Ken's PC Repair
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I also believe you have to have had the rotors resurfaced for your break pad warranty.
Time for a Brake Job!
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coffee
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I will be studying this. This looks so cool. I figure with the software your probably investing about 300 bucks. Thats alot better than those scanners they use at the dealers for 2K.
Thanks!
coffee
coffee
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My last car was a 2002 Buick Century. I drove that for a company I worked for and actually did upwards of 1000 miles in a week. It was drove hard and put away wet. I did keep up on the oil as best I could but that 3.1 liter engine lasted up to 260K miles. They really are a cool car if you get one as they have quit making them. Now, My Buick lucerne is too stiff a ride. I enjoy the century (or traditional buick) ride. Soft and hardly feel the bumps.
Gotta change the oil in the lucerne now (92k miles right now) and bought synthetic oil and will be doing that from now on to keep the wear down.
I have to say, Having the right tools makes all the difference in the world. Im lucky I have the money to afford these tools as when I was younger all I really ever had was an old socket set and vice grips
I was going to change the oil today but kept looking like rain. So, I think Friday morning will be my next opportunity. Shouldnt take long.
coffee
Gotta change the oil in the lucerne now (92k miles right now) and bought synthetic oil and will be doing that from now on to keep the wear down.
I have to say, Having the right tools makes all the difference in the world. Im lucky I have the money to afford these tools as when I was younger all I really ever had was an old socket set and vice grips
I was going to change the oil today but kept looking like rain. So, I think Friday morning will be my next opportunity. Shouldnt take long.
coffee
I have been repairing my own cars and trucks all my life,always have your rotors turned to true them up,I never use those lifetime pads,why, because they wear out your rotors instead of the pads, pads are cheaper
. they cause too much heat and your rotors will warp, and repack your wheel bearings every other time also. if you have aluminum wheels, use a torque wrench to tighten your lugs, too tight and the heat from high speed will cause them to crack or break, some rotors have to be turned with them on the car, a special tool is required for this feat, have a garage pressure bleed your brakes lines once every few years to remove contaminates,air and water, from condensation. do not skimp on your brakes or cut corners,your life and others depend on them. buy a mighty vac to bleed the brake lines yourself without making a mess, brake fluid will eat paint too, so be careful. nothing wrong with diy auto repair, just read and ask questions.its free.
. they cause too much heat and your rotors will warp, and repack your wheel bearings every other time also. if you have aluminum wheels, use a torque wrench to tighten your lugs, too tight and the heat from high speed will cause them to crack or break, some rotors have to be turned with them on the car, a special tool is required for this feat, have a garage pressure bleed your brakes lines once every few years to remove contaminates,air and water, from condensation. do not skimp on your brakes or cut corners,your life and others depend on them. buy a mighty vac to bleed the brake lines yourself without making a mess, brake fluid will eat paint too, so be careful. nothing wrong with diy auto repair, just read and ask questions.its free.brandonkick
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This is one area where I am both fortunate and kind of stupid.
There are at least five auto mechanics in my family, my father included, that do it for a living. My father has his own shop and so pretty much I have access to lifts, air tools, scanner tools, computers, whatever you would need.
He has been doing the car maintenance for me since I've started driving. I'll help on smaller tasks, but I really should be more capable then I am. I don't know if I could change my own brakes which is a shame!
There are at least five auto mechanics in my family, my father included, that do it for a living. My father has his own shop and so pretty much I have access to lifts, air tools, scanner tools, computers, whatever you would need.
He has been doing the car maintenance for me since I've started driving. I'll help on smaller tasks, but I really should be more capable then I am. I don't know if I could change my own brakes which is a shame!
You can get Bluetooth ones for $10-$20 now. I believe the app you have to use is called Torque.
coffee
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I used to do all my own work when I was a young buck. Went thru a period of having everything done when I had alot of money. Now I have gone back to doing most of my own work and actually find it quite enjoyable. As long as you have the right tools though. But theres still alot I cannot do. Brakes today seem alot easier than when I owned my 1970 ford.
coffee
LifelineIT
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Ya'll are funny. You'll work on machines that require deft fingers and lots of understanding but not slap some new brakes on your pony.
I've got 2 of the Bluetooth OBD scanners and both work a treat. I actually leave one plugged into my older Volvo all the time so I can check things like vacuum whenever I want. The cheaper of the two was ~$14. It's specific enough to tell me any code the system is throwing.
Unless you're driving a relatively high end sports car or your car has a warranty that includes wear-parts, then brakes are one of the simplest repairs you can teach someone. For most cars it's a hex key, a large flat blade screwdriver or small prybar, a c-clamp, and a socket to do a full pad and rotor swap. If you want to bleed lines it's a small box-end. If you've got shoes you need fewer tools but you have to pay more attention. These days Amazon is a fantastic place to buy the parts too, for my last car, a 2010 Corolla, I was able to price all new, very high end brake replacement for the entire vehicle @ about $180 (auto parts store wanted ~$400 for lower quality), but wound up just doing pads at ~$35. Amazon's also a great place to buy things like oil filters and spark plugs too.
A website you may be interested in is alldatadiy.com. Alldata is the technicians source for all things for any car, from diagrams to repair guidelines to oem warnings and recalls and all that stuff. It requires an annual membership. Alldatadiy is for handymen, you pay by the car. I just used a coupon to get 3 years access for my volvo for $13, and it shows me literally every thing in the entire car, from part numbers to torque specs to replacement instructions, sorta like a Bentley or Haynes manual on steroids.
I've got 2 of the Bluetooth OBD scanners and both work a treat. I actually leave one plugged into my older Volvo all the time so I can check things like vacuum whenever I want. The cheaper of the two was ~$14. It's specific enough to tell me any code the system is throwing.
Unless you're driving a relatively high end sports car or your car has a warranty that includes wear-parts, then brakes are one of the simplest repairs you can teach someone. For most cars it's a hex key, a large flat blade screwdriver or small prybar, a c-clamp, and a socket to do a full pad and rotor swap. If you want to bleed lines it's a small box-end. If you've got shoes you need fewer tools but you have to pay more attention. These days Amazon is a fantastic place to buy the parts too, for my last car, a 2010 Corolla, I was able to price all new, very high end brake replacement for the entire vehicle @ about $180 (auto parts store wanted ~$400 for lower quality), but wound up just doing pads at ~$35. Amazon's also a great place to buy things like oil filters and spark plugs too.
A website you may be interested in is alldatadiy.com. Alldata is the technicians source for all things for any car, from diagrams to repair guidelines to oem warnings and recalls and all that stuff. It requires an annual membership. Alldatadiy is for handymen, you pay by the car. I just used a coupon to get 3 years access for my volvo for $13, and it shows me literally every thing in the entire car, from part numbers to torque specs to replacement instructions, sorta like a Bentley or Haynes manual on steroids.
Rayspcsolutions
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I really should't be responding to this asinine comment but I will. I paid more for the advanced capability that is available should I choose to buy the needed software for it. I have not purchased the advanced software yet but I may. Nevertheless I did shop around AND did research and I felt comfortable buying this tool.
Sometimes buying the cheapest tool is not a good idea. I am hoping that the reader I bought was built with solid components that won't fail and cause a short in which will more than likely take out the cars computer with it. But I guess that's OK because you will have a little extra money to replace the computer because after all you only paid $10-15 dollars for the reader.
I am not wishing that your reader takes out your computer just beware things like that happen ... I've seen it
LifelineIT
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So you paid $150 for a reader because it has "advanced" software...but you didn't buy the software? I'm also not clear how an unpowered soc with read-only powers could short out and cook a computer, but I suppose stranger things have happened.
Not picking, just asking.
Not picking, just asking.
Rayspcsolutions
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It came with basic software that you could load on a computer then connect to the vehicle or you could download a free app and use it with your smart phone.
When I say advanced I guess I mean just more features are available. The way it came when I bought was just essentially a code reader. With the "advanced software" you are able to read and clear ABS codes and other vehicle specific type functions. I have a Ford Expedition so I would have to buy a Ford Power Pack or something like that to get the advanced features specific to Fords.
It just turns out i haven't needed the advanced functions.
As far as the shorting out ... I am not an electrical engineer so couldn't tell you exactly how or what could cause it to short out but my brother owned an auto repair shop and I remember a customer had his car towed to his shop after he tried to read his own codes with a low cost code scanner. The scanner the customer was using was the type with the clear kind of enclosure where you can see the circuitry inside and you can see circuit had burnt and coated the inside with smoke or soot or whatever it is when something electrical burns.
Not sure what mean by unpowered soc. There is 12v power in the OBDII connector on the vehicle that powers my OBDII Scanner.
LifelineIT
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Oh I gotcha.
I believe, and it's possible I'm incorrect, that part of what makes the BT devices so cheap is that they rely on another device to parse the data, they just transmit it. So---something like the Torque app takes the raw error data and displays the numeric codes, and then relies on a perpetually updated online database of what the codes mean depending on vehicle, versus trying to maintain all that data on the device.
Then of course there are actual dealer-only devices too, that can push firmware updates and stuff across the OBD port. Having a specific vehicle's power pack for the standalones is also nice, because for example the MAF trouble code for my Volvo is the same number but not the same problem as in a few Fords. Of course, when I click the code and it gives me options for FORD or VOLVO, I know to only pay attention to the Volvos.
When I say unpowered SOC I mean unpowered system on chip, meaning that it doesn't have it's own power source. Yes, the device uses 12v car power, but unlike the standalone devices, it does not supply its OWN power. There isn't really much to "short" that would cause much to happen, but again and as we all know, nearly anything is possible when you're dealing with Chinese circuit boards and magic smoke.
I believe, and it's possible I'm incorrect, that part of what makes the BT devices so cheap is that they rely on another device to parse the data, they just transmit it. So---something like the Torque app takes the raw error data and displays the numeric codes, and then relies on a perpetually updated online database of what the codes mean depending on vehicle, versus trying to maintain all that data on the device.
Then of course there are actual dealer-only devices too, that can push firmware updates and stuff across the OBD port. Having a specific vehicle's power pack for the standalones is also nice, because for example the MAF trouble code for my Volvo is the same number but not the same problem as in a few Fords. Of course, when I click the code and it gives me options for FORD or VOLVO, I know to only pay attention to the Volvos.
When I say unpowered SOC I mean unpowered system on chip, meaning that it doesn't have it's own power source. Yes, the device uses 12v car power, but unlike the standalone devices, it does not supply its OWN power. There isn't really much to "short" that would cause much to happen, but again and as we all know, nearly anything is possible when you're dealing with Chinese circuit boards and magic smoke.
Rayspcsolutions
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Yeah you are probably right on the BT Devices. But in my mind (and that's a strange place to be sometimes let me tell ya.. lol) I can still see some component on the little circuit board inside the BT device failing causing some sort of short. Or the socket where the pins are attached to PCB, poor solder job pin pops loose touches another. But maybe it's not possible I don't know, maybe i'm stretching.
You mention the dealer only devices for firmware updates. They actually make aftermarket devices that will also flash ECU's. My brother bought one about a week after I bought my scanner. It is a Snap On Pass Thru Pro II there is not much he cannot program or re-program.
Ok I think I hijacked this thread enough ... Sorry Coffee
You mention the dealer only devices for firmware updates. They actually make aftermarket devices that will also flash ECU's. My brother bought one about a week after I bought my scanner. It is a Snap On Pass Thru Pro II there is not much he cannot program or re-program.
Ok I think I hijacked this thread enough ... Sorry Coffee
coffee
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Not a problem. Thats what its here for.
Well, As far as OBDI whatevers are concerned I got yah all beat
My neighbor has one and I can use it anytime he said (yah!). Its one of those snapon models but looks like a 10 inch or so tablet and will test almost anything I can think of. I used to diagnose my ABS sensors. Was pretty cool.
I of course could never afford such a luxury. I have to settle with hitting it with a hammer and see if it fixed it !
coffee
Well, As far as OBDI whatevers are concerned I got yah all beat
My neighbor has one and I can use it anytime he said (yah!). Its one of those snapon models but looks like a 10 inch or so tablet and will test almost anything I can think of. I used to diagnose my ABS sensors. Was pretty cool.
I of course could never afford such a luxury. I have to settle with hitting it with a hammer and see if it fixed it !
coffee
wardoursecure
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I haven't worked on a car for years but I do all the work on my bikes, both my road bike and track bike.
Everything from basic servicing, brakes etc to checking the valve clearances and changing if needed. I can tackle most things in the knowledge it has been done right.
Anything out of my scope I get my British Superbike engine tuner customer to take a look
Everything from basic servicing, brakes etc to checking the valve clearances and changing if needed. I can tackle most things in the knowledge it has been done right.
Anything out of my scope I get my British Superbike engine tuner customer to take a look
YeOldeStonecat
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..speaking of brake job time to rip apart the front brake of my Harley and redo her. Grabbing weird.
coffee
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My girlfriend - Who I consider kinda anal Borrowed my car and when she got back she commented that my brakes are absolutely cool compared to her Malibu. She really enjoyed them on my buick. Coming from her I know its a really big complement
I put on ceramic pads and took alot of time to clean and grease everything. I did a class job on my car. I was lucky as I didnt have to replace the disks.
Now she wants me to do her brakes. But I think on her inexpensive 2003 Malibu the brake system isnt as good as on a buick. She bought a stripped down Malibu back in 03 because she didnt have a lot of money. So, Its about as standard as you could buy. I have also read that they have alot of brake issues - probably due to engineering of the brake system at that price point.
coffee
Borrowed my car and when she got back she commented that my brakes are absolutely cool compared to her Malibu. She really enjoyed them on my buick. Coming from her I know its a really big complement I put on ceramic pads and took alot of time to clean and grease everything. I did a class job on my car. I was lucky as I didnt have to replace the disks.
Now she wants me to do her brakes. But I think on her inexpensive 2003 Malibu the brake system isnt as good as on a buick. She bought a stripped down Malibu back in 03 because she didnt have a lot of money. So, Its about as standard as you could buy. I have also read that they have alot of brake issues - probably due to engineering of the brake system at that price point.
coffee
LifelineIT
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If I remember correctly, and it's likely I don't, they're just undersized on a low end malibu, so they're not gonna feel as responsive. Still slapping in some quality pads, looking at rotors, bleeding lines and resetting tensioner should make a big difference.
coffee
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I should have mentioned that she has quite the problem with brake noise. I would rip them apart and do a pro brake job on the darn car but I dont think I would ever satisfy her. I know its not a bleeding issue. She actually has a stronger feeling in the brakes then me. Of course, I have not bled my brakes yet but should.
Every time I drive her car I feel like im in a go-Kart. LOL!
coffee
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