Pawlik Automotive

Finding the cause of a fuse that blows constantly can be a time consuming task, one involving a skilled technician and a methodical approach.

Today we serviced a rare 1994 Chevrolet Van equipped with a 6.5 litre Diesel.

Our client¹s concern was that his gauges stopped working along with the glow plug lamp on the dash. He replaced the gauge fuse only to have it blow again within seconds. When a fuse blows like this it is doing its job by protecting the circuit, preventing damage to electrical components and ultimately your vehicle which could catch fire from burning wires.

John started his diagnosis by printing out a wiring diagram of the circuit. Armed with this information he could see which components were involved.

This circuit covers a number of items: the gauges on the instrument panel, part of the glow plug controller and 2 EGR valve solenoids.

Wiring extends from the fuse box to the instrument panel, to the front of the engine compartment and to the engine itself. This leaves many places to inspect: where to start first? Wisely, and based upon years of experience John chose to start with the engine area. The EGR solenoids & glow plug timer were disconnected but still the fuse popped.

To keep our story short, the cause was found to be a very small wire from the main engine wiring harness which was rubbing against the right rear corner of the engine block. John noted that the protective wiring covering was slightly damaged: looking inside revealed the chaffed wire. That’s what it takes to find a short: knowledge of the circuit, a methodical inspection, and a skilled technician with a keen eye.

We often have clients who become disenchanted with their cars, especially when faced with some expensive service.

We recently serviced a 1997 BMW 528i last week that needed a maintenance service, oil change and 4 wheel brakes. Cost with taxes: 1300 dollars. A fair amount of money for sure, but consider that the brakes will be good for at least 2 to 3 years, the oil service is synthetic and won¹t be required again for 9 to 12 months.

This car has 140,000 kilometers, is in beautiful condition and has been meticulously maintained. It looks and runs like a new car and being a very reliable 6 cylinder engined vehicle will run for years with minimal cost. After talking with our client about long terms plans with the car I found out that she is planning on keeping it: a conclusion that she came to after researching new cars and pricing.

What’s the cost to replace this car?

A 2008 BMW 3 series turns out to come with a cost of $15,000 down and monthly payments of $1000.00.

That’s $12,000 dollars a year!

In my experience there is never a year that someone will pay $12,000 to maintain and repair his or her car; not even close.

Even a recent used model still has a very high price. So the conclusion: it is most often financially better to maintain your car, usually by a huge margin.

Sure it can, especially when it was well maintained.

Case in point: a 1987 Toyota Corolla came to our shop for a comprehensive inspection so that our client could determine the vehicle¹s condition and see if it was suitable for her daughter to use to commute to school.

The previous owner was our client’s mother who sadly passed away. While doing the comprehensive inspection we found a few things that required some attention and probably about $1000 dollars worth of needed repairs.

In spite of a few dents, some rust and a broken light lens, the overall condition of the car was solid, with many new parts and clean fluids. For its age this Corolla was in better mechanical condition than many cars that we service that are only a few years old.

As a little, city run-around car this vehicle will be excellent low cost transportation for several years. You never know what a car’s true condition and value is until it is properly inspected.

So the debate about which van is better just took another turn, in Chevy’s favour.

Had a 2007 Ford E150 van in the shop today for a maintenance service and front brakes.

While doing a routine “shaking of the wheels,” I found excessive play coming from the front right wheel: the culprit, a loose upper ball joint. Ball joints commonly wear out on these Fords, often at very low mileages. This van has about 50,000 kilometers on it: not old by any means.

Sure Chevy ball joints wear out, just not this soon. So there¹s a plus for the Chev Van!

Do you know the quality of the work that is being done on your vehicle?

We had a client today with a Toyota Camry who had chosen to go to another shop to get some brake work done because our quote seemed too high.

After the work was done she had numerous vibration problems which started right after their work. She returned 3 times but they could not rectify her concern.

While looking at the vehicle I noted that the wheels had been bolted on too tight, so tight in fact that metal fillings were flying out as I removed the wheel nuts. We always use Accutorque sockets when tightening wheels. These sockets are specific to certain makes of vehicles and prevent wheel bolts from being overtorqued.

When wheel bolts are over-torqued it causes many problems: warped brake rotors, and damaged wheels, wheel studs and nuts. It can also cause the inconvenience of a wheel that is impossible to remove by the side of the road.

The lesson here: be sure that the shop that is servicing your vehicle is doing a good quality job because often, you get what you pay for.

Those old Volvos are great. One of our best clients drives a 1984 Volvo 244. Yes it’s a plain car but certainly one that is well built. There are not many cars around that are still worth having at that age but this is certainly one of them. So what is it about this car?

First off, the major components of the vehicle: the engine, transmission and rear differential are very durable. After 330,000 kilometers this vehicle still has these original components and they work great.

Second, this car is fairly simple: it’s most complex feature is electronic fuel injection.

Third, overall this was a very well built car.

And fourth, any part needed for the car is still readily available.

When you think of some of the cars built in the early 1980’s there was no love lost as they wore out and went to the crusher but others were pushed off to an early death by lack of parts.

Who makes a better van, Ford or Chev? (Venturing into religious fervor territory fearlessly…!)

While it’s hard to give an absolute concrete opinion, as far as brakes go the Ford is far superior.

One of our best clients has a fleet of 15 vans ranging from the late 1990s to brand new. Most are Fords but a few are Chevys. All day long these vans are loaded to capacity and the brakes work hard!

The big difference in the brakes is that the 3/4 Ton Chevy van’s brake pads are small; so small in fact that they are really suited for a mid sized car. The Ford’s pads are a truck sized pad and they last.

With the miniscule Chevy pads our client is lucky if the brakes last 20,000 kilometers before the pads wear out. In terms of the brakes I’d say that “Built Ford Tough” is probably true, at least compared to a Chevy Van.

It’s great to do an old school tune up again.

Had a 1981 Corvette in the shop today.

Interesting to delve into the old technology: 350 Chevy V8, GM HEI ignition, a feedback carburetor and hideaway headlights. At one time we worked on so many of these types of vehicles. While new technology is far superior, it is great to work on an “antique.”

We’d love to see more of them.

Even though I’ve been an independent mechanic and shop owner all of my adult life I still have this notion, like many people, that the dealer is the best place to get your car serviced.

They may be more expensive but they will always do what’s best for the car, do fine quality work and they are experts because they service their own brand.

Unfortunately, over and over I am reminded that they don’t always do a great job.

Behind the nice appearance of their facility and people, the shuttle service and the washed car… the overall work on the vehicle is often not that great. Case in point: we had a new client today with a 2002 Volvo XC90. The vehicle has 130,000 kilometers on the clock and until today had always been dealer serviced.

While the engine oil had certainly been replaced we found a number of very dirty fluids, especially the transmission. This fluid is normally a clear bright red colour, however on this vehicle it was as black as old engine oil: clearly long overdue for service.

We advised the client and they wisely did the fluid flush. Why do dealers neglect these important fluid replacements when they are so glaringly needed??

So often we see this on dealer serviced cars: critical fluids not replaced.

The cynic in me has to ask… “Is it because they don’t really care about the longevity of your car?” After all if the transmission blows up, that makes you a perfect candidate for the sales department and a new car.

With the HST now implemented in BC here’s some good news: Car repair and maintenance isn’t going to cost you a dollar more – even with HST.

That’s because car repairs for the past 10 or so years have been subject to PST and GST on labour and parts. You’ve already been paying the full pop.

I know that this really isn’t great news but at least it is one thing that won’t be costing you more. If you own a business the HST now becomes a 12% input tax credit as opposed to the 5% of the GST.

Happy Motoring!