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TRMark

TRMark

Jedi Knight
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will strand you if you do not know what to do. This is the brake switch from my F150, but I assume similar to other cars. You have to apply the brakes to move the selector into Drive or Reverse. If this bit fails guess what, you are not going anywhere. I was having to depress the brake peddle several time to engage the transmission, fortunately it died completely in the garage. Checked it out on the internet. Twist the switch to remove it, it then goes to a fail-safe that allows the vehicle to be driven but the taillights won't work. I don't know it the info is in the owners manual, it is only 412 pages, so I could have missed something.

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Like the fuel pump module on the frame above the spare. Corrodes on the frame side from road water and aluminum deterioration being against the steel frame. Was alerted to it and I checked, sure mine was corroded and microchips exposed, replaced with new that has spacers and used marine grease to stop corrosion and water damage. Will kill fuel pump at anytime and stop you dead anywhere.
 
Then there is the story of the bug on the MAF sensor disabling the vehicle, all I had to do was disconnect the sensor at the plug and drive full rich to the shop. Didn't know that, instead we had to wait on a very busy I94 for a tow. Interestingly two weeks earlier I was at the quick lube; I told them not to check the air filter. The reason then was I simply did not want my vehicles disassembled by amateurs. Well, they did anyway. Now I am very blunt and tell them twice. So what happens when you are hunting in winter 25 miles up a FS (Forest Service) road in the mountains, late afternoon and no cell service. The modern vehicle is very reliable, but these kinds of things irritate me.
 
I have always done all the work on my vehicles. I once used an oil changed facility (as I was driving 100 miles round trip to work) to do my oil. I took in my wife's E-150 van for a change, mind you 6 qts and filter, and tech came to my door and shiwedbme my oil was full, while holding the transmission dipstick. I asked how may qts and he said 5. I asked him how can the engine be full when it holds 6. Started to get angry and he said it shows full. I got out and showed him the yellow handle on oil dipstick. While profusely appoligizing I left and never went back. Same with my newer cars, do it all.
 
My son worked at one of the big oil change chains a while back, I milked him for information. They do have procedures to make sure drain plugs are replaced, oil put in the car etc., With a checklist and frequent communication between the guy in the pit and the guy up too. Nevertheless, mistakes do happen, more often involving spilled oil than no oil in the vehicle.

He said the worst part of the job was the pressure to upsell overpriced services, with expectations that they average over $100 total bill for each visit. A goal they often met. That is a lot of air filters, wiper blades, coolant flushes, etc. In addition to the oil changes.
 
When I was doing traffic control for Humboldt Bay Fire,the Firefighter's union
gave me a $50 gift card to the local oil change place.I figured that I'd use it,as it was
a "free" oil change.
I drove in,& soon got tired of them trying to sell me everything.I kept saying
"Just the oil change",but they persisted.Took me 45 minutes to get it done,& they charged
me $5 on top of the gift card.
I'll NEVER go back to one of those places.
 
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