Like death and taxes, as long as you own a vehicle rest assured that you will one day need an auto body repair done. Depending on the scale of the repair, you may need the services of a reliable auto repair center.
Many automobile owners usually console themselves with the fact that, many vehicle brands have their car dealership centers where they can get repairs done.
While this may be practical in the short run, it will not always be the case. The proximity and repair costs, associated with car dealership centers, may be outweighed by local repair shops.
One of the things you need to be watchful for, is the ethical and professional conducts of these repair shops. The last thing you need is a shop where the attendants will lie to you about the nature of repairs required so as to extort more money from you.
Some of them even replace your OEM parts with fake ones. To avoid all this, you have to make your decisions early enough so as to steer clear of desperate last minute measures.
Discussed below are some of the tips that you can put into practice when looking for auto body repair shops.
Start Looking Early Enough
Decisions made in the last minute are usually faulty and misleading. Just the same way you will not want to entrust your vehicle to the hands of a stranger, you need to start searching for the appropriate auto shop early.
Making use of recommendations from friends and colleagues, will help you in identifying reliable shops. Get enough time to sample each of these repair facilities.
Conduct a Wholesome Evaluation
There is a tendency among clients to only consider the cost element when shopping for repair facilities. The danger with this lies in the fact that, the cost alone, cannot give you a comprehensive feel of the services offered.
You need to understand the policies that are in operation, the experience of other customers and many other parameters. Going through customer reviews will help you with this.
Assess the Level of Organization and Activity
A good auto body repair shop needs to be organized with the technicians conducting themselves in a professional manner. A disorganized auto shop can easily mishandle your car, leading to further damages and liabilities.
Also, the level of activity around and about the shop is important. If it looks too busy, you should be worried because they may hold your vehicle longer before it is attended to.
This may inconvenience you especially if you are having other errands to run. The attention given to your vehicle may also be so little that other areas go unrepaired.
The Customer Attitudes
When you visit an auto shop, you should also be observant of the customer attitudes, especially when paying or waiting in the queue for their repairs. The attitudes will tell you the kind of environment that's prevailing.
If they are happy and jovial, this should immediately tell you that the services are good and appreciated. However, if they are angry, this should signal bad service and dissatisfaction.
How Long The Repair Shop Has Been in Operation
This may seem like a minuscule detail, but it is equally important. In business, more so service businesses, brand matters. Repair shops that have been in operation for a long time, depend mostly on their goodwill, brand superiority and repeat purchases.
Such shops will tend to provide quality services so as to preserve their image. On the other hand, repair shops that have been newly established may not be as sensitive to their brand. This means that they can mishandle your vehicle without fear of losing you. After all, other customers will come to experiment with their services.
Test Their Services with Minor Repairs and Procedures
Entrusting a shop with full scale auto body repairs is a risky affair. This is especially the case where you are testing the waters, as far as their services are concerned.
To be on the safe side, engage the technicians with minor assessments and procedures, such as oil and tire change. This will give you a general feel and insight into the nature and quality of their services.
Remember, it is not difficult to get a well grounded auto repair shop to service your vehicle. All you need is a good research, done well in advance.
Sabtu, 30 September 2017
Senin, 04 September 2017
Vehicle Engine Management Systems and the Dreaded Check Engine Light
Modern vehicles are a marvel of accomplishment in computer controlled engine system monitoring, management and operation, however, all of that technology comes at a price. Vehicles are more expensive to purchase, maintain and repair due to the inherent complexity with meeting more stringent regulations for fuel economy and emissions in a more compact package with less weight while maintaining performance and improving vehicle longevity. A Powertrain Control Module (PCM) is the brain of your vehicle analyzing individual input variables from sensors then utilizing output controls for the solenoids, valves and actuators of the engine, transmission and body components while monitoring the results. We will focus on the engine control portion of the PCM and discuss cause and effect relationships of the engine management system inputs and the PCM outputs which incorporates On-Board Diagnostics (OBD-II), Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC) and the Check Engine Light (CEL). You may also see references to Service Engine Soon (SES) or Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) which is the same terminology depending on the vehicle design and date of manufacture.
Air, Fuel and Ignition are always the starting points for evaluation and in that order, whether or not a CEL is present, while Combustion and Emission are the result of the Air-Fuel-Ignition process but mechanical engine wear incrementally influences the outputs. Each piece of the puzzle has its own sensors to provide data to the PCM plus individual component controls, however, none of the systems are truly independent as each relies on the other for proper operation. Additional engine specific sensors are also in place to monitor crankshaft position, camshaft timing, engine knock, cylinder misfires and coolant temperature among other things. Up to 65 sensors are incorporated vehicle-wide with thousands of generic Environmental Protection Agency and vehicle specific Original Equipment Manufacturer DTC's. A DTC is stored in the PCM in the Pxxxx format once computer data input analysis and/or output evaluations indicate an abnormal or unexpected condition and consequently trips the CEL. Multiple DTC's may be present upon CEL activation with the PCM recording freeze-frame data for the most severe or most current issue with severity always taking precedence regardless of the sequence or frequency of the abnormality. Most vehicles do not have the capability to store multiple freeze-frame files for review of the conditions present at the time of occurrence.
A CEL means one or more areas of the system are not operating as expected from the vehicle manufacturer but does not necessarily mean the replacement of parts or components is required to solve the problem. Sometimes identifying, locating and cleaning dirty sensors and components will resolve the issue or replacing a relatively inexpensive gasket, o-ring or tube will fix the problem, however, air and vacuum leaks are notoriously difficult and time-consuming to pinpoint. Other situations can be complicated, difficult and expensive to diagnose and repair depending on the system, component or part affected and the engine compartment location especially with multiple DTC's which are not related. Upstream faults must be addressed first as downstream issues might be the consequence of upstream conditions. A new DTC with a CEL immediately following a repair is not uncommon as accurate data and computer analysis of operating parameters now allows the PCM to report a previously undetectable fault which is a separate service evaluation. A CEL indicates consecutive testing cycle failures, multiple abnormalities within a specified time-frame,exhaust emissions exceeding federal specifications, misfires that can cause damage to the catalytic converter or severe knocking which can damage the engine. Potential damage detection events will cause the CEL to continuously flash on/off while in progress. A CEL should always be properly investigated, diagnosed and repaired before additional costs are incurred that could have been avoided not to mention the wasted fuel, poor performance and pollution.
Air, Fuel and Ignition are always the starting points for evaluation and in that order, whether or not a CEL is present, while Combustion and Emission are the result of the Air-Fuel-Ignition process but mechanical engine wear incrementally influences the outputs. Each piece of the puzzle has its own sensors to provide data to the PCM plus individual component controls, however, none of the systems are truly independent as each relies on the other for proper operation. Additional engine specific sensors are also in place to monitor crankshaft position, camshaft timing, engine knock, cylinder misfires and coolant temperature among other things. Up to 65 sensors are incorporated vehicle-wide with thousands of generic Environmental Protection Agency and vehicle specific Original Equipment Manufacturer DTC's. A DTC is stored in the PCM in the Pxxxx format once computer data input analysis and/or output evaluations indicate an abnormal or unexpected condition and consequently trips the CEL. Multiple DTC's may be present upon CEL activation with the PCM recording freeze-frame data for the most severe or most current issue with severity always taking precedence regardless of the sequence or frequency of the abnormality. Most vehicles do not have the capability to store multiple freeze-frame files for review of the conditions present at the time of occurrence.
A CEL means one or more areas of the system are not operating as expected from the vehicle manufacturer but does not necessarily mean the replacement of parts or components is required to solve the problem. Sometimes identifying, locating and cleaning dirty sensors and components will resolve the issue or replacing a relatively inexpensive gasket, o-ring or tube will fix the problem, however, air and vacuum leaks are notoriously difficult and time-consuming to pinpoint. Other situations can be complicated, difficult and expensive to diagnose and repair depending on the system, component or part affected and the engine compartment location especially with multiple DTC's which are not related. Upstream faults must be addressed first as downstream issues might be the consequence of upstream conditions. A new DTC with a CEL immediately following a repair is not uncommon as accurate data and computer analysis of operating parameters now allows the PCM to report a previously undetectable fault which is a separate service evaluation. A CEL indicates consecutive testing cycle failures, multiple abnormalities within a specified time-frame,exhaust emissions exceeding federal specifications, misfires that can cause damage to the catalytic converter or severe knocking which can damage the engine. Potential damage detection events will cause the CEL to continuously flash on/off while in progress. A CEL should always be properly investigated, diagnosed and repaired before additional costs are incurred that could have been avoided not to mention the wasted fuel, poor performance and pollution.
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