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Follow on Twitter: @RainmanRay4Real
Check out Spicy Shorts on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/ @rainman_rays_repairs
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Support the channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/RainmanRaysRepairs
Patreon is a "Tip Jar" I don't post much there, daily YT uploads are all that I can manage for now
Amazon List, must have for any toolbox!
ATD Tools 13782 10-Piece Triple Square Spline Bit Socket Set https://amzn.to/3RV2fUB
Same as Matco. Mountain 5-Piece Metric Double Box Universal Spline Reversible Ratcheting Wrench Set; 8 mm - 18mm, 90 Tooth Design, Long, Flexible, Reversible; MTNRM6 https://amzn.to/3OJTRp2
Mercedes BMW VW Wheel Stud Master Kit: https://amzn.to/3OszRaL
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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. #commissionsearned.
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“All the videos, songs, images, and graphics used in the video belong to their respective owners and I or this channel does not claim any right over them.
Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.”
Been in IT for 25 years and that's pretty much the story of our lives. People think because they can USE something, they think they KNOW how it works. Which is generally not the case. Example: People can use their smart phones and are constantly telling me they already did what I asked them to do and it didn't fix the problem and the actual cause of the problem is something different. Like, did you power cycle your phone? Yes, and that didn't fix the problem. The real problem is the firmware. Then I handle their phone, I power cycle it, and the problem is now gone. No need to update the firmware that is currently up to date. Same thing happens with computers, websites, printers, and networks. The user always wants the problem gone, doesn't want you to diagnose the problem, but instead because they have the ability to use said item they automatically know how it works. In my 25 years I have yet to have a customer, client, or user be correct. Not a single time. Stick with the process and do not deviate from said process.
Just watched your Snap-op/Harbor Freight video. I'll leave dude's name out but I found it interesting as I am a DIYer (mainly with a '94 Exploder). That said, I use a lot of tools from Harbor and haven't had an issue with their hand tools. For obvious reasons, I won't get into their electric tools. Admittedly, I have purchased tools at other places, if I can't find it at Harbor (predominantly from AutoZone or NAPA). In all, their habd tools have been decent for what work I've accomplished on said "truck."
the ram is a dodge Thay are built by the Chrysler corporation which means that are a dodge.
I worked tech support for a game company, can't count how many times I told the customer the basic troubleshooting steps and they say they'd done that already. Then after an hour of more troubleshooting I tell them "let's just go back and do these steps" and it was one of the steps they told me "they'd done already".
I'm a new field Service Tech. I've gotten plenty of calls where the customer says that their issues are related to one a particular part. But if you know the equipment and how it works you'll find out that it's something completely different. I just ask them what the symptoms are and what the results are and follow those problems.
I used to repair appliances, TV's and such and people would google the issue and tell me what was wrong with their appliance based on the first thing that came up.
Was nearly never the right fix as it was an older or newer model or different brand altogether so used to ignore their diagnosis and do a proper diagnostic.
I do electronic repairs and I see this problem all the time people come asking to just charge a screen or a HDMI port but that's not the wait and then when you do that work and it doesn't fix it they blame you for breaking it or not fixing it I've been bit by that a few times now I have a guide I follow to stop this from happening again
One of the best and most important videos you've done. Semi-retired after 25 plus years in the business and agree 150%!
I shoot a 1 inch group from 100 yards with my parts cannon.
But I still go to the dealer for the occasional confirmation or further investigation.
Actually dodge /ram is just a fiat. That will ruffle some feathers.
The UART is a communications protocol, is that what the OBDII port uses?
you guys charge diag fee befor coming back to cust with diag ? good vid
Happens in computer work – person wants X thing because videos/more expensive computer shop/their computer expert kid says they need it, then when it doesn't do what they want, they expect the real fix to be free. I ask them up front what they're expecting, and then tell them directly if what they want done will work or not. I'll always offer them my solution, and if they insist on what they want done, I'll take their money on the caveat that they know my opinion and that any additional work will cost.
It's not there tranny its there seats to far from the pedals ! But you could hack the tranny to shift sooner !
You never fire the parts cannon at it, always diagnose then fix.
As you said you don’t tell the doctor what you need he does after diagnosis.
Speed sensor codes, wrong size wheels, and customer thinks it's got transmission issues. My guess would be transmission speed sensor and wheel speeds have correlation issues which may be causing the tcm to trigger bad shifts. Hopefully you get to do another video with the actual complaint and diag.
The Frontiers have a issue showing ABS faults that doesn't actually exist when battery voltage dips below a certain spec. It's really not a issue and it's extremely common. When the charging system decides to really crap out it'll fault nearly every system on the truck. Knowing the spec and measuring battery voltage goes a long way.
Maybe the owner is driving with one foot on the gas and one on the brake. People do ya know. That’s where the shutters coming from. Tell HER to practice using only one foot unless there is a clutch.
It works both ways …if you make a diagnosis and throw the parts cannon at it and it turns out to be the wrong diagnosis it should be on you mechanics. Look at it from customer viewpoint
I like your rambles.
I had a Texaco auto repair that turned into a Napa auto care from 1980 to 2005 and your correct on all the things and when u start there is not making them happy.
Mopar my friend Mopar 😉
I'm working on cars but rn im in trade school in high school and m Nad some othrs are putting in a wor9n hotness on a ww1 or 2 willy and the frame rusted we and i found some white powederish stuff in the lights so I guarntee it from war
In California they speed up to get on the off ramp and go slow when merging into traffic on the Hwy… WTF?????
Nissan suck in automatic, but manual Nissan transmission live for ever as long you know how to drive manual . But Nissan suck in automatic , they are weak , very weak . When is hot , it get lazy on torque converter, you hear high power but won’t move at all when hot but when cold it shift ok , as long don’t missed shift from valves body , I hear you said speed input shaft gave reading to speed sensor ? You is output shaft speedo gear give reading to speed sensor sir 😅😊
I'm a software guy, but also do a lot of my own wrenching. I've done a full engine tear-down to the bare block and rebuild, successfully.
I have a (knock-off) Tech2 unit to diagnose my Chevys.
I go outside the process all the time, because I have huge trust issues with auto repair places, and I feel those trust issues are justified by bad experiences.
Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. But I believe auto shops generally don't like the kind of customer I am. It is what it is. But I also don't hold shops responsible for my own diagnostic failures. If I say "install this please" and it doesn't solve the issue, oh well. Thats on me.
You can't put low profile tires and bigger rims on a truck and then complain about the ride quality. Lol. 🤦♂️
Ah yeah, I fix all kinds electronics (primarily computers though) for myself and others as a hobby. I remember the time my dad simply stated "computer crashed, needs Windows reinstall". I did what he asked, then like two days later it crapped itself again. I reinstall again, and same thing. I thought maybe he was being hacked cause that had been a past cause of similar issues, but when I bothered to actually investigated the problem instead of listening to him, turns out his SSD was toast. Now I usually take the customer/client statements as a pointer in what direction to look, and dig into everything myself to eliminate problems until I find something that points me to the problem either based on existing knowledge or past stuff I've figured out that others haven't (the latter is usually very helpful for really weird issues with problems that others very often see or give up on).
my garage stoped doing customer parts due to complaints becuse said part broke wanted the shop to fix it free i understand why most dont do it any longer
People use the internet to try to fix their cars, but the problem the internet will tell you want you want to hear. That happens in all fields even the electronics replace a bad cap can make a device like in million ways depending on how bad it is.
What’s that green flashing light popping up on the dash when you’re turning? 😂
Or go to the Dr n say I bought a ford replace my brain
What about the Fargo truck ?
Nissan have crap for transmissions
I can report the opposite … my steering was sloppy and I had a friend turn the steering wheel while I checked under the car. The drivers side ball joint would move a cm before starting to move the steering assembly. Took it to local garage to have a new ball joint fitted only to be told by cocky young new mechanic there was no problem with the steering or the ball joint. Had to engage with the senior mechanic to get the obviously bad joint fixed. Young mechanic was no longer there when I dropped the car off for the repair.
Currently, whilst at university, I work for an event hire company doing everything from smaller domestic parties to big festivals around Melbourne, Aus, and the last thing you ever do on one of those jobs is assume you know what you need to do because it will ALWAYS go wrong. I've been working at this place for 7 years and I feel I've fallen into that pessimist state with you Ray, because sometimes it feels as though even after following the due process…it goes wrong anyway!
It’s a dodger rammer. Or Rambo..
Lol I had a hacker message me in my post I reported him
I am a massage therapist. Recently I had a client who’s main concern was a lack of balance going down stairs, and was convinced the “lack of spring” in her step and lack of balance was tied in with pain in her hip. After I spent the majority of the treatment on her hip, I worked the low leg and instantly found she only has 10-15 percent range of motion in her ankle!!
Very similar situation, had I done a thorough assessment to start the treatment, I could have focused on the low leg and ankle and gotten a better result. But people don’t want to pay for assessment time!!!
Find a shop you trust. Trust your mechanic to know what the heck is wrong and how to fix it.
Charger 4 door challenger 2 door.
Fiat ram really raises some hackles
That was oem spare tire with 22s.
I work on forklifts. I have a customer i go to that stocks parts for their forklifts and this said customer has a maintenance team for paper machines. Well these guys like to "diagnose" the truck and then call us. And constantly have us install parts that are wrong and or wont fix the concern. All i do is document everything in the R.O explain the the customer that wont fix it. Tell them what it needs and then get told to replace it anyways. So i just tell Mr. Customer to sign here please.
If they are the ones that took the 18” wheels off and put on 22” wheels and are now complaining about ride quality, then I’m probably going to throw out their self diagnosis lol…
If they bought it that way then I’d take it into consideration.
I had a ‘05 Xterra. They had leaky radiator into the transmission cooler. Caused all types of tranny problems.
You're a car racist yeah I said it so you take a paper and you put in the floorboard of a very pretty nice car or truck but when you get in something that ain't so pretty there's no paper in the floor why
Trust….. I back you opinion biased just on the test drive, it made it several miles, no recreation of problem, show them the codes (print out) tell them you can fix their actual problem, and upswell them a torque converter(if they are willing still at that point, with video evidence lol) every one wins,
preventive maintenance prevents corrective maintenance….
Aren’t Nissans known for bad transmissions?
Basics Basics Basics, don't steer away from the basic replace what's needed NOT what others think needs replacing
How many scam repairs or bad efforts does it take before a person decides that while they cannot do the job themselves, or lack the tools and time, that they want to take some ownership of the process? Since there is no way of knowing what caused the person to not want the diagnosis effort (scam, bad repair, story from relatives, etc.) there is no real way to judge their approach. It would be wonderful if we could say "take it to the professional" and it always meant something good – but that is not the case, not everyone in the automotive (or IT, or accounting, or law, or medical, etc. etc.) field is a good, honest, and quality person. You were doing the right thing, but maybe last time they brought in a car they were offered new brakes and axle seals when they were not actually needed (or paid for them but did get them) so they will assume you are just doing the same scam on them.
whats the story on that white obs thats been it the parking lot forever?
Yes. Even in IT, customers/clients don't always know what to ask for. It's your job to interpret. If not, you get the pain you mentioned. That's where your skills and experience comes in.
In the copier and printer industry the customers always seem to "know" what is wrong with the machine. They will tell me what they want changed, etc. If I had a nickel for every time I've heard, "I think it just needs a cleaning" I'd have the Kardashian gals chasing me for my money. I am not going to put in $100 of parts because the customer has a contract and thinks they need replacing. It's unofficially proven fact that 75% or more of all needed copier repairs are because of paper or customer operation damages. I have copiers running on good paper and some on low grade paper. After 100k, I can put the two drums side by side and notice how much more wear one has. A study was done around 10 years ago on how much money a copier jam costs. At the time it was about $5 of time spent by the customer because someone needs to replace a jam. I don't think I ever sold anyone on the idea that a case of paper that costs 10 bucks more and saves 3 jams, you are $5 ahead though.
Ray, when I had a bad day (designer / engineer) first thing I do when I get home is to watch your videos, they are smiles for my bruised soul.
I tell people to never tell your mechanic what's wrong with your car. Tell them what isn't normal about it then ask them what's wrong with it, it'll be way easier on everyone.
I almost guarantee it. I think you are so very right.
I'm a freak, I admit to having an unhealthy love of my car. I know every noise she makes, so any new noise, gets found. she's 21yrs old. if I can't find it, I've got my vw guys I trust her with. When my insane butt decides to replace things, if I get too tried/run out of time, they're my guys. 🤷♀️ I'm lucky, I actually trust my technicians. They're like you.
Hey, nice Fiat 3500 HD. lol
Action packed excitement 😊
I try to make that point often in the forums. Someone comes in and asks if it's worth replacing a trans. You step them back and ask WHY do you think you need a trans? They throw out symptoms of misfires or a broken mount or, worse, have NO codes or live data and insist that they "understand" it needs something.
Ray, or any mechanic here: would you ever go so far in a situation as Ray described as to tell the customer “I am guaranteeing that it is DEF parts and not ABC parts like you are insisting. In fact so much so that if you allow me to replace DEF parts and it does NOT fix the issue, and I can see that, I will replace ABC parts at my cost”?
The tcm took a crap haha
Gross….is that a fingernail clipping on the shifter console? You need a hazmat for this vehicle.
i delt with that sam issue in IT they ask for one thing I do a basic rundown and find other tings that are wrong and it would be easier to fix them but they want it there way
In the end, the cheapest fix is to fix it correctly.
2 doors its a Challenger, 4 doors its a Charger.
As an IT Professional, the first rule is the User is always wrong. They either lie or don’t know how to ask for what they are looking for.
Seems like they might be left foot riding brake, right foot on the gas kind of driver with no clue nobody else drives that way.
Ray, a Dodge truck will always be a Dodge truck, no matter how many times they change the name.
I have always heard if you can't Dodge it, Ram it.
hey Ray this video is zoomed in way too much the beginning no matter what a ram truck is still a Dodge owned and operated by the same company and guess what it's the same mowers and there's a diesel that's usually cummins
As a tech for six years I 100% agree with this video and enjoy the work you do Ray. Keep it up!
This shit happens often enough in graphics arts. There's a reason why we say "Which version of the final revision do you want?" when it's time to deliver something to the client. They know what they want and they don't know what they want at the same time.
In medical school at the turn of the century they used to teach that history was 80% of the diagnosis, examination was 15%, and the diagnostic testing was 5%. Those numbers may have changed over time, but history/ context is still very important to properly diagnosing any problem – whether that problem is automotive or physiologic in nature. By jumping right into the test drive and code scan because the customer refused to give you an appropriate history that makes your job more difficult. Yes, vehicles are now much more intelligent than they used to be, but I have yet to see one that can analyze a number of seemingly disparate diagnostic codes and come up with the correct assessment of the problem. If there is only one code that, in some cases, could still be any one of four or five different problems.
Your a good tech and when I move down there I will give ya my biz. Was in it for 31 yrs and your a good tech.
I am a veterinarian. "Dr. Google says…." yeah, no.
My daily is an 05 Titan and this video taught me a crazy amount of new stuff about my truck… much love from Cali brother.!!! I wish u nothing but the best for you and yours.!
In my experience, mechanic here I will diagnose a problem and explain that problem to the owner and what I would do to best remedy the problem in my opinion and if they insist on pulling the trigger on the parts cannon despite what I said then I will oblige with the understanding being that I will not be responsible or liable for the remedy they insist not correcting the problem.
"The customer had identified the rpoblem can be scary. I was a bomb tech for a while, being assured in advance the issues was a known weapon never kept me fromm wondering what I would Rally ee when I arrived, it was rarely the thing I was told it would be, and it can make a Huge difference "I'm sory sir, if I blew this up safely in place, which ould be clled for if it was what you insist it is, it would take out most of the neighborhood, too"
It stopped being a dodge ram in 2010. My 2012 Ram 3500 title has the make as Ram…. Not dodge.
I think you are correct the costumer should put the decision of what is the problem up to the mechanic and if they have any doubts then they should take it to another shop and get a second opinion then they will have something to compare most likely the two shops will come to the same conclusions if they are very far off then you would have to get a third opinion so forth and so on but if you're going to have someone work on your car you need to give them the responsibility of doing so.
Ray, I owned an Electrical and Plumbing service and had the same problems
Customers telling us what the problem is and how to fix it. After diagnosing the problem and ascertain what really is causing the problem, and telling the customer what they really need done at less money than what they were willing to spend for something they didn't need. They would say we're going to get a second opinion. C'est la vie
hhmmmm… all them codes… sounds like a rebuilt vehicle!
I myself AlmOst bought a vehicle like that!
Could thing installed at a stop sign… where I cycled the ignition key & the dash lit like Christmas 🎄!
Being an ex-mechanic and current IT guy, the troubleshooting process is the same.
It's still a FIAT
There are a bunch of shade tree mechanics out in the field which don’t have the wisdom you have. At times they are unable to properly diagnose the fault. Drivers which have gone through that experience are just wanting to try to determine what needs to be done in order to fix a problem with their vehicle. Their intent is to be helpful. Forgive them. However, Ray, you are the expert. Your expertise requires proper analysis of the problem and letting the customer know that you are certain of what is needed to fix a problem. Customers then have to evaluate whether or not they have the finances to commission your services.
It's a Dodge Ram.
In Australia it's marketed as a Dodge Ram and you literally buy it from a Dodge dealership.
I call Dodges, Rams…..FIATS. SHITTY JUNK IN ANY CASE.
The brake shutter could be a result of the leaking axle seal, wetting the brakes with gear lube tends to make them inconsistent at best!
You are the Pro, they are not. Your right, your wisdom and experience weigh out over their thinking or bad advise.
IT for friends and family. I'm not 'together' enough — and never will be, and the MDs around me can explain it better than I can, sorry — to have a "real job" — but I do what I can with what I have. The people I have the most difficulty with generally fall into two categories… usually simultaneously, alas…
One is the "clever" folks. These are the types that think that when they get a virus, the proper solution is to install another antivirus on top of the one they already have. NO SINGLE ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE APPLICATION IS ONE HUNDRED PERCENT EFFECTIVE but if you have two of them going, they just fight each other endlessly. So they bring it in because "it's slow" but have aaaaalll freakin afternoon to defend the fact that they have Norton, McAfee, AVG, and Avast! on there — almost always all of them the expensive pay-for versions that you never really actually need unless every single non-prince in all of Nigeria is trying to scam you at the same time — as well as SuperAntiSpyware, MalwareBytes, BitDefender, and MyCleanPC — and they actually want me to leave that ungodly disaster of a digital car crash on there even though it's like a scene from a Blues Brothers movie playing out on their desktop… because of course the only REAL problem is the monstrous hornets' nest of viruses underneath.
Of course all this is inevitably running on something like a Dell Dimension 2400 or some other veritable museum piece from around the time the Twin Towers came down and all but three of the capacitors on the motherboard are oozing like Yucca Mountain, but "that's too expensive" to fix… and it's quite clearly got dust in it that dates to around the era of the Antikythera Mechanism. Aaaaauuugh.
The other crowd are the ones that reliably show up month after month with the same exact problem, because every time I try to explain to them, in PAINFULLY simple terms, how not to need me every. Single. Month. For. The. Same. [redacted]. Freaking. [redacted]. Thing. they INEVITABLY stop me midway through the first or second sentence with "Why are you telling me this? That's what I have you for!" Not for much longer, you won't, Miss Edna, and you can bet on that with FAR more reliability then you'll ever get out of that beige monstrosity.
The worst are the ones who do both of those, because they also inevitably second-guess me… mostly because they want the problem to be cheaper to solve than it ever will be, and somehow they think that even though, by their own accounting, they can "barely turn it on in the morning", they have a better idea of what's broken than I do. I've only been doing this for TWENTY PLUS FREAKING YEARS Jeb, and if you want to argue with me that dang hard, you can go and fix it yourself and see just what a mess you make of it. I'm sure you know your way around a tractor, but Kubota didn't make that cut-rate laptop in front of you, HP did, and since they really didn't intend it to be used as a bright-n-early coffee mug, you're going to be paying a pretty penny one way or another.
But, hey, I'm just a Friendly Neighborhood Nerd (well, unless you try to treat me like a dog on a leash!) in the middle of Bumfartt County, North Carolina, what the heck do I know…
That Titan is 2wd, that explains the front brake vibration. 4wd ones would rarely hotspot/"warp" rotors, but the 2wd ones would within just a few thousand miles.
As an appliance tech it kills me how many times I hear that's not what Google says!
Ray..your videos rock!!! First thing I do every day after getting my coffee is check for a new upload from you…keep up the GREAT work!!!
Okay you either need a different headlight or add a warning about strobing lights. Your new headlight is being picked up as a strobe light.
my brother and his gf bought an 05 gmc sierra 5.3l. guy let them know the bank 2 upstream 02 is bad and theres a code. they took it on a maybe 10 minute drive around the corner and bought it. they brought it to me i noticed no coolant. i filled the coolant, changed the 02 sensor per their request and parts. it is once year later. now they have ran the engine to overheat twice and are ocruing misfires like crazy. as a helpful family member i am now the cause the reason for their truck to be in such poor condition when all i did was what they asked…because they felt that is what they needed. didnt ask my opinion, didnt ask for me to diag anything. its a rough life when you really just want to help but no one wants to help themselves until its time to be selfish