I think its safe to say that everyone on this forum knows *someone* who shouldn't be fixing their own vehicle - for their own safety and the safety of everyone else that will be on the road with them.
I can think of 5 people that I know personally that have messed up basic, non critical (air filters, bulb changes) repairs that I squirm when I think of them doing something more critical like oil changes or brakes...
In reply to DjGreggieP :
On the flip side of that, I'd guess that almost everyone on this forum has seen horrendous or scam "professional" repairs, and would do many repairs better than they would be done at a shop. I don't like taking my new cars in for warranty work, because even the dealers rarely complete repairs properly. More often than not I've had to take the cars back or correct the repairs myself.
DjGreggieP said:I think its safe to say that everyone on this forum knows *someone* who shouldn't be fixing their own vehicle - for their own safety and the safety of everyone else that will be on the road with them.
Sometimes it's me, and I'm a licensed mechanic!
codrus (Forum Supporter) said:brad131a4 (Forum Supporter) said:So if they are saying we can't repair our car. Then does the liability fall back onto the manufacture if something breaks? Say like the newer Audi or BMW, or whatever car without a dipstick.
Do you know why they don't have a dipstick? It's not a conspiracy to make working on your car harder, and it's not just the German love of "why use one part when three will do?". It's because dispstick seals fail and over 100K miles that contributes enough to the evaporative emissions show up against government-mandated limits.
Is that why my 2004 Sprinter didn't have a transmission dipstick, but had one for the engine?
DjGreggieP said:I think its safe to say that everyone on this forum knows *someone* who shouldn't be fixing their own vehicle - for their own safety and the safety of everyone else that will be on the road with them.
I can think of 5 people that I know personally that have messed up basic, non critical (air filters, bulb changes) repairs that I squirm when I think of them doing something more critical like oil changes or brakes...
RTR isn't about that so much, it's about locking down the parts network and locking down service information and locking down scantool usage.
Note that RTR doesn't mean it can't be expensive. To reflash a module, it might cost $150 to license your VIN and then another $75-150 per module that gets updated. Or access to the factory scan tool may be on a subscription basis.
The repair shop doesn't pay for this, you do.
Russian Warship, Go Berkeley Yourself said:codrus (Forum Supporter) said:brad131a4 (Forum Supporter) said:So if they are saying we can't repair our car. Then does the liability fall back onto the manufacture if something breaks? Say like the newer Audi or BMW, or whatever car without a dipstick.
Do you know why they don't have a dipstick? It's not a conspiracy to make working on your car harder, and it's not just the German love of "why use one part when three will do?". It's because dispstick seals fail and over 100K miles that contributes enough to the evaporative emissions show up against government-mandated limits.
Is that why my 2004 Sprinter didn't have a transmission dipstick, but had one for the engine?
That's so someone doesn't put the wrong fluid in(*) or overfill it, as well as making vehicle assembly a lot easier. Wrong fluid isn't a transmission death sentence but overfilling will cause overheating.
* Last month, had a newer Ford with no power steering. The note said the owner added power steering fluid. This raised hairs on the back of my neck, because the vehicle had an electric rack, so where did he put the fluid? (The coolant reservoir, it turned out)
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
That's kinda my point.
mfennell said:codrus (Forum Supporter) said:Do you know why they don't have a dipstick? It's not a conspiracy to make working on your car harder, and it's not just the German love of "why use one part when three will do?". It's because dispstick seals fail and over 100K miles that contributes enough to the evaporative emissions show up against government-mandated limits.
Interesting. I always assumed it was to reduce parts count and have one less potential leak. My '19 VW has a dipstick. Is VW just buying better o-rings?
Whats really strange is some Audi's have a dipstick tube with a removable plug stuffed in it. The techs have a stick to manually check the oil level!
In reply to Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) :
There's probably a dipstick available as a service tool, but the real advantage is that, because that goes down to the lowest point in the oil pan, you can use a fluid extractor to get the oil out. The oil filter's on top, too. Between those two, you can do an oil change without having to take the undertray off.
Wife came back from Toyota today cause time for oil change around the 5000km of driving range. She called a head and made an actual appointment for an OIL CHANGE.
Toyota :
Nope, your oil does not need to be changed, but we did pull a nail out of your tire, lucky no leak, and we did change your cabin air filter. We also scanned your car for possible problems. No Charge.
That will be $200 thank you. Half an hour to pull the nail, half an hour for the cabin filter plus our 13% tax. Call again for an oil change in 2000 km.
THAT is the future that awaits us once they get the law on their side.
I don't have to like it.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:In reply to Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) :
There's probably a dipstick available as a service tool, but the real advantage is that, because that goes down to the lowest point in the oil pan, you can use a fluid extractor to get the oil out. The oil filter's on top, too. Between those two, you can do an oil change without having to take the undertray off.
Totally true. When I was at Audi, maybe one in a hundred oil changes the tech actually cracked the drainplug. The other 99 changes were done with an extractor. They only lifted the car to do the inspection.
I use an extractor (MityVac 7201 manual pump) on my VW but it makes me want to punch puppies and I regret it every time. Who makes a good one? I have a compressor - I was stupid not to get the one that uses compressed air and now I don't want to give the same company more money.
In reply to mfennell :
No kidding: My MityVac is SUPER annoying and time-consuming. On my Z06 there are 8 bleeder valves and it takes me a good 3 hours of squeezing on that damn tool to bleed the brakes fully!
iansane said:Pete. (l33t FS) said:In reply to Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) :
There's probably a dipstick available as a service tool, but the real advantage is that, because that goes down to the lowest point in the oil pan, you can use a fluid extractor to get the oil out. The oil filter's on top, too. Between those two, you can do an oil change without having to take the undertray off.
Totally true. When I was at Audi, maybe one in a hundred oil changes the tech actually cracked the drainplug. The other 99 changes were done with an extractor. They only lifted the car to do the inspection.
When I was more involved in the VW TDI DIY world, top-side extractors were the rage because everyone complained about having to remove the belly pan under the engine... my comment was always, "Are you removing all those screws by hand? I use a Torx bit on a screw gun. Takes less than a minute to remove the belly pan..." I always drained the oil by the plug... part of the reason for doing that was it gave me another reason to be under the car to look around and check the condition of things you can't see from up top.
My experience with the VW service dept really soured me on having my cars serviced at a dealer. As NOHOME mentioned, a visit to a dealer is a time consuming PITA. All the more aggravating when they rip you off while wasting your time.
In reply to mfennell :
I use the 10 quart Bavarian Auto one that I bought from ECS Tuning, it works great!
mfennell said:I use an extractor (MityVac 7201 manual pump) on my VW but it makes me want to punch puppies and I regret it every time. Who makes a good one? I have a compressor - I was stupid not to get the one that uses compressed air and now I don't want to give the same company more money.
We use those at work. Hand pump it until it doesn't build any more vacuum, then walk away a while.
Also, using an extractor is best done with the engine hot.
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