SHOP of SHAME: They installed ILLEGAL PARTS 😡
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- čas přidán 13. 01. 2024
- Hey Good People,
I had a Chevy Tahoe in the shop this past week. The main complaints were that she experienced lost of power and a check engine light with a P0420 code, which is for a catalytic converter. The thing is, she had previously went to another independent shop where she paid them to replace the catalytic converters already.
Follow me along in this video as we discover what the issue is. Comment your opinions below. I love hearing from you guys.
Your favorite Mechanic,
Alex
#alexthecardoctor - Zábava
Props to you for consistently calling out these shady shops. Keep doing your thing! 👊🏾
Appreciate that!
alex i love your content. that said avoid calling out specific names when slamming others. the main reason for this is never ending bs defamation lawsuits. they will bankrupt you even if they are frivolous. also, the other day you asked about oil filters check out scottie kilmer or brand ranks on filters. in summary its more critical than quality oils. you should delete this message after reading so the company you called out doesnt get wise to the idea of a lawsuit.@@AlexTheCarDoctor
This is almost like why I got in to working on my own car back in 2014, a shop was trying to charge me over $500 for brakes and I couldn’t afford it at that time so I had to DIY it and since then I’ve learned so much. Mostly thanks to mechanics on CZcams showing how it’s done. Thank you!!!
Buddy I got to amen that same reason I got into as well
That’s why I learned how to work on my own cars. You never know when a mechanic will screw you
i have trust issues. my wifes friend car bas hid lights dealer wanted $800 parts and labor. i charged her $100 for labor and had it done in about 3hours. next time less than a hour. 😂😂😂
Yep , do it yourself whenever possible .
Shady shops need to be called out. Customers already do it.
Alex is just a stand up guy . a lot of respect to you man
Thanks buddy
I heard of a mechanic shop out in my area who used to used parts out of wrecked vehicles to fix, they got caught by the trades commission for that.
Yeah those looked like cheap after market cats. They almost always cause a p0420 code. Thats why they installed those spacers. But like you said you never put spacer on the front 02.
I sure wish y’all were closer. Thanks for being awesome!
Some shady shops have gotten better due to the cameras and social media sites but some still exist and I have huge respect for people like Alex. I too work on my own vehicles from getting burned 20 years ago. I have an attention to detail like no one I know so it only makes sense. Keep up the good work and continue to call out and hopefully ween out the shady shops. Much Props
Just had your channel pop up and now subbed. As a former auto tech for over 15 years long ago, I commend your straightforward honest approach and diagnosis. Always refused to rig repairs, improper repairs can injure or worse to people. (also the vehicle yet that is secondary) Keep up the good work and you will never regret the discipline to proper mechanic practices.
Thanks so much for the sub! Welcome to the fam!
We need more honest mechanics like you who actually diagnose properly
Wow man good find there. Thank goodness the customernfound you so it can get fixed the right way.
Man I appreciate y’all’s honesty you don’t see that very much at all these days, if I still lived in Savannah I’d bring all my vehicles to you 🙏
Bro I love your honesty and how you treat the customers. I'm in Ga and get some of the same stories from customers about previous work.
I just treat people how I want to be treated, I think that goes along way. unfortunately it’s running rapid throughout the country people getting ripped off.
I'm just wondering if the other shop really put those spacers on there. If the cats were new, seems like they would not have needed them. Of course, you are never suppose to need them. They may have put them on prior. A mechanic would know how to put those O2 sensors on without twisting up the wire, twist the other way the amount of turns you need where they end up straight when tightened. Thanks for sharing Alex, great diagnosing.
Aftermarket catalytic converters aren't made to OEM specs most of the time because the honeycomb is not as much... Less $ than OEM
So putting spacers on the rear oxygen sensors may fake them out... Agreed front spacers should not be installed at all
If they aren't up to OEM specs, then they should not be used. You are putting an inferior part on your car. You should not have to fake it. You may as well just put a piece of pipe in there and bypass the sensors somehow. If it affects the fuel trim of the engine, you have a problem. I think most of that is controlled by the mass air sensor. I don't truly know, the best way is to do it right.@@ricebike
They likely gutted the cats
Awesome honesty Dr. Shops don't realize that if you do honest work , ppl will pay. Yes, you will have customers that will nickel and dime, but honest work will have repeated customers.
Well said and so very true!
always a pleasure to watch your videos Alex and Mrs.
alex, I love your charisma and communication and people skills. You are an inspiration to rookie technicians, like myself.
Alex, Thanks for the ball joint check procedure...Awesome.
Any time!
That shop is to say away from called Tarkus Auto Car located at 265 S Main St. Bay 15 Jonesboro Georgia, 30236
STAY AWAY FROM THEM
Thanks for the location I didn’t have time to look it up
It's always a pleasure to use the giant pliers! Great work doc
I started learning how to work on my Silverado & it turns out I reallllllly enjoy doing so. I’ve gained so much knowledge in the past 2 months & think this is the beginning of a newfound passion. I don’t have it in my heart to do anyone dirty like others. I deliver quality in my actual job/trade now with whatever I fabricate & weld. Shame on those crooked people for taking someone’s hard earned cash like that.
That is awesome! I feel the same way. Plus I wouldn’t want anyone to do that to my wife or kids if they were paying for a service.
Wow unbelievable that shop can actually get them selves in a lot of trouble and possibly even shut down for doing shit like that…🤬
Thanks Alex for this video i have 2011 Tahoe if i have problems like this truck did i no what to look for.
thanks for the ball joint big channel lock trick. Ill have to try it.
I know those are cheap cats I bought one off eBay to fix the flex pipe on my 98 Camry lol. After looking at the weld quality I took it to a local muffler shop instead. He welded a new flex pipe. I haven’t had any issues since.
hey bro I jst looked at ur channel while ago and u say things straight up and I like tht jst whn I watch rays repair and I've working on cars since I was 13 with my sister and she got me into working on cars and loved eversince so good job I'll keep watching ur channel
Will this be helpful to pass emissions ? If you have a bad catalytic converter that is ?
Safety, speaking of I wish you had supported the vehicle when it’s up. Your a good dude, hate to see bad things happen. Just food for thought. Thanks
Which autel scanner do you use!? And which do you think is the best?
This is a shame that you trust other shops and they use cheap parts I noticed Nissan and American vehicles you can’t use aftermarket parts if it’s a Toyota or Lexus you have a chance but not all the time
Someone put spacers on the upstream sensors. Someone doesn't understand how the system works. Just wow.
Exactly! I hate to call out a mom and pop shop but this is just wrong!
@@AlexTheCarDoctor You did the right thing. Shops like that give us all a bad name.
I aint ever seen a spacer on the pre cat sensors😂. It's one thing to put a spacer on the post cat o2s, it's another to scam someone out of new cats.
With the control arm bushing being bad on one side when you think it would be better to replace them both because it won’t be that much longer the other sides going to be bad
Absolutely. I always recommend both but I am transparent with the customer about the conditions of both. While I recommend both sometimes their wallet can only handle one side at the time sometimes.
Mechanic like you always have a blessed Days, Thanks for your tutorial 👍🙏
In this case the other shop screwed that customer, but I've had customers come to me and beg me to install O2 spacers so they can pass smog and I refuse which usually leads to them doing it themselves, the fact that shop put spacers on the up stream O2's just proves to me those mechanics know nothing as all that will do is throw codes for the up streams not working as expected. Also, magnaflow makes some of the BEST aftermarket cats and I have installed them even on older 5.7 GM's and they worked perfectly and were half the price of the OE cats. Not only that but they offer different cats for different states, I'm in California and even talked to one of the specialists at Magnaflow on the phone and they confirmed to me that their CARB certified and federal cats are exactly the same aside from the CARB stamp which tacks on a $1000 increase lmao and they were still half the price of what the OE wanted. You can also get certified universal cats that are tested to not throw check engine lights on confirmed engines, Magnaflow and AP carries them and they offer them with CARB certification at a FRACTION of the cost of a full replacement and you can turn around and sell your old cats for a cool couple hundred bucks a piece to LKQ. If you buy universal you'll be paying the cost of labor but a decent muffler shop could probably do both in about an hour and you could save your customer a cool $500 or if you're not in California, you could potentially save them close to a thousand.
Thanks for your input. I will give it a try. Thanks for watching.
So if you remove the upstream spacers, do you get a regain of power? More accurate reading for A/F ratios?
Instead of moving the spacer to the rear O² sensor, they charged the dude 2k for a new cat. Smh
Where are you located? I’m in Covington GA and can’t find a noise on my Corolla
Good work - always sad to see tpms light on!
Wish your shop was in columbia sc, not many good shops here why I go to the dealership and they aren't pocket FRIENDLY
Ball joints have a spec that should be measured with a dial indicator. Some manufacturers give more than others. Just a heads up for the potential lawsuits. You seem like you are trying to do good for your customers.
Damn!!!! You called the shop out!! 😂😂😂
All the time, every time 👨🏽🔧🩺
It's such a shame how many people get taken advantage when it comes to car maintenance
This is a GREAT video, thanks for sharing....Stay blessed
nice video, as a retired Mopar tech seen this alot, at dealership. Get vehicles in that the owner is already mad, because they have spent so much money and still have problems. believe it or not there are alot of "people out there that think they can work on vehicle, i call them parts changers. replace enough parts you may fix it. sometimes these parts work, sometimes they don't. Some parts must be replaced with OEM parts, some can be done with aftermarket. Have seen so-called tech, take parts and make them fit other vehicle to spend less on their end of job and charge regular price to customer. believe me have seen my share of shody work, even from dealerships. I used to train new guys at the dealership fresh out of trade schools. I always told the the best advise i had was when you get thru with a job on a vehicle , other than being cleaner, they should not be able to tell it was worked on. that means no broken pieces, wiring and connectors put back as they were designed. No broken connectors or connector locks. all the bolts and fasteners where they belong and the correct 1's.
funny I used those aftermarket cats on 2006 and up Chevy trucks and the vans and we NEVER had any issue using them . now we would never use them on a vw or audi and some Toyota . I have also used the MAGNAFLOW cats $650 worked perfect 💯💯. I used walker for a GMC savanna van $550 again workd perfect . give them a try Alex you won't be disappointed
Thanks for sharing
The issue here is the cell of the cats some euros need 600+ some of the cheap cats are only 400 and your high flow cats can be as low as 200. One of my bmws cats is 900 cell. No after market cat will work as they are not that high and will throw codes. On my audi, I had to tune the car after installing a high flow cat. As it would throw codes all the time.
What's the name of the scan tool i want to buy
These videos are great I thank you!
Glad you like them!
I love that you sound like Keegan Micheal Key doing a character, subscribed
I can't stand when mechanics are shady about the parts, putting cheap or used ones on.
It depends on the part and what it is. I would rather used over cheap depending on what it is. They should guarantee their work. When it comes to the Cats, new is the only way, unless it is a newer vehicle that was totalled or Junked. If you purchase cheap ones off of eBay, why are they cheap? Bite the bullet and go new if your car is in good shape.
@@jthonn No, when anything on your car can leave you stranded, then towing bill back to the shop, atleast a day or two in the shop, and we all know most mechanics will try to wiggle their way out of a guarantee. Don't make excuses for people putting cheap parts on and charging top dollar, or worse a used (refurb), and not telling you it's not new.
Oh no, I agree, you took me the wrong way. Like I was saying, it depends on what part. Cats, brand new from dealer!@@gottahavegoalsset
This is why you go in for a 20 dollar oil change and leave with a 1200 dollar bill cause the so called “bad ball joints”
That’s what Im saying. Went in for something completely different and left with a big bill for something unnecessary. I don’t know about this one.
I put some spacers on the rear O2's on my dads truck, he said he was not getting cats! He just didn't like the light on 😅😁😁
Mine runs better than ever with straight pipes
I bet, I can't talk my dad into straight pipes lol!@@kellismith4329
I use the spacers only on the down streams cause of the aftermarket cats that unfortunately are not that good dealer prices are insane i tell them now they have a choice so that problem i leave it on their end aftermarkets suck
This is sad, same reason why I work on my own vehicles also! Never know nowdays what kind of work you'll get half done
Appreciate what you all are doing Alex, thank you. If that was my ride, I’d probably just delete the cats.
Thank you for watching
I been owning and working on GM vehicles the last 28 years and I finally threw the towel in on Gm and jump ship! lol I'm thinking anything from 2000 to 2014 is pure headache far as parts going out left and right! Its a never ending fix. Shout out to you Alex and your crew good work!
Newer than 2014 is even worse. 2000-2014, stuff was ok😂
If your shop was here in El Paso, TX you would destroy 90 percent of the shops here with no competition.
I had to install those standoffs of my rear O2’s as well (not the front lol) cuz the converters plugged up and made my truck run terrible, difference is I didn’t just gut mine I cut them off and took them in for the $$$ and now have just pipes in their place
What a surprise the old up sell you need this and that
That's an AFM motor I think. Wonder if it's had any lifer / cam work.
So how’d you get the check engine light to shut off? Did the gas mileage issue go away?
I swapped out the catalytic converter for an OE type and remove those front spacers to get the fuel mileage back, no more issues
Fifty years ago, the term "shade tree mechanic" was given to hot rodders who would use a strong tree limb and a hoist to pull the engine out of a car. And I'm sure the shade was a bonus to work under. Today we have some mechanics who don't need a tree to hold a hoist to pull an engine, but they sure are definitely shady as hell. Good on you for calling out incompetent and janky mechanics who are charging outrageous prices for lousy work.
You need to wear your safety glasses when you get under the hood period
Wifey always getting on me about that.
my shop has that same exact scanner
O2 sensor out of the flow will also carbon up and go bad.. but how TF did they manage to twist those wires that bad? Isn't there a connector on that?
Looks like it needs tires and alignment too lol
I agree with everything you said Except about the cats. Although OEM is ideal it's not the only option. Quality aftermarket Cats are great too and although still expensive they are great option for a customer to get what the vehicle needs and save them money without sacrifice. I live California and we have strict emissions and aftermarket cats work great.
I hear ya, but seems like these days aftermarket aren’t cutting it for Chevrolet especially. I was having a meeting with some vendor reps and they themselves told me it was best to get them from the dealership. Chevrolet in particular. I haven’t had any issues with other brands and using aftermarket though.
I have coustmer that i have had for years they like my work! And they always do everything they need done! Shame on who ever installed those and made a bad repair!
Funny thing, i had a customer purchase cats from me. I installed them and they came and brought me some spacers. I installed those as well and made sure i noted that customer provided some after market sensor adapters lol
Why would you need them if you installed new cats?
@@jthonn exactly! But hey, they wanted them on.
There's a good possibility that the engine is burning oil , hence the new cats and new O2 sensors. After they installed the sensors they may have loaded up again and thru a cel . So they installed spacers to get the sensors out of the direct exhaust stream. You also have to remember even aftermarket cats HAVE to meet very strict EPA and CAFE standards, they dont make them all willy nilly. Ive never had problems with aftermarket oem styled cats. Im sure there are bad ones from time to time. You'll have that with anything. Im not trying to rain on your parade just my 2 cents. Im glad to see that you look for safety items , there are some SCARY vehicles that share the road with us, you're fixing them one at a time! Keep it up ! Good job !
You’re two cents is appreciated here. Thank you.
The spacers are to get the poor quality aftermarket cats to not set codes.
Some people just have the short sighted mentality that they have to scam people to make money. They are also usually quite incompetent, which apparently leaves being a BS artist their only option (like why are you putting a spacer on the upstream sensor to defeat emissions?). The concept of making an honest living eludes them.
Which is crazy because this is a good customer she’s already spent good money with me on multiple vehicle…. Their loss!
Luckily my town has a very honest/ reputable shop.
Lots of shady garages out there.
You got that right. That gives them a bad reputation and no return customers ending up in their demise.
learned that early in life along with learning how to work on my own vehicles. i havent had my vehicles in a shop in 30 yrs and dont plan on it any time soon. ive invested into the specialty tools and moved to the high end tools as it makes working on vehicles more enjoyable for me. the money ive saved doing the work myself is what i used to buy to tools i need and want.
ive been wrenching on everything for 35+ yrs but im not a professional and ive never worked in a shop. ive been doing concrete for 30 yrs and wrenching is my hobby and past time.
Chrysler vehicles actually use the downstream o2 sensor to manage long term fuel trim. If you space them out you will have a constant short term fuel trim adjustment but the computer will never compensate its long term fuel trims.
Correct! Not just Chrysler. What gets me, is that those spacers were made for the old style spark plugs for an engine that burns a lot of oil, basically to change a regular plug into an oil firing plug. I always thought they were stupid even for that, because they do make oil firing plugs.
Good call. Cheaper is weaker.
I need a mechanic like this one in Minnesota, LMK WOODBURY
That’s what happens when you plug in the sensor before you screw it in. Thats why those wires are twisted so bad
Some guys don’t know what they don’t know. If the repair didn’t work, take a guess and try again, and Whalen that fails go with the Shotgun Method…… Honesty is a beautiful and hard thing to find this trade
I've went to a garage for 3 weeks started bank 1 sensor one took it to have it put in then they said it needs 2 bank 1 an 2 an yea check engine light still came on soil just fixed it my self
Ahh yes the old anti fouler trick probably sponsored by your local shade tree.... 😂
I mean if it a customer do it right but my car I had my cats cut off right when they said nomo emissions and I don’t have nomo problems
Absolutely! 💯
Hi Alex big fan, just curious why not at the very least fix the exhaust leak and take out the front spacers? I'd think that would take priority over the ball joints...no? Thanks
That is what I did but my attempt at the exhaust was unsuccessful,good thing the truck never left with that exhaust leak. We installed new catalytic converter
Where you located Sir looking for a good mechanic to maintain my SUV
That left front rack arm pad is making me nervous...
2010 Chevy truck puts in gear opppps all neutrals 😂
She gonna have to get her tag in a non-emissions county.
I wonder if we will see the day that a vehicle inspection/diagnosis/repair will all be done under surveillance and available for patients owner to watch upon request? I wouldn't be surprised if Alex the car doctor auto repair shop might already do. I should do that to myself when I try fixing my repair but don't remember how reassemble it
In the world we live in today, I wouldn’t be surprised if the cars start being manufactured with their own cameras that the owner can tap into at any given time. Tesla already has cameras on the outside. Maybe they’ll add some under the hood 🤔
@@AlexTheCarDoctor well glad to know that there's 1 car repair shop in America that doesn't take advantage of "the patient's owners" Anyhoo, I enjoy the videos and content 👍
imagine her asking for the old converters back from the other shop !!!! she could of rolled down to the scrap yard for a grand.
$350
I installed a spacer on my rear O2 sensor cause be my luck someone would chop off the new cat as soon as I installed it.
You don’t have to buy cats from GM. They told me that lie when I had my 96 Tahoe. Back then they were $1200.
Yeah for the older GM’s you can go aftermarket. But these newer GM’s I’m having to warranty out cats every few months. Only thing that solves the problem for good is getting them from the Dealership.
Dude.... you missed the front tire inner threads. Very uneven wear. Safety first man. Those tires were horrible.
Good call! I failed to mention in the video, but I did notify the customer. I always re inspect when the camera is off to give it my full attention incase I miss something.
Bad tires , oil leaking, belt. Alignment, I bet she say she don’t have the money she didn’t have the money for the other shop either..
Love the channel...she needs tires as well
Now I’ve put some pretty cheap cats on my personal vehicle and buddies vehicle but at work I ordered them from the dealer or 1-800 radiator they are the on close to not exactly oem quality
Whats the best car to buy with 4 cylinder now days
Now it all plastic crap get something older.
That is one heck of a question. Most people will say Toyota or Honda, can't say I totally agree with that. Whatever you buy, keep up with the maintenance.
Cheap plastic at that! Thing is you have to go to real old to find one of those today.@@k9under
The fact they plugged them in then screwed them in is dumb founding
Mechanics don’t screw you I find 99.9 percent of the time people tell you what Joes cousin said was wrong with it and you have to argue with the costumer and ask them if they want you to diagnose it or just put whatever they say is wrong with it no way a reason mechanic did this job bet i want to see the ticket.
This happens a lot! At least down here in GA. Just seen a new customer today, same problem. Had the cats replaced, code came back so he took it back and they “fixed” it. He came to my shop today, I looked under there and it was a spacer there. This happens more often than it should unfortunately.
Why would anyone put spacers on the upstream sensors?
Your right. I thought about that also. If they hadn’t. And sensors were good. Fuel trims should have been good.
The overall health of the engine may be compromised. Leaking head gasket(s) can ruin the exhaust cats. Good luck.
Good input here!