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The Complexity of it All

Recently I had a Mercedes Benz Kompressor with a check engine light on presented to my workshop. After scanning the engine computer, it was found a lean mixture fault code was present – in other words a hard fault, the fuel trims confirmed this problem.

So what does this mean? It means that there is an air leak somewhere in the engine affecting the fuel mixture entering the combustion chamber. But where? After removing the air cleaner assembly and the  air flow meter, I arrived to the first of two throttle bodies. Here I located a perished positive crankcase ventilation hose behind the throttle body which was leaking air into the engine… “beauty, easy fix”… right… wrong!

To my dismay I also found a PCV valve broken and two other perished hoses connected to a spout under the supercharger.

The fix – I had to remove the front cowling, wiring assembly, throttle body assembly, intake manifold, starter motor and the supercharger, just  to replace an $80.00 hose.

When everything was reassembled, the computer was reset, fuel trims had   balanced out – no more fault code.

The point in this blog is the complexity of today’s cars require extreme skill and time to fix a simple hose (simple as in when you finally find the problem). Took  close to five hours to replace and there are no short cuts.

– Manny

 

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At Manny’s Mechanical Repairs you are in good hands, our main services include, Safety Certificates, Logbook Service, Free Pickup & Delivery, and Car Cooling System Repairs.

We have the latest diagnostic equipment and my work van is fitted out with an industrial air compressor. This enables me to perform heavy duty work and give you – the customer – the best service at any place and at any time.

For Bookings and enquiries, please contact us on 0411 496 621, email us at agrade@mannysmechanicalrepairs.com.au or visit our site www.mannysmechanicalrepairs.com.au.

 

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“But the car is not worth that much!”

In my thirty (30) odd years as a mechanic, perhaps the one type of vehicle I dread working on, is the car that has been severely neglected.

Generally these types of vehicles are picked up on the cheap by uneducated car buyers looking for a so called `bargain`… but, if only they knew beforehand.

I recently ended a business relationship with a customer because the vehicle he bought (@the spur of the moment) was so run down and clapped out, that to get the vehicle back to safety certificate standards, would have been two to three times the actual value of the car!

What makes it so frustrating is that the wear factor is throughout the whole of the car-meaning you go to fix one component and all the surrounding components require to be replaced or repair – inflating the repair price beyond the quote given and of course when this is explained to the customer, their comeback is “but the car is not worth that much!”

We live in a world where “time is money!”- a mechanic cannot be a miracle worker – though the car may be initially cheap to buy, the parts are still at full retail value and some times because of their scarcity, can actually be more expensive. Also going to the wreckers to get parts can be an option, but this also takes time and at a rate of $110 plus a hour this is still very expensive.

The real solution is knowledge is power – do your due diligence before buying, ensure there are log books, observe there is a track record of servicing done to the car with tangible phone numbers, where you can ring the actual company who serviced the car at previous service intervals.

Also I recommend a vehicle around 5-8 years old to buy.

In my experience, I have found it difficult to find parts for a car from a company like ford that are ten years old, they simply discontinue making parts after that time causing another headache.

Low kilometres mean less wear and tear and try avoid buying a car from outback Australia.

To summarize, I believe with a little care, asking a lot of questions and understanding, taking precautions, getting pre-inspections will minimize the risk of buying “a dangerous clapped out money pit!”

Manuel Adams – Mannys Mechanical Repairs

 

Man looking at a smoking engine in his car

At Manny’s Mechanical Repairs you are in good hands, our main services include, Safety Certificates, Logbook Service, Free Pickup & Delivery, and Car Cooling System Repairs.

We have the latest diagnostic equipment and my work van is fitted out with an industrial air compressor. This enables me to perform heavy duty work and give you – the customer – the best service at any place and at any time.

For Bookings and enquiries, please contact us on 0411 496 621, email us at agrade@mannysmechanicalrepairs.com.au or visit our site www.mannysmechanicalrepairs.com.au.