common with Jeeps. The cores fail so often and are such a pain we do it all the time.
the guy could just cut his own brakes if he want to 😂
1:40 the only one I have a deal with… do that but keep the window covered… you know dust ect…
I appreciate you being so… you, Mr. Wizard. Thanks for the video.
It’s great to see how honest you are with not meeting customer demand/request against shop technique/protocol such as even leaving windows up. (Knowing one has to be open to prevent lock outs)
And you didn’t tell them and risk them taking car somewhere else’s or just telling customer we won’t do work on the car.
Am sure no one would turn down a job over simple request of leaving windows closed and crazy how people request these things like they’ll know better!? Unless they plan on dropping thru in middle of job
#7 sounds pretty scary and suspicious. Crazy D might be crazy, but not criminally stupid. Kudos to Crazy D
im suprised the shop didnt report him.
@@rysterstechI think the problem is when someone approaches you with something fishy like that it's often not until after that one realizes what just transpired ... Rather unfortunate but hopefully the next crazy customer CrazyD is ready for and takes a name/number down
@rysterstech ME too
@@rysterstech sounds like they tried
The "be on film" dude was probably that UnstoppableBobgoble guy in the comments every video.
Unstable* Bob Gable
GOBBLESS BORTHER
Spilled manual transmission fluid( 70-90 w gear) yes some manuals do use ATF but the gear oil smell can really linger and get into things- smell wise. But I bet Omega is so clean Mr and Mrs Wizard could eat off the floor!
I would have suggested a line lock for the camaro guy
Doubt they would want a part of that either, when the guy ends up driving through someones living room, your name is on the modification that caused his car to go out of control
@@kellismith4329 do you understand what a line lock is?
I thought the same thing. Apparently the Camaro guy has never heard of a line lock
If he doesn't know what a line lock is, he's too stupid to be using one.
@@trentryan27his point is that you assume risk by recommending and/or installing that kind of modification, as you could be liable for damages resulting from its use in the event of an accident
That falling snow is absolutely gorgeous. 🫠 Merry Christmas. 🎄
You don’t go to your friends looking for a discount. You go to your friends to help their business.
Unless you are offering a comparable discount to them from your own business. Jewish and Masonic business model
7:00, customer can put in a solenoid on his rear brakes where when he flips a switch the solenoid turns the rear brake circuit off to do...whatever he wanted to do.
On the heater core story: How many times have you changed the heater core more than once in the same car? 2,The guy that wanted you to remove the rear brake lines out so he can do burnouts, did he ever hear of a line lock?
On #2 I was wondering if the guy was really disappointed because he couldn’t at least gets a few selfies with Wizard holding one end of the bad plug he the other.😆😆😆
In 25 years of retailing automobiles I heard many weird requests but the trunk release story tops all.
He made the right calls in all cases. And I wish that carmakers would design some kind of access for heater & evap cores (even a modular inside solution). Last one I did myself was a 1978 Ford Bronco, full dashboard unbolting & lifting up, but I had another vehicle to drive to my job, so I was able to spread the work over several days.
I love story time. 😂👍 It reminds me of crazy stories my dad would tell me about customers from his body & fender shop. 🤦♂️🤷♂️😵💫
HA! I'm also a gearhead and totally onboard with the heater core hack! If I were looking at a used Jeep with that mod I'd be impressed.
My dad had an electric motor sales and repair business. I'd go visit him when I had the time, it was usually pretty entertaining. My favorites were when some guy would bring a motor to the shop in a box, completely disassembled, they'd be trying to tell dad what was wrong with the motor and dad would tell them he didn't work on basket cases. The guys always left mad. Dad didn't care, people who try to fix it themselves, then figure out they have no idea what they're doing, then expect someone else to assume the liability for fixing a problem when they have no idea what the customer has already done. Just not worth it.
Great stories😂😂 some people are crazy. Thank you for sharing.
I wonder to what extent you guys engineered the firewall hole. A little swing door with hinges and a door seal around it with a handle lock would be sick 😂
Should be there from the start!
Would be good in the truckbed too over the fuel pump
@@kellismith4329 If there was any real competition in the US auto market, maybe we would.
Yes, doesn’t even have to be as fancy as hinges. Just a halfway scored outline of a door so that when the core goes bad then it can be cut the rest of the way and all of a sudden you saved $2,000.
The heater core access is fantastic idea if done properly and sealed from engine. Unfortunately unless it's a large engine bay it wouldn't work. Most engines are shoe horned into the bay there's barely any room to even get to the parts already. Even with access hole by the factory will require engine out to get to it. The whole thing needs to be moved out of the dash and into the trunk where it can be accessed.
ironically, the burnout customer was the most reasonable. but like you said you open a business to the public and then keep it going for 10, 15, 20, 30 years you’re gonna get a lot of crazies.
At work we had a van that always got a window left open if the key was in it, reason being that after having it's back doors replaced shutting the back doors would lock all the doors. Citroen/PSA quality! Never got fixed and has now gone back to the leasing company.