[gripe]
So, the Highlander threw a CEL a few weeks ago. I pulled the code history and then current codes, and saw that it was a minor evap system leak--nothing to be in a hurry about. (Yeah, that was a mistake, and totally MY fault.)
However, I got into a pinch with family and business obligations, and an AC issue cropped-up; and so was forced into renting a vehicle and taking the Toyo into a mechanic that my father considers to be some kind of detail-oriented God of auto mechanics.
A couple days later, I pick up the puddle jumper, and all appears to be well....except....
Less than 25 miles out from the mechanic's shop, the low tire pressure light pops-on.
I stop and get out to check the inflation, and all tires are equal pressure and at spec. Then I notice that the shop swapped my spare to the PS front; which tells me that it's never going to stop throwing the error, because it's an indirect TPMS system on the 04's. The larger diameter of the spare will give me a slower ABS sensor pulse train--enough to force the system to nag me.
Fine....I'll switch the spare back to the carrier...when I get around to it. At least I know what the issue is, and I can keep an eye on tire inflation in the meantime.
Yesterday, though, while I'm about 65 miles away from home, the CEL rears it's ugly head--again.
I stop the car, get out the code reader, and find that it's throwing a P0455, P0446, and P0441--vent and purge flow, with a large leak in the evap system.....grrrrr. I guess a look under the hood can't hurt.
I take a look, and find an incorrectly routed evap hose.
Why did they make a bone-headed move like that?
Ohhhhh! They routed the hose to make the smoke test more convenient to do, and never re-routed the hose properly because that was inconvenient--for them.
LAZY!
They also used some scrap piece of oil line to replace the stock evap hose that was obviously the cause of the small evap system leak. Seriously...it was NOT new oil line, and had either a tire tread or boot tread mark on it.
They also charged me for a stock Toyota evap hose, which is about 100-times more expensive than the scrap of oil line that they probably picked-up from the service bay floor.
So what?
The incorrectly routed hose put strain on the interface between the flex hose from up on the manifold to the hard line back to the fuel tank....and the engine torque pulled the hose loose....leaving it dangling in the breeze....back by the firewall.
There's forethought for you.
So I spend a few minutes tearing things down to get access to the manifold area, and route the hose correctly, then clear the OBD codes. Nice day for it.....it was HOT yesterday afternoon, in LA County.
Sitting in the car, with the AC running, I called the Toyota parts department, back near home, and ordered the correct hose; along with the rest of the components in the subsystem, because everything up there is seriously crispy, and ready to fail anyway. At this point, given the age of the vehicle, there is no reason not to do the system filter and evap canister, too.
The parts will be in at 09:00 this morning, and--oh goody!-- I get to spend a few hours of spare time that I don't have, doing what I paid the mechanic to proactively do in the first place. It's going to be great fun, dropping the fuel tank to get at the canister.....NOT.
Honestly, I would be money-ahead if I had just taken the time, myself, to diagnose the original fault, and order everything needed to remediate the aging evap system components.
Note to self: Stop procrastinating with the small stuff.
Every so-called "professional" mechanic that I have ever run into spends more time setting you up for the next repair job, than he spends competently repairing the current issue with your vehicle.
Outside of AC system repairs, I think I'm done taking the chance that mechanics will do right by the customer; and, even then, I'm buying the parts ahead of time, take them in, and tell the guy EXACTLY what I want done, and how I want it done.
Bleh.....
[/gripe]
So, the Highlander threw a CEL a few weeks ago. I pulled the code history and then current codes, and saw that it was a minor evap system leak--nothing to be in a hurry about. (Yeah, that was a mistake, and totally MY fault.)
However, I got into a pinch with family and business obligations, and an AC issue cropped-up; and so was forced into renting a vehicle and taking the Toyo into a mechanic that my father considers to be some kind of detail-oriented God of auto mechanics.
A couple days later, I pick up the puddle jumper, and all appears to be well....except....
Less than 25 miles out from the mechanic's shop, the low tire pressure light pops-on.
I stop and get out to check the inflation, and all tires are equal pressure and at spec. Then I notice that the shop swapped my spare to the PS front; which tells me that it's never going to stop throwing the error, because it's an indirect TPMS system on the 04's. The larger diameter of the spare will give me a slower ABS sensor pulse train--enough to force the system to nag me.
Fine....I'll switch the spare back to the carrier...when I get around to it. At least I know what the issue is, and I can keep an eye on tire inflation in the meantime.
Yesterday, though, while I'm about 65 miles away from home, the CEL rears it's ugly head--again.
I stop the car, get out the code reader, and find that it's throwing a P0455, P0446, and P0441--vent and purge flow, with a large leak in the evap system.....grrrrr. I guess a look under the hood can't hurt.
I take a look, and find an incorrectly routed evap hose.
Why did they make a bone-headed move like that?
Ohhhhh! They routed the hose to make the smoke test more convenient to do, and never re-routed the hose properly because that was inconvenient--for them.
LAZY!
They also used some scrap piece of oil line to replace the stock evap hose that was obviously the cause of the small evap system leak. Seriously...it was NOT new oil line, and had either a tire tread or boot tread mark on it.
They also charged me for a stock Toyota evap hose, which is about 100-times more expensive than the scrap of oil line that they probably picked-up from the service bay floor.
So what?
The incorrectly routed hose put strain on the interface between the flex hose from up on the manifold to the hard line back to the fuel tank....and the engine torque pulled the hose loose....leaving it dangling in the breeze....back by the firewall.
There's forethought for you.
So I spend a few minutes tearing things down to get access to the manifold area, and route the hose correctly, then clear the OBD codes. Nice day for it.....it was HOT yesterday afternoon, in LA County.
Sitting in the car, with the AC running, I called the Toyota parts department, back near home, and ordered the correct hose; along with the rest of the components in the subsystem, because everything up there is seriously crispy, and ready to fail anyway. At this point, given the age of the vehicle, there is no reason not to do the system filter and evap canister, too.
The parts will be in at 09:00 this morning, and--oh goody!-- I get to spend a few hours of spare time that I don't have, doing what I paid the mechanic to proactively do in the first place. It's going to be great fun, dropping the fuel tank to get at the canister.....NOT.
Honestly, I would be money-ahead if I had just taken the time, myself, to diagnose the original fault, and order everything needed to remediate the aging evap system components.
Note to self: Stop procrastinating with the small stuff.
Every so-called "professional" mechanic that I have ever run into spends more time setting you up for the next repair job, than he spends competently repairing the current issue with your vehicle.
Outside of AC system repairs, I think I'm done taking the chance that mechanics will do right by the customer; and, even then, I'm buying the parts ahead of time, take them in, and tell the guy EXACTLY what I want done, and how I want it done.
Bleh.....
[/gripe]
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