Porsche Anyone?? No Thank You for me!!

If you have the money to replace a $1500 instrument cluster, then you might as well buy 2 of it. Because the digital main menu display does not show clearly, meaning it is missing some letters and such. It was very hard for me to read it.

Today, I test drove a 2005 Porsche-shiiiiit Cayenne!! It had 41000 mile on it.
When I took it for a spin I slammed on the gas pedal, stomped on the brake pedal, swerved hard left and right, this is what I usually do on all the used cars I'm assigned to. I do this to find out if the car will hold up in extreme conditions and to see if any problem will happen then and there.

What I really hate about this car is... What the hell is all those symbols on the knobs on the dash means. I swear every car maker wants to be different. So in order for me to know what's all that stuff is I had to break out the thick ass manual. Obviously, this car has a shit load of stuff. I'm surprised the car doesn't have a built in back scratcher on the seat!! Or a built in massage my feet machine while I'm at a stop light. I think these ideas are good. Don't you think??

Overall, I rate this car from 1-10 a "9". Wait...wait. Let's take away 8 points because of the $1500 instrument cluster defect. So I guess it is a "1". And mind all of you it is not a warranty part!!
The used car manager decided to sell it at auction and not take the chance it will break again. I think he did a good move. But the car drove OK......for now.

Car cranking long from a distance.

I was on my computer surfing the web and then I heard a car trying to start. It was the lot porters with a used Saturn from trade in. They were using it temporarily to just get around this big dealership.

Anyway, the car would not start, they were cranking the shit out of it. I was surprised the starter didn't go out. So I walked over to check the car out. I said does it have fuel? A mexican guy I'll call Cisco said yes, filled it up this morning. I looked at the gauge just to confirm.

Then I said to Cisco to just place his finger on the fuel pump relay in the junction box, next to the engine to feel if there is a click when I crank the motor. He was hesitant and speaking somethiing in spanish not directly to me. I think he said he does'nt want to get shock. A salesman watching understood what he said and instead placed his finger on the relay. The other porters were laughing at him. That was funny since you won't get shocked. So when I cranked it he said it clicked. We determined the relay was good.

I told them to wait a minute and went to get the carburetor cleaner and some tools. I removed the air filter housing and gave a couple sprays through the throttle body. Told Cisco to start it. And it started right up and died 2 seconds later. The problem was the fuel pump not giving enough fuel, I said. Tested all the fuses to see if any fuses are burnt but all were good.

I did'nt get paid for it but a thank you from them felt good.

Got NO START or NO CRANK??

Today, I got an employees car with a no start, no crank when the key is turned in 'ON' position. It's an '01 Saturn, SL2, 1.9, 4 banger. I was going to call a couple of my fellow co-workers to push it in my bay but decided to look at it in the Las Vegas hot sun first. Maybe I can diagnose it quick.

Well, here is what I did. I got my jump box( basically a small battery in a plastic box with cables) and connected it to the car battery and tried to start it. To see if the battery needed extra cranks for the engine to turn. But it didn't, it's obvious already because the wipers and light work just fine. But it didn't hurt to try. So the battery was good. Hint: If your car cranks slow, check the battery by turning your lights and wipers on. If the light looks dim or the wipers works slow. Your battery is dead. Ask someone to jump it.

So I got my test light and tested all the fuses in the car and in the engine bay. All fuses tested OK. Also I switched some relays to see what will happen. Then I went back into the car and played around with the key in the ignition to see if the ignition was a problem. While I was turning the key in the 'ON' position I can here the relays inand out of the car switching on/off. That gave me a hint that the key ignition was working right.

The next thing I did was I got my breaker bar(it's a long heavy rod looking tool) and went back to the car and started look for the starter. AAHHH!!, there you are in the bottom of the intake manifold and close to the firewall. So what I did next is I slid my breaker bar down on top of the starter and gave it one hard hit. It was funny because I was doing this in the employees parking lot. Some of the salesman looking at me as if I was a sweaty gorilla breaking the car.

After that I went back in the car, turned the ignition and it just started right up. To diagnose this took me about 30 minutes. Not bad...at least I did not have to ask some techs to push it in. Drove it in the shop and racked it up. Go the price for a new starter.

Told the service advisor it's the starter that's bad. He said are you sure and said "HELL YES!!" Do you think I don't know what I'm doing?? He smirked.
The employee is going shit in his pants because the starter is going to cost about $300 and labor is not included.
Now I'm just waiting fo approval.

Pulling a code on a '94 Toyota Camry

Got a '94 Camry, 2.2L, 4 cylinder engine with a check engine light on. When you want to find out the problem is it's not like plugging a scanner and reading what the scanner finds out what the DTC(diagnostic trouble code).

This earlier model uses an OBD1(on board diagnostic). I believe cars made from '95-present uses the OBD2.

Well, to find out what the code is you would have to pop up the hood of your car and locate the DLC1(data link connector). It should be gray and to the left, close to the upper strut mount. Next you would have to connect a jumper wire to terminals TE1 and E1 of the Data Link as shown.

Also make sure...

• Battery positive voltage 11 volts or more.
• Throttle valve fully closed.
• Transmission in park or neutral position.
• Air conditioning switched OFF.

Then go and turn the ignition key to the "ON" position and count how many blinks and pauses the check engine light does.

Well there it is...on how to pull a code. It wouldn't do any good if you don't know the meaning to it so I suggest to get a manual or you could ask me to find out.

Just got a new gun!!

Impact gun that is. It' an Ingersoll Rand Impact Gun, Model 2135TiMAX. And it's titanium Baby!! My old Ingersoll has a crack on the casing, I had it for 5 years so I decided to visit Craigslist and BAM!! I got a new one for $150!! Can you believe that??!! Retail on this would cost well over
$300 ?

It delivers 550 Fwd. Torque range and it only ways 4 pounds. Also the nut busting torque on this bad boy is 1,100 ft.-lbs. That means it can loosen a nut that was tightened to 1,100 ft.-lbs.!!

If you are going to buy an 1/2 impact gun. Get an Ingersoll Rand!!

Las Vegas escapes GM Terminator!!

AUTO INDUSTRY WOES: 1,124 GM dealerships to be terminated in U.S.

Southern Nevada's 15 General Motor dealers ended a white-knuckle wait for franchise termination notices Friday. They all escaped the Terminator for now.

Reset that maintenance light "ON"

If you do your own oil changes on your '06 Toyota Corolla you will notice the maintenance light "ON". To reset it and turn the light off you would have to hold down the odometer pin down while you turn your ignition key to the "ON" position and hold that for 5-8 seconds. Do not crank and start the car.
You will see dashes on the odometer disappear. Now the maintenance light has reset till the next oil change.
The '06 Toyota 4Runner is the same procedure but you will not see dashes like the Corolla. You will see the Maint light will flash for 5-8 seconds until it is gone.

Pacifica died while driving

Sometimes I wonder why service advisors get paid for being so vague on the problem of the customer car. They just right up whatever the customer says. It would help if the advisor asks some questions regarding the car when it stopped running while driving. Note: If you tow in your car to the dealership please tell whatever happened in steps how the problem began with your car. This will help the auto tech get a faster diagnosis of the problem.

Well here is what happened to me. Got a '05 Chrysler Pacifica, V6 3.8L towed in with 53k miles. Got the work order printed on it DIED WHILE DRIVING. Yeah...And?? And that was it. I should have asked the advisor for more questions about the car. But I didn't cause he is a nut.

So I went to the car and the keys was still in it so I turned the key and it just fired right up! I was thinking already there is no problem with this car.

I pulled it on my bay and started the procedure I always take when diagnosing a car.

1st step: Check with MotorAlldata.com to see if it has any TSB'S(Technical Service Bulletins) about that specific problem. Found out there was none.

2nd step: Used my scanner to see if there are any saved DTC'S(Diagnostic Trouble Codes). There was none.

3rd step: Tested the battery with the Vat 45. Tested OK.

4th step: Did an alternator test. Passed.

5th step: Checked if any fuses were blown. All were good.

6th step: Checked the gas gauge. It was reading half full. So it got plenty of fuel.

7th step: Checked in the engine bay for any loose, cut, disconnected or burnt wires. All looked good.

8th step. Looked at the fluids. The radiator reservoir was empty. So I filled it up with water. Note: If you are going to fill up the reservoir on the vehicle when the engine is hot you would have to put a rag on the cap and turn slowly or you will get burned. This reservoir holds pressure!!

I started the car and started to fill it with water and heard bubbling in the block. Then water started to splash out the reservoir like a volcano. Water went about 3 feet in the air.
The top radiator hose was hot so I knew the thermostat is working. Note: If the top radiator hose is cold on a motor that has been running for 10-15 minutes then most likely the thermostat is not working properly.

To my conclusion the customer drove the car without enough coolant or no coolant in the radiator. That is why the engine just shut off because it was too hot. And because of this the car
has either a blown head or head gasket. A major problem!! Well it wasn't my problem. The car was sent to Chrysler for futher diagnosis. I think the advisor said it has a warranty but not for sure.

Note: Always check your fluids under the hood at a minimum of 2-3 times a month.

Alignment on a Corolla

This afternoon I did an alignment on a '06 Toyota Corolla. First, I checked tire pressure before I drove it on the alignment rack. Then I placed the sensors on every wheel. Noticed on the computer the rear needs to be aligned first, after that the front. Note: Always align the rear first.

I found out the computer(shows illustrations) the rear toe can only be adjusted with aftermarket shims and there is no adjustments for camber. The rear toe was only a degree off. If it was way off then that is when you need shims. So I just aligned the front toe. It took only a couple minutes.

Then I test drove it. The car was driving straight. Great!! Got paid for 1.7 hours and it took less than 30 minutes. I love this job!!

Four Chrysler dealerships to close in the valley

Chrysler said in its filing that dealers are not competitive enough with foreign brands. Chrysler sold an average of 303 vehicles per dealer in 2008, according to its filing. By contrast, Honda Motor Co. sold about 1,200 vehicles per dealer, while Toyota Motor Corp. sold nearly 1,300 per dealer.

Local dealerships included in the proposed closures are United Dodge, United Chrysler Jeep, Marsh Chrysler Jeep and Integrity Chrysler Jeep Dodge.

The closures will leave Towbin Dodge and Chapman Chrysler as the only Chrysler dealerships in Southern Nevada.

Hello from Viva Las Vegas!!

Hello WORLD!! And Welcome to Las Vegas Auto Report . First of all a little of myself, I'm a Used Car Tech with ASE certifications and I work in a dealership here in Las Vegas for 4 years. I graduated from Universal Tech Inst.( UTI) in Phoenix, AZ on '05 with a Associates Degree in Automotive.

Well, this Blog is for people who needs to save money mainly on their car and whatever is going on in Las Vegas regarding cars and whatever I'm thinking in my head.

You'll get tips on fixing different car makes, about car parts, maintenance, buying a used car, simple how to do stuff on your own car,my on the job experiences on working on used/new cars, my opinions on new and used cars that I test drive, deals on new and used cars, problems you my experience on a car, safety tips, upcoming car shows and etc.

I hope this Blog will be useful. Have a great day!! Vegas Baby...Vegas!!