I live in mechanic paradise.

[Zymurgy]

I am very fortunate, I have a friend who is a retired Mopar mechanic that works for a case of beer and refuses to take any cash. I also have a great mechanic that works on modern and classic cars, who is incredible at diagnostics and extremely reasonable with his pricing.

The only thing that has eluded me is my old work van. My mechanics shop is too small for it, my friend does not touch anything with a computer any more. We have a newer used car/truck dealership. The facility is an old utility company service hub, so it has a massive garage to fit any size vehicle. It has also developed a reputation of great mechanics and have very reasonable prices.

My situation the hard lines on the exterior of the rack & pinion rusted through. The stealership said you can't replace the lines, and a new rack, parts only $2,500. I did the research you can find rebuild ones for $300 but need to be calibrated and can only be done with the dealership's computers.

My new favorite mechanics came picked up my huge van on a flat bed, removed the old lines saving the old line nuts, which are purposely made in a very odd size M11 X 1.25, to try and prevent me from replacing them. Bent and installed new hardlines. $250 and didn't even charge me for the tow. I am a happy man!

 

[traintech55]

I just love win / win stories. Good job.

 

[commando1]

but need to be calibrated and can only be done with the dealership's computers.

Apparently that is .
Good for you.

 

[OldWarHorse300]

Lucky you! It's not easy to find people like that today.
...and it's nice to be happy man sometimes!
Regards,
Mika

 

[1978 NYB]

Mike, I hear you!

I have 2 Army buddies that I have known and been stationed with since 1984. We still hang out together and the wives have known us all these years and understand we are brothers for life. We still get together every Saturday morning and make a trash run to the county dump and go have breakfast together afterwards. We have always had each other's SIX on the battlefield and in retirement. I couldn't of done my engine build without their help. Neither will take any kind of payment except letting me pay for Saturday breakfast and occasionally letting me buy them a case of beer.

Eric's garage.....

 

[CBODY67]

Of course, NO reason those lines couldn't be duplicated by the right person/shop with the right equipment to do the bending. At dealerships, as they have a shop warranty to deal with, the perception is that it's better to replace assemblies rather than try to fix it. I know that sounds a bit flaky, but for their normal-type customers, more customer satisfaction with replaced (and warrantied by somebody else) assemblies. Don't have to worry about having to warranty an in-house repair done by a mechanic that thought they knew what they were doing.

Glad you have ALL of those resources at your disposal!

CBODY67

 

[rags]

what make of van? i know sprinters don't need anything special.

 

[Zymurgy]

what make of van? i know sprinters don't need anything special.

It is a Sprinter. It does need a computer hook up if it ever goes into a limp mode. I got some bad information that nearly everything had to be done at the dealership to reset the codes. I had tried other sources in the past, but I never got anyone who could or even wanted to work on it.

 

[CBODY67]

Related computer re-flashes and such can be done by non-dealer mobile services. Their usual customers are independent repair shops. Probably in many larger metro areas. I saw one of their vans in DFW a year of so ago and did a Google search for them. "Elite" (something or other), it is.

CBODY67

 

[rags]

racks in sprinters have no electric connectivity and no modules need to be reset. only thing that would need m-b xentry scan tool is scr related. adaptation of aftertreatment system exceeds adaption etc. got to say though i've never tried to reset adaptions of nox sensors with snap-on scanners which is done through the pcm. anything sprinter, i just go for the jugular with the xentry.