wiring problem VW

Hey everyone! It’s Wednesday, so that means it’s time for some behind the scenes action. This series is where we look at some of the crazy things that auto mechanics see. Unless otherwise stated, I take each and every one of these pictures.

I have a few things to let y’all know before we get rolling.

Humble Mechanic Shirts
For those of you that ordered shirts, I should have them by Friday. I will let you know by email, when they ship out. There is a slight chance I will have a couple extra. I will let everyone know when I get them. 🙂

Humble Mechanic Podcast
If you have not checked out the Podcast, please check it out. As of now, they live on YouTube. But I am working on adding an audio only version. That will go on Itunes.

Show with Rusty
In addition to the solo Podcast, I have been doing a weekly show with my buddy Rusty. That is a super fun show. We spend about a hour chatting about tons of things in the car world. You can see all of them here.

Okay, let’s do some Shot Shots!

wiring problem VWFirst up, we look at one of the things that VW seems to be known for, WIRING PROBLEMS! I must say, I do fix a fair amount of wiring issues. I am just at a point where that is normal. 😉 I was working on a Passat on Monday. This car was not in that great of condition. As I was looking over the car, this caught my eye.

This is an electrical connector for the after run coolant pump. I wasn’t really looking for any issues here, but this pin out of place really caught my eye. I am not really sure how this pin came out of the connector. There are 2 different locks that hold the pin in a connector. I will be working on this car again today. Hopefully I can get the pin back in.

VW check engine light.Next up we have another “stumble upon” thing. This Golf came in for a check engine light diagnosis. One of the things I do while waiting for the scan tool, is to just look around. Some times the universe presents information to you, and this is one of those times.

I opened the hood of this car, looked down and spotted a broken hose. I went back to the scan tool to find out the code. It may come as a shock, but it was related to the broken hose. The fault was stored for a secondary air pump leak. This is the pressure hose of that system. Sometimes, it is nice to be lucky.

wrong bolt installed

 

Last up today is something that makes me really mad. It makes me made because I know this was done at a dealer. A customer of ours was out of town. When she was out of town, her transmission failed. She had the transmission replaced at another dealer. Luckily she was still under warranty.

A day later, she called my dealer and said that the car was making a clunking noise. We got her in and this is what we found. The “tech” that did the repair, left 4 bolts loose in the subframe. Not only were the bolts loose, but they were not installed in the proper location.

We got the customer all fixed up. The other dealer paid for new bolts, and the labor to install them. She was pretty darn happy that it was an easy fix.

Well, that wraps up another round of Shop Shots! I hope these pictures give you guys a little pick me up in the middle of the week. Don’t forget that you can follow me on:

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Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope that your week is off to an awesome start. Today on the Automotive Podcast, I am joined by Rusty from BenchRacingGarage.com. We are talking about being a new Automotive Tech. These shows Rusty and I do are a blast. I hope that you guys enjoy them.

Normally I post the videos with Rusty on Wednesday. But I am still fighting some type of bug or something. So I am taking an evening off, and getting some rest. If you watched yesterday’s Podcast, you will know why I am taking the night off. I don’t get sick that much, but when I do, it kicks my butt for a few days. Don’t forget that every Wednesday is Shop Shots!

Today we discuss:

  • what to expect on your first day
  • What to expect your first week/month/year
  • Ways to get your foot in the door
  • Buying tools
  • Tech Schools
  • Looking and acting the part
  • What NOT to ask a potential employer
  • and more…

As always, your comments and questions are welcome and appreciated. If you have a show topic you would like to see, post that in the comments below, or use the contact me form. Thanks for watching.

One last thing, I am working on audio only versions, once that is live, I will be sure to let you all know.

If you want to watch the video on YouTube, hit this link Being a New Automotive Tech

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Happy Monday folks. Today on the Automotive Podcast, we are exploring ways to become a better automotive Technician. This will probably be just the first of several podcasts about way to get better at fixing cars. Also, just an FYI, I am a little under the weather today. This show may be a little weird. I am sorry about that. Also funny that I am pretty sure I forgot to add all the transitions in the video(those are the things I wake up at 3am thinking about). So production quality on this video is low, but the content and the message it good!

If you are NOT a mechanic, and have no plans to be one, that is okay. I recommend giving this a watch. If you understand what makes a good mechanic, you can learn what to look for when finding your own mechanic. Plus much of what we are going to talk about can be adapted to just about anything.

Today’s Show Notes:

  • Ways to become a better tech
  • Being a tech is NOT an easy job
  • 6 Areas to improve on
    1. Documentation
    2. Repair Logic
    3. Customer Service
    4. Mechanical Skills
    5. Diagnostic Skills
    6. Education
  • Good Record Keeping
  • Write everything down
  • Be good to your customers
  • Test drive with customers
  • Understand what you are testing and why
  • Know the systems you are working on

Thanks for watching everyone. Again, I am sorry that this was not the best show. We will break each of these 6 things down further. Each of them will be their own show.

As always, if you have questions or comments about the podcast, please post them in the comments below. If you have ideas for future shows, you can post that as well, or just contact me. Remember this show is for you. The more input I get from viewers, the better the show will become.

If you have problems viewing on the blog, you can see the video on YouTube Episode 7 Ways to Becoming a Better Technician

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Happy Friday everyone.Humble Mechanic Tool Box

Today on the Automotive Podcast, we are talking about tools. It is a subject we have talked about on the blog before, but is always fun to revisit. Today’s view comes from all the years and dollars that I have spent on buying mechanic’s tools, as well as tools for the house.

Today we look at:

  • Tool Brands, Snap-on Tools, Matco Tools, Craftsman tools, Harbor Freight, Makita, and more
  • When to spend the big bucks on Mechanic’s Tools
  • When to save some money on Mechanic’s Tools
  • The tools that are my favorite both in the shop and at home.
  • Questions to ask yourself when trying to decide on which tool to buy
  • Toolbox advice

Thanks for watching. As always, post your comments below. If you have an idea for a shop topic, please post them in the comment section as well. Or you can use the contact me form.

For more information on Mechanic’s Tools, just click that link.

Today I give my initial thoughts on the Milwaukee M12 Screwdriver kit. This is a great little screw gun.

I have been thinking about picking up another small gun like this for a while. I really like this type of tool for removing interior parts. I like the fact that you can adjust the power setting. I don’t think that this could ever replace my Matika impact(review coming soon), but this is a great little drill.

Like I mentioned, this is my initial thoughts. I feel like I need to really give a tool a good run before I can give my honest opinion on it. Well, unless it is a piece of junk.

If you want the specs for this screw gun, you can see that here. If you have a tool that you would like me to review, please contact me.

Also, I want to thank you all for watching, reading, listening to the show. I also appreciate you guys sharing the blog. That is the fastest way for me to grow the community. 🙂