as a former mechanic that worked at a dealership and my son also works for a dealership as a mechanic i hated when the boss tried to upsale crap and i ended up leaving and going to a small independent shop like yours and was a lot happier cause we did only work that needed to be done and my son does side work for his customers who he thinks are getting ripped off as well i raised a honest man that i am trully proud of
It's not just auto shops. An HVAC repairman last year charged me $240 for a fan relay I could buy myself for less tha $25. That was only for the part. Needless to say, I won't be calling them again.
There is a fine line between making recommendations and trying to upsell parts and services. We’ve had that issue in our independent shop. We make an effort to educate the customer on normal wear and preventive work that is recommended for vehicle longevity. Ultimately, it’s up to the customer to make that decision after they are informed.
Hey Ray, great video. I'm looking forward to the price comparr when it's all said and done. I also saw a good tip i found on the internet. I know how much you hate getting oil all over yourself during oil changes. I saw a guy just like you that hated it and what he did was drill a small hole in the filter so it would drain first before he removed it. Hope that helps. Cheers!
We are all born with integrity but keeping that moral is difficult. Cultivating that moral in our children is something special. Bravo sir nice work. Your son is a good man and I’m sure it’s with the help of mom and dad. Nice work.
As a retired mechanic of more than 30 years. This content is what has changed the automotive repair services for the better!! Simply because it calls out all the BS that dealerships and less trustworthy mechanics have done to give all mechanics a bad rap. As a kid with my first vehicle, I was ripped off by a repair shop. Which is how and why I became a mechanic. Because I didn't want what happened to me to happen to others. I can honestly say that during my time as a line mechanic, I never, in more than 15+ years, tried to push a sale on something that was not truly needed. I think because of that, that's how I ended up working at small family owned shops. OUTSTANDING JOB RAY!!
They both made a big mistake and that was waiting too long to see a doctor. If they went after a day or 2 for help he would have been back at it pretty quickly but he tried to tuff it out but that rarley works when infection is involved a box of antibiotics and bingo fixed. He’s a great mechanic and talks a bout proper maintenance more importantly you and your family’s health is way more important than your car. All well that ends well😅
@@PeterHernandez-lg2eh It’s understandable I was the same as a younger bloke I thought I was bullet proof but I’ve found as I get older that it’s important to look after what you only have 1 chance at and that’s life😁 Stay healthy and don’t put off seeing a doc if you need 1 🧐
My kid came to me with a similar situation of an estimate from a repair shop. I get it that a business has overhead and needs to turn a profit but taking advantage of people is another thing.... I went through his estimate and found 300% markup on rear struts and 1200% markup on rear brakes. The other thing is how the put comments to scare people on how if this repair isn't IMMEDIATELY taken care of it could be dangerous to drive.... Looked at rear brakes and they still have at least 50-65% life left and rear struts are not failed as they stated on the Quote. It's really sad to me with people who don't know much about the mechanicals involved with autos just pay and get taken advantage of..... Take care Ray! Word of mouth with an honest mechanic will pay dividends!
@@ronv6637 I think in that case you have to proof it have happend, and that could be difficult? I live in Finland and here, customer is owner of every component shop have replaced, so shop must to give or show those parts to customer, as proof they have replaced them. Its not foolproof system, but it is something. Not so much that kind shops left, who only want to make easy money, by cheating their customers anymore. And one more thing, here mechanics are working for monthly salary, 8 hour days, everything over that is payd more by counting hourly value for hour and adding 50% for two, and 100%after that, and for weekends kind of same. So mechanics cant get anything extra if cheating customer, its someone else. It doesent take out fact dealership is more expensive than private shop. 2 reasons dealer uses only original parts, and is billing by booktimes, with rusty fasteners ad 50% time. Private ones give you estimate, and part prices, also cheep ones, you choose, witch ones you want.
I have the same machanic for almost 20 years and trust him completely. He does Good work at fair prices and stand behind this work. He is the only mechanic that I will trust his word 100%.
Yes it is a very hard job, especially with sky high 0.E.M parts and the china junk crap the auto parts store sell which is also not cheap. And thats even if you can get the parts. Then there is the real expensive tools you need to buy. Glad I am retired !
Save some money, email Ray and plan a trip.. maybe your vehicle will be on the channel...lol. that way you can get a bumper sticker or engine sticker that says "fueled by Rainman Ray's Repairs".. 😎👍
I used to work at a Volvo dealer. I had a car that needed all new lower control arm bushings and a ball joint. I recommended a whole new control arm as it was over $150 cheaper than doing them all individually. I got chewed out for recommending the cheaper option. Needless to say I don't work there anymore. Love your connector repair btw!
If we can tell the Rainman anything after his illness, it is to not get sick ever again, and don’t limit how much you talk. I appreciate the narratives from the Rainman.
THe wires to the front windshield is a Wiper Blade Deicer. There is a heating element to melt the ice when in place that I have lived like Oklahoma and Missouri to get the freezing rain to let go of the wiper blades if you were unable to preempt the problem. Verry Handy if you need it.
😊Am happy you pulled through your illness! It was scary for you, your kids, and a big shout out to Wife Unit, who unselfishly helped you and her babies, get better! So when you feel lousy in the future, take your butt to doctor!
Ray. To help ANYBODY understand, IF YOU did an oil change, YOU, being Super Expert, would notice any Major Issue, for the Oil Change customer, just looking at the vehicle. And YOU would correctly inform the owner. This is really worth WAYYY MORE than whatever the Oil/Filter Change process is billed for. If RAY and his shop do it, You win twice, three times, etc. Be smart, be safe, use the BEST. Always use the Best!
"Trolls are people too" - lol Love it. Interesting price description from the dealer and yours. Your commentary continues to be superior and one of the reasons I am part of this channel. Even on repeat operations. Similar to actual shop work. Repeat operations are the familiarity and experience comes in to quality work, in my opinion. Thank you, Ray, for entertaining us, enlightening us, and providing a great channel. 🙂 One thing I try to live by: "Don't just take up space, try to make a difference."
I could be wrong but at minute 1:12:22 it looks like the wiper motor connector is still unplugged when the cover goes back on. Great content as always Ray. Really appreciated the short video yesterday with an attitude of gratitude for all your supporters. We're here for you.
I caught that and then checked the comments to see how many others did as well. Now will Ray call his customer to get them to check if their wipers work before the next rain storm, and tell us about it, or will he just ignore us "trolls" and our critiquing of his work;-)
I noticed that plus a few wire hose clamps were not slid back into position on the air intake and intake manifold lines, I did not want to say anything unless others noticed too
Thats some wonderful info. The last dealer shop tried to get me on some extra stuff saying i needed to replace. So i asked them to show me the componets that are needing replaced. Funny thimg was im a aircraft mechanic/ auto/ motorcycle guy. The service dept took me out after i forced them to show me. To prove it needed replacement. After seeing their concerns i said no and told the service manager it was not needing replacement of parts. Told them to finish oil change and the service recall notice. And thats it. Turns out i called them out on trying to scam me. I finally told them not to lie to a mechanic with knowledge and a data sheet showing maintance/replace schedule in owners manual...
You are being more than diplomatic when you say the Stealership was "reaching" on the repairs they suggested. I would say they were flat out lying, trying to steal money from this person!! The technicians they have can't be that incompetent to think that the CV axle needed to be replaced or that the sway bar links were bad because a little grease was showing. This is a great example of how these thieves try to steal your hard earned money. Sadly this is a common problem. Thank you Ray for your honest hard work!!
To change the plugs you have to remove the wiper assembly. Brilliant. I used to change the plugs points, condenser and PVC on my 383 V8 in half an hour.
I used to always here that changing spark plugs was one of the things anyone could do on their own. Like filling oil. Wtf are engineers doing nowadays?
They purposely design it that way so the customer has to take it to one of their official dealerships to change them. Its really bad in terms of electronics.
Those wires if I am not mistaken are for the wiper defrost system. My Toyota has it and it warms the area where the wipers rest. The defrost vents inside the vehicle normally can’t get that area. At least not right away.
I started 8n a dealership and moved to my own shop because I hated the fact that they were paying for their floor space with parts and labor mark ups. I truly enjoy your channel because your standards meet mine. I may have to move down there so I can trust the person under the hood.
Great to see you back to your old self again,shame not everyone has the same honesty as you ray the world would be a much better and happier place,we need more people like you ,with your ethics
thank you ray. i got a spam call just now and i used your line of ' this call is being recorded for quality assurance purposes' they hung up immediately. APPRECIATE YOU!
I ask for there credit card number, when asked why I say I charge $75:00 per hour for the first hour or any part of a hour then $28:75 per 15 minute increments. By now they have hung up.
I justed wanted Ray to know because of yesterday's video I subscribed. I have been watching Ray for awhile I felt Rays message was heart felt so I wanted to subscribe. Thanks for doing what you do and the wife unit for her help running the business. This was a good video today seemed shorter then what it was.
Sir. You are THE influence. We all love who you are and what you stand for. Stop saying you are sorry. You don't need to do that. This is learning time for us out here that have to work on our own stuff. You and wife unit are a beacon of light in this crappy world we have to live in. Thank you
It is a sad state of affairs that stealerships, are fleecing their customers for work. It is nice to know that there are still honest mechanics out there Ray.
Folks lets help Ray get over a million like other valuable repair channels. As a DIY'er these videos are very instructional and help me if I must tackle a similar vehicle for a friend sumone in need easier. I do it to keep my skills honed and helps keep me at tymes deal with my constant nagging pain.
Ray, thank you do much for the pricing comparison!! We are all very happy that you did not die. That being said, 1) What is your choice in magnetic spark plug sockets? and 2) Would it be a good move to blow off the rat turds before pulling spark plugs?
For 13/16" spark plugs I have a magnetic socket, purchased in the 1970s. I have used a bench grinder to grind it down for clearance on some of my vehicles. For 5/8", just have with rubber "grabber" ring in it.
Said it before ill say it agine on that van i recommend changing the back 3 coils and saving the old coils as back up for the frt. The coils only last about 120k to 150k miles the plugs last 100k. @some point between plug changes you will need to replace some coils. In labor your money ahead to just have it done now. It will save you 1/2 the cost of doing it later.
When I broke the coil connector clips on my 2002 4Runner, I purchased some cheaper aftermarket connectors and de-pined both old and new and put the pins on the car into the new connectors. So far, I'm happy with my repair.
The plug from the windshield is a heating element under the wipers to keep ice from building up, I was a Subaru tech and almost all of them had it. I think its a standard feature on Subarus 2020 and up but it was always called the cold weather package.
I have my son do what he can for me because I can no longer crawl under the car, squat for a brake job, stretch across the engine compartment or jam myself under a dashboard. I taught him whatever I could and "supervise" when necessary.
My son comes by sometime when I have to work on something to give me a hand or just watch me. Recently we had the pleasure of in a ' father - son ' way we both had our hands on the wrench and ' broke ' something together. Aside from that I try to teach him how to be a good troubleshooter.
That's great. The amount of money he will save fixing things himself will be huge. Just the knowledge of basics alone is of value. My dad never touched a tool. He was a good father but had all the "repair people" numbers hanging on the fridge lol.
I'm 57 and have never in my life dealt with a dealership either buying or repairing a vehicle. This video is the reason why. They're called "stealerships" for a reason.
Ray, You could have possibly had a Covid Variant when you were so sick. I'm really glad you're better and back to work. Covid is still flying around. I almost croaked from it. I have no family so I had to get through it myself and was too sick to go to my Doctor. 3.5 weeks later I went to my Doctor and he still did tests and said it was Covid and not Pneumonia . Glad you made it and glad I did, but DON'T WEAR THAT T-SHIRT AGAIN ❤🙏🤣
I appreciate you showing us brackets we can’t see . I want to learn . This way I know where they’re at. I truly enjoy your videos . Bless your wife and her do-de-do de do’s
On the 06 there are 3 bolts behind the intake manifold that you can't see and 1 you can't get a socket on. What a PIA to get to while laying on the engine.
You are the only mechanic that I've ever heard reference Gandhi. Ergo, this is for you: "Carefully watch your thoughts, for they become your words. Manage and watch your words, for they will become your actions. Consider and judge your actions, for they have become your habits. Acknowledge and watch your habits, for they shall become your values. Understand and embrace your values, for they become your destiny." Salut.
My God that dealer estimate is insane! Dealers are borderline criminals both on the service side and the sales side. Another reason the zip tie approach is better...messing with those wires is more likely to cause a much bigger problem.
It didn't have to much debris that would fall into the spark plug holes. I thought the same thing and noticed the distance of the debris from the holes and how Ray was aware and not disturbing it.
I for one am glad you're still around Ray and would appreciate you continuing to make certain that doesn't change. As long as you keep uploading videos of course.
Don't breathe in the brake Kleen. Potential for chemical pneumonia. There's a reason dealerships and called stealerships. When I'm told I need repairs due to oil leakage I say: Funny, I have no oil spots on the garage floor???
Relative has 1999 nissan that was 350tkm on it and for the last 8 or so years inspection guy mentions theres oil leak. The engine has been soaked in oil for the last 10 years, doesnt matter its not even enough to drip to the ground so who cares.
I enjoy your rambling allot . This dealership really hit this vehicle with allot of repairs that you proved did not need to be done . You being honest will be the better mechanic people will choose because of your honesty . Taxes , every one wants to live in this country , but many complain about paying taxes . But this is what bothers me , these same people will go out and spend piles of money on lottery and gambling and think nothing of it . Nice efficient job on this vehicle !
Dealers don’t have mechanics anymore. They only employee technicians. They change everything based on time and mileage not whether it’s actually non-functional anymore lol lol
It’s the way they’re built. I have to remove a pile of easily breakable and one time use plastic to even get to the problem. It takes hours. It’s hot, dirty, you get cut open… if I’m going in you’re damn right I prepare the customer, it’s not me, it’s what they’re building today.
Wow thanks for the tip on the broken tab/clip thingy's, I do not have a Toyota but do have similar clips that broke and was not sure how to go about fixing them.
There's videos on how to replace those coil clips using the existing wires. I paid $12 on amazon for a set of 6. Took about 20 minutes (added to the plug change).
I'm still smarting from my previous dealership experience ($2K)having my shocks and struts and lower control arms replaced plus alignment(car pulls to the right post service)and tire rotation and balance and I supplied the parts. Service writer(noob) quoted 8-9 hrs to do the work and i had already figured 3.5-4.0 hrs which they they performed the work in but they used a air wrench to put the shocks on and stripped out the whole shock threaded shaft then they wanted $200 for a $92 shock which i checked the price at the discount parts store that they got it from. After arguing with them about it they discounted $155 off the price of the replacement shock plus the original discount parts store i purchased the replacement shocks from refunded my money for the one the dealership tech obviously stripped out. I and the parts guy knew what happened and shook our heads in unison. What a nice parts guy. Also the replacement shock I had originally purchased came in a sealed box. I think that the dealership tech lied to cover his goof up.
Back in 2008, I took my truck to the dealer for a clogged catalytic converter. They wanted to change the whole exhaust system part that contained the converter for $1,100 plus $400 labor. I declined, took it to a muffler shop and got one welded in for a grand total of $300. I'm still driving the same truck as of today, with no more issues.
This is why a good dealer is rare. This is standard practice for a dealer. I know that mine will upcharge, of course, but they showed me a list of suggested items at my mileage and told me which were extra, and even informed me the ones that were basically useless. Hell, my dealer even asked me if i needed special oil because I had a few mods. The only reason I still use a dealer is because I am still under warranty, and this eliminates that part of an issue. The mods are on me, but they are intake and exhaust and that is an easy fight.
Three things I learned by watching your video today Ray. The zip tie hold, the socket for the releasing of the pins and the torx bit instead of an Allen. Very glad you're feeling much better Ray!!
So familiar, my nearest Ford dealer is wildly expensive, (UK also) but they do have a superb parts dept with a couple of guys who really know what they're a doing of, can tell you where, what, how, how much, and what'll do instead ! But like me they're getting old...
@@CrimeVidI worked in the parts department. They trialed a motorcycle delivery for urgent parts, it was a bugger trying to balance a 55 gallon oil drum on the back. 🏍️+🛢️= 🏩 😂
Yeah - on the NPD, I was also subject to an incredible amount of abuse from a parent. Psychologically damaging is an understatement for some. It explains why you are such a good parent - you were ultimately taught what kind of parent not to be.
My ex-wife was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, a close cousin to NPD. My therapist told me that there are support groups for people that have NPD/BPD people in their lives but not for the NPD/BPDs. They just won't go.
'Cabinfilter $9' had me rolling😂, yesterday i replace one of a Toyota coralla(almost brand new, with only 18573 miles) that cost $91,30 including labor(like 15min or so). (Yes we replace them every service every 9230 miles/ 15000km)💸😂
Ha, stealerships over price when they don't want the work, and if the customer accepts said quote, the stealership will gladly rip them off and take their money.
To replace headlight bulbs, the dealership wanted $450 (disassemble bumper guard, unscrew headlights and replace bulbs)😅. I looked it up on RU-vid, remove fender liner and replace the bulbs. Saved $450!!! 😂
Thanks for the video. I have a 14, Sienna with 148,000 KM, so the plugs will be due soon. I did the plugs on my 05 Sienna with the 3.3 and was never able to get the back intake bolts back in. I did not take the throttle body off. My mistake. It runs great without them so far. 278.000KM. Thanks again for the details.
Is that dealer out of his F'n mind? Air filter $53? Cabin filter $70? What an insult! Not to mention the rest of that BS. My mechanic wants $1500 to replace my timing cover gasket. All labor. A lot of stuff to pull off to get to it. I'll live with it. Ray. It always scares me, when you go to pull plugs and there's a bunch of crap laying around the hole. How many PCV valves on that car? That's two hoses you removed from the air intake and referred to as PVC hoses?
Mechanic put estimates together and lets service advisor sell the job, I worked for a dealership and the service advisor has all the labour time guidelines in their computer, this looks like mechanic, advisor, service manager and owner are ripping out this customer big time The owner should be involved with this because this customer with never buy another car from this dealership again
You price an air/cabin air filter off a retail parts counter recently. About $30 each out the door. If you want to do them yourself, have at it or pay up.
Not that I support dealer service. However, you need to remember the deal will use OEM part, which are way more expensive than some FRAM after market filter.
One PCV line is the vacuum signal source, and the other one vents the crankcase into the intake. The vacuum signal source is always behind the throttle plate, whereas the vent is upstream of the throttle.
I am learning a lot. This video taught me a little more about vehicle purchasing decisions. Kudos to you on your smooth flawing commentary while performing vexing disassembly.
i have a technique for them not to break. you use a heat gun, heat the plastic a bit to make it keep its elasticity and then it doesnt break. kia, toyota and many other brands have same issue and using a heat gun to heat the tab helps reduce the breaking risk
STEALERSHIPS HAVE ABSOLUTELY ZERO MORALS!!!! WHY DO PEOPLE GO TO STEALERSHIPS, BECAUSE THEY LOVE GIVING CHEAP OIL CHANGES TO BRING CUSTOMERS IN, AND THEN BEGIN TO RIP THE CUSTOMERS OFF AND TELL THEM EVERYTHING IS GOING TO PIECES ON THEIR VEHICLE, AND CHARGE AT LEAST $200.00 PER HOUR FOR LABOR AND THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE PARTS.🤮🤢😡
I went to one "free service" at 5,000 miles for my then new Highlander and was horrified that they said they wouldn't do the oil until 10,000 miles. I never went back, their bullshit just wasn't worth it. Same with a recall for an oil pressure sender on my old Sequoia. I just bought my own replacement and did it myself in about 15 minutes time. Dealers totally suck.
When you were talking about dealing with a narcissist, I’m surprised to hear you met our Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. He’s also like that dealership, gouging everyone he can.
Been using Amsoil for decades and nothing but fantastic results. I keep my vehicles until the wheels fall off so to speak and I want the best and for me that's Amsoil. Cooler engine and transmission temperatures using the Signature Series and it lasts and lasts along with my engine and transmissions... Good enough for me!
The wire is for a heater for the wipers. I'm currently working on the same car. It broke an intake valve on cylinder #5. This is the hardest engine to work on in my limited experience. My gen 1 sbc would take an hour to fix. This is taking hours and hours to do because I can't drop the engine!
I have bad arthritis, so I took my 2019 F350 6.7 to a local independent shop because I thought my aftermarket warranty would cover the A/C and washer motor not working. Wrong. They charged me almost $400 in troubleshooting and wanted to charge me $654 to replace the blend door actuator, and $520 to replace the multifunction switch. I told them to get bent. I had to pay the diag because the warranty company actual turned out to be trash, but I stopped at O'reilly on the way home, and got my parts for $59 total. Once I got home, I took the 5 screws out of the turn signal switch and replaced it, got it back together in 4 minutes. The AC started blowing cold so I have the part for another time. I can use a screwdriver to assist the actuator between seasons as needed until I feel like contorting myself to R&R it. So far I have stopped 4 of my friends from going there. The Ford dealer 5 miles away from them is a better deal. Madness, and they are getting away with scamming the hell out of of lot of people that don't know much about working on cars. They kept asking me for a review and after I gave the service advisor a call back, they politely asked me to never come to their shop again.
Great job. I had my eye on a metal brake for my 20 ton press. Fabrication bug has bitten hard. Thanks for taking time out of your day to make these videos!
I've done the windshield wiper arm incident. I've heard about it from a few other people, too. I was working at my first car job as a lube tech and it broke a BMW windshield! After that I have never let the wipers sit up unless there was a wiper on them. We live and learn!
Back in the day (about 50 years ago) I was taught in automotive technology school that a torsion bar was named such because it was twisted and therefor in torsion rather than compression. Springs, either coil or leaf are compressed or stretched to get the action needed and/or desired. But, hey! Mechanical semantics are like Burger King. You can have it your way! 😚
