few tips from a professional - pt. 2

What not to DIY

Had requests to make a pt. 2, so here you go. Again these are all general statements and personal opinions from a trained professional. Feel free to speak up in the comments and help people gain knowledge about caring for their vehicles! (Link to pt.1 http://imgur.com/a/zLbR8)

I'll start with what I think you shouldn't do yourself on your vehicles. Of course if you feel confident in your knowledge, have studied the repair, and most importantly have the resources available to you, you should be ok to work on most parts your vehicle. However, as I'm sure you've noticed, vehicles these days contain multiple very intricate electronic and communication systems throughout. These systems rely on data communication between multiple modules of the vehicle to function properly. And when these components malfunction, it can be a real pain, even for the best technician, to trace down the issue. So I just recommend staying away from replacing modules and digging into wires at home. Sensors are usually ok to DIY, unless it's some kind of throttle, brake, etc. position sensor that may have to be calibrated. Like I said I pt. 1, you cause more pain for me and more money time for you if you're tearing wires apart. In general, most modules you'll buy will need to be programmed by the dealer, or someone with the resources to do so. Stick with the mechanical components for DIY unless you're experienced in electrical diagnosis and measurement.

Tires are the only part of your vehicle that touch the road.

Unless your shit is fucked, your tires should be the only things on the road. Invest in your tires, please. Usually, but not in every case, the price will reflect the quality of the tire, as with all auto parts. I hate seeing people with nice cars, especially ones that are supposed to ride nice like Cadillacs, Lincolns and other luxury models, waste their money on a set of $250 tires, only to come back and complain about the ride and try to blame it on us. It will cost you less in the long run. More expensive tires will usually come with a better warranty and deeper tread depths, which results in a longer lasting tire and covers your ass if there's any defects. Cheap tires sometimes won't even have a warranty, plus their cheaply made, so if anything happens, you're fucked.

Cheap parts

Go right ahead and post in the comments, "I bought this cheap part and it's been working great for me for years, no problems!" I don't doubt that. But there are certain parts you should not go cheap on, especially electrical components, like modules and sensors. When I bought my Volvo, it ran like shit. After digging I came to find out someone put an aftermarket mass air flow sensor on it. A bit pricey genuine Volvo part later, it was good to go. Like tires, parts will come with warranties. In general, cheaper parts will come with shitty warranties, or none at all. Also, IF YOU WANT TO BUY A HIGH END VEHICLE, MAKE SURE YOU CAN AFFORD THE MAINTENANCE AND HIGH END PARTS WHEN IT BREAKS.

"What a ripoff! Your brake pads cost $60! I can go to the auto parts store down the street and get them for $25!"

Had a nice old lady come in the other day who had all new pads and rotors put on her vehicle at a local shop, and it was shaking really hard when she was stopping. They put on cheap pads and rotors. The rotors were warped out of the box and her wheels were already covered in brake dust. I had to machine all of her brand new rotors. She went back and got a refund. But still had to pay us for the machining job. Brake pads are a big part that also need invested in. Cheap brake pads are often made of metallics that cause a lot of brake dust build up on your wheels and wear quickly. Original brake pads that probably came on your vehicle are ceramic. Ceramic doesn't break down as fast and handles much better under the high temperatures that come with braking.

Yes, there's a fluid scam.. kinda.

I'm real iffy on flushes. Anytime we sell a fluid flush on a vehicle where I work, the company that supplies the fluids gives everybody involved in the sale a money reward, which is usually the parts department, the service writer, and me. Not all shops are like this but mine is. This means we all want to sell fluid flushes like crazy because we make more money. But be leary on this one, take a look at this chart, it's pretty accurate. A big one my service writer scams is brake fluid. It will always look much darker in the reservoir. But even if a fluid is dark doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. Correct me if I'm wrong, but brake fluid tends to turn green over time due to the metal lining in the lines. One way to tell if you have significant brake fluid contamination is to look at the rubber on your reservoir cap. If it's all puffy and oversized, it means you have water or other liquid contamination in your fluid. But usually you might notice a squishy brake pedal first. Before winter, have a shop test the freezing point of your coolant. One of the first cars I ever owned cracked a head because the coolant was freezing. Not cheap. Just keep your fluids full and check for any debris or leaks and get them fixed.

The filter, the myth, the legend....

Above I posted a photo of a CAI done the way I personally think it should be done if you really want one. You can see it has a shield around it that kinda seals from the heat of the motor, and seals to the top of the hood when it's shut. Most kits will come with a reusable and cleanable filter as well. Or you can just get a reusable one for your stock air box. There have been multiple tests ran in multiple vehicles with multiple setups that show all kinds of increases and decreases when using a CAI. I get it, it looks nice under the hood and can even make a cool little whistling noise when running, but my stance is that the engineers who designed your vehicle, designed the air box the right way the first time. But I'm not trying to prove or disprove anything, just personal opinion. Yes, I do have a shielded CAI on my Volvo. Mostly because I can just pop the hood and see how dirty it is without dealing with taking the cover off. Which is easy anyways.

Nobody expects the wagon....

Volvo tax. Love my 2001 V70 T5! 215,000 and still smooth as ever.

If I was wrong in any of this, feel free to call me out in the comments. I'm just rambling away at work on mobile, beings it's still slow. Kind of ironic I'm telling you how to care for your vehicle, when careless people are how I make my money. But nonetheless, hope you learned something!