Tune-Ups - REQUIRED!

The photo included in my post is to visually stress the importance of routine maintenance. A simple spark plug change with estimated cost of $145.00 would have saved this person an additional $1100.00 on the replacement cost of two damaged catalytic converters.

The owners manual gives a mileage interval to replace a normal wearing part. There's good reason too, the spark plugs pictured here aren't just normally worn, they are actually worn away.

Much more material is gone than what I would expect to find at the correct replacement mileage.

That brown coloring is was un-burned gasoline, money just being tossed blown out the tailpipe as the SUV went down the road.

The CHECK ENGINE or SERVICE ENGINE SOON lamp had been flickering away for hundreds of miles.

BTW.. Why do they call those warning lights, "idiot lights" anyway?

OMG! Those QR Codes ARE HERE!

So whats in this Qr Code for your smart phones like Android or the iPhone...? Do these help you to find my business? Can they be considered business cards of the future and the future is here now? Or are they just randomly placed pixels that appear to do something only a smart phone can understand. For your Beta testing enjoyment I submit a two examples of the smart phone code for your testing. Let me know if they work and how well by use of the email link through our website

I will work from your input and provide the local tester with a gift card to another local business.

“Seriously Officer they work..!(?)”

Let’s talk license plate light bulbs. Local law enforcement awards violation certificates for the one blown out light on your vehicle. The most popular of the blown-out bulbs is the license plate light. The lack of illumination won't cause a hazard; it just makes our super reflective Washington State plates harder to read by that police officer behind you right now.

So respect the law and save a couple of hundred dollars at the same time. John's Lake Joy ToY will perform a safety inspection with next oil change. We repair any of those bulbs that have faded or blown-out and then you pay John's Lake Joy ToY that $100.00 we just saved you on that ticket.

This 2006 Toyota Sienna required disassembly of the complete tailgate just to replace two bulbs. Yes license lamps, but cheap to repair compared to that special certificate..

What is a HEPA FILTER really for?

Isn't it amazing how the replacement of a single filter can have so many good side effects. This is a special filter as its only purpose is to clean incoming cabin air. Removing dust, pollen, and sometimes little critters; I think it has a very special purpose!

Ever had a strange odor appear from out of nowhere after turning on the heat/defrost/AC in your vehicle?

Better yet; have you had the thrill of seeing a mouse looking back at you from under the dash as you were driving down the road? Both the smell and those tiny little eyes are really special experiences, but still scarier than hell when they occur. Wouldn't you agree?

Look at the castle some mice were in the middle of building...

The photo above is from just behind the glovebox.

Fresh air is drawn down into your cars' cabin fan!

New and good for another 15,000 miles!

There is nothing like knowing you are driving around in a rolling "mouse motel".

We check these filters quite often here at Johns Lake Joy ToY.

EEK! Surely..Shirley is that SMOKE!!

Calming a frightened customer; after they drive up with smoke rolling off of one of the front wheels, this takes talent.

I watched my wife Gail handle the situation with confidence in a calming/cheery manner. Once again our years of experience paid off. Shirley seemed to gain her confidence after exiting the smoking van as well. What was smoking you ask, have a look..

Flushing brake fluid once per year actually costs less than the labor to replace brake pads!

PS: This shows what hot brakes can look like..

HOW ARE YOURS?

Part II - Leak, Leak - Where is that leak?

Discovery and final repair don’t always go “hand-in-hand”. After welding and reinstallation, I again tested for leaks. Whoa, looky there another leak, actually leaks. First one: Exhaust manifold stud sheared off in cylinder head. Looked as if it was still securing the manifold with a nut and washer, but smoke pushed by behind the washer. Warped manifold is normally the cause. Right then I remembered the freshly replaced catalytic convertor. Removed head pipe and heat-shielding again, pushed oil based smoke into it and more welds showed where they were cracked too. Here’s another photo;

Normally as the convertor starts to plug up it causes exhaust system in front of it to super heat, which in turn can make for cracks and breaks if driven for a while.

One and a half hours later all welds were ground out and replaced. Smoke testing the system after installation showed that part was now sound. BTW a replacement part costs around $500.00. The car was originally here for brakes, not exhaust leaks.

Leak, Leak - Where is that leak?

It was just another typical Friday afternoon in June-uary. It's nearly the end of the day and my gut says the exhaust leak on this 92 Maxima is not the headpipe gasket.

Talked to the customer, told him I want to remove the complete head pipe and look for cracks. You see I used my smoke machine to source out any and all exhaust leaks. What didn't make sense though was the way the smoke curled out below the flange on the head pipe. One would assume it was the manifold or gasket, but my gut feelings said to look deeper.

I removed the pipe, ground off the welds on heatshield and look at what I found. Apparently one of the welds popped off and this WAS the exhaust leak.

These pipes are made out of "want to be" stainless steel. So, come Monday I will run a test pass on a nonimportant area of the head pipe with a mig welder. After that it gets reassembled, resealed and goes down the road. This should make Mike the customer happy!

Here's a picture;