You name it, it might be there....Lots of security camera footage, cell phone video's, dash cam video's, lots of crashes. . It can be pretty graphic, no censoring at all.
I don't see any definite brake lights, but interesting that the thing was able to be shifted without apparent brake application. Isn't the brake interlock mandated in cars made during the past 25-30 years or something? These things have an EDR, I assume.
Also interesting that it can apparently be shifted, but the "driver" (a teen, from what I have read elsewhere), didn't select "N" or "P". Nice J-turn at the end, anyway.
And a play-by-play I lifted from another site:
-Okay, getting ready to turn into this driveway, better slow down and fail to use my signal to indicate my intentions to the guy behind me. -Why did he honk at me? I better give him the stink eye as I turn into the driveway. -Oh my God! The house is a lot closer than I remember, Brake BRAKE. -Why is it speeding up? Why did it hit the house? -Better put it in reverse, that'll stop it. -Oh my God! Now it's just going fast in reverse. -Better put it in drive to get out of the street. -Oh my God! Now it's going fast in drive. -Oh my God! I hit the house again. -Better put in reverse, maybe it will stop this time. -Oh my God! It's doing the same thing! Ah, now it's spinning. What the ***?! -What? Lift up my foot, move it to the left and put it back down? -Wow, that was crazy, but it worked. Glad my BFF thought of that.
Even in the best dealerships the turnover rate of techs is never ending.
The "senior techs" often get stuck with the miserable jobs and poor paying warranty work and the "kids" get the gravy jobs.
I don't see this getting better as the trade is losing good people who just can't make the living they deserve. These guys are telling the young guys that this is no longer a good profession and to find another line of work.
The Service Managers are under constant pressure to get the job done, avoid comebacks and keep survey scores high. There is a constant turnover with these guys too.
That sounds logical to me too. In my limited experience with them, Logitech doesn't update their webcam drivers and since I like to get the latest OSes when they come out, I wouldn't get another one.
These store where I worked only used regular technicians for their P.D.I's and they were held accountable.
As part of the PDI, they had to put a minimum of 10 miles on the cars in order to make sure everything was up to snuff.
I read in some of these forums that their new car only had 2 miles on the odometer like that was some kind of a good thing. That only meant that the PDI had been rushed through.
As part of the PDI, they had to put a minimum of 10 miles on the cars in order to make sure everything was up to snuff.
I would estimate that I've probably special-ordered about 80% of the cars I've owned over my 58 1/2 years, from several dealerships, and I don't think I've ever taken delivery of more than one or two of them with 10 miles or more on the odometer... If even that many.
Of course, many years ago, the speedo was a simple cable connection, so its possible the cable had been disconnected while being prepped, but I kinda doubt it.
Out of the posts I read on that site, I think I most believe the one that claims it is a viral video advertisement for Logitech.
That may well be the case.
Still, our local news usually (on average) has a story about runaway cars/UA 2-4 times a month, many of them caught on surveillance camera footage, so its entirely possible, IMO. Even if this particular case was purposely created, this sort of thing happens all the time.
The real problem with Internet videos is determining the real ones from the fakes, although they can all be quite entertaining.
This is what some experts go around telling shop owners what they need to do in order to generate a profit. This is the second post this guy has made on this topic because his first one got linked to a technicians website and they justifiably tore it up. You should all know what wallet flushes are by now, and this guy comes from the age where that all got started. His style of management advice is also one of the major contributing factors as to why there is a shortage of qualified technicians today. He thinks he has nothing to apologize for.
There is no attribute more necessary and desirable in a tech than his being productive and efficient. Technical knowledge and experience are very very important and if you ask most techs they would likely indicate they were the most important attributes but too often productivity takes a back seat to knowledge and ability and as a direct result the business suffers. Knowledge and ability mean far less to me if a tech can't beat the labor guides consistently and his value to the business needs to always be measured in billable hours and labor hours turned measured against the number of hours he spends on the floor. The ideal tech has that knowledge and ability but also is thorough in checking out a vehicle and efficient with his time. This is the type of tech you can not only be confident in his ability to diagnose and repair a vehicle but also in his ability to be profitable. This is a fairly rare beast but one that is very desirable and one you can build a business around."
IMO (at least, initially), there are 2 very distinct, and opposing points in the comment above.
Yes, one has to be efficient, and knowledge is a requirement for that.
But, at the same time, isn't the "intent" of labor guides one of making a reasonable determination of time and effort to complete a specified task (Note: I'm not claiming the guides are accurate, only that the guides supposedly are exactly that)?
Either one believes the time estimates in labor guides are accurate or not. If you do, then the best one should expect is for the tech (on average) to meet the estimated times. If one doesn't accept the guides as accurate, then they become nothing more than straw men in an argument, and no more than a poor attempt at rationalizing an estimated amount of effort in order to support some type of charged amount.
Beating an estimate consistently means one is either superman, incredibly lucky, or not "thoroughly checking out a vehicle".
I fully understand that running a shop, like any business is a balancing act.
The one obvious thing missing from the above comment is continued training. I wonder when and where techs are supposed to get that "knowledge" to make him/her the "ideal" tech?
I get the gist of what the guy is saying. I just think he's looking at a complex problem from only one angle. When viewed that way, most problems always look simple to solve...
Actually, I think a few test miles to ensure all is working as it should should be the standard for all dealers.
Being a teenager in the 60-70's I remember Big-3 cars basically having "reconstruction" done on them before the dealer placed them on the floor for sale. Back then, the manufacturing manta in Detroit was "churn and burn", IMO.
The average quality on all makes is so much better now, and I think competition has most dealerships squeezed so intensely that they look for every way to cut costs. The outlook might be one of, "well, if anything isn't right, the customer will let us know".
It's the same old short-sighted "costs that are real today .vs. costs that may, or may not be real tomorrow" outlook.
What are the odds of having a ruptured (leaky) vacuum booster diaphragm in only 55k miles? Can't find a supply line leak (yet). Is there some contraption associated with vacuum that might be leaking somewhere?
I have a hard brake pedal shortly (only minutes) after shutting car off. Usually you should be able to get 1.5 or so brake pedal pushes with strong vacuum assist after engine shut down..but not on this thing and has been like this since I bought used 5 years ago..
Any silver bullet (as doc calls them) ideas from anyone?
Last summer I was eating lunch in a restaurant in Northern Kentucky and a group of employees from a local dealer(I could tell by their uniforms) were talking business at an adjacent booth. I wasn't really paying any attention to their discussion until one loudmouth said, "So I told him, if you want to work in service you have to know how to drive stick, so take this new RX8 out on a PDI and stay out until you get the hang of it." I had read less than complementary reviews of this particular dealership, and I got a really bad vibe the one time I shopped there- now I know why...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
I remember when my brother took me out in his new MG and taught me how to drive a stick. I was sixteen, and had been driving for about three months. We were in town, to run some errands and he had me drive back. Yea, I stalled it twice the first try pulling out, but caught on pretty well in less than a minutes time. By the time we got home it seemed easy, that is until he had me stop in the driveway and try and get going again. My parents driveway was pretty steep and that took coordinating the hand brake, clutch and the throttle. I only stalled it once on the hill, but took several tries to be able to pull forward successfully without abusing the car, or us. Each time that I got it going, he had me stop and do it again. All told it took only a few minutes to really learn, but that wouldn't have ever happened without doing it.
FWIW, I have never seen damage from a first time user that equals what experienced drivers will do to a clutch. In fact, I've never had a car come in for a clutch issue that was reported to have been just driven by someone just learning. But my one parts store had a manual transmission in an Escort that they got for running parts that needed a clutch a week after they got it. I put it in for them, and a week later it was totally fried again. Another week went by and there it was destroyed for the third time! On a hunch I asked the one driver if he was having trouble holding the car in place at the one traffic light near the store. He replied, no not at first it worked great, but as soon as it started failing it would just start slipping backwards. and then he would have to use the brakes.
I then told him, "making it hold on a hill, instead of using the brakes is riding the clutch" and that's why it keeps failing. He then insisted that he's always driven that way, to which I said that's why I asked the question the way I did, had I of just asked if he was riding the clutch he surely would have denied it, and he agreed that he would have. He didn't know that he wasn't supposed to do that.
I have through the years taught a lot of friends and family members how to drive a stick, and after the first few stops and starts, and a pull out on a hill I have simply told them let me out and go drive the car until you are sure that you know how to do it. Each time I was prepared to fix any damage that they might cause, and none of them ever broke anything. Heck my 94 Ranger had a dozen kids learn in it, and it still has its original clutch.
My experience learning to use a clutch was similar, only it was with a '52 Plymouth 3-on-the-column. Just moved the car up and back 15-20 feet or so in front pf the house for the first hour or so until i got used to the friction point. Then it was on to the driveway with a slight grade to figure out the clutch-throttle-hand brake procedure. After that, driving on the road was pretty straightforward.
Taught all 4 of my kids to drive stick when they were learning. Never had any clutch issues from them.
The check valve for the brake booster can be the hose connector at the booster itself on some vehicles, it can be in the middle of the hose, or on some cars it can be right at the intake manifold. The check valve is more likely to have a leak than the booster itself, but of course both are plausible.
With the booster charged, disconnect the hose at the manifold, and install a vacuum gage to seal it and see if the vacuum in the booster draws the hose back down. If the check valve is at the manifold, you'll have to do this same test from the booster end. Connect the vacuum gage, start the engine briefly and then shut it off and watch for the vacuum to decay.
(You do have to be certain that your gage connections don't leak).
The booster itself if it is leaking should be able to be heard at it's air inlet by use of a ultrasonic microphone and head-phones.
FWIW, this doesn't really sound like a problem that requires being fixed, or said another way, this might be normal for that car. I expect to feel every brake pedal drop some when I start an engine as the vacuum increases in the booster after an engine start.
My first experience with a clutch setup was on a Ford 8N tractor in the early 1960's.
I was either 10 or 11, and it was easy because all I had to do was learn how to ease out on the clutch. The gear was "set", no shifting required, and I was out in the middle of a field.
Later on, I figured out you could start out in a lower gear and get moving, and then, if you were fast enough, you could engage the clutch and grab a higher gear, but it took coordination.
By the time I was 14, I was driving 2-ton trucks, etc. In south GA, on a country dirt road, no one cared back then if you were licensed or not, as long as you moved over for the occasional traffic headed your way.
Good to know about the check valve being maybe in the hose..never thought of that. At the booster is quite accessible, but tracing line back to manifold is pretty straight forward until it gets to the front of the engine and then drops down and back outta sight. I can't get in there with hands or light or anything to follow it farther. I think to get in there will require pulling top plastic rad baffle, and entire grill. And surely not the left rad?? I know...I probably shouldn't say 'surely'.. :sick:
I have a vacuum tool so will delve into it after Mother Nature and the ice pellet crap decides she has tortured us enough this spring.
I think it must be a fault to a certain extend, as if you park on a grade and use the brakes to try to hold it just while starting the engine, the pedal is hard as rock and of course allows you to roll enough that you don't want to hit anything close to ya. It requires using the emergency brake all the time, and while I do use it most always if I park where I think someone might bump me, I don't always at home. Most recently this vacuum leak screwed me around was trying to get on and off ramps while doing the oil change lately. I wanted to lower it to get a more thorough drain at the front, but of course needed a lot of brake power..more than the parking one gave me, but couldn't start the engine cuz was in the middle of the oil change.
It would be highly unlikely that your brake booster is bad. I can't remember EVER hearing of our shop replacing a brake booster.
They do go bad, but its rare. Lincolns had a problem in the 90's that on a long downhill they could keep the brakes dragging because of the high manifold vacuum. Most boosters that fail simply don't help the driver apply the brakes and that's real obvious.
Many hard pedal complaints where people think the booster is bad turn out to be vacuum check valve or supply issues. Common vacuum source issues are often related to very poor idle concerns.
Having driven tractors since I was in diapers (almost), my brother taught me at 12 or so to drive his 50 Ford. Just put her in 3rd gear and let out the clutch very gently while mildly accelerating the engine. That flathead would almost stall and still keep catch and accelerate.
See below my post to doc, about during my oil change.
Plus there are two other situations were I see this as not normal and while I doubt the problem is in the booster, especially its young age still, but I too have never had a boost leak ever in the past, I have had engines quit on me driving on the road...run outta gas..other issue etc. and with my car I have no power boost assist at all unless the engine is running. Because I have not yet gotten my brakes and wheel bearing fixed (still bad wx here) my brakes don't have much grab without power boost assist. I have never owned a car in the past were it didn't give you even two pull potential pumps of the brake pedal before it started to harden up after the engine had quit or was off.
The other times this screws me around is when I drive the kids down to the school bus to wait in the car if the bugs are really bad. My drive is all hill, so the habit is to coast the car all the way down and then wait at the gate until the bus comes. So when I say 'drive' really all i do is coast it down cuz I don't like to start it and then shut if off in such a short period of time. It saves gas, the battery, wear n tear, moisture in the oil and exhaust etc etc. And the way it is now, the pedal is so hard right from the beginning that I don't get even half a push of boost..basically non.
If you check yours, no need to start the car. Just go out and push on the pedal..if it is hard right at the top, then I guess that is the nature of the beast in our CRV's, but don't think it is a very safe operation if we lose engine while on the go..But if your pedal goes down even 1/3 travel fairly easily, then that suggests you have great useable power boost assist and even if you only got the one push, I wouldn't consider that a fault. I be pleased as punch with that compared to what I have now. Thanks for checking..no rush..just didn't want you starting the car for nothing..
This must be a check valve issue, because I have no shortage of boost if the engine is running, and if I push hard on the brake pedal when it is idling, there is no noticeable rpm deflection, studying the tach. I already checked that before.
This is great news, doc! Cuz even if I have to pull the front of the car off to get in there, I rather do that than try to get that booster out of where it is. My bad back will let me work on the front of the car, but not back where that booster is. Even if I pulled the hood, and worked at it from the side (the only option really for old guys with shyte backs) it looks like real pain to get it out. In the meantime, if I'm luckier still the check valve is at the booster. Right now I can't even stand beside the car without holding onto it, and it's parked facing downhill. If on booster end, could you see the check valve right there up inside the hose? There are no exterior tell-tales that it has one inside. And it is a straight run with no visible T's for all the uses for vacuum from manifold, until..assumedly until it goes down the front out of sight. There are 3 main good sized lines coming up from down in there. I suspect one main manifold line that junctions to these others right? So the bad valve could be an entire junction block. $ wise, it likely isn't cheap either tho.. Nonetheless, I'd be pleased to find the leak there rather than the booster itself. It won't be the booster tho right cuz I have pretty good brakes as long as the engine is running so that indicates the booster is probably not at fault.
O.K. curosity got the best of me so I tried your little test on our 2003. Not that it would make any difference but it's an EX automatic 4WD with 69,000 miles that I bought new (from myself)
As expected without starting the engine, it had zero boost. The pedel was hard. I then started it up, let it run a few seconds and shut it off.
Tried it again and it had enough boost for maybe two stops. Fine with me and certainly not a problem.
I sure wouldn't worry about this being in any way "unsafe". What IS unsafe in my opinion is rolling your car down that hill without the engine running.
Not only do you lose your brake boost but much worse, you lose your power steering. Should you have to make an evasive movement you would have a tough time.
Starting your car for that short drive will hurt nothing and cost you not enough to measure.
After 69,000 miles, this car has needed NOTHING except the normal oil and filter changes. Had the brakes (original) checked 4000 miles ago and both fronts and rear pads still had 6MM of pad remaining.
In 2002 I sold a new CRV to a guy I know who was a Manufactures Rep. the last time I talked to him it had 370,000 miles. He had replaced the A/C compressor and his front brake calipers after 200,000 miles. He said he was on his third set of brake pads.
Not leaking or burning oil but LOTS and LOTS of oil changes!
Start your engine! Drive your car! You won't hurt it!
This must be a check valve issue, because I have no shortage of boost if the engine is running, and if I push hard on the brake pedal when it is idling, there is no noticeable rpm deflection, studying the tach. I already checked that before.
I had a check valve problem on a 2002 Outback. Symptom was no vacuum assist - hence very hard pedal - when first starting out on very cold (<25 deg) mornings. My hypothesis was that some moisture in the vacuum line & valve was causing the check valve to freeze shut, so not allowing any vacuum boost. Solution was just to remove and dry out the valve. Problem solved.
The other times this screws me around is when I drive the kids down to the school bus to wait in the car if the bugs are really bad. My drive is all hill, so the habit is to coast the car all the way down and then wait at the gate until the bus comes. So when I say 'drive' really all i do is coast it down cuz I don't like to start it and then shut if off in such a short period of time. It saves gas, the battery, wear n tear, moisture in the oil and exhaust etc etc. And the way it is now, the pedal is so hard right from the beginning that I don't get even half a push of boost..basically non.
I might be missing something here, but I think I agree with Isellhondas.
Assuming to simply turn around and go home after picking up your passengers, you still have the exposure you're attempting to avoid. You're not apt to see any wear and tear from moisture buildup in the oil or exhaust by waiting 15 minutes for the bus to arrive, by driving to the bus stop.
In fact, you may well be CAUSING problems by not running the vehicle long enough on the return trip to get the engine up to normal operating temps, especially if you don't change the oil often. If things don't get hot enough to cook-off the moisture, you know where it condenses...
I appreciate some of your comments, busiris. FWIW, I go on to my job sight after the kids get picked up. But nonetheless, even if I didn't, one short condensation/battery draining, event is better than two. Re the battery..I literally have to put my (way too small) OEM battery on trickle charge...it is and has been as I type for the last 5 days, because it often sits days and even over a week between trips sometimes..so short startups without enough recharge time into the battery, does pull it down noticeably...especially in the really cold wx, when electrolyte doesn't even want to take a charge if it's colder than about 0 -10¼ F. I used the bug season as an example, but I could have just as easily used a severe windchill winter morning as one. We see - 20 over 20 days a winter here..sometimes over 30 days, and -35 even up to 10 to 12 days a winter. That means we see many many 0 and -5 to -10's . And this is where my climate is so different from someone like isells...they really can't relate if they don't live it. Mind you...I hear he gets a LOT of rain...so I'm not envious of that, haha. (this is my reply to your comments about not worrying about quick/short starts, isell..btw tho..thanks for checking your sustained vacuum reserve on your car for me..)
Thanks...I try to concentrate on the fact that there are no blood suckers out and about during that time..altho...with a bit of cruel M N administering..if I bring in firewood that wasn't covered mid Jan...frozen absolutely rock solid...6 - 8 hours later there will be mosquitos flying around upstairs sniffing out blood Years ago, they didn't really seek out blood in Jan...but they do now... maybe it's the amt of onions and liver I eat??...they say it's good for your blood, lol but :sick:
So if I have this right, the focus of the problem is that you are trying to use the car under a set of circumstances that it wasn't designed for. You want to simply coast to the bottom of the hill, and then stop and sit for a bit so the kids can get on the bus and then you drive off to work, or wherever.
When you get to the bottom of the hill, there isn't any vacuum in the brake booster so its difficult to stop the car. You have a manual transmission right? What's wrong with putting the tranny in second, or third and once the car gets moving, let the clutch out which would spin the engine and create vacuum in the intake, and therefore the power brake booster? You could even be really over the top and turn the key on and that should excite the alternator and you would essentially have some regenerative charging taking place, and then not even have to "crank it" to get it started. (Be advised that the security systems on some of todays cars might not like not seeing the crank command as part of the start-up sequence)
I'm right back to the idea that you don't have a broken car, there is nothing about the car that needs fixed.
BTW, the check valve should be in the hose abover the booster. There is a "connector" that is higher than the booster, real close to the firewall. That's the check valve.
I'm really having trouble understanding your concerns.
You have a brake booster that is operating as it should yet you roll your car down a hill without brake boost or power steering because you are concerned about moisture in the engine, strain on the battery etc yet you continue to drive around with a bad wheel bearing?
If you truly have your OEM battery in your CRV, for crying out loud....replace it before you get stranded. It is EIGHT YEARS OLD
Also get that wheel bearing replaced before it fails completly and does severe damage!!
I'll take our RAIN and glorious summers over your freezing weather and bugs!
We seldom see bugs of any kind here. No Black Widows or rattlesnakes.
Just deer, bears, raccoons, porcupines and other wildlife.
My advice is to fix what is broken and ignore what is not!
I haven't been trying to do anything different that I haven't done with every vehicle I have ever owned for over 20 years (the time I've been on the hill here). I don't always park facing downhill ready to go...only during the times the frost is trying to come out of the yard where there are literally 2' deep craters. If you guys don't get -35 winters and have pavement everywhere with way less frost damage over the years, then you probably can't relate to my scene here. My driveway is 700' long, all on my property. The lack of pwr steering doesn't factor in. Like I say, this is the first vehicle to ever do 'this' which I suspect is a fault. Of course I hope it isn't. I wish it was easier to post pics here. I could easily take a snap and show you. I'm not seeing any extra valve or junction block higher than the one going in. Look to be a 3/8" line..going in at about 10 o'clock.
Loved your idea about using the hill to get engine revs to create vacuum, haha. You truly are a problem solver. I respect that. However, I don't need to do that, I do have enough brakes or obviously I wouldn't be doing it and would be starting the car. But it has gotten worse lately because the rotors are so screwed that I'm only getting maybe half the pad coverage on them. I have priced rear calipers too. Expensive naturally. I do fear I have pistons that aren't pumping out true...in which case I'll have to get those too. When they offer a core credit, they are just rebuilding them right? I wonder what else they do other than remove piston..throoughly clean and make sure no scoring on the bores..put new seals on and paint 'em up for resale. Do they do anything else? If not, then I am tempted to rebuild my own calipers. Just order the rubber parts and a new piston if need be, altho that is unlikely.
I'm right back to the idea that you don't have a broken car, there is nothing about the car that needs fixed.
No one would be happier about that than me. But I need to determine this is the case first. When (if) the yard ever dries up here and it quits snowing..I'll be checking into it further.
If I could wave a wand, I'd turn the thing into a VW Touareg diesel. Probably last me to my grave if VW could be trusted as well as the Japanese vehicles (including the Honda, isell, so relax) have been so far. Although I have had better luck with VW in the past than some. One of the best cars I ever had was a 77 Rabbit diesel..again..isell..ignore that comment as I think you hated Rabbits more than anything else on earth..
Good tip thanks. But this reacts the same in the summer. If anything, I think it must be a leak because I think it is getting worse over the last couple years and is why it finally came to a head recently when backing out of a friends drive. That, combined with the fact that less of my pads surface is touching the rotor than before. I have bought all new except for calipers (yet) and as soon as driveway dries, will be getting into both chores.
I'd agree that its difficult to have a complete understanding of the harsh environment you sometimes find yourself in if one has never experienced it for any length of time.
But, I would caution you in making the assumption something is wrong with your current model vehicle simply because it demonstrates a different behavior or characteristic than previously owned cars.
That in itself is no indicator of a problem, but quite possibly due to a system design difference. If the current vehicle was purchased new, and has always exhibited its current characteristics, its probably working as designed and not defective, but that's not a 100% reliable gamble, either. It could have always been defective. Nothing wrong with taking a look.
That, combined with the fact that less of my pads surface is touching the rotor than before.
Braking efficiency is every bit as much dependent on the coefficient of friction between the pads and the rotors, as well as the size of the contact area. We often end up advising that an owner replace the pads and rotors because of the corrosion that works it way towards the center of the face of the rotor from the inside and outside edges. The engineers also rely greatly on force multiplication, that's where the hydraulics, the mechanical advantage of the brake pedal to the master cylinder (about a five to one ratio), and lastly of course the brake booster system. It takes all of those to make it easy for the driver to apply enough force so that the brakes stop the vehicle.
There's a lot more to know when it comes to "doing brakes" than most people have ever thought about. Just slapping a set of pads, or rotors, isn't "doing brakes".
I used the bug season as an example, but I could have just as easily used a severe windchill winter morning as one.
Batteries are sensitive to the actual ambient temperature, not the reported windchill. The windchill reported is a "feels like" to us because of our own internal heat.
We see - 20 over 20 days a winter here..sometimes over 30 days, and -35 even up to 10 to 12 days a winter.
We typically get below 0 a couple times each year. In a bad year we can see -20 and in '83 it didn't get above 0 for two weeks, but that was abnormal for us. (Those are actual temps, not windchills)
That means we see many many 0 and -5 to -10's . And this is where my climate is so different from someone like isells
The battery that Honda uses is quite sufficient for the vehicle in these temperatures, with normal use. If you don't typically drive the vehicle far enough between starts to restore its state of charge, then it slowly ends up discharged and that damages it. The chemical reaction that generates electricity is essentially the sulfur that is in the acid moves into the lead, and lead dioxide plates. Normal charging reverses the chemical reaction and pushes the sulfur back into the electrolyte. (That's why its heavier when the battery is charged and what you are actually measuring when you test the specific gravity of the solution). Running a battery down and leaving in a low state of charge can allow the sulfur to crystallize in the plates. Once that happens, that section of the plate is rendered useless as charging cannot reverse that condition. Plus that sulfur is then no longer available to be pushed back into the solution, that's a sulfated battery and its caused by the vehicles use and maintanence.
I used the bug season as an example, but I could have just as easily used a severe windchill winter morning as one.
Batteries are sensitive to the actual ambient temperature, not the reported windchill. The windchill reported is a "feels like" to us because of our own internal heat.
Point still taken, but I think Gimme was referring to the comfort of the children rather than the performance of the battery with that statement! :P
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
A lot of the things they recommend seem to fall into realm of the anecdotal. Others more along the line of "it won't hurt anything".
In the parts of Maryland that require an emissions test, if your car is OBD-II equipped, they don't even run an actual test, but just read the code/status information from the OBD-II port. Or at least that's the way it used to be.
Also in Maryland, it used to be that if your vehicle failed the emissions test, you could get a waiver if you could show that you spent $450(?) on emissions related work to try and correct the problem. My '87 BMW was notorious for just barely failing the NOx part of the test. So I would always wait until I failed the test to have work done that might affect emissions.
some of it is actually pretty good advice, other parts doubtful, and one or two rather silly. Aside from blowing money on an 02 sensor you probably don't need, the advice is pretty harmless.
Aside from blowing money on an 02 sensor you probably don't need, the advice is pretty harmless.
Being encouraged to waste money on parts that one doesn't need isn't harmless. JMHO.
1. Clear that "Check Engine" light. If your car displays a "Check Engine" light, that's an automatic smog check failure. You'll need to get a diagnosis and fix before you test.
It didn't take the writer very long to mislead the consumers with that article. The way that is written leads many to assume that they should clear codes and turn the light off, and then try and get the car through its emissions test. When you really understand how the system works, and how code set criteria, the freeze frame data, and blocking conditions are important to each diagnostic routine you learn to not arbitrarily "clear that light". Had that first paragraph started with, "Don't just clear the code and turn off the light" and expanded on it correctly from there, then he would have had something worth the readers time.
One of the responders on a professional technicians site made this comment about the article.
Journalists and writers depend on easily identified "sources" for their information. Since our industry appears to have no interest in providing or being "sources" for journalists, we get articles like that. Kevin M.
I have to agree with him, its sad that the authors don't seek out real sources for this kind of information and often take the easy way out and that is why they create articles like that one. Steve M. is a good guy, but he's not qualified to do emissions repairs. As for the web site linked and CarMD, :sick:
The author could have done a lot better by contacting people like Mike McCarthy, Phil Fornier, Danny Iwama, Scott Brown, Kelly Garvey, Jim Wilson, (just to name a few). Had he asked I could have provided him contacts with dozens of the best smog techs who would have been willing to contribute real information.
Comments
You name it, it might be there....Lots of security camera footage, cell phone video's, dash cam video's, lots of crashes. . It can be pretty graphic, no censoring at all.
I think I'd be finding a different way for my kids to get to school.
Can't help but wonder if the UA also shifted the vehicle from D to R to D to R...
Wanna bet the driver was on the cellphone, calling to let the kids know their ride was waiting?
Also interesting that it can apparently be shifted, but the "driver" (a teen, from what I have read elsewhere), didn't select "N" or "P". Nice J-turn at the end, anyway.
And a play-by-play I lifted from another site:
-Okay, getting ready to turn into this driveway, better slow down and fail to use my signal to indicate my intentions to the guy behind me.
-Why did he honk at me? I better give him the stink eye as I turn into the driveway.
-Oh my God! The house is a lot closer than I remember, Brake BRAKE.
-Why is it speeding up? Why did it hit the house?
-Better put it in reverse, that'll stop it.
-Oh my God! Now it's just going fast in reverse.
-Better put it in drive to get out of the street.
-Oh my God! Now it's going fast in drive.
-Oh my God! I hit the house again.
-Better put in reverse, maybe it will stop this time.
-Oh my God! It's doing the same thing! Ah, now it's spinning. What the ***?!
-What? Lift up my foot, move it to the left and put it back down?
-Wow, that was crazy, but it worked. Glad my BFF thought of that.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
The "senior techs" often get stuck with the miserable jobs and poor paying warranty work and the "kids" get the gravy jobs.
I don't see this getting better as the trade is losing good people who just can't make the living they deserve. These guys are telling the young guys that this
is no longer a good profession and to find another line of work.
The Service Managers are under constant pressure to get the job done, avoid comebacks and keep survey scores high. There is a constant turnover with these guys too.
That sounds logical to me too. In my limited experience with them, Logitech doesn't update their webcam drivers and since I like to get the latest OSes when they come out, I wouldn't get another one.
As part of the PDI, they had to put a minimum of 10 miles on the cars in order to make sure everything was up to snuff.
I read in some of these forums that their new car only had 2 miles on the odometer like that was some kind of a good thing. That only meant that the PDI had been rushed through.
I would estimate that I've probably special-ordered about 80% of the cars I've owned over my 58 1/2 years, from several dealerships, and I don't think I've ever taken delivery of more than one or two of them with 10 miles or more on the odometer... If even that many.
Of course, many years ago, the speedo was a simple cable connection, so its possible the cable had been disconnected while being prepped, but I kinda doubt it.
That may well be the case.
Still, our local news usually (on average) has a story about runaway cars/UA 2-4 times a month, many of them caught on surveillance camera footage, so its entirely possible, IMO. Even if this particular case was purposely created, this sort of thing happens all the time.
The real problem with Internet videos is determining the real ones from the fakes, although they can all be quite entertaining.
This is what some experts go around telling shop owners what they need to do in order to generate a profit. This is the second post this guy has made on this topic because his first one got linked to a technicians website and they justifiably tore it up. You should all know what wallet flushes are by now, and this guy comes from the age where that all got started. His style of management advice is also one of the major contributing factors as to why there is a shortage of qualified technicians today. He thinks he has nothing to apologize for.
Usually they don't have to make many adjustments but once in awhile something won't be dead on.
" Flat Rating" a PDI isn't a good thing to do yet it happens all of the time.
IMO (at least, initially), there are 2 very distinct, and opposing points in the comment above.
Yes, one has to be efficient, and knowledge is a requirement for that.
But, at the same time, isn't the "intent" of labor guides one of making a reasonable determination of time and effort to complete a specified task (Note: I'm not claiming the guides are accurate, only that the guides supposedly are exactly that)?
Either one believes the time estimates in labor guides are accurate or not. If you do, then the best one should expect is for the tech (on average) to meet the estimated times. If one doesn't accept the guides as accurate, then they become nothing more than straw men in an argument, and no more than a poor attempt at rationalizing an estimated amount of effort in order to support some type of charged amount.
Beating an estimate consistently means one is either superman, incredibly lucky, or not "thoroughly checking out a vehicle".
I fully understand that running a shop, like any business is a balancing act.
The one obvious thing missing from the above comment is continued training. I wonder when and where techs are supposed to get that "knowledge" to make him/her the "ideal" tech?
I get the gist of what the guy is saying. I just think he's looking at a complex problem from only one angle. When viewed that way, most problems always look simple to solve...
Being a teenager in the 60-70's I remember Big-3 cars basically having "reconstruction" done on them before the dealer placed them on the floor for sale. Back then, the manufacturing manta in Detroit was "churn and burn", IMO.
The average quality on all makes is so much better now, and I think competition has most dealerships squeezed so intensely that they look for every way to cut costs. The outlook might be one of, "well, if anything isn't right, the customer will let us know".
It's the same old short-sighted "costs that are real today .vs. costs that may, or may not be real tomorrow" outlook.
Just checked the '99 Quest - it was delivered with 22 miles (at least half of those were our test drive ones).
What are the odds of having a ruptured (leaky) vacuum booster diaphragm in only 55k miles? Can't find a supply line leak (yet). Is there some contraption associated with vacuum that might be leaking somewhere?
I have a hard brake pedal shortly (only minutes) after shutting car off. Usually you should be able to get 1.5 or so brake pedal pushes with strong vacuum assist after engine shut down..but not on this thing and has been like this since I bought used 5 years ago..
Any silver bullet (as doc calls them) ideas from anyone?
I had read less than complementary reviews of this particular dealership, and I got a really bad vibe the one time I shopped there- now I know why...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Test PDI drive the bugs out be damned..
Where's a backed up seagull ready to clean pipes, when you need one?
(outdoors..picnic table lunch..completely negligent service loud-mouth..)
FWIW, I have never seen damage from a first time user that equals what experienced drivers will do to a clutch. In fact, I've never had a car come in for a clutch issue that was reported to have been just driven by someone just learning. But my one parts store had a manual transmission in an Escort that they got for running parts that needed a clutch a week after they got it. I put it in for them, and a week later it was totally fried again. Another week went by and there it was destroyed for the third time! On a hunch I asked the one driver if he was having trouble holding the car in place at the one traffic light near the store. He replied, no not at first it worked great, but as soon as it started failing it would just start slipping backwards. and then he would have to use the brakes.
I then told him, "making it hold on a hill, instead of using the brakes is riding the clutch" and that's why it keeps failing. He then insisted that he's always driven that way, to which I said that's why I asked the question the way I did, had I of just asked if he was riding the clutch he surely would have denied it, and he agreed that he would have. He didn't know that he wasn't supposed to do that.
I have through the years taught a lot of friends and family members how to drive a stick, and after the first few stops and starts, and a pull out on a hill I have simply told them let me out and go drive the car until you are sure that you know how to do it. Each time I was prepared to fix any damage that they might cause, and none of them ever broke anything. Heck my 94 Ranger had a dozen kids learn in it, and it still has its original clutch.
Taught all 4 of my kids to drive stick when they were learning. Never had any clutch issues from them.
With the booster charged, disconnect the hose at the manifold, and install a vacuum gage to seal it and see if the vacuum in the booster draws the hose back down. If the check valve is at the manifold, you'll have to do this same test from the booster end. Connect the vacuum gage, start the engine briefly and then shut it off and watch for the vacuum to decay.
(You do have to be certain that your gage connections don't leak).
The booster itself if it is leaking should be able to be heard at it's air inlet by use of a ultrasonic microphone and head-phones.
FWIW, this doesn't really sound like a problem that requires being fixed, or said another way, this might be normal for that car. I expect to feel every brake pedal drop some when I start an engine as the vacuum increases in the booster after an engine start.
I was either 10 or 11, and it was easy because all I had to do was learn how to ease out on the clutch. The gear was "set", no shifting required, and I was out in the middle of a field.
Later on, I figured out you could start out in a lower gear and get moving, and then, if you were fast enough, you could engage the clutch and grab a higher gear, but it took coordination.
By the time I was 14, I was driving 2-ton trucks, etc. In south GA, on a country dirt road, no one cared back then if you were licensed or not, as long as you moved over for the occasional traffic headed your way.
Why would you bother making this "test"?
It would be highly unlikely that your brake booster is bad. I can't remember EVER hearing of our shop replacing a brake booster.
Maybe it's because newer cars have a much smaller capacity booster than older cars had.
In any event, I'll try this test on my 2003 and our 2011 CRV's the next time I take them out....if I remember.
I have a vacuum tool so will delve into it after Mother Nature and the ice pellet crap decides she has tortured us enough this spring.
I think it must be a fault to a certain extend, as if you park on a grade and use the brakes to try to hold it just while starting the engine, the pedal is hard as rock and of course allows you to roll enough that you don't want to hit anything close to ya. It requires using the emergency brake all the time, and while I do use it most always if I park where I think someone might bump me, I don't always at home. Most recently this vacuum leak screwed me around was trying to get on and off ramps while doing the oil change lately. I wanted to lower it to get a more thorough drain at the front, but of course needed a lot of brake power..more than the parking one gave me, but couldn't start the engine cuz was in the middle of the oil change.
They do go bad, but its rare. Lincolns had a problem in the 90's that on a long downhill they could keep the brakes dragging because of the high manifold vacuum. Most boosters that fail simply don't help the driver apply the brakes and that's real obvious.
Many hard pedal complaints where people think the booster is bad turn out to be vacuum check valve or supply issues. Common vacuum source issues are often related to very poor idle concerns.
Having driven tractors since I was in diapers (almost), my brother taught me at 12 or so to drive his 50 Ford. Just put her in 3rd gear and let out the clutch very gently while mildly accelerating the engine. That flathead would almost stall and still keep catch and accelerate.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Plus there are two other situations were I see this as not normal and while I doubt the problem is in the booster, especially its young age still, but I too have never had a boost leak ever in the past, I have had engines quit on me driving on the road...run outta gas..other issue etc. and with my car I have no power boost assist at all unless the engine is running. Because I have not yet gotten my brakes and wheel bearing fixed (still bad wx here) my brakes don't have much grab without power boost assist. I have never owned a car in the past were it didn't give you even two pull potential pumps of the brake pedal before it started to harden up after the engine had quit or was off.
The other times this screws me around is when I drive the kids down to the school bus to wait in the car if the bugs are really bad. My drive is all hill, so the habit is to coast the car all the way down and then wait at the gate until the bus comes. So when I say 'drive' really all i do is coast it down cuz I don't like to start it and then shut if off in such a short period of time. It saves gas, the battery, wear n tear, moisture in the oil and exhaust etc etc. And the way it is now, the pedal is so hard right from the beginning that I don't get even half a push of boost..basically non.
If you check yours, no need to start the car. Just go out and push on the pedal..if it is hard right at the top, then I guess that is the nature of the beast in our CRV's, but don't think it is a very safe operation if we lose engine while on the go..But if your pedal goes down even 1/3 travel fairly easily, then that suggests you have great useable power boost assist and even if you only got the one push, I wouldn't consider that a fault. I be pleased as punch with that compared to what I have now. Thanks for checking..no rush..just didn't want you starting the car for nothing..
This is great news, doc! Cuz even if I have to pull the front of the car off to get in there, I rather do that than try to get that booster out of where it is. My bad back will let me work on the front of the car, but not back where that booster is. Even if I pulled the hood, and worked at it from the side (the only option really for old guys with shyte backs) it looks like real pain to get it out. In the meantime, if I'm luckier still the check valve is at the booster. Right now I can't even stand beside the car without holding onto it, and it's parked facing downhill. If on booster end, could you see the check valve right there up inside the hose? There are no exterior tell-tales that it has one inside. And it is a straight run with no visible T's for all the uses for vacuum from manifold, until..assumedly until it goes down the front out of sight. There are 3 main good sized lines coming up from down in there. I suspect one main manifold line that junctions to these others right? So the bad valve could be an entire junction block. $ wise, it likely isn't cheap either tho.. Nonetheless, I'd be pleased to find the leak there rather than the booster itself. It won't be the booster tho right cuz I have pretty good brakes as long as the engine is running so that indicates the booster is probably not at fault.
As expected without starting the engine, it had zero boost. The pedel was hard. I then started it up, let it run a few seconds and shut it off.
Tried it again and it had enough boost for maybe two stops. Fine with me and certainly not a problem.
I sure wouldn't worry about this being in any way "unsafe". What IS unsafe in my opinion is rolling your car down that hill without the engine running.
Not only do you lose your brake boost but much worse, you lose your power steering. Should you have to make an evasive movement you would have a tough time.
Starting your car for that short drive will hurt nothing and cost you not enough to measure.
After 69,000 miles, this car has needed NOTHING except the normal oil and filter changes. Had the brakes (original) checked 4000 miles ago and both fronts and rear pads still had 6MM of pad remaining.
In 2002 I sold a new CRV to a guy I know who was a Manufactures Rep. the last time I talked to him it had 370,000 miles. He had replaced the A/C
compressor and his front brake calipers after 200,000 miles. He said he was
on his third set of brake pads.
Not leaking or burning oil but LOTS and LOTS of oil changes!
Start your engine! Drive your car! You won't hurt it!
I had a check valve problem on a 2002 Outback. Symptom was no vacuum assist - hence very hard pedal - when first starting out on very cold (<25 deg) mornings. My hypothesis was that some moisture in the vacuum line & valve was causing the check valve to freeze shut, so not allowing any vacuum boost. Solution was just to remove and dry out the valve. Problem solved.
I might be missing something here, but I think I agree with Isellhondas.
Assuming to simply turn around and go home after picking up your passengers, you still have the exposure you're attempting to avoid. You're not apt to see any wear and tear from moisture buildup in the oil or exhaust by waiting 15 minutes for the bus to arrive, by driving to the bus stop.
In fact, you may well be CAUSING problems by not running the vehicle long enough on the return trip to get the engine up to normal operating temps, especially if you don't change the oil often. If things don't get hot enough to cook-off the moisture, you know where it condenses...
Re the battery..I literally have to put my (way too small) OEM battery on trickle charge...it is and has been as I type for the last 5 days, because it often sits days and even over a week between trips sometimes..so short startups without enough recharge time into the battery, does pull it down noticeably...especially in the really cold wx, when electrolyte doesn't even want to take a charge if it's colder than about 0 -10¼ F. I used the bug season as an example, but I could have just as easily used a severe windchill winter morning as one. We see - 20 over 20 days a winter here..sometimes over 30 days, and -35 even up to 10 to 12 days a winter. That means we see many many 0 and -5 to -10's
Good grief!
I'd take rain over those temps anytime, but then again, I've lived in the southern US all my 58+ years. You have my sympathy...
When you get to the bottom of the hill, there isn't any vacuum in the brake booster so its difficult to stop the car. You have a manual transmission right? What's wrong with putting the tranny in second, or third and once the car gets moving, let the clutch out which would spin the engine and create vacuum in the intake, and therefore the power brake booster? You could even be really over the top and turn the key on and that should excite the alternator and you would essentially have some regenerative charging taking place, and then not even have to "crank it" to get it started. (Be advised that the security systems on some of todays cars might not like not seeing the crank command as part of the start-up sequence)
I'm right back to the idea that you don't have a broken car, there is nothing about the car that needs fixed.
You have a brake booster that is operating as it should yet you roll your car down a hill without brake boost or power steering because you are concerned about moisture in the engine, strain on the battery etc yet you continue to drive around with a bad wheel bearing?
If you truly have your OEM battery in your CRV, for crying out loud....replace it before you get stranded. It is EIGHT YEARS OLD
Also get that wheel bearing replaced before it fails completly and does severe damage!!
I'll take our RAIN and glorious summers over your freezing weather and bugs!
We seldom see bugs of any kind here. No Black Widows or rattlesnakes.
Just deer, bears, raccoons, porcupines and other wildlife.
My advice is to fix what is broken and ignore what is not!
Loved your idea about using the hill to get engine revs to create vacuum, haha. You truly are a problem solver. I respect that. However, I don't need to do that, I do have enough brakes or obviously I wouldn't be doing it and would be starting the car. But it has gotten worse lately because the rotors are so screwed that I'm only getting maybe half the pad coverage on them. I have priced rear calipers too. Expensive naturally. I do fear I have pistons that aren't pumping out true...in which case I'll have to get those too. When they offer a core credit, they are just rebuilding them right? I wonder what else they do other than remove piston..throoughly clean and make sure no scoring on the bores..put new seals on and paint 'em up for resale. Do they do anything else? If not, then I am tempted to rebuild my own calipers. Just order the rubber parts and a new piston if need be, altho that is unlikely.
I'm right back to the idea that you don't have a broken car, there is nothing about the car that needs fixed.
No one would be happier about that than me. But I need to determine this is the case first. When (if) the yard ever dries up here and it quits snowing..I'll be checking into it further.
If I could wave a wand, I'd turn the thing into a VW Touareg diesel. Probably last me to my grave if VW could be trusted as well as the Japanese vehicles (including the Honda, isell, so relax) have been so far. Although I have had better luck with VW in the past than some. One of the best cars I ever had was a 77 Rabbit diesel..again..isell..ignore that comment as I think you hated Rabbits more than anything else on earth..
Nevermind YMMV..People's mileages do vary..
But, I would caution you in making the assumption something is wrong with your current model vehicle simply because it demonstrates a different behavior or characteristic than previously owned cars.
That in itself is no indicator of a problem, but quite possibly due to a system design difference. If the current vehicle was purchased new, and has always exhibited its current characteristics, its probably working as designed and not defective, but that's not a 100% reliable gamble, either. It could have always been defective. Nothing wrong with taking a look.
Just my observation.
Braking efficiency is every bit as much dependent on the coefficient of friction between the pads and the rotors, as well as the size of the contact area. We often end up advising that an owner replace the pads and rotors because of the corrosion that works it way towards the center of the face of the rotor from the inside and outside edges. The engineers also rely greatly on force multiplication, that's where the hydraulics, the mechanical advantage of the brake pedal to the master cylinder (about a five to one ratio), and lastly of course the brake booster system. It takes all of those to make it easy for the driver to apply enough force so that the brakes stop the vehicle.
There's a lot more to know when it comes to "doing brakes" than most people have ever thought about. Just slapping a set of pads, or rotors, isn't "doing brakes".
Batteries are sensitive to the actual ambient temperature, not the reported windchill. The windchill reported is a "feels like" to us because of our own internal heat.
We see - 20 over 20 days a winter here..sometimes over 30 days, and -35 even up to 10 to 12 days a winter.
We typically get below 0 a couple times each year. In a bad year we can see -20 and in '83 it didn't get above 0 for two weeks, but that was abnormal for us. (Those are actual temps, not windchills)
That means we see many many 0 and -5 to -10's . And this is where my climate is so different from someone like isells
The battery that Honda uses is quite sufficient for the vehicle in these temperatures, with normal use. If you don't typically drive the vehicle far enough between starts to restore its state of charge, then it slowly ends up discharged and that damages it. The chemical reaction that generates electricity is essentially the sulfur that is in the acid moves into the lead, and lead dioxide plates. Normal charging reverses the chemical reaction and pushes the sulfur back into the electrolyte. (That's why its heavier when the battery is charged and what you are actually measuring when you test the specific gravity of the solution). Running a battery down and leaving in a low state of charge can allow the sulfur to crystallize in the plates. Once that happens, that section of the plate is rendered useless as charging cannot reverse that condition. Plus that sulfur is then no longer available to be pushed back into the solution, that's a sulfated battery and its caused by the vehicles use and maintanence.
Batteries are sensitive to the actual ambient temperature, not the reported windchill. The windchill reported is a "feels like" to us because of our own internal heat.
Point still taken, but I think Gimme was referring to the comfort of the children rather than the performance of the battery with that statement! :P
In the parts of Maryland that require an emissions test, if your car is OBD-II equipped, they don't even run an actual test, but just read the code/status information from the OBD-II port. Or at least that's the way it used to be.
Also in Maryland, it used to be that if your vehicle failed the emissions test, you could get a waiver if you could show that you spent $450(?) on emissions related work to try and correct the problem. My '87 BMW was notorious for just barely failing the NOx part of the test. So I would always wait until I failed the test to have work done that might affect emissions.
I have one sitting in our garage right now. It's always SOMETHING with a German car!
Last time it was the gas cap and for some oddball reason(as I found out) if the gas cap isn't a genuine BMW gas cap, it won't work!
If aftermarket tailight bulbs are used the dash info panel will tell me I have a light out!
Convertable season is coming....anyone want it?
Being encouraged to waste money on parts that one doesn't need isn't harmless. JMHO.
1. Clear that "Check Engine" light.
If your car displays a "Check Engine" light, that's an automatic smog check failure. You'll need to get a diagnosis and fix before you test.
It didn't take the writer very long to mislead the consumers with that article. The way that is written leads many to assume that they should clear codes and turn the light off, and then try and get the car through its emissions test. When you really understand how the system works, and how code set criteria, the freeze frame data, and blocking conditions are important to each diagnostic routine you learn to not arbitrarily "clear that light". Had that first paragraph started with, "Don't just clear the code and turn off the light" and expanded on it correctly from there, then he would have had something worth the readers time.
One of the responders on a professional technicians site made this comment about the article.
Journalists and writers depend on easily identified
"sources" for their information. Since our industry appears
to have no interest in providing or being "sources" for
journalists, we get articles like that. Kevin M.
I have to agree with him, its sad that the authors don't seek out real sources for this kind of information and often take the easy way out and that is why they create articles like that one. Steve M. is a good guy, but he's not qualified to do emissions repairs. As for the web site linked and CarMD, :sick:
The author could have done a lot better by contacting people like Mike McCarthy, Phil Fornier, Danny Iwama, Scott Brown, Kelly Garvey, Jim Wilson, (just to name a few). Had he asked I could have provided him contacts with dozens of the best smog techs who would have been willing to contribute real information.