*A/C repair
*Brake Repair
*Catalytic convertors
*Cooling system service
*C.V. Axle Service
*Emission – “Tune Up”
*Engine Repair
*Exhaust
*Oil change
*Steering & Suspension
*Tire rotate and balance
*Timing Belt
*Transmission Service
*Used Car Checkout
*30, 60, 90K Mile Services
*Foreign and Domestic
Car Tips by Dr. Jack
10 Commandments of Car Care
Don't Drop the Pan Man!
Make Your Car Last Longer
Wallectectomy
Printed in the South GA Advertiser
10 Commandments of Car Care
Don't Drop the Pan Man!
Make Your Car Last Longer
Wallectectomy
Printed in the South GA Advertiser
A lot of us (mechanics) can remember when cars and trucks were simpler: they only had 5 wire colors
and a typical entire vehicle wiring diagram for a 1965 Chevy would fit on 1 page of a repair manual.
Most of the time all that was needed was a test light and some quiet time to follow the flow of those
invisible electrons from battery to light bulb. A test light and some electrical tape could fix most
problems. But that was before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon in July of 1969. The world and especially
automobiles have jumped eons since then. Today’s vehicles are wired with more colors than a highly paid
interior decorator has in their vocabulary on a highly charged day that started out with a double latte
from their favorite coffee shack. In 1965 manufacturers could put the entire vehicle into one 2 inch thick
repair manual. In 2009 it is typical for the same 2 inch manual to contain only one subject
(i.e. A.B.S. brake systems). Manufacturers have separate manuals and cd’s for each area of your vehicle.
Drivability? The ability to drive? Nope! Who cam up with that word? This is new language mechanics use
to describe various conditions like stumbling, dying out, chuggling and the dreaded amber “service engine soon”
light.
Ok, we can’t live in 1965 any longer and some of this is for the better. Imagine trying to play your DVD on your 8 track player. Let’s talk about what is: vehicles are becoming more computer than car. With sensors, computers, relays, actuators, controlling every aspect of your vehicle’s operation. Around 1995 some manufacturer’s started using C.A.N. (controller area network) buss systems to integrate smaller independent modules that communicate with each other to control every aspect of your vehicle, power windows, air conditioning power seats, etc. This will require an additional tool upgrade and schooling for mechanics who update their skills. By the way, I attended a class recently and was informed all vehicles sold since 2008 must conform to this new protocol. Mechanics in the future will need to understand vehicles on a higher technical level. No longer can we walk up to a vehicle and point to a component that does not move (actuated). Nowadays everything works but nothing moves, so it’s not the same old diagnostic approach. My suggestion to updating the skills of a mechanic is to enroll in a night program at your local technical school or at the very least attend an aftermarket parts sponsored class. Consider it an investment in yourself. After all the greatest diagnostic tool you will ever own resides between your ears. There is no shame in admitting that all of this “new stuff” is intimidating. I suspect that when vehicles went from positive ground to negative ground in 1956 that quite a few mechanics were also intimidated. It is clear to me that most of us survived that dramatic change.
Jack Bergan, who has 38 years of experience in the automobile industry, is an ASE Master Technician and a member of the Automobile Service Association (ASA). Send comments or questions to drjack1@mindspring.com Questions will be answered in future columns.
Ok, we can’t live in 1965 any longer and some of this is for the better. Imagine trying to play your DVD on your 8 track player. Let’s talk about what is: vehicles are becoming more computer than car. With sensors, computers, relays, actuators, controlling every aspect of your vehicle’s operation. Around 1995 some manufacturer’s started using C.A.N. (controller area network) buss systems to integrate smaller independent modules that communicate with each other to control every aspect of your vehicle, power windows, air conditioning power seats, etc. This will require an additional tool upgrade and schooling for mechanics who update their skills. By the way, I attended a class recently and was informed all vehicles sold since 2008 must conform to this new protocol. Mechanics in the future will need to understand vehicles on a higher technical level. No longer can we walk up to a vehicle and point to a component that does not move (actuated). Nowadays everything works but nothing moves, so it’s not the same old diagnostic approach. My suggestion to updating the skills of a mechanic is to enroll in a night program at your local technical school or at the very least attend an aftermarket parts sponsored class. Consider it an investment in yourself. After all the greatest diagnostic tool you will ever own resides between your ears. There is no shame in admitting that all of this “new stuff” is intimidating. I suspect that when vehicles went from positive ground to negative ground in 1956 that quite a few mechanics were also intimidated. It is clear to me that most of us survived that dramatic change.
Jack Bergan, who has 38 years of experience in the automobile industry, is an ASE Master Technician and a member of the Automobile Service Association (ASA). Send comments or questions to drjack1@mindspring.com Questions will be answered in future columns.