mannysmechanicalrepairs.com.au No Comments

How to Find a Good Mechanic

Are you struggling to find a good mechanic? This blog tells you the important information you need to know on how to find a good mechanic that suits your Automotive needs.

Cars have become complex computerised, self learning  complicated electronic machinery. They take skill & expensive machinery to maintain & service.

First step is to get rid of the image of the greasy pot-bellied unshaven bogan in overalls with the filthy greasy rag hanging out of his pocket. That image should have been killed off in the nineties & yet its ironic how many times I speak to  people who have this concept & in turn do not become my customers.

The Automotice Doctors

Mechanics are the Automotive industry doctors.

Automotive Problems are complex & can be very expensive so they need a correct procedure & correct diagnostic techniques to isolate a problem.

It is so frustrating when customers want immediate solution & price over the phone for a complex problem without or for- going a correct diagnostic process.

Characteristics of a Good Mechanic

  • A good mechanic enjoys fixing problems.
  • A good mechanic uses a process to isolate the problem.
  • A good mechanic uses attained facts, logic & can back up his theory.
  • A good mechanic does not guess what is wrong!.
  • A good mechanic invests in the very best equipment.
  • A good mechanic uses the very best parts
  • A good mechanic continues to do the latest courses, study develop new techniques.
  • A good mechanic knows how to market his own business & refuses to use Marketing companies because he believes & is strong enough to market his own brand & his/her own business!
  • A good mechanic does not have to use cheap service specials, gimmicks ,shop a dockets or raffle bicycles in lieu of reviews.
  • A good mechanic has honest unfiltered google reviews.(even negative ones)
  • A good mechanic likes to explain so you can learn about your car.
  • A good mechanic loves his job.
  • A good mechanic has a huge tool cabinet of every tool you can imagine.
  • A good mechanic likes to teach.
  • A good mechanic has always got a project going on.
  • A good mechanic has a mission statement.
  • A good mechanic has a brand & logo, something other than a friggan spanner!
  • A good mechanic knows his/her limitations & calls on other people/businesses for help.
  • A good mechanic is committed to his trade for the long haul.
  • A good mechanic drives a 300hp+ v8-(ok maybe just a little bit of boganism)
  • A good mechanic never stops learning.
  • A good mechanic never brags
  • A good mechanic likes to help people.

How to find a good Mechanic

Whether you use my business or not here is what to look for.

Anyone who loves what they do wants to put back into the community. Trying to find some one you can trust & depend on is scary & takes a leap of faith.

Please do not blindly go onto marketing cheap sites, instead read.

Invest a bit of time learning about your car and be wary of reviews. Look deep in these reviews as the saying goes a little knowledge is power!

I hope this has helped.

Call Manny on 0411 496 621 today.

To Serve To Perform To Guide- Bringing Automotive power to the people

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.

mannysmechanicalrepairs.com.au No Comments

What is a Catalytic Converter?

The last two blogs have been about air flow at high engine speed through variable valve timing(  keeping the intake valve on longer @ higher speeds) The other blog was on precise relation & correlation between the valves and crankshaft through a timing belt.

Today I will talk about Catalytic Converters.

In the last 6 moths a number of customers have come into the workshop & Mannys Mechanical with the engine light on. Once scanned the dreaded fault code P0420 Catalyst system below threshold has been recorded. What does this mean? and why is it so expensive to fix?

What is a Catalytic Converter?

In 1986, Australia outlawed anti- knock agent Tetraethyl – Lead made it compulsory for cars to use Unleaded petrol. Also cars were fitted with catalytic converters in the exhaust system. A catalytic converter converts harmful unburnt fuel (hydrocarbons) into a inert gas.

A catalytic converter uses precious metals to react with the incoming exhaust gases in a ceramic monolith with a honeycomb structure.

The catalyst itself is most often a mix of precious metal. Platinum is the most active catalyst and is widely used, but is not suitable for all applications because of unwanted additional reactions and high cost. Palladium and rhodium are two other precious metals used. Rhodium is used as a reduction catalyst, palladium is used as an oxidation catalyst, and platinum is used both for reduction and oxidation. Cerium, iron, manganese, and nickel – this list pretty well explains the expensive metals used & hence the cost.

There are a few different catalytic converters – a two way & three way. For catalytic converters to be effective the temperature must be around 426celcius. Which is why they are usually incorporated in the exhaust manifold & this is also the reason why oxygen sensors also have heating elements.

The picture above shows Kamahl holding a brand new Catalytic Converter incorporated with engine pipes to suit a Subaru Outback $2698.00 – yet they sell on Ebay for $400.

Would I buy from Ebay?

Not in your life. You will be lucky to get 4 months before it fails again. Heaps of after- market cheap rubbish do not use the precious metals listed above to last.

What do they mean P0420 Catalyst below threshold?

Generally there are two Oxygen sensors – a pre-catalytic converter & a after catalytic converter. They do a few jobs (Look at KAMAHL holding the cat` you will see one small hole and a extension where the oxygen sensors fit)

  1. They monitor how much oxygen is in the exhaust emissions and they measure is the catalytic converter reaction buy monitoring the change of state (threshold). If  the post cat sensor mirrors the pre-cat sensor, then the catalytic converter is not doing its job the fault code P0420 is registered. This information is monitored & compared through the computer in a term called closed loop.

What Causes the Failure?

There are number of reasons that can cause failure of a Catalytic converters. Vibration is probably the biggest killer. Exhaust systems have engine pulses which travel thousands a time a second these pressure waves can eventually break away the inner supporting structure-excessive over-fuelling through poorly tuned engines, coolant is one of the biggest killers- when a vehicle excessively over heats causing coolant to get in the exhaust system. Age, I am seeing vehicles around the 10 year mark coming in with this problem/fault code.

It’s so expensive to fix should I worry about it?

Well Yeah! When engine and emission lights come on, your vehicle is immediately un-roadworthy & if these hooligan climate activists have their way about climate change (running around half naked chaining themselves to toilet blocks & moving TRUCK WHEELS) will eventually  force Governments to crack down on vehicle emissions.

This could mean you, the car owner & me the automotive repairer will face some serious fines if the repairs are not carried out immediately.

What this does do?

It puts serious stress on. Say single mothers  to get their cars fixed straight away, whether they can afford it or not-..I would love to check  the car emission status on all these screaming activists & see how well kept their cars are- people in green house glass houses should not throw stones!

I hoped this has helped- Manny

Knowledge is power- Power is organized effort!

Call Manny on 0411 496 621 today.

To Serve To Perform To Guide- Bringing Automotive power to the people

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.

Car Advice and Consulting Guidance Enoggera
mannysmechanicalrepairs.com.au No Comments

Car Advice and Consulting Guidance Enoggera

If you are needing some car advice and consulting guidance Enoggera – look no further than Manny’s Mechanical Repairs.

Manny`s Mechanical Repairs mission statement is To Serve To Perform To Guide – Bringing automotive power to the people.

To serve, to perform and TO GUIDE

Manny would like to elaborate on a very important part of the mission statement:

That is To GUIDE.

Good advice & guidance is hard to get about cars, what you should or should not do, Do I spend the money or don`t I? Who do I turn too?

At my business – we do not just finish the repair or service and leave you there,

We like to build rapport & give our customers a “clear running track” of goals for the next 1-3 year goals possibly even 5 years.

Do I give the car to my kids? Do I keep the car or sell it- how much will I get & what is the right procedure to sell a car?

Turn your car into an Asset

The immediate goal is to turn your car into a asset – to do this.., the car needs to be paid off as quickly as possible – then the car needs good accurate quality recorded servicing & comply with safety certificate standards.

This is why I hate cheap servicing – jobs are only half done & consumers are driving around in unroadworthy cars. A unroad worthy car is a liability, dangerous & can get you in trouble with Police, Department of Transport Patrols or in the case of a accident, insurance liability & payout difficulty.

By working together you have a sense of control & worth about your car – knowledge is power.

Nothing saddens me more when young people eager to buy a car (impetuous), go (get into debt) and buy a 10 year old Audi or Mercedes Benz (WITH a useless warranty that I would only use for toilet paper! Which costs a extra $1000).

The car 140 000km on the clock, Everything looks good and goes well “UNTIL..,” until the transmission packs it in goes into limp mode & cannot be driven. The car is diagnosed and the transmission requires a complete rebuild. $5000- $10 000 to rebuild thank you very much!(& of course tge warranty clause that says wear and tear void warranty in minute microscopic writing).

Now the young person has double problems-debt money to buy the car & now a extra $10 000 to repair the car, Which way do they go? If they repair the transmission they still have a old car, sadly I have seen young people go bankrupt because of bad judgement or poor advice.

On the other hand some of my customers have actually sold their second hand cars for more than what they initially paid for – through diligent upkeep.

Car Advice and Consulting Enoggera

You get what you pay for – providing it’s based on good structured applicable advice.

Manny`s Mechanical Repairs cares about you, your family & we work together in a ongoing relationship to ensure you get value for money- good performance & economy but mostly.., confident enjoyment out of your car

Call Manny on 0411 496 621 today.

To Serve To Perform To Guide- Bringing Automotive power to the people

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.