In this second half of the hours show Ron talks to a listener from Maine that is car shopping. He has a list based on Ron's recommendations in the last few months' Ron walks him thru the good, the bad and the ugly. What to buy and watch out for and what may not be the most desirable. Ron also takes us on a "tour" of how these cars from Model Year 2014 may be diagnosed and repaired discussing at length the procedures for computer reflashing. He concludes the call with some comments about the Audi the caller is interested and explains how you check the engine oil on these cars since they no longer have an engine oil dipstick.
His next call is from West Virginia. A listener has a broken car in his driveway and is trying to purchase a diagnostic scan tool so he can repair it himself. Ron walks him through what he should be looking for and discusses some basic diagnostic routines. He finishes off this episode talking to a caller who also needs help with a dead car; Ron gives him some on the spot, on the run information as the time runs out on what to look for and the testing that should be done.
Do you like listening to Classic Car Dr episodes or not? We want to know. Please drop us an email. ron@cardoctorshow.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Stinking welcome back. What don't they need in the cardock?
If you're here for you at eight five five five
six nine to nine zero zero, happy to be here
in prout to serve. Let's go over and talk to
Bob and Maine with some questions about what kind of
car to buy. Everybody's out car shopping this week. Bob,
(00:23):
welcome to the car doctor. How can I help you?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Thanks?
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Ron. First, I'm going to preface by I listened to
you all the time and over the last no I'll
say the last month you talked about, Uh, these are
the things that were concerned me. On a BMW. It
was that I think you said there was eight computers
(00:46):
in the and obviously you have to diagnose all eight.
And then the other thing was on the audie you said,
well they don't have any dipsticks and you got to
go through and I thought, oh my god. So I said,
I got to talk to Ron and decide what to buy.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Well, let me let me let me make a correction
to myself there. Either that or it didn't come out right.
BMW on average has one hundred and eighteen computers, depending
depending upon what model we're buying. When you go to
flash a BMW as part of the repair process. Then
it can become a twenty four hour event. Let me
(01:24):
say it like this, all right, And sometimes you know
when we're when we have a quiet moment at the shop,
it's funny. I One of the things I love about
Audo repair is it's a very tight knit community and
you get to know different guys, and a lot of
the guys obviously know me, and they'll call me and say, hey, Ron,
what's going on? And I talk to guys at dealerships
all over the place, from Toyota to BMW to Honda
and Nissan and Audi and so on, and you know,
(01:45):
you kind of kid it's it's it's it's like a
little old ladies convention about what's going on. And the
BMW guys tell me that, you know, in the last
couple of years, they've all gotten two service base and
I'll be like why and they say, well, one is
to repair cars and one to flash cars. And I'm like,
why why do you need beta flash a car? Because
it has to stay inside so long and hooked up
(02:07):
to a battery charger with the key on. Sometimes we
go home overnight and we're still flashing the car when
we come back in the next morning, and I'm thinking,
holy smokes, like you talk about a recipe for a
disaster that could happen, and they said to me Ron,
everybody says, thank God for warranty. So you know, everything
(02:27):
you're looking at, Bob has some unique characteristics to it.
And the most important question is who's going to work
on it. Is it gonna be a dealer repaired car,
is it going to be an independent repair shop? And
are you ready to deal with the nuances that either
one of those scenarios represent.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Okay, I would probably go with a dealer because I'm
not comfortable. Well, I've been most of my cars that
I drive, or trucks, I should say, because I've been
driving Chevyes for some time. Trucks, I haven't done it,
especially now that they have the synthetic oils and all
(03:07):
the electronics. I'd rather have it done at the dealership.
You may pay a buck more, but you're getting the
warranty in the back of the dealership and general motors, right,
So that's why.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
I do that.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
And you know, well and for that and just to
counter that you can get you know, if the independent
repair shop is doing the job, right, You're getting the
same warranty there, But it also depends on what's available
in your neck of the woods.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Sure, and that's part of the problem, right. You know,
there's a lot of little quick repair shops, but I'm
sure they don't have all the test gauges and all that.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
You know, to have that commitment to order repairs is
a big number today, right.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
And that's why I've been following When I came across
you about five years ago, I listened to you every week.
I'm just going to tell you the vehicles that I
was wrestling. These are all basicly two seater or convertibles.
Except it's really funny because, uh, Mercedes Benz calls them convertibles,
(04:09):
but they're really roadsters. I'm looking at the Han I
love the Honda.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
S two thousand, nice car.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
The Nissan three seventy.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Z if you want to deal with that, yep, why
what's wrong?
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Well, we can talk about that anyways, give me a list.
Then the Mercedes Benz. I saw a SLK three twenty
or three fifty. I saw two of them in a
in the grocery store a week ago, and they really
look like nice cars. Right then, an or an Audi
TT or if I went with a BW, I wouldn't
(04:44):
go with the two seater. I'd go with probably a
three thirty five or something like that that has a
hard top.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
How long are you going to keep these cars, Bud?
Speaker 3 (04:54):
I don't know how long, because it's gonna it's not
going to be a drive it all day.
Speaker 5 (04:58):
It's going to be like Rod, you.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Park it and drive it in sunny days or in
the wintertime and never see snow.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Right because up in Maine, if you drove this thing
year round, you know, you could keep it three four years.
We wouldn't have to worry about it. After year five
you'd be riding on two seats going down the road
on three wheels. Yeah, so there won't be anything left
of it.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
So this is strictly basically a summer car or a
fall car.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Okay, So you know the speech I give for this
is life's too short, all right, and you're only here once.
And if you're in the position to buy any one
of those vehicles, buy them with a clear conscience and
have a ball, just just have some fun the least
amount of aggravation. Now we're going to start to nitpick,
all right, any one of those cars maintained by a
(05:42):
proper level, qualified certified repair shop, not necessarily a dealer,
but a qualified certified repair shop should give you lots
of miles over lots of smiles, over lots of miles.
All right, Okay, So that being said, what.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
Do I like?
Speaker 1 (06:00):
I'll go right to the top of the class. I'd
buy the Mercedes. If the Mercedes is in your budget,
go drive it, Go look at go look at the
quality and the fit and the finish. One of the
things I have to give that the top of the
hat to Mercedes is they have a great fit, they
have a great finish, they have a superior rod. And
if dollars are not the question, and it's more, hey,
(06:22):
this is what I like, and this floats my boat. Yeah, listen,
I put myself in a Mercedes tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
Well, now, when I'm talking about any of these cars,
a lot of them, like the Nissan or well the
Honda especially, they're not making those anymore. And this is
not going to be a new car. This is going
to be a used car.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Okay, how old have a used car?
Speaker 4 (06:42):
Now?
Speaker 3 (06:43):
I'm thinking somewhere maybe depending on the miles eight up.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Okay, then If that's the case, I'd probably still I'd stay.
I'd go with the Mercedes, I would look at the
Nissan surprising, and I'd probably make the Honda the third choice.
The one thing, probably the major thing I don't like
about Honda's in general, and I've been told this by
(07:09):
customer service reps and it really drives me insane, is
Honda sits there and says, we're Honda. We don't have
broken cars. Yeah, then how come you have dealerships that
have forty two service bas in the back of the showroom.
You know, what do you need all that for? It's
not to wash cars, it's to fix cars. But you know,
they have this attitude. You know, it's almost like, I
(07:29):
think the CEO of Apple and the CEO of Honda
got together and said, we're going to create two companies
that have the same level of customer service and satisfaction
and the same attitude. It really makes me wonder what's
going on, you know, But that's how I would approach it. Now,
keep in mind, any one of these cars you're looking at,
always consider if you don't like the dealer, then who's
(07:51):
going to work on it?
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Right?
Speaker 1 (07:53):
All right? Now you've got to go look at all
the electronics. Every one of these things is a rolling computer.
Every one of these things is going to give you
some sort of electronic heartache, so be aware of it.
I you know, I, for one, I couldn't own an
AUDI because sit down and read the owner's manual. That
the owner's manual reads like the one I read, and
(08:13):
I've read more than a few lately, where it tells
you that you need to check oil level every five
to six hundred miles because a court consumption every five
to six hundred is considered normal. And then I've got
to check the oil level through a pin bowl machine
on the dashboard.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Well that's that's what you said a couple of weeks ago,
and I said, well, I like the Audi, the little
T T because that's what I was looking at, right,
And then I thought, uh oh, yeah, no, I'm not
going to do that. And then when you were talking
about oil and how you have to I like the
old dipstick. Yeah they never fail.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
You know what, Go out to the Facebook page. It
should still be there. But you go out to the
ronin Indian Card Doctor facebook page. We've got a picture
of that AUDI display up there. Remember what AUDI stands for, Bob,
And I'll leave you with this all right, you're ready, right,
you realize this after you own it. Another underpowered demonic invention, Bob,
I enjoyed the phone call. You have yourself a good
(09:04):
rest of the weekend, and if we can be of
any other service till you were here at eight five
five five six nine nine zero zero. I'm ronning inning
and the car Doctor. We're back right after this. She's
(09:43):
real fine, my formal nice, she's real. Find my phone,
my phone? Well, hey, hey, hey, welcome back in the
car doctor here. Let's get over and talk to Mark
from Mountville, West Virginia. Mark, Welcome to the card Doctor, sir.
How can I help Mark? Are you there?
Speaker 4 (10:04):
My problem is that I have a vehicle we'll here
in my backyard that needs serviced and it's not really driveable.
And I got to the point where I think I'm
going to need to buy a scan tool. And I
did considerable research on the internet and talk to the
(10:25):
local auto places to sell them. And my gracious, I
can spend thirty dollars, or I can spend three thousand dollars,
or you.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Can spend ten thousand dollars. Isn't this exciting?
Speaker 4 (10:37):
Yeah, you know, but I want to spend what I need.
I have people saying, well, you you got to get
one with abs on it. You got to get one
with abs and air bags. You got to get one
that you can see real time on your laptop with. Yeah,
and I'm thinking I might spend two hundred plus dollars
and what's out there that I need?
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Well, you know, and it all depends on what your
perspective is is how far do you want to go?
You know, having a scan tool that gives you all
the information is great provided you can act on it,
because you know it can tell you, hey, XYZ is wrong.
But if you don't have the tools to remove the
X y Z and repair it, then knowing it's bad,
who cares? At that point you're taking into a repair
(11:20):
shop anyway, If you get my point, So you know
you want to try and do this balance, And first
of all, I want to say right up front, I
commend you. I think everybody should own a scan tool
at this point if they're going to try and do
anything to their car, because it's become a very vital
part of the process. It is the pocket screwdriver of
this generation that we all kept in the glove compartment
thirty and forty years ago. You know, you can't do
(11:43):
much today without a scan tool. I like this stuff
from Launch, all right. You hear me talk about it
here on the show. You know, we've got nineteen scan
tools in the shop. We have OTC, we have snap On,
we have Launch, we have master Tech. We've got I
think one of everything, although I'm probably sure there's a
few we don't have, but it seems like one of everything.
Some days you're as you're going through the pile and
(12:04):
trying to select what you want to work.
Speaker 4 (12:06):
The brands I was looking at was a company called
a Noova and Actron.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Actron is a good scan tool, all right. If Actron
is in your budget and Actron meets what you need, yes,
Actron is a good scan tool. I don't know what
model you're looking at, and I don't know that it'll
have ABS and SRS at entry level, all right. If
you want ABS and SRS, then you're gonna have to
kick it up a notch and you're beyond that two
(12:32):
hundred range, but you're under five. If you want anti
lock break and supplemental restraint system, srs. You're into like
a launch C CRP one twenty nine or a CRP
one twenty three, which is a little cheaper if you
want just basic data stream and codes. Yeah, any one
of the Actron family will work for you. And they're
(12:54):
under two hundred dollars, so you're you're in the game.
One of the things. And I don't know how they
would treat you know, the weekend mechanic, but you'd want
to see. Either one of those companies have a tech
line that if you have a question about how the
tool works, or possibly a troubleshooting hotline for the vehicle.
(13:15):
Support in the tool is important. Support for the tool
is important, and support for the vehicle you're working on
is important. So you know, what I encourage people to
do is talk to the company. Either one of those
have a website. You know, take a look at the website,
look at the contact information, call them up and say, hey,
how do these guys treat me on the phone. It's
(13:36):
going to tell me how they're going to treat me
after I purchase the tool. That's number one. Number two YouTube,
Go out to YouTube and you know, do a search
for Actron Scan tool whatever model number you've got and
actron scan tool how to use Maybe there are videos there.
Video is going to show you how to use that
particular tool for whatever tool you buy. And if you
(13:57):
find somebody that's got a large library of it, that's
gonna sway my vote because if it does the job
you needed to do, and now you've got a built
an instructor right on the internet. Boy, doesn't that sound
like a deal?
Speaker 4 (14:09):
Yeah, it certainly does.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
So that's my perspective, sir, for my two cents and
a Nichols worth today. Okay, I'll tell you what Mark,
you have to sit tight. Just give me a minute.
I've got to pull over and take a pause. I'll
be back to you right after this. I'm running. Any
in the Card Doctor, don't go away?
Speaker 2 (14:44):
And that was fall Sam.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Welcome back, any of the card Doctor. We got to
be quick Mark Mountville, West Virginia. You're still there, sir, Yeah,
a quick quick question.
Speaker 5 (15:03):
Go ahead.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
My quick question is on a sport escape with the
three point zero the engine's rough and my exhaust mail
fold on. One side's cold while the other side's hot.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
What do you mean one side's called one sid's high.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
Well, it'll run and barely run. But obviously I'm not
firing on one side of the engine, right correct?
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Okay, do you do you have spark on the side
that's called I didn't do anything.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
Yeah, I was waiting for my scan tool.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Okay, yeah, that's and you know what, now, I'm going
to tell you to diagnose without the scan tool. You know,
besides that scan tool, you're gonna need a spark tester,
you're gonna need a way to check for injector pulse,
and you're always gonna want a fuel pressure gauge. So
you know in the basic toolbox spark tester, noid light,
vacuum gauge, fuel pressure gauge, scan tool basics. All right, kiddo,
(15:54):
and then you pull me next week. You're very well.
Let's go over and talk to Joel. Real quick, Joel,
welcome to the car doctor, sir, what do you.
Speaker 5 (15:59):
Got ninety dollars coda? I got? I had it running.
No spark, now, no spark.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Do you have fuel pressure?
Speaker 5 (16:13):
If you didn't check it checked the fuel pressure, but
I did dumb gas right down on the carburetor, okay,
And I have no spark at the plug. No, no
spark at the coil. I changed the coil. The distributor
put a new computer in it. I just been throwing
parts of it. Now, Okay, I decided that's a bad idea.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Yeah, no, no, no, I want to know fuel pressure.
I want to know spark. We have no spark? Do
we have injector pulse at the injectors? All right? One
of the things you can do. And I'm gonna bet
you probably put a new distributor in this. Yes, was
it a reman or new new? Okay, so you know
it may not be good. New does not mean good.
(16:52):
All right, I want you to go to the distributor
the pickup plate on the inside. All right, there's a
gray black wire and a black light blue wire at
the distributor, right. I want you to I want you
to tap those two across each other. That should produce
an RPM signal on a scan tool. Okay, you're gonna
(17:13):
you're gonna emulate that pickup And if you don't see that,
if you don't see an RPM signal, then you've got
more going on there that meets the eye. You've got
an issue probably with that pickup plate. Try that. Call
me back next week. I'm sorry. The clock's gonna grab me,
I'm running. End of the car. Doctor. The mechanics aren't expensive,
they're priceless. See it.
Stinking welcome back. What don't they need in the cardock?
If you're here for you at eight five five five
six nine to nine zero zero, happy to be here
in prout to serve. Let's go over and talk to
Bob and Maine with some questions about what kind of
car to buy. Everybody's out car shopping this week. Bob,
(00:23):
welcome to the car doctor. How can I help you?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Thanks?
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Ron. First, I'm going to preface by I listened to
you all the time and over the last no I'll
say the last month you talked about, Uh, these are
the things that were concerned me. On a BMW. It
was that I think you said there was eight computers
(00:46):
in the and obviously you have to diagnose all eight.
And then the other thing was on the audie you said,
well they don't have any dipsticks and you got to
go through and I thought, oh my god. So I said,
I got to talk to Ron and decide what to buy.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Well, let me let me let me make a correction
to myself there. Either that or it didn't come out right.
BMW on average has one hundred and eighteen computers, depending
depending upon what model we're buying. When you go to
flash a BMW as part of the repair process. Then
it can become a twenty four hour event. Let me
(01:24):
say it like this, all right, And sometimes you know
when we're when we have a quiet moment at the shop,
it's funny. I One of the things I love about
Audo repair is it's a very tight knit community and
you get to know different guys, and a lot of
the guys obviously know me, and they'll call me and say, hey, Ron,
what's going on? And I talk to guys at dealerships
all over the place, from Toyota to BMW to Honda
and Nissan and Audi and so on, and you know,
(01:45):
you kind of kid it's it's it's it's like a
little old ladies convention about what's going on. And the
BMW guys tell me that, you know, in the last
couple of years, they've all gotten two service base and
I'll be like why and they say, well, one is
to repair cars and one to flash cars. And I'm like,
why why do you need beta flash a car? Because
it has to stay inside so long and hooked up
(02:07):
to a battery charger with the key on. Sometimes we
go home overnight and we're still flashing the car when
we come back in the next morning, and I'm thinking,
holy smokes, like you talk about a recipe for a
disaster that could happen, and they said to me Ron,
everybody says, thank God for warranty. So you know, everything
(02:27):
you're looking at, Bob has some unique characteristics to it.
And the most important question is who's going to work
on it. Is it gonna be a dealer repaired car,
is it going to be an independent repair shop? And
are you ready to deal with the nuances that either
one of those scenarios represent.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Okay, I would probably go with a dealer because I'm
not comfortable. Well, I've been most of my cars that
I drive, or trucks, I should say, because I've been
driving Chevyes for some time. Trucks, I haven't done it,
especially now that they have the synthetic oils and all
(03:07):
the electronics. I'd rather have it done at the dealership.
You may pay a buck more, but you're getting the
warranty in the back of the dealership and general motors, right,
So that's why.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
I do that.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
And you know, well and for that and just to
counter that you can get you know, if the independent
repair shop is doing the job, right, You're getting the
same warranty there, But it also depends on what's available
in your neck of the woods.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Sure, and that's part of the problem, right. You know,
there's a lot of little quick repair shops, but I'm
sure they don't have all the test gauges and all that.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
You know, to have that commitment to order repairs is
a big number today, right.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
And that's why I've been following When I came across
you about five years ago, I listened to you every week.
I'm just going to tell you the vehicles that I
was wrestling. These are all basicly two seater or convertibles.
Except it's really funny because, uh, Mercedes Benz calls them convertibles,
(04:09):
but they're really roadsters. I'm looking at the Han I
love the Honda.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
S two thousand, nice car.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
The Nissan three seventy.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Z if you want to deal with that, yep, why
what's wrong?
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Well, we can talk about that anyways, give me a list.
Then the Mercedes Benz. I saw a SLK three twenty
or three fifty. I saw two of them in a
in the grocery store a week ago, and they really
look like nice cars. Right then, an or an Audi
TT or if I went with a BW, I wouldn't
(04:44):
go with the two seater. I'd go with probably a
three thirty five or something like that that has a
hard top.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
How long are you going to keep these cars, Bud?
Speaker 3 (04:54):
I don't know how long, because it's gonna it's not
going to be a drive it all day.
Speaker 5 (04:58):
It's going to be like Rod, you.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Park it and drive it in sunny days or in
the wintertime and never see snow.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Right because up in Maine, if you drove this thing
year round, you know, you could keep it three four years.
We wouldn't have to worry about it. After year five
you'd be riding on two seats going down the road
on three wheels. Yeah, so there won't be anything left
of it.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
So this is strictly basically a summer car or a
fall car.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Okay, So you know the speech I give for this
is life's too short, all right, and you're only here once.
And if you're in the position to buy any one
of those vehicles, buy them with a clear conscience and
have a ball, just just have some fun the least
amount of aggravation. Now we're going to start to nitpick,
all right, any one of those cars maintained by a
(05:42):
proper level, qualified certified repair shop, not necessarily a dealer,
but a qualified certified repair shop should give you lots
of miles over lots of smiles, over lots of miles.
All right, Okay, So that being said, what.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
Do I like?
Speaker 1 (06:00):
I'll go right to the top of the class. I'd
buy the Mercedes. If the Mercedes is in your budget,
go drive it, Go look at go look at the
quality and the fit and the finish. One of the
things I have to give that the top of the
hat to Mercedes is they have a great fit, they
have a great finish, they have a superior rod. And
if dollars are not the question, and it's more, hey,
(06:22):
this is what I like, and this floats my boat. Yeah, listen,
I put myself in a Mercedes tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
Well, now, when I'm talking about any of these cars,
a lot of them, like the Nissan or well the
Honda especially, they're not making those anymore. And this is
not going to be a new car. This is going
to be a used car.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Okay, how old have a used car?
Speaker 4 (06:42):
Now?
Speaker 3 (06:43):
I'm thinking somewhere maybe depending on the miles eight up.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Okay, then If that's the case, I'd probably still I'd stay.
I'd go with the Mercedes, I would look at the
Nissan surprising, and I'd probably make the Honda the third choice.
The one thing, probably the major thing I don't like
about Honda's in general, and I've been told this by
(07:09):
customer service reps and it really drives me insane, is
Honda sits there and says, we're Honda. We don't have
broken cars. Yeah, then how come you have dealerships that
have forty two service bas in the back of the showroom.
You know, what do you need all that for? It's
not to wash cars, it's to fix cars. But you know,
they have this attitude. You know, it's almost like, I
(07:29):
think the CEO of Apple and the CEO of Honda
got together and said, we're going to create two companies
that have the same level of customer service and satisfaction
and the same attitude. It really makes me wonder what's
going on, you know, But that's how I would approach it. Now,
keep in mind, any one of these cars you're looking at,
always consider if you don't like the dealer, then who's
(07:51):
going to work on it?
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Right?
Speaker 1 (07:53):
All right? Now you've got to go look at all
the electronics. Every one of these things is a rolling computer.
Every one of these things is going to give you
some sort of electronic heartache, so be aware of it.
I you know, I, for one, I couldn't own an
AUDI because sit down and read the owner's manual. That
the owner's manual reads like the one I read, and
(08:13):
I've read more than a few lately, where it tells
you that you need to check oil level every five
to six hundred miles because a court consumption every five
to six hundred is considered normal. And then I've got
to check the oil level through a pin bowl machine
on the dashboard.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Well that's that's what you said a couple of weeks ago,
and I said, well, I like the Audi, the little
T T because that's what I was looking at, right,
And then I thought, uh oh, yeah, no, I'm not
going to do that. And then when you were talking
about oil and how you have to I like the
old dipstick. Yeah they never fail.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
You know what, Go out to the Facebook page. It
should still be there. But you go out to the
ronin Indian Card Doctor facebook page. We've got a picture
of that AUDI display up there. Remember what AUDI stands for, Bob,
And I'll leave you with this all right, you're ready, right,
you realize this after you own it. Another underpowered demonic invention, Bob,
I enjoyed the phone call. You have yourself a good
(09:04):
rest of the weekend, and if we can be of
any other service till you were here at eight five
five five six nine nine zero zero. I'm ronning inning
and the car Doctor. We're back right after this. She's
(09:43):
real fine, my formal nice, she's real. Find my phone,
my phone? Well, hey, hey, hey, welcome back in the
car doctor here. Let's get over and talk to Mark
from Mountville, West Virginia. Mark, Welcome to the card Doctor, sir.
How can I help Mark? Are you there?
Speaker 4 (10:04):
My problem is that I have a vehicle we'll here
in my backyard that needs serviced and it's not really driveable.
And I got to the point where I think I'm
going to need to buy a scan tool. And I
did considerable research on the internet and talk to the
(10:25):
local auto places to sell them. And my gracious, I
can spend thirty dollars, or I can spend three thousand dollars,
or you.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Can spend ten thousand dollars. Isn't this exciting?
Speaker 4 (10:37):
Yeah, you know, but I want to spend what I need.
I have people saying, well, you you got to get
one with abs on it. You got to get one
with abs and air bags. You got to get one
that you can see real time on your laptop with. Yeah,
and I'm thinking I might spend two hundred plus dollars
and what's out there that I need?
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Well, you know, and it all depends on what your
perspective is is how far do you want to go?
You know, having a scan tool that gives you all
the information is great provided you can act on it,
because you know it can tell you, hey, XYZ is wrong.
But if you don't have the tools to remove the
X y Z and repair it, then knowing it's bad,
who cares? At that point you're taking into a repair
(11:20):
shop anyway, If you get my point, So you know
you want to try and do this balance, And first
of all, I want to say right up front, I
commend you. I think everybody should own a scan tool
at this point if they're going to try and do
anything to their car, because it's become a very vital
part of the process. It is the pocket screwdriver of
this generation that we all kept in the glove compartment
thirty and forty years ago. You know, you can't do
(11:43):
much today without a scan tool. I like this stuff
from Launch, all right. You hear me talk about it
here on the show. You know, we've got nineteen scan
tools in the shop. We have OTC, we have snap On,
we have Launch, we have master Tech. We've got I
think one of everything, although I'm probably sure there's a
few we don't have, but it seems like one of everything.
Some days you're as you're going through the pile and
(12:04):
trying to select what you want to work.
Speaker 4 (12:06):
The brands I was looking at was a company called
a Noova and Actron.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Actron is a good scan tool, all right. If Actron
is in your budget and Actron meets what you need, yes,
Actron is a good scan tool. I don't know what
model you're looking at, and I don't know that it'll
have ABS and SRS at entry level, all right. If
you want ABS and SRS, then you're gonna have to
kick it up a notch and you're beyond that two
(12:32):
hundred range, but you're under five. If you want anti
lock break and supplemental restraint system, srs. You're into like
a launch C CRP one twenty nine or a CRP
one twenty three, which is a little cheaper if you
want just basic data stream and codes. Yeah, any one
of the Actron family will work for you. And they're
(12:54):
under two hundred dollars, so you're you're in the game.
One of the things. And I don't know how they
would treat you know, the weekend mechanic, but you'd want
to see. Either one of those companies have a tech
line that if you have a question about how the
tool works, or possibly a troubleshooting hotline for the vehicle.
(13:15):
Support in the tool is important. Support for the tool
is important, and support for the vehicle you're working on
is important. So you know, what I encourage people to
do is talk to the company. Either one of those
have a website. You know, take a look at the website,
look at the contact information, call them up and say, hey,
how do these guys treat me on the phone. It's
(13:36):
going to tell me how they're going to treat me
after I purchase the tool. That's number one. Number two YouTube,
Go out to YouTube and you know, do a search
for Actron Scan tool whatever model number you've got and
actron scan tool how to use Maybe there are videos there.
Video is going to show you how to use that
particular tool for whatever tool you buy. And if you
(13:57):
find somebody that's got a large library of it, that's
gonna sway my vote because if it does the job
you needed to do, and now you've got a built
an instructor right on the internet. Boy, doesn't that sound
like a deal?
Speaker 4 (14:09):
Yeah, it certainly does.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
So that's my perspective, sir, for my two cents and
a Nichols worth today. Okay, I'll tell you what Mark,
you have to sit tight. Just give me a minute.
I've got to pull over and take a pause. I'll
be back to you right after this. I'm running. Any
in the Card Doctor, don't go away?
Speaker 2 (14:44):
And that was fall Sam.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Welcome back, any of the card Doctor. We got to
be quick Mark Mountville, West Virginia. You're still there, sir, Yeah,
a quick quick question.
Speaker 5 (15:03):
Go ahead.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
My quick question is on a sport escape with the
three point zero the engine's rough and my exhaust mail
fold on. One side's cold while the other side's hot.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
What do you mean one side's called one sid's high.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
Well, it'll run and barely run. But obviously I'm not
firing on one side of the engine, right correct?
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Okay, do you do you have spark on the side
that's called I didn't do anything.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
Yeah, I was waiting for my scan tool.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Okay, yeah, that's and you know what, now, I'm going
to tell you to diagnose without the scan tool. You know,
besides that scan tool, you're gonna need a spark tester,
you're gonna need a way to check for injector pulse,
and you're always gonna want a fuel pressure gauge. So
you know in the basic toolbox spark tester, noid light,
vacuum gauge, fuel pressure gauge, scan tool basics. All right, kiddo,
(15:54):
and then you pull me next week. You're very well.
Let's go over and talk to Joel. Real quick, Joel,
welcome to the car doctor, sir, what do you.
Speaker 5 (15:59):
Got ninety dollars coda? I got? I had it running.
No spark, now, no spark.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Do you have fuel pressure?
Speaker 5 (16:13):
If you didn't check it checked the fuel pressure, but
I did dumb gas right down on the carburetor, okay,
And I have no spark at the plug. No, no
spark at the coil. I changed the coil. The distributor
put a new computer in it. I just been throwing
parts of it. Now, Okay, I decided that's a bad idea.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Yeah, no, no, no, I want to know fuel pressure.
I want to know spark. We have no spark? Do
we have injector pulse at the injectors? All right? One
of the things you can do. And I'm gonna bet
you probably put a new distributor in this. Yes, was
it a reman or new new? Okay, so you know
it may not be good. New does not mean good.
(16:52):
All right, I want you to go to the distributor
the pickup plate on the inside. All right, there's a
gray black wire and a black light blue wire at
the distributor, right. I want you to I want you
to tap those two across each other. That should produce
an RPM signal on a scan tool. Okay, you're gonna
(17:13):
you're gonna emulate that pickup And if you don't see that,
if you don't see an RPM signal, then you've got
more going on there that meets the eye. You've got
an issue probably with that pickup plate. Try that. Call
me back next week. I'm sorry. The clock's gonna grab me,
I'm running. End of the car. Doctor. The mechanics aren't expensive,
they're priceless. See it.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
The Nikki Glaser Podcast
Every week comedian and infamous roaster Nikki Glaser provides a fun, fast-paced, and brutally honest look into current pop-culture and her own personal life.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.