Fiddle Faddle and What Kind of Cars to Buy

Here I sit, at my desk, snacking on Fiddle Faddle because it is the only simultaneously awful and addicting thing I can find to nibble on. As I chew on the terrible stuff (oh so good!) it help stir the juices for my latest and much overdue dose of information.



I get the question far too often from people whose vehicles are making a slow exodus: rather than spend $3000 fixing my beloved Taurus up, what do YOU think I should buy? I have a somewhat stock answer for this eternal question, by means of which I will also outline a small history.



Look, I never was one of those guys who poured over Motor Trend and Auto Week and other similarly titled magazines which make presumptive arguments about horsepower and torque. I can probably count on one hand the customers I have come in contact with that actually understand these terms or care about them. Besides, those folks on that hand already have souped up cars and therefore need not the opinion of yours truly.



So, this is actually for you - dedicated readers - who veer toward practical, reliable, easy-to-understand vehicles that are not the product of ridiculous engineering acrobatics. I can tell you what I see as a business owner and how certain cars are wonderful and always seem to have little in the way of maintenance, less in the way of cost, and lots of availability of parts in the aftermarket; and those despicable machines that cost $500 per backfire and for which parts must be shipped from Siberia.



OK. One word: Honda. There simply isn't a better car maker out there. I know they are a little pricier - but the things are awesome. Easy to work on, extraordinarily reliable, maybe a wee bit boring I grant you. But, they seem to have everything right. There is a unbelievable lack of pretension associated with these cars and if the maintenance is done - they'll drive 300,000 miles and cost you a fraction of what other cars cost over the long term. I'll also tell you that Toyotas are great. Even with the issues recently with an accelerator problem, they are still excellent cars. Both these makers have their share of funky models that DO seem to have problems (hello CRV!), but other models are solid: Accord, Civic, Camry, Corolla, Tacoma and Tundra. Then there are the Subarus, of course. The outback is solid, brother (just make sure the head-gaskets have been replaced on older models...)



Can't afford it you say! Want some American car makers you say! Alright. I understand. I'm going to tell you what my mechanics like, because I already told you how I swing. The Dodge Diesel truck is a favorite of one of my guys and another absolutely loves the Chevy Avalanche (I mean loves!) The newer Chevy Impala seems to receive little scorn, or it's sister the Malibu. Saturns (aside from 1998-2004 years) are remarkably problem-free as are Jeep Wranglers.



I'm quite sure that European car makers have some fine automobiles (we all know they sure does look reel nice), but I believe that the makers of these cars spent too much time sitting in the Louvre pondering ways in which they could make their cars different from all others, and thereby frustrating mechanics across the globe. When we work on these cars we simply shake our heads in dismay and ask, "what in God's name were you thinking?" Sadly, this must have carried over to some American auto makers as well, because Ford sure does some crazy stuff with their vehicles.



I won't pan too many cars, because I'm not trying to make enemies. I'm just hoping to give you THE INSIDE SCOOP.



And, I'll end with one last thought. No matter which car you buy, please, get the thing inspected. I can't tell you how many lemons could have saved being purchased had the buyer simply brought the car to the shop for a $60 look-over. That, my friends, is not Fiddle-Faddle.



Hope this helps...

Two-Way Street

We have discovered two distinct groups of customers that come into our shop: those that love the dealer and will only have work done there except for the occasional oil change, and those that despise the dealer and avoid them at all costs. From our side of the counter you may be surprised to know that we have the same outlooks. We have, on occasion, referred our customers to the dealer when problems seem beyond our grasp or specific equipment is required to get to the bottom of an issue. In the majority of these cases people are happy that their problems get resolved even if it means that their wallets are empty and Christmas gets moved to some time in April. But in other cases the customer may get taken for a lot of money or, equally as bad, we get the short end of the stick from a feisty service advisor or technician who loves sticking it to the little guy.

Here's a recent example of this problem. We had a customer come in from another shop that had just run a diagnostic, and who's car had a "check engine" light on. The other shop told her that she needed a solid tune-up on her vehicle but she decided that the price they were asking was too exorbitant and ours was more reasonable. Typically we ask customers if they would like us to run our own diagnostic to confirm/deny this finding, but the customer is always welcome to decline this if they want. This happened to be the case in this scenario. Regardless, we pull the information from the vehicle that is causing the Check Engine to make sure we don't get reprimanded if the light fails to go off after the repair (which it didn't).

The light in this instance was being caused by a "Misfire on Cylinder 1". This issue can be corrected with a tune-up, but not always. When the light came back on, the customer came back and we checked all the spark plugs and wires and found no problems. The technician then proceeded to switch the spark plug from cylinder 1 with the spark plug on cylinder 2. Sure enough the light popped back up and indicated the misfire on the same #1 cylinder. He then tested and ran a fuel cleaner through the injector system to rule out a problem with the injector itself, followed by a swapping of the #1 injector and the #2 injector. Same code! He deduced that the problem had to lie with the very expensive Cylinder Head or with the vehicle's computer. So, we referred her to the fancy-shmancy dealer to problem solve.

Here's the sad part of this story - you may want to get a tissue to dab at the tears that will likely flow from your ducts - do you know what the dealer told her?

"Maam, you need a tune-up, the plugs and wires that were installed were incorrect." Cost - $145!

Now, if you are paying attention to this fairy tale, you may ask yourself the same questions we did. Think of it like a mystery you have to solve where in the end you are the hero and there is a ticker tape parade in your honor. If the purported spark plug was installed incorrectly, or was itself incorrect...why a misfire on the same cylinder before we even replaced them, after we replaced them, and even when we swapped them! Hmmmm...No other cylinders, just #1. Also, you may realize that the cylinder head was not replaced as that would mean the dealer absorbed the cost of $500 part. Did you solve the mystery?

I can't print this part upside-down like in the paper so you're going to have to just read it as is. The computer had a problem, the dealer tech plugged his scanner in and reflashed it (reset in Macintosh language) and the padded his paycheck with a little tune-up with a garnish of referring to our garage as ignorant. Boom! Customer confused and upset and unwilling to even take a second look at what just happened.

The inside scoop: are all dealers evil? No, of course not. Are some dealers evil? Yes, of course so. Are the customers the only ones that get taken? No. Moral: dealers (or all shops for that matter) need to explain in detail why they are recommending the repairs they are performing on your car. If you understand auto-mechanics and it makes sense -more power to ya! But, if not, feel free to ask the questions necessary to clarify the situation. I know I've published this before, but it bears repeating: people who don't know any better are the easiest target for unethical business practices whether it be auto-mechanics, or plumbing or securing a mortgage. Beware and be smart!