(Pt 5) Volvo From HELL...STALLS Again?! (05 XC90 Turbo - CONCLUSION) 

Happy to pay for boxes of modules for no reason, but not happy to pay labour for an actual skilled tech to find the problem... bizarre mentality.

Hi Ivan. There are two types of people on earth. Those who live and learn, and those who just live. This customer has no respect.

This customer is the prime example why technicians aren’t interested in staying in this field, let alone the quality of parts lately. This is coming from a tech, of 15 years. Ivan great work and good attitude!!!!

"I've towed this car from North Carolina". Good; then you shouldn't get lost when you tow it back! Go away.

These butchered cars may be a pain, but the do make great television. Thanks, Ivan.

that ash in a tank is from the last mechanic that was threatened to be sued :)

I hope the RU-vid revenue from this series covers your costs that the client failed to cover… with this level of diagnostics and honesty you deserve every $

How can the owner be upset with Ivan? Be mad at yourself for buying a nightmare.

Someone should take this customer's parents to court for negligent reproduction. Some people should not be buying cars.

Customer has no knowledge, no repair skills & no money. Funny how all three go together 😂

What a Pain this customer was. I hate these type of people. they expect something for nothing .

Start getting a deposit up front before accepting a project. The treatment you got from the customer is unacceptable. It was definitely a learning experience for all of us. Thanks for sharing. 👍👍👏👏🇺🇲🇺🇲

Eric O from SMA, had a video saying he stopped taking on cars that had a lot of parts swapped before they bring it to him.. .

The guy can't afford to pay you, he can't afford a lawyer. I would call his bluff.

Ivan goes beyond the call of duty. He will not accept no for an answer.

Yea after the threat somebody dumped something nasty in this guys tank.

You need to rename this job "customer from hell"

Awesome video my friend. Just like the Saturn from hell. Seller sold the car to a person on a limited income. .Had a taped over check engine light. God only knows how many hands touched it before I got to it. Removed a lot of aftermarket crap. I got to a point where I said I need help. Take it to Ivan. You got it back to a drivable condition.(THANK YOU) Then the finale part was me finding a brand new oem exhaust cam phaser. Repaired that and car has been running great ever since. Like you I started to get vehicles that have been to several garages that can't repair the vehicle. I look at them as a challenge and a learning experience. Also the self satisfaction of fixing something nobody else can. Stay well my friend. Stay Well my friend.

Oh, he's one of those customers...wow. He can't afford to fix his car, he can't afford a lawsuit.

While watching this series and enjoying the content, when I heard you say "give him a freebie " I thought to myself wrong thing to do. A good deed never goes unpunished.

Looks like his baby's momma poured something in the gas tank 😁

That the thanks you get for working on that piece of junk

Someone sabotaged that fuel tank maybe the whole car.

This 'taking you to court' culture baffles me as a European. People using this threat as a leverage to bully businesses and get their way.

This shows exactly how great of a technician and a human you are, Ivan. The second this guy said something about suing me after all this, it would have been over. You must have the patience of a saint. This guy owes you an apology. With everything you did for him he should be kissing your boots!

Customers like that don't understand how much money you're actually saving them, in both money and time, with an accurate diagnosis! You're amazing. Thanks Ivan!

You did something else right too mate! Besides the genius fault analysis, diagnosis, learning & repairs. You withheld the video for a year to stop the ratbag customer seeing your work & stealing your knowledge & experience.

From the beginning, when he asked for a discount, it was a HUGE red flag plus all the hack work he did. Unfortunately I've had customers like this. As soon as I start smelling someone cheap that doesn't want to pay. I tell them to go somewhere else

Unfortunately there are A wholes that want something for nothing. But on the other hand these basket cases make for great video and troubleshooting .

What a messy interaction, customer wise. I was a m/c mechanic at multi brand dealer. Motorcycles in PA tend to get dirty carburetors and fuel tank corrosion from sitting due to weather, lack of interest, whatever..and don't always come with good fuel filters. Cleaning the tank can be VERY time consuming, customers tend to want the carb cleaning, and skip the tank. Never, never do that, guaranteed come back... Removing that in tank filter that clogged in 10 miles? Now the same dirt is in the fuel system in 10 miles. When there is room, I added, after cleaning the tank, a heating oil filter before a normal fine fuel filter. They have a high dirt capacity, elements are cheap, and easy to change. This was on construction equipment, of course wouldn't work on that volvo. I doubt that guy got the tank very clean, just "clean-er". Nobody knows how much time this crap takes. If you can't do it yourself, you'd better have a lot of money to pay someone. And if that is you, why do you have this beater car? The work can easily cost more than the car or bike. Customers have made that point to me...what do you say? They make new vehicles for people unable to fix old ones. I work on aircraft, also, same story, people buy old ones, then are shocked when corrosion or engine trouble isn't cheap to fix. A friend's shop recently did an annual inspection on a small turbocharged, pressurized light aircraft that was around $115,000. Labor costs were even discounted, nobody was happy at all. I started an inspection on another little twin, found corrosion, and refused to proceed...pay me for 2 oil changes and get it out of here. Some other dumb A&P/IA passed it. Made money, made customer happy. Stupid, risky move. Mechanical prostitution, or something like that.

If he changed fuel pumps 4 times and didnt address the junk in the tank. Some people cant be reasoned with.

If there's sand in the tank, someone put it there. I once bought a Mercedes from a guy who said it just quit running one day. I had all kinds of problems with that thing until I figured out the tank was full of sugar. The previous owner was feuding with a neighbor who sabotaged the car.

Ivan, the first clue the guy had no money, is the car itself. No one with any money would buy that car. It was like going to the junkyard and buying a car, and then thinking you got a good deal.

I've had customers like this. Most customers are happy that I fixed their cars. Some customers become hostile and belligerent after I successfully fix their cars, even if they had taken it to other shops first. They want discounts, they try to negotiate, etc. To size up a customer and if they ask how much the fix costs first, I tell them all that it could possibly be, and give them a highest price scenario. I'm just getting a feel for the customer first. And if they are hostile at first or try to negotiate I tell them to take the car and go somewhere else. I diagnose the customer FIRST, then the car. It's not worth it to try to deal with cheap, or combative customers.

Owner, I hope you read all the comments. Not that you'll change, only to see pretty much everybody sees you for what you are. Enjoy trolling through life.

Ivan, the explanation of the video being a year old, explains every thing. When you said he did not want to pay for the sunroof, I thought, well he just has to watch the video, to see how to fix it himself, but you out smarted him on that. There are some customers you just don't want back, that guy would be at the top of the list.

We know why you take on those car’s…….You love the challenge 🤘🏼🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Charcoal from canister is my best guess. Constant overfilling. Remove the purge valve and see if any of that grit can be tapped out.

If I compare your "work ethic/honesty/devotion" to the repair with others in the industry, YOU are top tier and it's a blessing and an honor to learn from you and other like minded diag/mechanics who, in the long run of car cost maintenance and repair, save us thousands over time and these days not much time needs to accumulate for the customers........ let me thank you personally, Ivan, for sharing these case studies in the professional caring way that you do.

If that junk makes it back home it will be a miracle

Can’t help those not ready to receive your help. It’s quite unfortunate. Hope they reconsider. Thanks!

So he has a cheap junk car towed to you, desputes that you need to charge diag for each issue, then threatens to call a lawyer on you. If you ask for Ivan, then you obviously need his help. He is obviously an idiot who had upset someone, and they added something to his tank as he is that sort of person. It's like replacing an exhaust and expecting a guarantee on the engine. Definitely not a person to have back at the shop. I'd put him on the banned list.

I don't understand people You just trying to help and u invest so much time at this piece of junk an u are one of the Best mechanics out there don't be sad we are more people that preciate u work i'm from México i bearly understand but i'm a mechanic and a RU-vidr as well and i know that feeling

He should of had at least 5 grand in his pocket to invest before having it towed. Great work Ivan 👏

Hey Mr Customer ....if you're reading this you're a jerk . You have a lot of nerve accusing Ivan of any wrong doing. If anything he went above & beyond which is way more than any other mechanic could even come close to doing .He had to fix your cluster f of piece of junk car after you jury rigged it .

This is the kind of customer that deserves a butcher shop! Your talent is wasted on ungrateful people like this, the only good thing being, as you said, the learning experience. I think someone may have dropped a bag of mortar into the tank (some sick sort of revenge?). That explains the sand and fine grey particles (cement). No matter what customer says or thinks, we know you handled this very professionally, and did what most other wouldn't do. Well done, Ivan!

The guy bought a horror show on wheels on the cheap . Given the complexity and butchery involved , he expects you to go down the drain and lose money on him . Am I missing anything here ? Anyone even qualified or remotely interested in fixing this isn't working for $ 3.00 an hour ! He has to face the reality of his decision . Could this be bad gas or sabotage ? I respect you meeting the challenge . It's like going in to remove the appendix . Once cut open , they notice terminal cancer .

Ouch, that was one tough car. I think this one made you madder than the dealer costing you $600. You're a great automotive professional Ivan and you've sparked an interest in working on my car again.

My first red flag would be that the car comes with a box of extra parts especially electrical parts or other shops have tried to fix it, some of these DIY mechanics have just enough knowledge to be dangerous

The mysteries of these cars however make good videos.

The min he threatened to sue i give 30 days to get the car off the property as is or im put lien on it and scraping it

Ivan, this guy should apologizefor all your hard work. P,S. You do not deserve to this ungrateful person. I hope he paid in full for all your hard work. Another epic video. Dave in Guernsey, Channel Islands.

Thats terrible! Dude has never heard of the term buy once cry once! Just pay the man! I'm convinced that pump won't make in back to North Carolina sucking up all that junk and I'm sure you'll be getting a call once it craps out. Great job with the Diag. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink 😐

He threatened you? What a prick. He probably wasn't happy that he paid for a new fuel pump only to find he needs to remove the tank. That's just the way it goes, you want it done all the way then pay for the final step.

Difficult spot, no doubt. I think the question you need to ask yourself with Dead Beat Customers is. Is the learning experience / money worth having to deal with these kinds of people. Letting him town it back home (without diagnosis or cost) could have cost you much less (both financially, aggravation and with most dedicated techs,... sleep). I suspect as you get older you will find a good balance. Thanks for the great video's!!

Ivan I had a very similar problem with an older XC90 the charcoal canister had started to brake up and that was what was found to be blocking the screen.

Hey Ivan, I sometimes come up against customers that you will never please, keep a cool head and push to the finish. I think you handled this very professionally.

A bad customer! ☹

Ivan some people would complain if it was free! Some people don’t want to understand. It was BUTCHERED TO BEGIN WITH. 👍👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 don’t worry about clowns like that

Speaking as an attorney; nobody should ever be worried when someone else says they will take you to court. It's nonsense. It's expensive. And he's out of state. And people who actually put matters into suits usually don't threaten first

Sounds like this Guy wants You too Fix his Car For Free. He's must be a Democrat... 😂...Some People Are amazing they want shit done For FREE ...UGH .He's one of these Guys that don't have any Money He couldn't Afford a Lawyer

The dealership would have insisted on a new fuel tank. Cleaning it out would be labor intensive and futile.

I have to say I thoroughly enjoy watching your channel and the myriad of challenges you face in fixing customer cars. Your diagnostic skills are top notch. I admire your tenacity in tackling the very wide range of problems and your logical approach to each and every one of them. I owned an auto repair business back in the 70s and early 80s. Cars have unquestionably gotten more complex with time but one thing that never changes is the customer interactions, good and bad. The vast majority of our customers were awesome but there was always those who didn't paint the whole picture of what was going on with their cars including the history, which would often prove helpful and relevant if their car problem was now yours. And of course those who didn't want to pay or to pay less than what you charged or grouping repairs for a price that didn't include the "oh by the ways". I could go on but I won't. Kudos to you. I watch Eric O at South Main Auto too and you guys both are not your average mechanics. You should be fairly compensated, without question, for the skillsets your bring to these jobs. Keep up the good work and keep the content coming for your loyal followers.

Well Ivan the only conclusion someone try to get back the previous car owner and put sand in his tank.

The whole problem was caused by a failed CHARCOAL CANISTER. I bought a car 15 years ago here in Australia that would completely clog the petrol filter every 200 km due to the previous owner over filling the petrol tank. This caused petrol to enter the canister, destroying the carbon pellets to dust causing particles to enter the tank. I simply replaced the charcoal canister with used unit to solve problem. Car runs perfect till this very day. Moral of story is when you fill up and the petrol nozzle clicks, stop pumping more gas in or you will destroy your canister which will then destroy your fuel pump.

Wow... this guy was THIS CLOSE to having his car fixed. Go figure. He's spent so much on trying to solve and when he almost gets there he pulls out the lawsuit strategy instead. He's got a dirty tank and a dirty spirit and he wants to BLAME YOU! Karma has finally caught up with him.

I've met these types of customers, and watched my engineer try to appease them. They are horrible human beings. I do hope he's watching, and realises how poor his behaviour is.

Back in the mid 1990s I got one tank of gas from one gas station between Houston and Austin Texas and that one tank caused me endless endless problems,, multiple fuel filters, multiple break downs,, until finally the gas tank had to be removed and flushed and reinstalled etc.... What was in my tank looked something like sand but it was super super super fine...

If you are low on cash, don't buy a European premium make car. Just buy a Japanese econobox.

and this customer is going to tell all his friends (assuming he has any) that he ended up 'having to fix it himself'. Ivan; don't accept any more cars that have been butchered like this and don't have valid plates so you can do a proper test drive. And more important, if the customer starts asking for freebies out of the gate- turn down the job; I don't care if he carried the car on his back from North WhereEver. Those types of people- are never satisfied. As you stated--- you know all the 'red flags' but this job... just had too many. Anyway- you did a good job on this car even though this customer didnt deserve it. Thanks for taking the bullet for us.

Well, thanks for going to the trenches for all of us Ivan, you are a true trooper. Keep 'em vids coming, I can never get enough.

I know why you take these kind of cases Ivan. You do it for the challenge! You're way too smart to work at an "everyday shop" doing oil changes and routine maintenance. Solving complex problems is an absolute rush and the complexity of the case studies you take on are off the charts! As a science teacher of 26 years you remind me of one of my gifted students who needed to be constantly challenged. Remember Ivan when your as smart and talented as you are people need you! Keep up the great work and continue to challenge yourself.

These people do not deserve you , Ivan!

I'm sorry to hear the customer was a dick.....I mean, you have vastly superior diagnostic tactics than most....yet ol' cheapskate don't want to pay for your time. This ain't the pro bono mechanic, y'hear !!

Reminds me of Goldwings, here in Michigan, where they are stored 7 months a year. Nobody EVER paid to pull the tank for cleaning, & filters don't help much. $500 to clean carbs & install kits - I ship them with carbs NOT connected to fuel line.

Car was in a FLOOD? I'd drop the tank & pressure wash it out. Dry it well. And probably a good idea to change the Evap charcoal system too.

I love the body lines on that red Audi

Very interesting diagnosis -- and good on you for publishing it on a time delay.... A further thought would have been -- would it have been easier to quit arguing and simply rig up the transfer pump through an external filter and let it eat for a day or two.... on a plug in 12V supply -- just to see if you can circulate all the fuel? or simply empty it into a 'waste fuel' bin? (ie: cleaning gasoline for parts cleanup etc) at that point you'd be out the storage containers and you can send it back with a few gallons of fresh gas; but, i get not wanting to deal with it after hearing what a cheapskate this guy was.... like my customers -- i'm willing to aide those who will help us.

I really appreciate you taking on basket cases like this (both the car and the owner). It wasn’t pretty, but we all learned a lot.

Ivan, I'm going to slightly disagree with you on this one. Forgetting all the other issues, the stalling problem was not diagnosed completely. You diagnosed the failure but completely disregarded the cause. The cause was staring you in the face. You even mentioned and showed the sediment in the video. What would Make you think a new pump would make the foreign material go away?? At that point the customer should have Been made aware the only way to properly repair the problem was to remove and clean the tank, possibly even reppace the tsnk, and then replace the pump and all filters. At that point the price is quoted, take it or leave it. Nothing would piss me off more than wanting more money for a repair than quoted.

Easy answer to the question: You are the son of a physicist. Challenges are seen as opportunities to learn and teach. By the way, Boeing's Starliner is having communication issues with its thrusters. Could you fit it in your schedule middle of next week?

I think this a guy thats a DIY-er butchered the wire and pays you to fix it! People that dont take responsibilities for their actions.

That "black/grey specks" in fuel tank - if this was a diesel vehicle, i would say you had a "diesel fuel algae problem" ??, but seeing this is a petrol vehicle, is it some sort of corrosion, or tank internal coating flaking off ??

That customer was a first-class a-hole scumbag. The jerk didn't have the money to pay you, so he wanted it done for next to nothing, then has the gall to threaten a lawsuit. Now probably badmouthing you to his buddies, if he has any. How all that crap got in the tank makes you wonder. Was it in a flood or someone didn't like this guy and threw whatever in the tank?

I have been in business you know for 40 plus years and took me way to long to say one word that I couldn't say if I made money or lost time. The word is NO. Trust me time I have lost over the years and money lost to fix the vehicles your a magnet now to I could have retired. Your expendable people use people and you will find out your a stepping stone and you will be walked all over. I love the content but do not neglect your family because of these piles of junk no fix vehicles. I skipped vacations worked long hours lost tons of money buying special equipment just to fix something that I might never see again. I am now vehicle specific and no more muitlple shop auto zone parts cannon vehicles ever again time is to valuable and people will use you. I love the content I see you as me 25 to 30 years ago when vehicles were not so complex but people can still through monkey wrenches in. I do like the fact of the scopes and the technology we have today to make it less difficult but still lost time you never get back in your life.

If this was my business and I have a you tube channel, I will fix this car for free, just to show my viewer the repair and learn from the experience, They money that come form the you tube will cover the losses. I love your show and thank you Evan be kind please.

Threatening legal action is not cool, If he had watched some of your video's he would know what a straight game you play. My suspicion is he was stressing over buying a bad vehicle and thinking he could get it repaired cheaply.

Sorry you got a bad customer Ivan :( He shouldn’t of bought that Volvo… as they say, cheap for a reason. He should of known it could of ended this way

The idiot threatens to sue you THEN sends you pics of the filter? Is he trying to say hey look, I can clean the tank! WTF??

I wonder if gas is sloshing into a defective carbon evap canister somehow? If not, maybe install a plug on the bottom of the tank so it can be more easily drained and figure out a way to back pressure the filter and clean it enough without removing it? The pump itself may not like back pressure so it may need to be pretty low psi. Maybe just remove the particulate filter on the pump and install an easily removable fuel filter downstream and rely on the pump surviving long enough to clean out whatever is in there? Does the guy have insurance to cover someone dropping foreign material down the filler neck?

The fuel problem was never really diagnosed. What was the fine black substance that permeated that tank? How did it get there? Either somebody put it in there from the filler or something else within the system deteriorated and infiltrated the system. What else within the system had access to the gas tank that would leave such a residue? I see in the comments that charcoal from the vent system canister is implicated, and it seems like a damned fine guess absent any proof. What say you, Ivan?

I know your frustration Ivan . some want to heckle on the price and ur already on the low end compared to the dealer. I have worked with guys who flip cars and there the worse cars bought from auctions. they look for mechanics chump.

Another saying i use to have. You can't make chicken salad out of chicken shit. I have asked if they know the differences and got a answer no. I would say I don't want you making making any chicken salad.

He sent the car to you with a stalling issue. You diagnosed it as needing a fuel pump. You were wrong. When you took the fuel pump out you said you can see sludge on the filter screen. You chose to ignore that as a possible problem. Think you screwed the pooch on this one

Fire him, over the years I have fired dozens of idiots like this. Even if they don't sue, they will try to ruin you verbally with other folks. I trust my intuition, and if I get a bad feeling about a client, I will politely refuse to take the project. "Customer declined recommended repairs, No Warranty", when I worked at the dealerships, this disclaimer saved my rear end countless times.

Hi Ivan, your sentiments are spot on. We learn from hard issues. Thanks to your videos, i,ve managed to get my 2006 Ford Transit running again. Just mot welding to do. I purchased a good clamp meter and scanner for around £270 Ford wanted over £500 to sort problem. So money well spent, plus do some code reading for people, just £10 a pop. So as a learning tool your videos are A1+ A couple of hell cars a year are great entertainment.

Most vehicles can be diagnosed and resurrected if feasible. Some people on the other hand….😂👍👍🇺🇸

oh well, you got take the bad with the good ones, great learning experience with European obfuscated cars!

Awesome series, thanks for posting this it was not an easy one. So I caught a glimpse of the motorcycle, so when is the next motorcycle adventure? Wondering when you're going to jump in a 45° pond at 6:00 in the morning 😃 . Enjoy your summer ⛱️ , looking forward to your next automotive adventure!!!!

I suspect a charcoal canister failure of some kind. This customer can take a long walk on a short pier. I hope he is reading these comments. If you have no money, you do not buy a vehicle such as an XC90. That's what Corollas and Civics and Mirages are for. The tow bill alone has to cost more than a fuel tank cleaning.