The check engine in my Duramax came on (again) due to a faulty glowplug. They know this year truck has a set installed and a service bulletin covers this. Of course they will not fix them all at once and I have to go back as each one fails. Very inconvienient.. Anyway, This SHOULD be the last one. Here is the bamboozle. Of course, I take the truck to the dealer to get this taken care of. I know what it is as I read the code before hand. I know the code that was in the system (At least prior to driving it to the dealer). The service writer calles me today saying (another) code for a sensor is showing (along with 4 K of "service" my truck needs with 78K on the OD). the sensor repair is just shy of $600. I tell them no to any repair other than covered items. I pick up the truck with the check engine light still on. They say it is due to the other sensor. I drive to 2 separate auto stores to get the codes read and cleared (to use different readers) The glow plug that was supposed to be replaced is still showing in the system, but the other sensor code is not there (I dont think it ever was). Codes cleared, engine light goes off and does not come back on, however, the glow plug code is still there and cannot be cleared despite repeated attempts and battery disconnected. If the glow plug was replaced why will the code for that same plug not go away. Do you think the sensor "repair" was ever needed?
You got bamboozled when you bought it but I'd say this is another case of a dealership trying to fuck a customer.
Maybe go to the dealer and have them clear the glow plug code, talk to them about the other sensor, and get more first hand information to make your decision rather than letting the internet speculate.
I’d have asked them to show me on the spot what sensor code they are talking about...when the glow plug code comes up ask them to explain it. Can you visually tell if a new glow plug was installed?
I’ve seen many cases where parts store scanners showed the wrong codes compared to what was in the vehicle when it showed up at the shop... What sensor did they say it needed and what codes were in it? That should always be on the work order. If you were closer I’d say run it by and we would plug in and active test the glow plugs and see if they are all operating.
Yes follow this guys advice. I own a transmission shop and i see this all the time with auto parts free scans. There is a reason shops spend 5k or more for scan tools and upgrades every few yrs. Also find a reputable shop to take vehicle's too if dealership warranty wont cover repairs. Unfortunately the dealers dont have great techs like in old days. Very rare you get one who really knows his stuff at dealerships these days. Best of luck. Steven
I am looking for a good mechanic/technician here in DFW area. I can do the work my self except for I live in an apartment right now and I cannot work on it here, and all my tools are still in Atlanta.
My wife and I have used Davis and Sons on First Street in Garland for 45 years now. Yes, they keep up with the times technology wise. Tell them that Cheri White recc'd them. Edit : assuming that you are referring to automobile work.
Dealership services bays are now tasked with making the profit margins that they no longer make on cars due to the internet making it easy to push them down on pricing. You'd be better off dropping some good coin on a good quality scan tool just to have knowledge of what is there before ever taking it to a dealership for service. When I say a good scan tool I don't mean the $40 dollar unit sitting at Autozone. My position is it is still a dealership trying to make additional money. Find a good independent and at the very least have them confirm or refute the stealerships findings.
Fencer, get your truck over Lee’s Automotive in Wetumpka. Owner is Lee Williams and he’s as good with diesels as anyone I’ve known. Has built a mean hotrod or 2 also. Btw, he will take time and explain exactly what your truck is doing.
Others above said it- get a better scanner! I have this one (very popular with the Sprinter crowd) https://www.ebay.com/itm/Autel-Maxi...h=item33e6e0b639:g:eeQAAOSw11Bb2me8:rk:1:pf:0 I think I paid $160 during one of EBay's sales. Make sure and get the "all systems" model 802 or 805
I agree, there are generic and manufacturer specific codes. Cheaper scanner or code readers are not always correct, either in codes and/ or the descriptors. Glow plug codes don't always mean it's the glow plug, there is still more of the circuit that can be at fault. I've always personally had glow plug failures with these codes, but to say it's always a glow plug is foolish. The fault should clear, if not the fault is still present. Always use BERU glow plugs btw. It is hard to make an accurate diagnosis about the "other code". It should be listed on the repair order, if not I wouldn't worry about it and try someone else. They may be trying to blow smoke or they just don't know wtf they are talking about. Problem with dealerships are the communication channels are too deep and shit gets skewed, or missed entirely. I'm independent and my techs talk directly with the customers if they want to. Try talking to a tech at a dealership, aint happenin! I've even brought my own vehicles in for warranty work and ask to explain to the tech what my issue is because the female service writer who I can clearly tell has no idea what I'm explaining to her, is NOT going to get through to the tech in any meaningful way.
Good ole fashioned communication works well and is a lost art in shops. Dealerships have service writers that talk to customers. So basically you are talking to a salesperson. Some may be old mechanics. Most are not. Honest shops can be hard to find and in this day and age people somehow believe that their time is more valuable than a mechanics or shop they work at. When you go tonthe doctor's office for whatever and he prescribes medicine foe you. Did he or she give you a warranty on diagnosis? Nope. But you sure want one when you pay bill and pick up your vehicle. Yet that shop or mechanic has to spend loads of money to buy new equipment and software every yr just so they can diagnose vehicles. Then they want a better price because some other guy working out of his house says he can do it cheaper. Best advice is ask as many friends as you can who they use for work on their vehicles. Word of mouth is best advertising for a shop. Steven
Good ole fashioned communication works well and is a lost art in shops. Dealerships have service writers that talk to customers. So basically you are talking to a salesperson. Some may be old mechanics. Most are not. Honest shops can be hard to find and in this day and age people somehow believe that their time is more valuable than a mechanics or shop they work at. When you go tonthe doctor's office for whatever and he prescribes medicine foe you. Did he or she give you a warranty on diagnosis? Nope. But you sure want one when you pay bill and pick up your vehicle. Yet that shop or mechanic has to spend loads of money to buy new equipment and software every yr just so they can diagnose vehicles. Then they want a better price because some other guy working out of his house says he can do it cheaper. Best advice is ask as many friends as you can who they use for work on their vehicles. Word of mouth is best advertising for a shop. Steven
I went above that for mine because I was trying to get good coverage for the 4 vehicles we own which are all different manufacturers. I also wanted TPMS capabilities without needing a separate tool. All but one of ours has TPMS systems in them. I ended up picking up an Autel MS906TS. Sometimes the generic OBDII data isn't enough and having access to a good swath of OEM data is needed. Next on my list is to pick up the O-scope module to go with it. So far it has been a really good purchase. Beyond just using it to health check the cars, keep track of the work I do to them and such it has come in handy to change software coding options on them when those options aren't made available through a menu in the vehicle. The GT4 has been enabled for somethings Porsche would charge you to change. The unit has already paid for itself in that regard.
I should have mentioned that was the 3rd time my 4k mile old vehicle was in the shop for the same issue. I knew what they did and from what they did I had figured it was transmission case porosity (not prevalent but it happens). It fell on deaf ears and I cried lemon law and shit got done after that, because they knew, I knew, what they knew. -White Goodman.
