The threads were already half gone before I touched it so I rethreaded it right there in the parking lot and it held oil fine after the test drive, anyone else ever gamble on a quick fix like that and have it actually work?
Was replacing lower control arms on a 2015 F-150 in my garage last Saturday, and the last bolt on the passenger side snapped clean off at 90 ft-lbs. Had to spend 2 hours drilling it out and retapping the frame hole in the rain. Anyone else deal with Ford's soft bolts from that era?
He just grabbed the wheel at 10 and 2 and gave it a hard shake, said if there's any play you'll feel it instantly, and sure enough I found a bad bearing on a 2015 F-150 in under 30 seconds. Has anyone else ever been shown a quick test like that that totally changed how you check something?
He stripped the nut in about 3 seconds flat and then just stood there cussing. Anyone else run into DIYers using the wrong tools and have to bite your tongue?
Honestly, seeing a 1960s Ford running points and a condenser made me realize how much easier modern EFI is. Has anyone else run into shops that refuse to touch anything without a computer?
I had this F-150 come in with intermittent crank no start. Spent all day Tuesday chasing sensors, swapped a crank sensor, even checked the fuel pump relay. Finally I just sat there for 20 minutes watching the voltage drop on the PCM ground with a test light while wiggling the harness. Found the ground bolt under the battery tray was loose, like finger tight. After rust and corrosion it barely made contact. Anyone else had a simple ground wire waste a whole afternoon?
Overheard a customer at the counter talking about following a YouTube video to replace their timing belt. They skipped the crankshaft seal because the guy said "it's optional." I spent 20 minutes explaining why that's a $2000 mistake waiting to happen. Any of you guys have to fix jobs started by internet videos?
I remember 10 years ago I bought a 2005 Camry off Craigslist from a guy in Phoenix for $3,500. He had pics of the engine bay, a clean service log, and it ran solid for 4 years with just oil changes. Now I swear every listing on Facebook Marketplace has a car that's been "detailed" to hide a blown head gasket or a swapped transmission. Last month I drove 2 hours to Tucson to look at a 2012 Accord that the owner swore was "mint" - got there and found the frame was bondoed over from a rear-end hit. Every time I ask for a test drive before buying, they give me some excuse about insurance. Has anyone else had sellers ghost you when you ask to pop the hood?
Been turning wrenches for 12 years at a shop outside Houston. I keep a tally on my toolbox lid with a sharpie. Did a simple pad and rotor swap on a customer's car and realized that was number 1000 for me. It's just a number but it made me think about all the stuck calipers and stripped bolts I've fought through. Anyone else track little milestones like this or am I just weird about it?
Last month I had this guy in his 70s bring in a F-150 for a tire rotation. He watched me zip off the lugs with my impact and just shook his head. Said I was wrecking the threads over time and making life harder for the next guy. I rolled my eyes at first but then a Mercury Grand Marquis came in with stripped studs the next week. Switched to a torque wrench by hand and honestly it takes maybe 2 extra minutes per wheel. Has anyone else had to unlearn bad habits from older mechanics?
Guy rolls in last Tuesday with a 2012 328i complaining about a weird smell. I pop the hood and see corrosion caked around the positive terminal. Before I can even grab a wrench, the plastic cover starts smoking. I yanked the battery cable off with my bare hands and tossed it in the sand bucket out back. After that I check every battery connection before I do anything else. Has anyone else had a car almost torch itself over something as dumb as a loose terminal?
I used to buy those $30 code readers from AutoZone thinking they told me everything I needed. Last month my buddy's shop had a sale on a used Autel scanner and I snagged it for $150. Stuck it on a car that had a check engine light and it showed me the exact cylinder misfire count per cylinder, not just the code. Saved me from throwing parts at it. That one job paid for the scanner. Any of you guys made the switch from cheap readers to real ones and notice the difference?
I was super skeptical when my buddy recommended a $15 vacuum brake bleed kit off Amazon for my 98 F150. Figured it would crack or not hold vacuum after one use. Tried it last weekend on my rear brakes in my driveway and it pulled fluid through clean with zero issues. Anyone else had good luck with those budget kits or did I just get lucky?
I spent $200 on a fancy digital timing light with all the bells and whistles back in March. Thought it would make my life easier setting timing on older engines. Turns out my $30 basic timing light from 10 years ago works just as good and is easier to read in bright sun. The fancy one just sits in my box collecting dust. Anyone else overpaid for a tool they hardly ever use?
Ended up pulling fuses one by one on a 2012 Civic and the stupid little plunger switch was just stuck in the released position, has anyone else had a simple interior light cause that much headache?
I was working on a 2002 F-150 in my shop near Dallas, rusted exhaust manifold bolts were giving me hell. An old mechanic walked by and said to heat the bolt red hot, then tap it with a hammer before trying to turn it. I tried it and it worked on 3 out of 4 bolts, only snapped one. Got any other tricks for rusted bolts that actually work?
Had a customer bring in a 2012 Ford Focus saying it was running rough after an oil change. Turns out he shoved the dipstick into the transmission dipstick tube and then added two extra quarts of oil into the engine. Has anyone else seen people mix up those tubes?
Snagged a launch CRP123 from a closing parts store for cheap, figured it would be good enough for the basic diagnostic stuff I do on the side. Worked okay for a month, then it started freezing up and giving me false codes on a Honda O2 sensor test. Anyone else have luck with the cheaper tablets, or should I just bite the bullet and get a snap-on unit?
Bought a $20 no-name scanner off Amazon last year and it kept giving me P0300 random misfire codes. Threw $400 at new coils, plugs, and injectors before a buddy brought his Snap-On scanner over and found it was just a cracked vacuum line on cylinder 3. Anyone else get burned by those cheap readers?
He watched me smack a u-joint cap with a hammer to get it started and just shook his head. Said I should always use a socket that fits the cap perfectly and tap it in with a brass punch instead. First try with his method on a Dana 44 axle and the caps seated straight every time without damaging the needle bearings. Anyone else get handed a trick like that from an older mechanic?
Everyone in my shop keeps saying these old trucks are done at 200k, but mine rolled past 500,000 on the odometer last Tuesday outside of Houston. Original engine and trans with just basic maintenance, no rebuilds. Has anyone else had a vehicle go way past what people say is the max lifespan?
He said I was gonna strip out the pan threads eventually and handed me a beam style torque wrench. Been doing it by hand for 6 months now, no more worrying about over tightening.
Had a guy bring in his F-150 for a tire rotation in Denver last month and he handed me his own torque wrench saying mine was probably wrong. I humored him and ran a test on both wrenches with a digital adapter and sure enough mine was reading 5 ft-lbs low. Now I calibrate all my wrenches every 3 months instead of hoping for the best. Anyone else had a customer call them out and find out they were right?
A customer in Phoenix asked me to install one of those UV lights inside their HVAC a couple months back. I thought it was a gimmick honestly, just another upsell. But their air filter was staying cleaner longer and they said the musty smell was GONE. I've seen 3 more people swear by them since. Has anyone else noticed a real difference with these things?
I was helping a buddy swap oil on his 2012 Honda Civic last weekend, and he swore by the $10 a quart synthetic stuff. Then I looked up some actual lab tests from Project Farm on YouTube that compared cheap conventional oil against expensive synthetics in normal driving conditions. The difference in wear metals after 5,000 miles was way smaller than I expected, like maybe 5% less wear for triple the price. I still use synthetic in my turbo cars, but for a grocery getter that sees easy miles? I'm not convinced anymore. Any of you guys run conventional in older commuters without issues?