I tell the customer that I don't want them to tell me what they think is wrong with their car. I also get some surprised looks when I finish up under the hood and then close it, they be like 'Aren't you going to test it'?
And as my boss once said (not in the car repair business, but computer software): The customer doesn't actually know what they want until you give them exactly what they've asked for.
Machines do that too. When you mess up a setting and completely ruin the part you're making you have to say to yourself 'I hate when machines do what I tell it to do and not what I want it to do.'
That is actually what the saying originally meant- it was used to describe the customer wanting x service/product rather than what they needed i.e the customer is always right because they have the money and have already decided what they want.
Yep. Had to intervene with one of my sales team when a guy asked to match a deal from the internet. Realize this was maybe 2004, so things online in my industry were far sketchier than today. But the deal online included a $250 shipping charge, which we tacked onto the sales price. Margin restored, customer got what he asked for.
I agree. I went to a shop for an oil change and they tell me I need an alignment. I said, "oh really? You can tell from doing an oil change?" He then said your total is gonna be $35
You're the best Ray ... I'm a former mechanic who's now an IT guy and your skills keep me connected to the art and keep my skills sharp just by watching. ❤️
I'm an IT guy and work on my own vehicles and have learned a lot from his videos. It's funny how the troubleshooting process is so similar. "Do the easiest thing first" still applies
You'll be amazed how many times and how many thousands of dollars I've spent and had my car in the shop and mysteriously my car came out with another problem the next day totally unrelated to what they did or so I thought then when I mentioned it or came back the service ride is always had a song in dance and some sort of story and something else happened I've been a week over a week in my driveway on the ground working on my car doing stuff when I'm 69 years old because I don't trust them if I can find a guy like Ray I'd be happy have a good day
How frustrating 😤 GREAT to have documentation. Not only for yourself but employer as well. And by the way, your self control in NOT commenting on the interior decorating...AMAZING! VERY PROFESSIONAL.
The problem is that there are so many dodgy mechanics out there that have soiled the playing field, despite you proving to your customer that the problem isn't the sensor, he probably doesn't fully trust your diagnosis and wants his new sensor fitted just to prove to himself that you are not trying to rip him off.
Have you seen the "quit!" Video (2 days ago) From Louis Rosmann? It actually proves your point With Evidence. I'll leave the link to it here or you can search for it yourself in case of untrustworthy link. Link: ua-cam.com/video/LdCv0KwvorE/v-deo.html Search: let's encourage this lad to quit his job - Louis Rossmann
this is the exact reason I don't take my car to mechanics anymore and have just been doing the work myself but this guy brings a small amount of faith back to me for mechanics
Finding an honest competent mechanic is not always easy. I used to take my car to a mechanic that did a great job and I was happy. After moving to a new city, I had an awful time finding a good one. I had oil pans destroyed in an oil change, tune-up where one of the spark plug wires was lost, and several other errors made by several mechanics. I eventually decided to just start fixing my own cars.
Once bitten, twice shy! Rainman helps to restore confidence. Back in the 1960s, my parents got overtaken by their own back wheel, a few miles after having new tyres fitted. Nobody hurt, but can be fatal. Ever since, they (and I!) watched fitting, and loosened/retightened all the wheel nuts/bolts by hand around the corner. Then torque wrench at home.
Well that would probably in the pigtail that is on the sensor, buy Ray disconnected that and plugged in a new sensor with no difference. But It could very well fried some part of the ECU. Hopefully it will come in again for a full diagnosis. Btw. good seeing you here. also subscribed to you!
Watched a lot of your videos, and admire your documentation as to what is going on. If a customer ever doubts what you have diagnosed, you certainly have proof of your efforts to fix what is wrong.
Doubt this guy is documenting every minute of work. Just the occasional job to post footage on here for his channel. how much work can a mechanic even do fiddling with a camera and being more concerned with creating a video than doing his job...
Well the job labor is charged by the hour but he isn’t paid by the hour. And honestly a lot of mechanics reserve the left hand for a flashlight anyway.
After watching these videos, when I am in a DIY situation that is frustrating me, I will pause and smile and ask myself, “What would Ray do?” It is a treat watching a true professional do his job so well. Cheers.
Pro tip. Sometimes they're so rusted and welded in there you have to cut the wire and use a regular socket to get them off. I've had those o2 sockets flex and skip... I usually don't even try and save the o2 socket to install only...
I've owned, and tossed into the trash, three different O2 sensor sockets across three different brands. All of them I had the same problem with, which is why they went bye-bye. I'll either cut the wire and slap a deep well impact socket on there, or get out my long-handled Vice Grips.
I recommend you get yourself one (or pair) of those kevlar mechanic's sleeves. I used to work around hot engines, and they were excellent arm savers from burns and cuts.
I worked in the auto repair field for almost 20 years...had a customer come in with a CEL once, said they had self-diagnosed it as a bad O2 sensor. They had bought a new sensor from the local auto parts store and installed it. Cleared the code and the code came right back. Thinking they had received a faulty new part, they exchanged it at the store and replaced it again, cleared the code and the code came right back. They returned the aftermarket part and bought a new sensor from the dealer, installed that one and cleared the code...guess what. The code came right back...when I diagnosed it, I found one of the 4 wires to the sensor frayed and grounding to the underside of the car, just 8-10 inches from the sensor. Repaired the wire, CEL went away....car never needed a sensor....still not sure how they didn't see the wire damage when they replaced the sensor 3 times...
Similar thing happened to me last year. My o2 sensor was actually bad, but then I broke one of the harness-side wires during installation without realizing it. Repairing that wire was not a comfortable feeling with the amount of room I had. Luckily, I only returned one "bad" sensor to the store before realizing my mistake!
I would be overjoyed to have you as my mechanic! Have you ever thought of moving to Ontario Canada and opening your own shop? Lol. Alot of mechanics in my area wouldn't have even hooked up a scan tool. They would've changed the sensor at the customers request and charged him for the re and re. It's only out of necessity over the years that I've learned to do many of my own repairs, but with vehicles becoming more and more complicated, and without the proper tools, I need to be able to rely on the person I hire to do the job with integrity and good moral judgement. Keep up the good, honest work!
I'd be willin to bet my life he'd move RIGHT BACK SOUTH after bustin tool after tool and/or his knuckles getting stuff loose...he spoiled cuz nuttin' is rust-encrusted/encased down there..the ease at which stuff comes apart down there in Florida cracks me up
Yeah right!? I mean you know the guy needed a new engine, transmission, plugs, radiator, tires, brakes, radio and a cigarette lighter. Then he'd be good as new ready to hit the road. Until next year!
I have my mechanic do the sparkplugs once a year plus pay for 30 minutes of his time to go over everything on top of what he charges for an oil change Hes saved me quite a bit looking at the nissan they dont care as much
As a tech I feel for you. I've done work that customers insist on doing even though I know it's not the problem. They won't be happy unless you do what they want. I make my notes, then have them sheepishly come back for me to do it right. Of course it cost them twice as much
Many times I have made suggestions and advise people for their own for them to only think they know better than I do and then when they come back I look at him and I say well I told you so but you know some people know everything and you know nothing yeah right have a good night
Customers not trusting the repairman is something I first saw as a kid when our TV let go. My folks would kick very hard at a $50 charge to fix a $400 TV. "You only replaced that tiny doohickey?" Ignored the expertise and diagnostic labor and equipment it took to isolate the problem. Seemed strange to me later on when I realized both parents were professional people who were well paid for their experience and skill.
Ray, I feel that you need to find an effective way to advertise your professionalism and trustworthiness so you can establish your own customer base. Once you reach that point, you can then open your own shop. You deserve a brighter future.
@BaltimoreAndOhioRR it would be trivial to figure out. There are plenty of road signs on his test drives. If I lived in Florida I would absolutely take the time to track Ray down and specifically request he work on all that ails me vehicularly. Edit: I spent five minutes and did figure it out. If I ever make it to [city] in Florida, I'm going to stalk him and offer dinner/beer lol
Not everyone wants to own a business. Many people are happy being the worker bee. In my case as a boat captain, I am perfectly content driving other people's boats. I do not want the headaches associated with owning, marketing, maintaining, insuring, personnel, taxes, etc. that come with being the boss.
10:09. I have one of those sockets and I find it to be useless if the sensor it really frozen in there. I just cut off the wire and put a 21 or 22mm socket on and use a breaker bar to loosen it. So what if the wire is cut? The old sensor and the cut wire go right into the trash can.
after replacing fuse. and restarted engine did we check the fuse once again after installing new o2 sensor .we could have blown fuse before we installed new sensor .
My guess would be that the owner has been taken advantage of before and is doing his best to protect himself, but getting screwed in the long run. I used to work on my own car, do my own tune-ups, I've put motors in old cars several times. When smog systems and computers came along it was just outside of my ability to troubleshoot and repair. Having had good dependable fair mechanics I followed around to different shops, and having mechanics that screwed me over for thousands of dollars...it is just a crap shoot as to what experience you get. When you don't know what you are going to receive I can understand not being willing to follow advice of people you don't know and trust yet. Another factor is that "service managers" are the interface usually and they know little of what is going on and are just another factor that makes me wary of knowing the full story. Mechanics should be able to talk directly and explain the situation. I'd pay damn good money if a mechanic had video of what he was doing on my car, and I could see him working through the reasoning of why he was doing what he was doing...from a customer point of view, we just get a light on the dash, take it to a shop that has one guy take the order and passes the car along to a mechanic, after a long wait and bad coffee we get a bill for X thousand dollars with no way to know what is going on behind the scenes. Personally I would be willing to pay extra to have these kind of videos of the service of my vehicle. I know shops would probably consider it a liability, but to me it is an instant way to know if I can trust the guy putting parts on my car.
Yesterdat at my oil change shop a diesel truck came in with some leaks. We had done work on it before, so we were liable to investigate it. Assistant manager goes down, its a Ford diesel with a plastic pan and drain plug. Its leaking from the drain plug. He has the vehicle drained, and looks at the pan. The two little notches that lock the drain plug in are completely fucked, causing leaks. Instead of going upstairs and saying he needs a new drain pan, he brings the customer down stairs and shows him the issue. Customer understood, and we refilled him no charge
@@norsethenomad5978 This is exactly what happened last time I was in for an oil change. They did the service, but noticed alot of unrelated stuff that was beyond their simple oil change shop's ability. They let me come down underneath and look at everything, pointed out issues, some of which I was aware of, and others I wasn't, took the time to indepth explain the issues. It's a great customer experience when the guys working on your vehicle take the time to do this for you.
Notice he has a big Snap On Scanner, not some little cheap one??? There is a reason for that.. I know a shop that specializes in BMW Audi and some Porsche vehicles only and they spent huge thousands to buy the same BMW computer that reads and programs those cars, so they could know exactly what the BMW car's computer is saying to them, so they can make the best choice to repair it one time, and not guess at it..
@@norsethenomad5978 I hope you guys didn’t do the last oil change on the truck, there’s a lotta guys that would say you were the last one to touch the drain plug. Since you didn’t mention it when you started the job then your shop must have done it and didn’t say anything about it
I’m so glad I watch this channel, I really needed a o2sensor socket and I didn’t know it existed, was about to mill a notch myself hahaha. Thanks for the knowledge
SOMETIMES a regular 7/8 deep socket works (if not recessed) But this socket works best with a HOSE CLAMP fitted over the opening, once in place. This keeps the socket from spreading.
@@facusan2339 Hey yall trying to rip this guy off he clearly only needs front/rear brakes an oil change and a few hits on the ecu with the big ol Hammer
It's not coming back to you, that would be too embarrassing for most people. It's going to another shop where the guy says "I took it to...... and they put in a new sensor and cleared the codes, but that didnt fix it". I swear that is how a lot of those "the other shop scammed me" stories happen
I replaced the O2 sensor on my honda accord twice before I discovered that the fix was to use the OEM sensor. All the parts stores cross referenced several brands that all fit but whatever spec they were built to the computer didn't recognise it.
Ray, I really appreciate you taking us through the types of things customers say and want you to do with their car. It's quite enlightening, to say the least! Thanks for your efforts to communicate effectively, even if your good advice is not taken. Be well!!
One time I had to change an O2 sensor, but being a home mechanic I didn't have the proper slotted socket for it. I did however have an open ratchet. So I depinned the new O2 sensor's connector and fed the wires through the socket and open ratchet, then put it all back together once it was screwed in. Necessity is the mother of invention as they say ;)
I don't know how your videos showed up on my tube, but I've watched a lot of them now and kind of wish I still lived in Florida so I could bring vehicles to you when it's something I can't diagnose or fix.
The problem with fixing cars with gloves is: You can't feel what you are doing. The problem with latex gloves: They break anyway, so your hands still get dirty. (lots and lots of sharp stuff in the engine bay, especially modern cars) Be a man, use water and soap.
@@frankvandendool882 I'm a fan of the Ninja branded gloves, they're low profile and actually last, hell you can clean them in a washing machine if you want
I enjoy watching all your videos.. and i think it true ppl have a hard time trusting mechanic's until you gaing their trust, so many bad ones out there that it makes it hard for the honest ones sometimes
I think this is one of the big reasons some people don't trust mechanics. I've seen mechanics replace parts that didn't fix the problem but still charge the customer for it.
the sad thing is there are very few mechanics anymore, these trade schools and the big shops train people to be Parts changers and not really diagnose the problem, when I had my shop years ago I was one of the few that did diagnose the problem and fix just that, I could not lie to my customers and tell them they needed a long list of things just because of a broken wire. I would hate to try and start up a shop now because the cost of equipment to diagnose and specialized tools needed is sky high. I used to build many of my own specialized tools but it would be almost impossible to do it now.
I agree, had a car come in that had an intermittent right front wheel speed sensor code when turning right at high speed. 2 so called "mechanics " had replaced the sensor each time, codes kept coming back. I diagnosed it, replaced the worn wheel bearing and the codes never came back
Sounds like the time I had Autozone run the codes when I was on vacation......After the new engine suggestion and several other scary suggestions we got to gas cap not tightened, popped it open turned it a half turn before the click problem solved.....
Very good, respect to you. The only times I have run into problems, like yourself, I always do my best to correctly diagnose the problems and discuss with customer first before proceeding. I had various ways of putting things to the customer, like 'Sorry to spoil your day, but xxxxx needs to be checked first, to make sure' etc, and almost ALWAYS give them a written estimate (unless its a nice customer who I know well). I add 'Feel free to get other estimates, I won't be the least offended', and 98% of the time they come back to me. My reputation came first. Thanks again for this vid.
One thing all those faults (o2 heating cycle, closed loop, and the trque converter lockup) have in common is the coolant temperature sensor. Even tho its not failed, it could be giving incorrect readings and pissing off the ecm. Also air pockets around the coolant temp sensor will cause similar issues. Definetly sounds like a “fun one” to diagnose.
Few months ago I changed the valve cover gaskets and tube seals on our Nissan. When I put everything back together for some reason the check engine light started intermittently coming on, once the car warmed up to operating temperature the light would sometimes go off. Car was not overheating and ran as per normal. I kinda suspected the cooling system because I needed to disconnect a couple of coolant hoses from the Idle Control Valve to move the intake manifold out the way so I thought I may have gotten some air in it. I tried to purge it, but still no change. After doing a bit of research on line, most people said change the Coolant Temperature Sensor and go from there, because it was the cheapest and easiest option to start with, so I did and it fixed the problem.
@MGD 60D absolutely right. I didn't want to make a long comment, other to say (allude to the fact that) there is one coolant temp sensor, but two O2 sensors, one of which was functioning normally.
@MGD 60D I'm curious about the only really old airplanes have fuses. Made me think that I have seen a few videos where they re-set breakers during emergencies.... Is this why? Never occured to me that they moved away from fuses.
People love parts cannons. I use to work at autozone, yeah, never trusted that parts finder said. I always brought up a list of issues to look for and gave them all the info, but what can you do when they just want a part that may or may not fix their issue.
@@suburbanfreak87 before I had my own code reader the autozone one said I'd need a new MAF and a few other things, cleaned my MAF with a $4 spray and it fixed the code
My first car ownership I did similar with a crank position sensor. I know now, but then, not so much. Car ended up comitting suicide unrelated to that incident-- twice.
Had an engine light come on once when I was out of town and had a part store read the codes all 4 02 sensors pop up in the codes the parts store tried to sell me 4 02 sensors. I knew better then to assume 4 went bad at the same time, extremely unlikely. Ended up being a timing issue cause by a well worn timing chain.
@@OctoberNight-rr7nyI had all 4 O2 Sensors go out within a short period of each other. The stock ones were on their for two decades and code did read malfunction for each one. I did buy bosch at first, but Denso turn out to be the best for me. Connectors had to come undone due to a custom exhaust install. I got heater circuit low for a couple sensors and some dielectric grease and didn't see the code again till I pulled the pipes couple years later to change some gaskets. Dielectric grease and electronic spray fixes the heater circuit low since I did drive it unplugged some miles.
Also, Get a fan or a blower that you can aim up in the hot spots, while you try to get your arm in there. I used to have a box fan with some little spacers that i would slide under.
If the customer brings in a part and says to replace it, simply replace it. If/when the light comes on then when they come back charge them a diagnostic fee. They did their own diagnosis and paid you to replace the sensor, that’s exactly what I would have done.
I wish it was that easy. You would think that it makes sense if a customer supplies a part and asks a shop to simply install that part, the shop is clear of any liability if it doesn't fix their problem. I wish it was that easy. It is like a person bringing their own food to a restaurant then complaining when the steak is tough. I believe Ray works in a shop in Florida, so I am not sure how their Consumer Affairs laws work. Here in California, the Bureau of Auto Repair (BAR) is very sympathetic to consumers. Even when a customer supplies a part from their own diagnosis, the shop can still share some liability if it doesn't correct the customer's problem. Nor does it always protect the shop if the part fails prematurely. The ideal solution is to simply refuse the work. But then you risk losing a customer and everyone the customer talks to. I like that Ray took the time to do a quick diagnosis, at his own expense, and advise the customer the part he supplied may not address the concern. This would certainly help if the customer decided to file a complaint with Consumer Affairs
@@rtwice93555 I’ve been I. The industry for a long time. It is that easy, at the shops I’ve been at we have had the customer sign it was their part, their diagnostic and we can only warranty the part was installed correctly.
If it were only that simple. Many shops around my state actually refuse to take your parts because they want to charge you for their parts they get and up charge you at that. A lot of them actually love to do that. This business is much like any other. How do they increase profit margins. I was once charged $140 for a $35 cheap strut and was told it was Monroe. Thankfully they also tried to tell me I needed pads and rotors done and I did it myself and saw the cheap part they sold me.
Also If there weren't so many mechanics that live on the..... "It was going to need replacement soon anyway." policy, just to make a buck. People would trust us more often. I always tell my employees. If you wouldn't say it to your mother, don't say it to the customer. Unfortunately, greed runs our industry. And a lot of mechanics only care about their pocket. This is why customers don't trust us. And they never will. We have to form that trust in that customer. Situations like this help us form that trust. This customer will know he's wrong about 15 minutes down the road. In 3 weeks he'll be back. This time he'll have a little bit more trust for the guy that just worked on his car.
all depends on the car, some cars may cost more in the short term to replace something but over long term it work out cheaper. I have a few cars where a diff bush starts to crack in a IRS cradle both in the front (AWD SUV) and rear and its best practice to replace the 3 bushes while the cradle is out all at once than a few hours for each replacement.
@@ScooterMcAwesomeness some do and some don't. Just like any job there are certain ones that are a pain to deal with taking other bits out of the way to get to the repair spot. My parents car was based on a vaxhaul opal and that was a pain to do the heater hose as the front bumper, headlights and the 6 offshoot hoses that was heat vulcanized to the main pipe.
@@gore1978 All do, nevermind some. When the door rate goes up by dollars, and I get cents... mmm, nah. The cost of living seems to only effect the rich, not us poor slobs that actually WORK for a living. Their costs go up, but ours stay the same?? Not quite. But whatever... as long as rich F's keep owning shops and not caring about their employees, the trade will never change. We are looked down upon daily as "the guys who just wanna screw you over for a dollar" by the customers, and "I'll have you replaced inside 2 weeks" by the owners. Really makes you wanna try harder eh??
@@ScooterMcAwesomeness that maybe the case for you where you live, but down where I am it is a different case with majority of the shops, A lot of them are built up on both the mechanic and owner loyalty to each other and the owner is one of the guys on the shop floor 95% of the time with the shops as we dont have a big slap and tickle in and out jiffy lube centre style shops.this is based on my own personal dealing over 35 years within the industry.
But wait, this customer will be back claiming that now his torque converter is messed up and was not like that when he brought it in. (Good thing Ray has that code on video)
I FIND MYSELF JUST WATCHING VIDEO AFTER VIDEO FROM THIS CHANNEL, HE SEEMS LIKE A GOOD MAN THAT LOVES HIS JOB. THANKS FOR BEING A HONEST DECENT HUMAN BEING, THAT ISNT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF INNOCENT PEOPLE !
Ray i enjoy all your videos no matter how long or short they are you do awesome work a man can learn alot from you too..sucks you have to deal with trash cars inside and outside be safe stay safe 👍✌🇺🇲
Would be amazing to pipe this feed inside the building to a viewing booth in order to gain the trust of the customer that you are both competent and not scamming them. This tech would certainly increase the confidence and trust in a repair facility especially if they could record a copy of it to a USB as a maintenance record. Unfortunately, servicing the customer can often mean not servicing the vehicle.
Much better idea is to just show him the video he just recorded on his phone, not live, recorded and show it when necessary. You know like body cams on police lol
Your editing doesn't show it, but did you check that your new fuse didn't blow after you replaced it? The sequence is that you plugged in the replacement wideband immediately after the new fuse (with the old sensor) didn't fix it. So it looks like you tried the new sensor with possibly a blown replacement fuse.
No, he Said, repeat, He Said, he checked the fuse a 2nd time and it was ok... he does not always video everything he does, so you have to listen to him talking to get everything that happened..
Probably a shorted sensor fried the driver in the ECM at the same time it popped the fuse. Owner needs a new ECM and probably a transmission as well. If he keeps driving it in open loop than add new cats to the bill. Judging by the interior I'd say the truck is destined to a new owner soon.
props. we need more mechanics like you. I like to work on cars and all, but i also don't get paid for it. i hope you do all of your work with these ethics. keep up the good work
I found myself watching a couple of your videos out of boredom, then I realized you were driving down a road that I frequently commute myself daily and recognize, keep up the good work, and enjoy the video
Blown fuse means wire is grounded before the sensor. There is a melted wire somewhere. Checking the fuse again will prove if wire is grounded if it blew again.
That'd probably be a great practice in general just video documenting the work like what's done here, there's no way a customer can claim you've done wrong when it's all reviewable haha
There is a shop where I live where the mechanics wear cameras as they work on a vehicle. Not only does it record the work being done, the customer, is given a link and can watch it in real time.
How does that saying go? The customer is always what? Nope, not when they're wrong. This is great how you've documented protecting yourself and your shop. Now your customer can't say with any authority that you failed to fix his problem. He didn't ask you to fix the problem. He asked you to blindly replace a part, which incidentally did not fix his problem. I hope he feels better now - even though his vehicle is still busted. I have fired the parts canon at my vehicles at times when a shop didn't correctly diagnose a problem and an Internet solution sounded plausible. The better plan was ultimately finding a better shop (a dealership) which correctly diagnosed the problem. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and experience with us, Ray!
@@cletusspucklerstablejeaniu1059 Given my dad lost his license for multiple uses of a mobile phone and driving the wrong way down a lane, told me to pull out in front of 3 cars when I was learning, and once drove down a fucking tram track in Melbourne, I think the cockroaches haven't got much to learn
My guess is the customer knows the truck is on its last legs and just intends to limp it along as long as possible. Which is perfectly fine as long as you don't have to pass emissions tests. I'd have probably re-checked the fuse after you replaced it and started the truck. Fuses don't just pop for no reason. If it popped a second time, you know you have a wiring problem.
I wish it was that easy to get video documentation of situations like this in the 90s. Would have saved me hours per week of explaining and defending myself from customers like this. Not that he's a bad customer at this point, as long as he accepts that he did it to himself he is a good guy trying to do his own thing. I respect that. It's when they come back claiming we didn't do something right when we did exactly what they Asked us and paid us to do that chaps my ass.
My cousin used to be an engineer for one of the big 3. Whenever my dad worked on a car and was having a difficult time, he would curse my cousin out. Even if a car was designed and built while my cousin was still in grade school. Lol
Round about 3 1/2 decades ago I worked at one of those 10 minute oil change joints. There existed at the time a Toyota inline 6 engine that had one side of the block populated by everything, and the other entirely bare. To remove the oil filter, one pretty much had to burn a finger on the exhaust manifold. After 2 or 3 such incidents, I swore that one day before I died, I would encounter and strangle a Toyota engineer to exact my vengeance, lol (no, hasn't happened yet, but I am ever hopeful!)
@@ludditeneaderthal Yes! I do AGREE! I was a copy machine/printer tech, I had engineers tell what I was seeing was not possible! Even though I was watching as I was speaking with said engineers!
Did you recheck the fuse after you replaced it while the old (likely shorted) oxygen sensor was still plugged in? I would never suspect a PCM on a blown heater circuit fuse. O2 sensor likely repaired it but the fuse is still blown.
Indeed. I spent 20 years in the Navy, and the rule on blown fuses and tripped circuit breakers was - the first go round, you could assume that it was a one-time transient condition, and replace the fuse or reset the circuit breaker - if the fuse blew or breaker tripped a second time, that meant there was a problem with the associated equipment, that needed to be investigated and fixed, prior to replacing the fuse or resetting the breaker again, and placing the equipment back in service.
I love watching your videos, both educational and entertaining. You are a great diagnostician and I hope you are well compensated. I went from being a Ford technician to working for Chevrolet / GM for 32 years on the service side of the business. I was involved in every new model release from 1977 to 2009, and Dealt with all the technology changes along the way. For the last 10 years I was involved with certain truck products, the plants where they were built, the associated suppliers and engineers, and the dealerships who had service issues with them. It was a great job where you could really go after the problems created by the design, manufacturing and repair process. that dealerships couldn’t fix. I could write a book. saw a lot of crazy things. Now retired for 14 years, I found your videos. I have met many, many techs over the years, and you ranks right up there with the best. I love when you say “click”. I know how the manufacture has to have a torque spec for every fastener. CLICK. LOL. Keep up the great work. We should talk sometime.
I loved this video. I am a 15yr Nissan Master Technician and I can't even imagine how many times this scenario has happened to me. Also makes me wonder how much of my income comes from multiple visits from declined diagnosis. I do the exact same thing where I will spend a little time (even though I am not paid for it) to see if I can find a simple fix or if there is something else going on that is causing the code. Two reasons for this, no mechanic likes come backs, its embarrassing and its a waste of their time and the customers. Second is that once you have spent enough time in a shop working on thousands of cars, you'll find that the problem often is something else. Example, one code, maybe 30% of the time is not what google says is wrong with the vehicle. Though 70% it may be a simple sensor, but without confirming 30% of the time the customer will waste the cost of the part which is 100-300 dollars plus install, which with such high shop rates these days (which is due to higher wages, regulations, cost of materials to run the shop) Which may run 75-150 to install. They could have saved a few bucks diagnosing and finding the problem the first time. Now especially with what looked like a business truck, having the truck in the shop multiple times costs that company even more by having a down vehicle. I've often had customers approve the diagnoses and sure enough it was something simple and required no part replacement, costing them way less. Of course, I then become their favorite mechanic and get returned work, which is the whole point of being a mechanic. You want customer retention. I have been traveling a lot over the last 5 years or so meeting many many people along the way and one thing that I keep hearing over and over from small towns to large ones is that finding good, honest mechanics is very rare. Which is sad but also make me feel very accomplished and safe as far as job security. More so now as the labor market has taken a huge hit with the pandemic. As most shops can probably sympathize, they are having a hard time finding and retaining good mechanics. Their are many reasons why people might be a bad mechanic but I will say this, being a good mechanic is hard work. You can't be lazy and I think it takes a certain mindset when you have a tough problem, I get excited and want to find out what the heck is going on. It's like a little puzzle and when you figure it out, there is this huge sense of accomplishment, and no one cares but you. But you learn to love that for yourself. As good mechanics we are finally seeing the respect we deserve as businesses are really noticing the lack in the labor force and we are getting a lot more respect and due compensation. Its a good time to be a mechanic.
They have information but no actual knowledge. People surf the internet google everything until they find an article that agrees with their view, bam they’re a genius. Information without knowledge beyond a spurious amount or even common sense is what’s dangerous.
Well, he did have his own lightweight scanner tool, right? The vehicle is trashed inside, so how much love has ever been given the engine?? :) Right... none.. :(
@@saberxzero No, I think that sensor had to be the original one, it was really hard to get out, remember?? A newly or newer installed one that the customer installed would have looked way newer than the one Ray removed..
IMHO, I would have measured the current draw across the fuse terminals before replacing the fuse. There has to be a reason for fuse to blow. Also, are there separate fuses for bank1 and bank2?
I was at first wondering if the first fuse was blown due to the original 02 sensor because he had changed the fuse with the old sensor in, possibly causing it to blow again before switching to the new sensor, making it appear the new sensor didn't make a change.
I am a mechanic for about 30 years and I know for a fact that I have seen my share of mechanic's over charging customers for no reason but to steal money. That's why I am glad that I never had to send my vehicle to a shop for repairs. you go on UA-cam and they show you how to fix your car. fixing your own vehicle will and always be cheaper to do. If someone ask me to just install a sensor and it takes 5 minutes and 50 bucks. Do it! With a business put it on a work order and have him sign it. That's all you need to cover your behind. Why argue with someone when you put everything in writing. Some businesses do make it more difficult and I don't blame them for doing the job themselves.
Was an ASE certified technician for 20 years. I learned that when a customer is determined to tell you what to fix, I do it with a discount. I've had guns pulled on me when it doesn't fix the problem. Then I would become their mechanic for life when I fixed it for real. 😆
Could also be a faulty exhaust gas temperature sensor thats telling the ECM that particular bank is too cold and to command the O2 sensor heater to 100% duty cycle in an attempt to prepare the engine to go closed loop. Should be noted, I've no idea whether this engine uses EGT sensors or some other method.
Actually the open loop is when the O2 sensor is not hot enough and therefore the ECU bases its fuel/air ratio calculation on a fixed program. Closed loop is when the O2 sensor gives back actual data on the exhaust gasses and permits the ECU to tune the fuel/air ratio accordingly. Having a 100% duty cycle has nothing to do with exhaust gas temperature but only with the O2 sensor temperature itself as when it's below ~300°C it simply can't work.
I've never heard of an EGT sensor on a gasser, I thought they went by water temp? That is, when the engine itself is up to temp, not the exhaust itself. If that was the case, it would be hot within a minute.
You sir are properly educated. You clearly did a real apprenticeship with formal schooling. I love the technical challenge... beats spinning filters and banging brake drums.
A tip for those O2 sockets. Sometimes they break or slip if you have a really stuck sensor. This is more common on turbo motors. They break because they spread apart at the hex end. If you put a hose clamp over the wire first you can clamp the socket so it doesn't spread and it won't break.
Thats funny, in all the shops i worked here in switzerland its part of the service that we clean the front row of cars we worked on. That means vacuuming all fabrics, cleaning all plastics, clean parts that are very hard to get to like ventilation slots, clean the windows and also wash the car from the outside. Takes 10-15 minutes extra but the customer is happy and it shows we take time to make quality work.
@@kvdme a lifetime of poor choices? Anyway, just because you don't have money it doesn't mean you have to live in filth. But then I think there is a connection - people are poor because of their mentality.
@@kvdme ah, american capitalism! were you one of those running down socialist housing back in the day? or do you lean more toward society caring for its own?
I fixed my boss and customer about 30 years ago at a private shop I worked at. Customer came in with his own valve cover gaskets wanting us to change them for him. I was handed gaskets and a work order. Couple hours later I was done. Customer came back the next day really mad complaining it still had an oil leak. Boss man came out to my stall informing me of the issue. I politely told him yep, you didn't tell me to fix the oil leak, you handed me gaskets and told me to change them. If you want the leak fixed you'll need a sending unit, and I went back to tuning up the car in my stall.
Sounds just about right. Such a good feeling having the customer and the boss teaming up on you. Plus the guy bringing his own gaskets. Like bringing your own bacon and eggs to the diner.
I've been guilty of this myself. Although, I do tell the mechanic that if the parts I brought wasn't good enough for the job then they are welcome to purchase what will work and do whatever extra was needed in order to finish the job. I usually do my own work and I know at least half the wait time in the shop is ordering parts themselves and since I can't be without a car for long I typically just buy the bulk of what I think is needed and pass it off to someone more competent so it gets done right. After all, I have been scammed by shops numerous times just on part gouging itself so I prefer to shop around and just eat the labor.
Two quick questions. Did you check your new fuse after you still got the code? There is a reason the old fuse popped. Also, does the new O2 sensor need to be grounded I.E. screwed in to the manifold to function properly?
To be fair he may have had bad experiences with dishonest mechanics before. So this might just be him trying to protect himself and taking his chances that you were trying to rip him off. Which is frustrating for someone who's trying to do an honest job, but at the same time you can't really fault the guy for watching his back. Even if it ended up not being the right call in the end. Like has been said before, a few bad apples spoil the bunch.
I love that phrase because its actually a fact. Ripening apples release ethylene gas that causes the ripening of other apples to speed up which eventually leads to everything rotting. One bad apple literally spoils the entire bunch.
Not long ago I dropped my car off at the shop; when I came back t find out what was wrong with it the mechanic said, "it looks like you blew a seal" - I said, "hey just fix my car and leave my personal life out of it"! (Oooh that was dirty dirty dirty!)
I'm actually kinda thrilled that there are people familiar with Kip Addotta's tune from the Dr. Demento Show! That song is a masterpiece of double-entendres and puns.
Did you check the new fuse you installed after you rechecked the scanner, to see if it was popped before installing the new O2? I'm curious if the new fuse popped right away due to a shorted heater circuit in the old O2 sensor. New O2 would obviously not work correctly without power to the heater. Love your vids btw!
I would have check the voltage on that fuse before and after replacing the O2 sensor and doing a scan with the O2 sensor properly installed and after the codes were cleared I would do another scan to just double-check the outcome
I was wondering the same thing. Any time a fuse pops, and the problem isn't fixed after replacing it, that is right where I go to check again. I have resetting breakers I use, if it pops again , till the problem is fixed.
I also would have cleared the codes and reset the system to see if it would work properly after the change in fuse. Same thing with the sensor. The system could be locked on those outputs.
You should have rechecked the new fuse because the old bad o2 sensor blew that new fuse. Then installed the new sensor and refused it yet again. I've seen this exact problem and a bad heater will blow fuses left and right.
In my experience the issue very seldom lies with the sensor itself especially with heater circuit codes, it nearly always seems to be a broken wire or blown/missing fuse. You'd be amazed at how many times the fuse is just completely missing, probably re-allocated to a cigarette lighter or radio that blew it's fuse at some point. I hope it comes back so we can see exactly what the issue is!
@@ericeaton371 The car is 21 years old and heater circuits can, and do, go bad. My granddaughter's 2005 kept blowing the fuse, I checked all of the wiring and it was good. I replaced the O2 sensor and the problem went away.
@@ericeaton371 first thing i check is any wiring near heat or vibration. Nissans have shields on top of shields that have plastic keepers that break. Then the shields will saw through the wire. or maybe an internal short at the power source. i have had to replace that smart module fuse box on those many times.
I don't know if anyone has commented this yet but after you replaced the O2 sensor and started the car at 14:21. Your scanner shows the A/F S1 HTR B1(%) at 43.6 and not stuck at 100 anymore. So.......the new sensor fixed it
@@ktgequestrian4475 "replaced bank 2 upstream oxygen sensor with customer supplied part and cleared codes at customer request" I started writing very long job stories once I had to continue following my own work and finding it lacking.
The problem is there is so many scammer mechanics like the dude who runs a shop down the road from me, trusting mechanics is a tough sell. Just like trusting a car salesmen. You get burned again and again you start to not trust then unless you show them. You gotta literally show them that info with sound logic. Even honest mechanics won’t take that extra step and SHOW the data.
Always amazes me how people will take their one Google search over a Mechanic's years/decades of experience. I see this all too often. O2/AFR sensors being a common one. You have a great day too, Ray! o7
It's not necessarily just that. Maybe the customer or someone they know has been screwed before so they did what they believe was their due diligence & now feel they are being "up sold" or whatever. That said, this is why it's good Ray records like he does. He can always show the video to the customer if it does come back to thwart any potential issues.
@@TLM-Nathan that is what i thought, people do not trust people anymore, i am 64 years old the hand shake deal is over long time ago, there is no honor anymore in most just greed and cons or scams, our government is a very good example of GREED and POWER, the new saying is do on to others before they do on to you
I only found these videos a couple days ago. Fascinating! Really clear pics and first-class audio. Love your voice man! I could listen to it all-day. I'm no mechanic but I've subscribed for the pleasure of watching and listening. At present, I'm having a binge-watch. Great stuff!!!!
One of my favorite things to say to my employees in these situations... "The customer is NOT always right, but they do always get what they ask for"
I tell the customer that I don't want them to tell me what they think is wrong with their car. I also get some surprised looks when I finish up under the hood and then close it, they be like 'Aren't you going to test it'?
And as my boss once said (not in the car repair business, but computer software): The customer doesn't actually know what they want until you give them exactly what they've asked for.
Machines do that too. When you mess up a setting and completely ruin the part you're making you have to say to yourself 'I hate when machines do what I tell it to do and not what I want it to do.'
That is actually what the saying originally meant- it was used to describe the customer wanting x service/product rather than what they needed i.e the customer is always right because they have the money and have already decided what they want.
Yep. Had to intervene with one of my sales team when a guy asked to match a deal from the internet. Realize this was maybe 2004, so things online in my industry were far sketchier than today. But the deal online included a $250 shipping charge, which we tacked onto the sales price. Margin restored, customer got what he asked for.
I like the fact that you're an honest mechanic and you're not trying to soak the customer for things they don't need.
Well said ! There are some that try to take advantage of others .
You're one honest mechanic that is hard to find nowadays. Keep up the good work. 👍
I agree. I went to a shop for an oil change and they tell me I need an alignment. I said, "oh really? You can tell from doing an oil change?" He then said your total is gonna be $35
He is honest because he wants Ur money and isnt dumb.
Do you really think he would be filming himself if he was scamming people?
@Skynet 7/10 can be shady ? That’s the same as saying 10/10 can be shady .
You're the best Ray ... I'm a former mechanic who's now an IT guy and your skills keep me connected to the art and keep my skills sharp just by watching. ❤️
I’m a former mechanic who is now a sales guy and I watch for the same reason!
I'm an IT guy and work on my own vehicles and have learned a lot from his videos. It's funny how the troubleshooting process is so similar. "Do the easiest thing first" still applies
You'll be amazed how many times and how many thousands of dollars I've spent and had my car in the shop and mysteriously my car came out with another problem the next day totally unrelated to what they did or so I thought then when I mentioned it or came back the service ride is always had a song in dance and some sort of story and something else happened I've been a week over a week in my driveway on the ground working on my car doing stuff when I'm 69 years old because I don't trust them if I can find a guy like Ray I'd be happy have a good day
How frustrating 😤 GREAT to have documentation. Not only for yourself but employer as well. And by the way, your self control in NOT commenting on the interior decorating...AMAZING!
VERY PROFESSIONAL.
The problem is that there are so many dodgy mechanics out there that have soiled the playing field, despite you proving to your customer that the problem isn't the sensor, he probably doesn't fully trust your diagnosis and wants his new sensor fitted just to prove to himself that you are not trying to rip him off.
Have you seen the "quit!" Video (2 days ago) From Louis Rosmann? It actually proves your point With Evidence.
I'll leave the link to it here or you can search for it yourself in case of untrustworthy link.
Link: ua-cam.com/video/LdCv0KwvorE/v-deo.html
Search: let's encourage this lad to quit his job - Louis Rossmann
sometimes a guy just likes paying to have the job done twice.....ever think of that...i'm just sayin.
this is the exact reason I don't take my car to mechanics anymore and have just been doing the work myself but this guy brings a small amount of faith back to me for mechanics
Finding an honest competent mechanic is not always easy. I used to take my car to a mechanic that did a great job and I was happy. After moving to a new city, I had an awful time finding a good one. I had oil pans destroyed in an oil change, tune-up where one of the spark plug wires was lost, and several other errors made by several mechanics. I eventually decided to just start fixing my own cars.
Once bitten, twice shy!
Rainman helps to restore confidence.
Back in the 1960s, my parents got overtaken by their own back wheel, a few miles after having new tyres fitted. Nobody hurt, but can be fatal.
Ever since, they (and I!) watched fitting, and loosened/retightened all the wheel nuts/bolts by hand around the corner. Then torque wrench at home.
I wish all mechanics had the integrity you possess. I really like the videos you post especially the diagnostics.
1
I wonder if they caused a short during their attempts to get the sensor out.
Well that would probably in the pigtail that is on the sensor, buy Ray disconnected that and plugged in a new sensor with no difference. But It could very well fried some part of the ECU. Hopefully it will come in again for a full diagnosis. Btw. good seeing you here. also subscribed to you!
well i am wondering if the old sensor had a short, and blew known good fuse before the installment of the known good o2 sensor.
@D W I was just thinking, what a small world
A random big clive appeared, 👀
Well fancy meeting you here.
Watched a lot of your videos, and admire your documentation as to what is going on. If a customer ever doubts what you have diagnosed, you certainly have proof of your efforts to fix what is wrong.
Doubt this guy is documenting every minute of work. Just the occasional job to post footage on here for his channel. how much work can a mechanic even do fiddling with a camera and being more concerned with creating a video than doing his job...
@@udalix have you actually watched him? He’s pretty damn thorough! This is coming from a 30 year master tech by the way.
Well the job labor is charged by the hour but he isn’t paid by the hour. And honestly a lot of mechanics reserve the left hand for a flashlight anyway.
After watching these videos, when I am in a DIY situation that is frustrating me, I will pause and smile and ask myself, “What would Ray do?”
It is a treat watching a true professional do his job so well. Cheers.
Being disabled from working I find watching these videos very entertaining, informative and it fills my urge to do something mechanical. Thanks 😊
If you are into games, there is one called Car Mechanic Simulator. Basically, you fix cars in a game. Might also fill that urge.
Pro tip. Sometimes they're so rusted and welded in there you have to cut the wire and use a regular socket to get them off. I've had those o2 sockets flex and skip... I usually don't even try and save the o2 socket to install only...
AMEN!!..gotta love mechs that work in the South
i found the crow foot design o2 socket works best on these. They dont skip as much
I've owned, and tossed into the trash, three different O2 sensor sockets across three different brands. All of them I had the same problem with, which is why they went bye-bye. I'll either cut the wire and slap a deep well impact socket on there, or get out my long-handled Vice Grips.
Try a hose clamp tightened around the O2 socket. It might prevent the socket skipping off
Get them out of there however you can. I have used a pipe wrench. Whatever works.
I recommend you get yourself one (or pair) of those kevlar mechanic's sleeves. I used to work around hot engines, and they were excellent arm savers from burns and cuts.
kevlar is heat resistant too?
@@SuperMixedd Kevlar is heat resistant up to 800 or so degrees Fahrenheit.
@@shakawhenthewallsfell8570 sorry i don't speak colonial, how much is that in metropolitan units?
@@SuperMixedd 700 degrees Kelvin
@@shakawhenthewallsfell8570 k thanks that's very educational
A thing I like: no BS introduction montage. You just get into the action. Super Excellent.
I worked in the auto repair field for almost 20 years...had a customer come in with a CEL once, said they had self-diagnosed it as a bad O2 sensor. They had bought a new sensor from the local auto parts store and installed it. Cleared the code and the code came right back. Thinking they had received a faulty new part, they exchanged it at the store and replaced it again, cleared the code and the code came right back. They returned the aftermarket part and bought a new sensor from the dealer, installed that one and cleared the code...guess what. The code came right back...when I diagnosed it, I found one of the 4 wires to the sensor frayed and grounding to the underside of the car, just 8-10 inches from the sensor. Repaired the wire, CEL went away....car never needed a sensor....still not sure how they didn't see the wire damage when they replaced the sensor 3 times...
Similar thing happened to me last year. My o2 sensor was actually bad, but then I broke one of the harness-side wires during installation without realizing it. Repairing that wire was not a comfortable feeling with the amount of room I had. Luckily, I only returned one "bad" sensor to the store before realizing my mistake!
I would be overjoyed to have you as my mechanic! Have you ever thought of moving to Ontario Canada and opening your own shop? Lol.
Alot of mechanics in my area wouldn't have even hooked up a scan tool. They would've changed the sensor at the customers request and charged him for the re and re.
It's only out of necessity over the years that I've learned to do many of my own repairs, but with vehicles becoming more and more complicated, and without the proper tools, I need to be able to rely on the person I hire to do the job with integrity and good moral judgement.
Keep up the good, honest work!
You put salt on your roads?
I'd be willin to bet my life he'd move RIGHT BACK SOUTH after bustin tool after tool and/or his knuckles getting stuff loose...he spoiled cuz nuttin' is rust-encrusted/encased down there..the ease at which stuff comes apart down there in Florida cracks me up
I'm in Ontario as well but I know a couple of good mechanics. It would be awesome to have the repairs documented on video though.
@@rickmossop3733 I'd love the contact info of anyone I can trust near Lindsay Ontario. Cheers.
@@alanwebster3942 salt sand mix up here an hour north of Toronto.
"What? Fix the problem? No no no, you're just a part changing robot!"
Gotta love it when your expertise is casually tossed aside.
Yeah right!? I mean you know the guy needed a new engine, transmission, plugs, radiator, tires, brakes, radio and a cigarette lighter. Then he'd be good as new ready to hit the road. Until next year!
@@firstlast189 --- I'm reading a long list of _assumptions_ 👆
Don't feel bad Ray. He just needed your help getting the sensor out. Job done!
no lol customer is a toolbag
I have my mechanic do the sparkplugs once a year plus pay for 30 minutes of his time to go over everything on top of what he charges for an oil change
Hes saved me quite a bit looking at the nissan they dont care as much
maybe the guy just wishes it is not a bad ecm.
@@Newberntrains i was the same way till i learned how to do it myself. I still do my spark plugs every year because i usually travel alot
@@jameshedrick6839 180k on my armada's original plugs. I got better things to do lol.
As a tech I feel for you. I've done work that customers insist on doing even though I know it's not the problem. They won't be happy unless you do what they want. I make my notes, then have them sheepishly come back for me to do it right. Of course it cost them twice as much
Many times I have made suggestions and advise people for their own for them to only think they know better than I do and then when they come back I look at him and I say well I told you so but you know some people know everything and you know nothing yeah right have a good night
Customers not trusting the repairman is something I first saw as a kid when our TV let go. My folks would kick very hard at a $50 charge to fix a $400 TV. "You only replaced that tiny doohickey?" Ignored the expertise and diagnostic labor and equipment it took to isolate the problem. Seemed strange to me later on when I realized both parents were professional people who were well paid for their experience and skill.
Ray, I feel that you need to find an effective way to advertise your professionalism and trustworthiness so you can establish your own customer base. Once you reach that point, you can then open your own shop. You deserve a brighter future.
These videos do a pretty good job of that to be honest
@@internallyinteral Not really, he doesnt even say where he works.
@BaltimoreAndOhioRR it would be trivial to figure out. There are plenty of road signs on his test drives. If I lived in Florida I would absolutely take the time to track Ray down and specifically request he work on all that ails me vehicularly.
Edit: I spent five minutes and did figure it out. If I ever make it to [city] in Florida, I'm going to stalk him and offer dinner/beer lol
Not everyone wants to own a business. Many people are happy being the worker bee. In my case as a boat captain, I am perfectly content driving other people's boats. I do not want the headaches associated with owning, marketing, maintaining, insuring, personnel, taxes, etc. that come with being the boss.
He seems happy with his life; is that not the whole point.
Car is a mess, I would never send my car to the mechanic looking like that 😲
It amazes me to see how bad some cars are. They look like mobile waste bins. Just think how they live at home!
Exactly! Disgusting
Like how do you sit in that
@Nicol I guess, you'll be in the unemployment line
I'd never have a car looking like that, to send to a mechanic or other wise. Period.
10:09. I have one of those sockets and I find it to be useless if the sensor it really frozen in there. I just cut off the wire and put a 21 or 22mm socket on and use a breaker bar to loosen it. So what if the wire is cut? The old sensor and the cut wire go right into the trash can.
after replacing fuse. and restarted engine did we check the fuse once again after installing new o2 sensor .we could have blown fuse before we installed new sensor .
My guess would be that the owner has been taken advantage of before and is doing his best to protect himself, but getting screwed in the long run. I used to work on my own car, do my own tune-ups, I've put motors in old cars several times. When smog systems and computers came along it was just outside of my ability to troubleshoot and repair.
Having had good dependable fair mechanics I followed around to different shops, and having mechanics that screwed me over for thousands of dollars...it is just a crap shoot as to what experience you get. When you don't know what you are going to receive I can understand not being willing to follow advice of people you don't know and trust yet. Another factor is that "service managers" are the interface usually and they know little of what is going on and are just another factor that makes me wary of knowing the full story. Mechanics should be able to talk directly and explain the situation.
I'd pay damn good money if a mechanic had video of what he was doing on my car, and I could see him working through the reasoning of why he was doing what he was doing...from a customer point of view, we just get a light on the dash, take it to a shop that has one guy take the order and passes the car along to a mechanic, after a long wait and bad coffee we get a bill for X thousand dollars with no way to know what is going on behind the scenes.
Personally I would be willing to pay extra to have these kind of videos of the service of my vehicle. I know shops would probably consider it a liability, but to me it is an instant way to know if I can trust the guy putting parts on my car.
Yesterdat at my oil change shop a diesel truck came in with some leaks. We had done work on it before, so we were liable to investigate it.
Assistant manager goes down, its a Ford diesel with a plastic pan and drain plug. Its leaking from the drain plug. He has the vehicle drained, and looks at the pan. The two little notches that lock the drain plug in are completely fucked, causing leaks. Instead of going upstairs and saying he needs a new drain pan, he brings the customer down stairs and shows him the issue.
Customer understood, and we refilled him no charge
@@norsethenomad5978 This is exactly what happened last time I was in for an oil change. They did the service, but noticed alot of unrelated stuff that was beyond their simple oil change shop's ability. They let me come down underneath and look at everything, pointed out issues, some of which I was aware of, and others I wasn't, took the time to indepth explain the issues. It's a great customer experience when the guys working on your vehicle take the time to do this for you.
Notice he has a big Snap On Scanner, not some little cheap one??? There is a reason for that..
I know a shop that specializes in BMW Audi and some Porsche vehicles only and they spent huge thousands to buy the same BMW computer that reads and programs those cars, so they could know exactly what the BMW car's computer is saying to them, so they can make the best choice to repair it one time, and not guess at it..
Been there, done that. The shop I was at offered an optional video diagnostic video for customers. They hated it, techs hated it, got dropped.
@@norsethenomad5978 I hope you guys didn’t do the last oil change on the truck, there’s a lotta guys that would say you were the last one to touch the drain plug. Since you didn’t mention it when you started the job then your shop must have done it and didn’t say anything about it
I’m so glad I watch this channel, I really needed a o2sensor socket and I didn’t know it existed, was about to mill a notch myself hahaha. Thanks for the knowledge
a regular spanner does also do the thing.
Some Autozone will rent them.
SOMETIMES a regular 7/8 deep socket works (if not recessed)
But this socket works best with a HOSE CLAMP fitted over the opening, once in place. This keeps the socket from spreading.
If you have access to a mill, and an expendable socket. Do that instead. Those o2 sensor sockets, are $$xpensive.
could just use an open ended wrench, what I did when I changed mine last month.
Can't wait for a part two, oh yes there will be a part two in 100 miles or less. Wonder what will be in part two's Amazon package?
a brand new ECU, ready to be flashed
New shift knob, a u-joint and a half gallon of blinker fluid. Should fix it right up.
Michael M. Come on man! You forgot to add muffler bearings on that list!
@@facusan2339 Hey yall trying to rip this guy off he clearly only needs front/rear brakes an oil change and a few hits on the ecu with the big ol Hammer
Z3RO lmao, finally someone suggesting the well known “hammer love taps” that fixes everything!
It's not coming back to you, that would be too embarrassing for most people. It's going to another shop where the guy says "I took it to...... and they put in a new sensor and cleared the codes, but that didnt fix it". I swear that is how a lot of those "the other shop scammed me" stories happen
or a lot of the time tried to fix the problem themselves just to break another thing in the process
I replaced the O2 sensor on my honda accord twice before I discovered that the fix was to use the OEM sensor. All the parts stores cross referenced several brands that all fit but whatever spec they were built to the computer didn't recognise it.
Ray, I really appreciate you taking us through the types of things customers say and want you to do with their car. It's quite enlightening, to say the least! Thanks for your efforts to communicate effectively, even if your good advice is not taken. Be well!!
Did you check the fuse again before plugging in the new sensor? The heater in the old sensor might have been drawing too much current.
yeah I thought the same thing
One time I had to change an O2 sensor, but being a home mechanic I didn't have the proper slotted socket for it. I did however have an open ratchet. So I depinned the new O2 sensor's connector and fed the wires through the socket and open ratchet, then put it all back together once it was screwed in. Necessity is the mother of invention as they say ;)
I don't know how your videos showed up on my tube, but I've watched a lot of them now and kind of wish I still lived in Florida so I could bring vehicles to you when it's something I can't diagnose or fix.
I wish all mechanics were as thorough, honest & knowledgeable as you are!
@13:26
"It wont go in. Ow it burns!"
Giggity, this is why you glove it up fellas
As long as there is room to fit your hand & still be able to manipulate the part into place while wearing it...
Especially when yer at the exhaust
The problem with fixing cars with gloves is: You can't feel what you are doing.
The problem with latex gloves: They break anyway, so your hands still get dirty. (lots and lots of sharp stuff in the engine bay, especially modern cars)
Be a man, use water and soap.
@@frankvandendool882 I'm a fan of the Ninja branded gloves, they're low profile and actually last, hell you can clean them in a washing machine if you want
I enjoy watching all your videos.. and i think it true ppl have a hard time trusting mechanic's until you gaing their trust, so many bad ones out there that it makes it hard for the honest ones sometimes
I wish more mechanics took pride in doing right by everyone rather than just throwing parts at stuff.
I think this is one of the big reasons some people don't trust mechanics. I've seen mechanics replace parts that didn't fix the problem but still charge the customer for it.
the sad thing is there are very few mechanics anymore, these trade schools and the big shops train people to be Parts changers and not really diagnose the problem, when I had my shop years ago I was one of the few that did diagnose the problem and fix just that, I could not lie to my customers and tell them they needed a long list of things just because of a broken wire. I would hate to try and start up a shop now because the cost of equipment to diagnose and specialized tools needed is sky high. I used to build many of my own specialized tools but it would be almost impossible to do it now.
I agree, had a car come in that had an intermittent right front wheel speed sensor code when turning right at high speed.
2 so called "mechanics " had replaced the sensor each time, codes kept coming back. I diagnosed it, replaced the worn wheel bearing and the codes never came back
Sounds like the time I had Autozone run the codes when I was on vacation......After the new engine suggestion and several other scary suggestions we got to gas cap not tightened, popped it open turned it a half turn before the click problem solved.....
Very good, respect to you. The only times I have run into problems, like yourself, I always do my best to correctly diagnose the problems and discuss with customer first before proceeding. I had various ways of putting things to the customer, like 'Sorry to spoil your day, but xxxxx needs to be checked first, to make sure' etc, and almost ALWAYS give them a written estimate (unless its a nice customer who I know well). I add 'Feel free to get other estimates, I won't be the least offended', and 98% of the time they come back to me. My reputation came first. Thanks again for this vid.
One thing all those faults (o2 heating cycle, closed loop, and the trque converter lockup) have in common is the coolant temperature sensor. Even tho its not failed, it could be giving incorrect readings and pissing off the ecm. Also air pockets around the coolant temp sensor will cause similar issues.
Definetly sounds like a “fun one” to diagnose.
Order the coolant temperature sensor.
If that were the case, then the other O2 sensor would also be throwing codes, no?
Few months ago I changed the valve cover gaskets and tube seals on our Nissan. When I put everything back together for some reason the check engine light started intermittently coming on, once the car warmed up to operating temperature the light would sometimes go off. Car was not overheating and ran as per normal. I kinda suspected the cooling system because I needed to disconnect a couple of coolant hoses from the Idle Control Valve to move the intake manifold out the way so I thought I may have gotten some air in it. I tried to purge it, but still no change. After doing a bit of research on line, most people said change the Coolant Temperature Sensor and go from there, because it was the cheapest and easiest option to start with, so I did and it fixed the problem.
@MGD 60D absolutely right. I didn't want to make a long comment, other to say (allude to the fact that) there is one coolant temp sensor, but two O2 sensors, one of which was functioning normally.
@MGD 60D I'm curious about the only really old airplanes have fuses. Made me think that I have seen a few videos where they re-set breakers during emergencies.... Is this why? Never occured to me that they moved away from fuses.
Looking forward to the true diagnosis when the car comes back in 😁
It’s hilarious how many people try to replace an o2 sensor with any code that even mentions it. 🤣. Even auto parts stores are advising it.
People love parts cannons. I use to work at autozone, yeah, never trusted that parts finder said. I always brought up a list of issues to look for and gave them all the info, but what can you do when they just want a part that may or may not fix their issue.
@@suburbanfreak87 before I had my own code reader the autozone one said I'd need a new MAF and a few other things, cleaned my MAF with a $4 spray and it fixed the code
My first car ownership I did similar with a crank position sensor. I know now, but then, not so much. Car ended up comitting suicide unrelated to that incident-- twice.
Had an engine light come on once when I was out of town and had a part store read the codes all 4 02 sensors pop up in the codes the parts store tried to sell me 4 02 sensors. I knew better then to assume 4 went bad at the same time, extremely unlikely. Ended up being a timing issue cause by a well worn timing chain.
@@OctoberNight-rr7nyI had all 4 O2 Sensors go out within a short period of each other. The stock ones were on their for two decades and code did read malfunction for each one. I did buy bosch at first, but Denso turn out to be the best for me. Connectors had to come undone due to a custom exhaust install. I got heater circuit low for a couple sensors and some dielectric grease and didn't see the code again till I pulled the pipes couple years later to change some gaskets. Dielectric grease and electronic spray fixes the heater circuit low since I did drive it unplugged some miles.
You are a smart mechanic, documenting everything on video. It's proof positive you have done everything possible. Good on you!
Also, Get a fan or a blower that you can aim up in the hot spots, while you try to get your arm in there. I used to have a box fan with some little spacers that i would slide under.
If the customer brings in a part and says to replace it, simply replace it. If/when the light comes on then when they come back charge them a diagnostic fee. They did their own diagnosis and paid you to replace the sensor, that’s exactly what I would have done.
I wish it was that easy. You would think that it makes sense if a customer supplies a part and asks a shop to simply install that part, the shop is clear of any liability if it doesn't fix their problem. I wish it was that easy. It is like a person bringing their own food to a restaurant then complaining when the steak is tough.
I believe Ray works in a shop in Florida, so I am not sure how their Consumer Affairs laws work. Here in California, the Bureau of Auto Repair (BAR) is very sympathetic to consumers. Even when a customer supplies a part from their own diagnosis, the shop can still share some liability if it doesn't correct the customer's problem. Nor does it always protect the shop if the part fails prematurely. The ideal solution is to simply refuse the work. But then you risk losing a customer and everyone the customer talks to.
I like that Ray took the time to do a quick diagnosis, at his own expense, and advise the customer the part he supplied may not address the concern. This would certainly help if the customer decided to file a complaint with Consumer Affairs
@@rtwice93555 I’ve been I. The industry for a long time. It is that easy, at the shops I’ve been at we have had the customer sign it was their part, their diagnostic and we can only warranty the part was installed correctly.
If it were only that simple. Many shops around my state actually refuse to take your parts because they want to charge you for their parts they get and up charge you at that. A lot of them actually love to do that. This business is much like any other. How do they increase profit margins. I was once charged $140 for a $35 cheap strut and was told it was Monroe. Thankfully they also tried to tell me I needed pads and rotors done and I did it myself and saw the cheap part they sold me.
@@rtwice93555 You really cant compare any other state to Cali though. They are awful to own a business in.
That's exactly right!
Also If there weren't so many mechanics that live on the.....
"It was going to need replacement soon anyway." policy, just to make a buck. People would trust us more often. I always tell my employees. If you wouldn't say it to your mother, don't say it to the customer. Unfortunately, greed runs our industry. And a lot of mechanics only care about their pocket. This is why customers don't trust us. And they never will. We have to form that trust in that customer. Situations like this help us form that trust. This customer will know he's wrong about 15 minutes down the road. In 3 weeks he'll be back. This time he'll have a little bit more trust for the guy that just worked on his car.
all depends on the car, some cars may cost more in the short term to replace something but over long term it work out cheaper. I have a few cars where a diff bush starts to crack in a IRS cradle both in the front (AWD SUV) and rear and its best practice to replace the 3 bushes while the cradle is out all at once than a few hours for each replacement.
Funny.... I thought it was the shop owners that only cared about money...
@@ScooterMcAwesomeness some do and some don't. Just like any job there are certain ones that are a pain to deal with taking other bits out of the way to get to the repair spot. My parents car was based on a vaxhaul opal and that was a pain to do the heater hose as the front bumper, headlights and the 6 offshoot hoses that was heat vulcanized to the main pipe.
@@gore1978 All do, nevermind some.
When the door rate goes up by dollars, and I get cents... mmm, nah. The cost of living seems to only effect the rich, not us poor slobs that actually WORK for a living. Their costs go up, but ours stay the same?? Not quite.
But whatever... as long as rich F's keep owning shops and not caring about their employees, the trade will never change. We are looked down upon daily as "the guys who just wanna screw you over for a dollar" by the customers, and "I'll have you replaced inside 2 weeks" by the owners. Really makes you wanna try harder eh??
@@ScooterMcAwesomeness that maybe the case for you where you live, but down where I am it is a different case with majority of the shops, A lot of them are built up on both the mechanic and owner loyalty to each other and the owner is one of the guys on the shop floor 95% of the time with the shops as we dont have a big slap and tickle in and out jiffy lube centre style shops.this is based on my own personal dealing over 35 years within the industry.
The customer has declined your advise and has made an informed decision, there can be no doubt about that now. It is on his head.
*advice
@@jumpinjojo Great job,because I didn't understand the comment at all.
@@RaveDaver That’s why I’m here.
But wait, this customer will be back claiming that now his torque converter is messed up and was not like that when he brought it in. (Good thing Ray has that code on video)
@@jumpinjojo trolling is what you are doing if you are correcting people's spelling.
I FIND MYSELF JUST WATCHING VIDEO AFTER VIDEO FROM THIS CHANNEL, HE SEEMS LIKE A GOOD MAN THAT LOVES HIS JOB. THANKS FOR BEING A HONEST DECENT HUMAN BEING, THAT ISNT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF INNOCENT PEOPLE !
Turn off the caps lock
I have no idea why I spend so much time watching someone fix car problems, but I am enjoying doing so
Ray i enjoy all your videos no matter how long or short they are you do awesome work a man can learn alot from you too..sucks you have to deal with trash cars inside and outside be safe stay safe 👍✌🇺🇲
Would be amazing to pipe this feed inside the building to a viewing booth in order to gain the trust of the customer that you are both competent and not scamming them. This tech would certainly increase the confidence and trust in a repair facility especially if they could record a copy of it to a USB as a maintenance record. Unfortunately, servicing the customer can often mean not servicing the vehicle.
Damn i'd love to have customers watch me work!
said no mechanic ever.
Even put a microphone next to the TV so the customer could tell him how to do his job.
I get where you are coming from but the last thing I’d want is the owner of the car eyeing me down every second I’m wrenching on their vehicle😂
Much better idea is to just show him the video he just recorded on his phone, not live, recorded and show it when necessary. You know like body cams on police lol
Or maybe just play his old diagnosis videos on a tv in the waiting room
Your editing doesn't show it, but did you check that your new fuse didn't blow after you replaced it? The sequence is that you plugged in the replacement wideband immediately after the new fuse (with the old sensor) didn't fix it. So it looks like you tried the new sensor with possibly a blown replacement fuse.
Yep I was thinking the same thinh
No, he Said, repeat, He Said, he checked the fuse a 2nd time and it was ok... he does not always video everything he does, so you have to listen to him talking to get everything that happened..
Probably a shorted sensor fried the driver in the ECM at the same time it popped the fuse. Owner needs a new ECM and probably a transmission as well. If he keeps driving it in open loop than add new cats to the bill. Judging by the interior I'd say the truck is destined to a new owner soon.
If the heater if 50 infficient. The fuse would have been good.. Its another oxysensor... . but if runs and shifts bad. Could be alot of things......
@@frandanco6289 time stamp? Because I never heard that come out of his mouth
props. we need more mechanics like you. I like to work on cars and all, but i also don't get paid for it. i hope you do all of your work with these ethics. keep up the good work
I found myself watching a couple of your videos out of boredom, then I realized you were driving down a road that I frequently commute myself daily and recognize, keep up the good work, and enjoy the video
Blown fuse means wire is grounded before the sensor. There is a melted wire somewhere. Checking the fuse again will prove if wire is grounded if it blew again.
That'd probably be a great practice in general just video documenting the work like what's done here, there's no way a customer can claim you've done wrong when it's all reviewable haha
There is a shop where I live where the mechanics wear cameras as they work on a vehicle. Not only does it record the work being done, the customer, is given a link and can watch it in real time.
@@prestonlaston2981 I wish we had real time feeds to police cameras.
@@LunchLovesBox Probably not. What you'd mostly see would bore you to death, the rest would leave you unable to sleep.
@@sspacil Exactly why it would be great.
As always , CYA ! " Since you put air in the tires , my radio stopped working " !
How does that saying go? The customer is always what? Nope, not when they're wrong.
This is great how you've documented protecting yourself and your shop. Now your customer can't say with any authority that you failed to fix his problem. He didn't ask you to fix the problem. He asked you to blindly replace a part, which incidentally did not fix his problem. I hope he feels better now - even though his vehicle is still busted.
I have fired the parts canon at my vehicles at times when a shop didn't correctly diagnose a problem and an Internet solution sounded plausible. The better plan was ultimately finding a better shop (a dealership) which correctly diagnosed the problem.
Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and experience with us, Ray!
Thank you very much for sharing on UA-cam. Best regards.
Every single day. When cockroaches scatter, it’s time to consider cleaning your ride people.
lol
My dad's car has some. If he gives it to me, I'll have lots of cleaning to do!
It might just be easier to teach them how to drive.
@@cletusspucklerstablejeaniu1059 Given my dad lost his license for multiple uses of a mobile phone and driving the wrong way down a lane, told me to pull out in front of 3 cars when I was learning, and once drove down a fucking tram track in Melbourne, I think the cockroaches haven't got much to learn
You're one good mechanic , I'd trust you if you were my mechanic!
My guess is the customer knows the truck is on its last legs and just intends to limp it along as long as possible. Which is perfectly fine as long as you don't have to pass emissions tests.
I'd have probably re-checked the fuse after you replaced it and started the truck. Fuses don't just pop for no reason. If it popped a second time, you know you have a wiring problem.
Or a shorted heater in the original sensor!
He did say in the vid that he re checked the fuse
We don’t have emissions test in Florida so he will drive it into the ground before he repairs anything else I’m sure.
I would have put the original fuse back in and kept my good fuse.
I know not everyone listens well but he did say he checked the fuse again.
Watching your attitude makes your job very look very rewarding.
Clean piece. I loved working on these tidy cars that look like a dumpster inside.
I wish it was that easy to get video documentation of situations like this in the 90s. Would have saved me hours per week of explaining and defending myself from customers like this. Not that he's a bad customer at this point, as long as he accepts that he did it to himself he is a good guy trying to do his own thing. I respect that. It's when they come back claiming we didn't do something right when we did exactly what they Asked us and paid us to do that chaps my ass.
My cousin used to be an engineer for one of the big 3. Whenever my dad worked on a car and was having a difficult time, he would curse my cousin out. Even if a car was designed and built while my cousin was still in grade school. Lol
Round about 3 1/2 decades ago I worked at one of those 10 minute oil change joints. There existed at the time a Toyota inline 6 engine that had one side of the block populated by everything, and the other entirely bare. To remove the oil filter, one pretty much had to burn a finger on the exhaust manifold. After 2 or 3 such incidents, I swore that one day before I died, I would encounter and strangle a Toyota engineer to exact my vengeance, lol (no, hasn't happened yet, but I am ever hopeful!)
@@ludditeneaderthal Yes! I do AGREE! I was a copy machine/printer tech, I had engineers tell what I was seeing was not possible! Even though I was watching as I was speaking with said engineers!
Your dad has poor character.
@@niklascarlsson2841 you're awfully judgemental
@@ludditeneaderthal nonsense
Did you recheck the fuse after you replaced it while the old (likely shorted) oxygen sensor was still plugged in? I would never suspect a PCM on a blown heater circuit fuse. O2 sensor likely repaired it but the fuse is still blown.
I was wondering the same thing.
Indeed. I spent 20 years in the Navy, and the rule on blown fuses and tripped circuit breakers was - the first go round, you could assume that it was a one-time transient condition, and replace the fuse or reset the circuit breaker - if the fuse blew or breaker tripped a second time, that meant there was a problem with the associated equipment, that needed to be investigated and fixed, prior to replacing the fuse or resetting the breaker again, and placing the equipment back in service.
I love watching your videos, both educational and entertaining. You are a great diagnostician and I hope you are well compensated. I went from being a Ford technician to working for Chevrolet / GM for 32 years on the service side of the business. I was involved in every new model release from 1977 to 2009, and Dealt with all the technology changes along the way. For the last 10 years I was involved with certain truck products, the plants where they were built, the associated suppliers and engineers, and the dealerships who had service issues with them. It was a great job where you could really go after the problems created by the design, manufacturing and repair process. that dealerships couldn’t fix. I could write a book. saw a lot of crazy things. Now retired for 14 years, I found your videos. I have met many, many techs over the years, and you ranks right up there with the best. I love when you say “click”. I know how the manufacture has to have a torque spec for every fastener. CLICK. LOL. Keep up the great work. We should talk sometime.
I loved this video. I am a 15yr Nissan Master Technician and I can't even imagine how many times this scenario has happened to me. Also makes me wonder how much of my income comes from multiple visits from declined diagnosis. I do the exact same thing where I will spend a little time (even though I am not paid for it) to see if I can find a simple fix or if there is something else going on that is causing the code. Two reasons for this, no mechanic likes come backs, its embarrassing and its a waste of their time and the customers. Second is that once you have spent enough time in a shop working on thousands of cars, you'll find that the problem often is something else. Example, one code, maybe 30% of the time is not what google says is wrong with the vehicle. Though 70% it may be a simple sensor, but without confirming 30% of the time the customer will waste the cost of the part which is 100-300 dollars plus install, which with such high shop rates these days (which is due to higher wages, regulations, cost of materials to run the shop) Which may run 75-150 to install. They could have saved a few bucks diagnosing and finding the problem the first time.
Now especially with what looked like a business truck, having the truck in the shop multiple times costs that company even more by having a down vehicle. I've often had customers approve the diagnoses and sure enough it was something simple and required no part replacement, costing them way less. Of course, I then become their favorite mechanic and get returned work, which is the whole point of being a mechanic. You want customer retention.
I have been traveling a lot over the last 5 years or so meeting many many people along the way and one thing that I keep hearing over and over from small towns to large ones is that finding good, honest mechanics is very rare. Which is sad but also make me feel very accomplished and safe as far as job security. More so now as the labor market has taken a huge hit with the pandemic. As most shops can probably sympathize, they are having a hard time finding and retaining good mechanics. Their are many reasons why people might be a bad mechanic but I will say this, being a good mechanic is hard work. You can't be lazy and I think it takes a certain mindset when you have a tough problem, I get excited and want to find out what the heck is going on. It's like a little puzzle and when you figure it out, there is this huge sense of accomplishment, and no one cares but you. But you learn to love that for yourself. As good mechanics we are finally seeing the respect we deserve as businesses are really noticing the lack in the labor force and we are getting a lot more respect and due compensation. Its a good time to be a mechanic.
Your parts cannon just turned into a parts landmine.
The customers response was proof that a little knowledge can be dangerous.
They have information but no actual knowledge. People surf the internet google everything until they find an article that agrees with their view, bam they’re a genius. Information without knowledge beyond a spurious amount or even common sense is what’s dangerous.
Funny how this guy prob left thinking he saved himself money by not having you diagnose.
But in reality just threw away whatever this job cost
Florida man
And might of installed the bad type of sensorz and anyway the sensor itself looked cheap as hell it had exposed wires lol
@@alariccatlett i guess atleast thats good! No new added problem then!
Well, he did have his own lightweight scanner tool, right? The vehicle is trashed inside, so how much love has ever been given the engine?? :) Right... none.. :(
@@saberxzero No, I think that sensor had to be the original one, it was really hard to get out, remember?? A newly or newer installed one that the customer installed would have looked way newer than the one Ray removed..
IMHO, I would have measured the current draw across the fuse terminals before replacing the fuse. There has to be a reason for fuse to blow. Also, are there separate fuses for bank1 and bank2?
I was at first wondering if the first fuse was blown due to the original 02 sensor because he had changed the fuse with the old sensor in, possibly causing it to blow again before switching to the new sensor, making it appear the new sensor didn't make a change.
Tip for you Ray,...
Any time that O2 socket slips... Slide a hose clamp around the base of it and tighten a bit. Then try again.... No more slip!
I am a mechanic for about 30 years and I know for a fact that I have seen my share of mechanic's over charging customers for no reason but to steal money. That's why I am glad that I never had to send my vehicle to a shop for repairs. you go on UA-cam and they show you how to fix your car. fixing your own vehicle will and always be cheaper to do. If someone ask me to just install a sensor and it takes 5 minutes and 50 bucks. Do it! With a business put it on a work order and have him sign it. That's all you need to cover your behind. Why argue with someone when you put everything in writing. Some businesses do make it more difficult and I don't blame them for doing the job themselves.
This is the only place I’ve seen that allows the customer to analyze their own repair.
Was an ASE certified technician for 20 years. I learned that when a customer is determined to tell you what to fix, I do it with a discount. I've had guns pulled on me when it doesn't fix the problem. Then I would become their mechanic for life when I fixed it for real. 😆
My man ray is growing like crazy. When i found him a week ago, he was at 141k i believe. Now at 155k! Keep up the awesome work. I love the content!
Could also be a faulty exhaust gas temperature sensor thats telling the ECM that particular bank is too cold and to command the O2 sensor heater to 100% duty cycle in an attempt to prepare the engine to go closed loop.
Should be noted, I've no idea whether this engine uses EGT sensors or some other method.
Actually the open loop is when the O2 sensor is not hot enough and therefore the ECU bases its fuel/air ratio calculation on a fixed program. Closed loop is when the O2 sensor gives back actual data on the exhaust gasses and permits the ECU to tune the fuel/air ratio accordingly. Having a 100% duty cycle has nothing to do with exhaust gas temperature but only with the O2 sensor temperature itself as when it's below ~300°C it simply can't work.
@@AlessandroGenTLe whoops, yes you're completely correct. I obviously fell asleep at the keyboard. I'll correct it now👍🏻
I've never heard of an EGT sensor on a gasser, I thought they went by water temp? That is, when the engine itself is up to temp, not the exhaust itself. If that was the case, it would be hot within a minute.
@@fryloc359 they have them now. Very important to use these values when you are tuning the ECU to get more power on a turbo gasoline engine
You sir are properly educated. You clearly did a real apprenticeship with formal schooling. I love the technical challenge... beats spinning filters and banging brake drums.
A tip for those O2 sockets. Sometimes they break or slip if you have a really stuck sensor. This is more common on turbo motors. They break because they spread apart at the hex end. If you put a hose clamp over the wire first you can clamp the socket so it doesn't spread and it won't break.
and here i am cleaning my car inside and out before bringing it to a repair shop...so stupid of me.
Your mechanic very likely appreciates it. Nobody likes working on stuff that's caked in someone else's crap.
so your saying I'm crazy because I wash my SUV before taking to the detailer for a wash and detail.
@@SpyderRTL2022 lol...like those w/dishwashers that wash their dishes before loading...lol
@@ronhall9040 pretty much guilty of the to,,, thanks MOM
Thats funny, in all the shops i worked here in switzerland its part of the service that we clean the front row of cars we worked on.
That means vacuuming all fabrics, cleaning all plastics, clean parts that are very hard to get to like ventilation slots, clean the windows and also wash the car from the outside.
Takes 10-15 minutes extra but the customer is happy and it shows we take time to make quality work.
Does every van in Florida come with its own live-in hobo?
Not every van, but most vans, yes.
What an ass. Not everyone can afford housing. I am 62 and homeless. I hope karma has good time with you.
@@kvdme - now now, he made a funny comment. Lighten up
@@kvdme a lifetime of poor choices? Anyway, just because you don't have money it doesn't mean you have to live in filth.
But then I think there is a connection - people are poor because of their mentality.
@@kvdme ah, american capitalism! were you one of those running down socialist housing back in the day? or do you lean more toward society caring for its own?
I fixed my boss and customer about 30 years ago at a private shop I worked at. Customer came in with his own valve cover gaskets wanting us to change them for him. I was handed gaskets and a work order. Couple hours later I was done. Customer came back the next day really mad complaining it still had an oil leak. Boss man came out to my stall informing me of the issue. I politely told him yep, you didn't tell me to fix the oil leak, you handed me gaskets and told me to change them. If you want the leak fixed you'll need a sending unit, and I went back to tuning up the car in my stall.
Sounds just about right. Such a good feeling having the customer and the boss teaming up on you. Plus the guy bringing his own gaskets. Like bringing your own bacon and eggs to the diner.
That eould be a cheap fix verses what he wanted.
that smacks of Autism. You couldnt make a note on the RO for the customer?
@George Vinson has the guy been diagnosed for Autism?
I've been guilty of this myself. Although, I do tell the mechanic that if the parts I brought wasn't good enough for the job then they are welcome to purchase what will work and do whatever extra was needed in order to finish the job. I usually do my own work and I know at least half the wait time in the shop is ordering parts themselves and since I can't be without a car for long I typically just buy the bulk of what I think is needed and pass it off to someone more competent so it gets done right.
After all, I have been scammed by shops numerous times just on part gouging itself so I prefer to shop around and just eat the labor.
Watching your videos is a treat. Fellow mechanic here, keep on trucking my dude
Two quick questions. Did you check your new fuse after you still got the code? There is a reason the old fuse popped. Also, does the new O2 sensor need to be grounded I.E. screwed in to the manifold to function properly?
To be fair he may have had bad experiences with dishonest mechanics before. So this might just be him trying to protect himself and taking his chances that you were trying to rip him off. Which is frustrating for someone who's trying to do an honest job, but at the same time you can't really fault the guy for watching his back. Even if it ended up not being the right call in the end. Like has been said before, a few bad apples spoil the bunch.
Almost exactly what I would guess. I have more than a couple customers that were exactly like that.
Some people get so paranoid about watching their back they miss the danger about to hit them square in the chest.
May have? I don't know anyone on Earth that hasn't.
I love that phrase because its actually a fact. Ripening apples release ethylene gas that causes the ripening of other apples to speed up which eventually leads to everything rotting. One bad apple literally spoils the entire bunch.
Just grab an apple that isnt touching a rotten one. Never understood that saying.
Not long ago I dropped my car off at the shop; when I came back t find out what was wrong with it the mechanic said, "it looks like you blew a seal" - I said, "hey just fix my car and leave my personal life out of it"! (Oooh that was dirty dirty dirty!)
Then you dropped a clam in the box for Jerry's Squids, for the halibut?
Must have been a wet dream.
I'm actually kinda thrilled that there are people familiar with Kip Addotta's tune from the Dr. Demento Show! That song is a masterpiece of double-entendres and puns.
Then you went across the street to the Oyster Bar - real dive.
Did you check the new fuse you installed after you rechecked the scanner, to see if it was popped before installing the new O2?
I'm curious if the new fuse popped right away due to a shorted heater circuit in the old O2 sensor. New O2 would obviously not work correctly without power to the heater.
Love your vids btw!
I also wondered that but if you listen to him later he says that they rechecked it after you did that after he did that
I would have check the voltage on that fuse before and after replacing the O2 sensor and doing a scan with the O2 sensor properly installed and after the codes were cleared I would do another scan to just double-check the outcome
I was wondering the same thing. Any time a fuse pops, and the problem isn't fixed after replacing it, that is right where I go to check again. I have resetting breakers I use, if it pops again , till the problem is fixed.
I also would have cleared the codes and reset the system to see if it would work properly after the change in fuse. Same thing with the sensor. The system could be locked on those outputs.
It was the brake light fluid that was low.
You should have rechecked the new fuse because the old bad o2 sensor blew that new fuse. Then installed the new sensor and refused it yet again. I've seen this exact problem and a bad heater will blow fuses left and right.
That's what I'm saying. Replacing the fuse is part of the repair. He just got on the wrong track with the bruised ego again.😢
impressed with your logic and how quickly you come up with the first best move. I've met a few good mechanics like yourself. Thanks for sharing.
When it comes back ask if he wants the O2 sensor changed again.
I would have checked the fuse a second time, a short in the wiring could have blown it again, and the issue could be back.
The customer does not want further diagnosis.
He said he rechecked. Pay attention...
In my experience the issue very seldom lies with the sensor itself especially with heater circuit codes, it nearly always seems to be a broken wire or blown/missing fuse. You'd be amazed at how many times the fuse is just completely missing, probably re-allocated to a cigarette lighter or radio that blew it's fuse at some point. I hope it comes back so we can see exactly what the issue is!
the million dollar question is .....What caused the fuse to blow??
@@ericeaton371 The car is 21 years old and heater circuits can, and do, go bad. My granddaughter's 2005 kept blowing the fuse, I checked all of the wiring and it was good. I replaced the O2 sensor and the problem went away.
@@ericeaton371 first thing i check is any wiring near heat or vibration. Nissans have shields on top of shields that have plastic keepers that break. Then the shields will saw through the wire. or maybe an internal short at the power source. i have had to replace that smart module fuse box on those many times.
I don't know if anyone has commented this yet but after you replaced the O2 sensor and started the car at 14:21. Your scanner shows the A/F S1 HTR B1(%) at 43.6 and not stuck at 100 anymore.
So.......the new sensor fixed it
Thanks for the running explanation of what you are seeing and what is the meaning of the data you're looking at.
Customer does not want you to fix a problem. Customer wants you to change an oxygen sensor.
Beware customers like that. There is normally an ulterior motive.
@@ktgequestrian4475 "replaced bank 2 upstream oxygen sensor with customer supplied part and cleared codes at customer request" I started writing very long job stories once I had to continue following my own work and finding it lacking.
The problem is there is so many scammer mechanics like the dude who runs a shop down the road from me, trusting mechanics is a tough sell. Just like trusting a car salesmen. You get burned again and again you start to not trust then unless you show them. You gotta literally show them that info with sound logic. Even honest mechanics won’t take that extra step and SHOW the data.
Always amazes me how people will take their one Google search over a Mechanic's years/decades of experience.
I see this all too often. O2/AFR sensors being a common one.
You have a great day too, Ray! o7
Not to mention full access to manufacturers support and data.
It's not necessarily just that. Maybe the customer or someone they know has been screwed before so they did what they believe was their due diligence & now feel they are being "up sold" or whatever. That said, this is why it's good Ray records like he does. He can always show the video to the customer if it does come back to thwart any potential issues.
@@TLM-Nathan that is what i thought, people do not trust people anymore, i am 64 years old the hand shake deal is over long time ago, there is no honor anymore in most just greed and cons or scams, our government is a very good example of GREED and POWER, the new saying is do on to others before they do on to you
“BUT THE FORUMS SAID…..!”
@@butchs2337 A casual look at history shows that honesty was, if anything, _less_ common in the past than today.
'Firing the parts cannon' :D
This is both fantastic and my method when I work on my vehicles.
I only found these videos a couple days ago. Fascinating! Really clear pics and first-class audio. Love your voice man! I could listen to it all-day. I'm no mechanic but I've
subscribed for the pleasure of watching and listening. At present, I'm having a binge-watch. Great stuff!!!!