TECH TIP FOR DECEMBER, 1999

AS WE COME TO THE END OF ANOTHER YEAR AND THE BEGINNING OF ANOTHER HOLIDAY SEASON, MY WIFE AND I WOULD LIKE TO WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY, HEALTHY & SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON. ENJOY NEW YEAR'S EVE AND WE WILL SEE YOU IN 2000! (IF THE LIGHTS ARE STILL ON).

OUR BUSINESS HOURS FOR THE HOLIDAY WILL BE:
DEC. 24 8:00am TO 5:00pm
DEC. 25, 26 27 CLOSED
DEC. 28 - 31 8:00am - 5:00pm
JAN. 1, 2 CLOSED
JAN. 3 8:00am - 5:00pm

PEOPLE ARE CELEBRATING THE BEGINNING OF A NEW CENTURY AND A NEW  MILLENNIUM, BUT FOR A PURIST THIS IS NOT TRUE! THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE WILL USE THE YEAR 2000, BUT, THE CHANGE OF THE CENTURY AND THE MILLENNIUM WILL COME ON DECEMBER 31, 2000. THIS IS BECAUSE THERE WAS NO YEAR "0", WE HAD 1 B.C. FOLLOWED BY THE YEAR 1 A.D. AND OF COURSE IF YOU START COUNTING AT "1" THEN THE FIRST REPEAT IS FOR 10 TO 11, NOT FROM 9 TO 10. YOU CAN BE ONLY SO MUCH OF A PURIST. IF YOU CHOOSE TO CELEBRATE THE CHANGE AT DEC. 31, 2000, THEN YOU'RE GOING TO MISS ONE HELL OF A PARTY!

WE SEEM TO BE SEEING A HUGE INCREASE IN OUR REPAIR BUSINESS (FIND WHAT'S WRONG AND FIX IT), BUT IS THE CUSTOMER SAVING VERY MUCH?

IF IT'S ONLY BRUSHES & BEARINGS, THEN MAYBE. BUT, IF YOU START TO GET INTO MORE SOPHISTICATED PARTS THEN.... A REPAIRED UNIT DOESN'T CARRY THE SAME WARRANTY, 90 DAYS ON PARTS INSTALLED VERSUS 1 YEAR, ANYWHERE IN NORTH AMERICA ON REBUILDS. THE UNIT MAY HAVE FUTURE PROBLEMS WITH PARTS THAT WERE NOT CHANGED BECAUSE THEY WERE WORKING AND THE CUSTOMER WILL THEN HAVE TO PAY FOR R&R A SECOND TIME. WITH LABOUR RATES BEING SO HIGH AND INCREASING, THE SAVINGS BEHIND REPAIRS AND THE POTENTIAL PROBLEMS, SHOULD BE CAREFULLY EXPLAINED TO THE CUSTOMER BEFORE GOING AHEAD. BESIDES, DOES THE CUSTOMER PAY YOU FOR TYING UP YOUR HOIST OR PUSHING HIS CAR IN OR OUT? I DON'T THINK SO!

ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO, A COLUMNIST FOR ONE OF THE TRADE PAPERS CALCULATED THAT TO BY A NEW CAR, ONE PART AT A TIME, WOULD COST ALMOST TWICE WHAT THE CAR WOULD SELL FOR ON THE LOT AND YOU WOULD STILL HAVE TO ASSEMBLE IT.

FROM THE iATN COMES:

1) 1991 BUICK ELECTRA, COMPLAINT WAS THAT SINCE NEW THE CAR HAD EATEN ALTERNATORS, SELDOM DID ONE LAST A YEAR. THE FIX WAS TO REPLACE BOTH BATTERY CABLES WITH HEAVIER GAUGE WIRE THAN THE MANUFACTURER HAD INSTALLED.

2) 1992 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT COMPLIANT WAS THAT THE ALTERNATOR WOULD NOT CHARGE. PROBLEM WAS THAT THE "D+" TERMINAL WAS NOT GETTING A SIGNAL AND IS THE "TURN ON". FIX WAS TO REMOVE THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD FROM THE DASH AND RESOLDER THE CRACKED PIN CONNECTIONS. * PERSONAL NOTE : MY PREFERENCE WOULD HAVE BEEN TO OBTAIN A NEW BOARD, IT WOULD ALMOST SEEM THAT THIS ONE WAS BAD FROM THE GET GO.

3) 1996 NISSAN MAXIMA W/3.0L ENGINE © COMPLAINT WAS WOULDN'T START EVEN AFTER STARTER AND BATTERY WERE REPLACED, FIX WAS TO REPLACE THE ROTTED OFF GROUND STRAP FROM THE HEAD TO THE BODY.

4) 1996 PONTIAC SUNFIRE, COMPLIANT WAS AFTER STARTING ALL THE DASH LIGHTS WOULD STAY ON VERY DIM, BUT WOULD GO OUT IF BRAKES WERE APPLIED, AND THEN COME BACK ON. OCCASIONALLY THERE WERE STARTING PROBLEMS. FIX WAS TO REPLACE THE GROUND WIRE ATTACHED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BATTERY BOX WHICH HAD A 1.6 VOLT DROP.

5) 1993 FORD ESCORT, COMPLAINT WAS A SLOW OR NO CRANK PROBLEM WHICH GREW WORSE UNTIL NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN WHEN THE KEY WAS TURNED. FIX WAS FOUND BY VOLTAGE DROP TESTING THE CABLES, WHERE AN 8 VOLT DROP WAS FOUND ON THE MAIN ENGINE GROUND. REPLACING THE CABLE SOLVED THIS PROBLEM. * PERSONAL NOTE : I'LL BET THE STARTER AND THE SOLENOID WERE BOTH DAMAGED BY THE EXCESSIVE CURRENT DRAW THIS VOLTAGE DROP CAUSED. UNLESS THE CUSTOMER CHOSE NOT TO, A REAL FIX WOULD HAVE INVOLVED CHANGING BOTH THE STARTER AND THE SOLENOID.

IT SEEMS STRANGE THAT IT IS SOMETIMES HARD TO FIND THE TIME TO DOTHE JOB RIGHT, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS TIME TO DO IT AGAIN.