'96 3000 gt-vr4

**Too Fast** · 02-10-2009, 02:43 AM

It killed itself.......lol. Test driving this car for a shaking braking condition, customer had a 7 point list which looked like he got from his internet buddies. Getting up to speed, pulled pretty good 1st gear, shifted into 2nd and the gas pedal went to the floor like it broke the cable, the car revved pretty good, then shut off. I'm on the side of the highway, trucks going past, kinda scarey. The air inlet for the throttle body came off, downstream of the MAF, causing the stall. The clamp fell on the linkage, causing the WOT problem. Only had a small pocket screwdriver with me, it wasn't enought to keep the clamp on, so it would start, run for a second, and stall because it kept coming off. I drove it like this to get farther away from traffic, then was able to get it on better.

It had full (I think Borla) exhaust with no convertors, a "racing clutch, be careful you will stall it 10x trying to get it into the shop". Never did stall it, his list of things was not the shaking condition, has four bald tires, fixed a tie rod, alignment. The shaking was from warped front rotors, but he insisted that was not the problem since all 4 were new as well as pads. Slotted and drilled.

It did pull nicely from 3000 to 5200, but then it ran out of steam even tho 7k redline.

**4tun8** · 02-10-2009, 06:33 AM

You redline customer's cars? I'd be really really really mad if I took my car somewhere and they beat on it.

**DIRTY JERZY** · 02-10-2009, 07:07 AM

It happens every where every day

**mrr23** · 02-10-2009, 08:04 AM

then to post about it.... i've seen threads where mechanics posted up about beating on customers cars. one got caught and subsequently fired. if i remember correctly, it was a cadillac CTS-V.

**Raptor285** · 02-10-2009, 10:19 AM

Every time I get my car back from a shop and they have to test drive it, it's in performance shift...I should bolt on a 2.8 pulley and let people work on it, then let them buy me a new engine when they go out and beat on it. If I actually found out for sure anyone beat the shit out of my car I would not be happy...as of now I am thinking they probably just have a little fun with it, otherwise my tires would be bald and they would probably get pulled over.

You really shouldn't beat on the car unless the driver needs work done that requires that (high rpm problems, ect)

**Too Fast** · 02-10-2009, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by 4tun8

You redline customer's cars? I'd be really really really mad if I took my car somewhere and they beat on it.

Uh, let's see. No where did I say I redlined his car, I shifted it twice at 5500 RPM. The car has a 7000 redline. I did not beat on it. There is a difference between reving someone's car to 5000 then dumping the clutch (beating on it) vs. getting up to speed to merge with interstate traffic.

I drive customers' cars with more respect then I drive my own.

I think beating on a car is having to rev a car to near redline, dump the clutch and hope the driveline doesn't explode to get a sub 5 sec 0-60 time.

**Too Fast** · 02-10-2009, 02:14 PM

Originally Posted by Raptor285

Every time I get my car back from a shop and they have to test drive it, it's in performance shift...I should bolt on a 2.8 pulley and let people work on it, then let them buy me a new engine when they go out and beat on it. If I actually found out for sure anyone beat the shit out of my car I would not be happy...as of now I am thinking they probably just have a little fun with it, otherwise my tires would be bald and they would probably get pulled over.

You really shouldn't beat on the car unless the driver needs work done that requires that (high rpm problems, ect)

I did not beat on the car!!! Or other customers cars.

I would not be happy either if I saw someone take my car for a beating!

Getting up to merging speed, not spinning anyones tires, no clutch dumping is not beating on a car. I just thought it was funny how this car popped off its' air inlet to its' throttle body when the boost hit.

**Wesman** · 02-10-2009, 06:51 PM

As a technician, its good practice to treat a customers car like you would treat it if they were riding with you. You never know when you could end up on Dateline NBC with a hidden camera showing how you were driving.

Basically you want to drive the car in a way that best helps you diagnose the problem, not in a way that may make that problem or any other worse.

So if a customer comes in saying the car stumbles at 3000RPM, you verify the complaint by taking it to the specified interval. If they say the car shakes at 70MPH, you take it to that speed, don't go pegging it on the speed limiter.

However, on the other hand, there are situations where you may need to drive the car in a performance manner in order to diagnose the issue. If the customer reports that the car loses power right before redline at wide open throttle, thats how you're going to have to drive it to verify the complaint. In that case its totally legit. Use good judgement and you won't end up on somebody's bad side.

As for the 3000GT falling apart, thats normal. Those cars are very poorly build and are widely known for being unreliable.

**Too Fast** · 02-11-2009, 02:01 AM

Originally Posted by mrr23

then to post about it.... i've seen threads where mechanics posted up about beating on customers cars. one got caught and subsequently fired. if i remember correctly, it was a cadillac CTS-V.

And those "technicians" should be fired.

Originally Posted by Wesman

As a technician, its good practice to treat a customers car like you would treat it if they were riding with you. You never know when you could end up on Dateline NBC with a hidden camera showing how you were driving.

Basically you want to drive the car in a way that best helps you diagnose the problem, not in a way that may make that problem or any other worse.

So if a customer comes in saying the car stumbles at 3000RPM, you verify the complaint by taking it to the specified interval. If they say the car shakes at 70MPH, you take it to that speed, don't go pegging it on the speed limiter.

However, on the other hand, there are situations where you may need to drive the car in a performance manner in order to diagnose the issue. If the customer reports that the car loses power right before redline at wide open throttle, thats how you're going to have to drive it to verify the complaint. In that case its totally legit. Use good judgement and you won't end up on somebody's bad side.

As for the 3000GT falling apart, thats normal. Those cars are very poorly build and are widely known for being unreliable.

That was my whole reason for the post. Glad you understood anyway!

**konigandy6** · 02-11-2009, 07:12 AM

Originally Posted by Wesman

As a technician, its good practice to treat a customers car like you would treat it if they were riding with you. You never know when you could end up on Dateline NBC with a hidden camera showing how you were driving.

Basically you want to drive the car in a way that best helps you diagnose the problem, not in a way that may make that problem or any other worse.

So if a customer comes in saying the car stumbles at 3000RPM, you verify the complaint by taking it to the specified interval. If they say the car shakes at 70MPH, you take it to that speed, don't go pegging it on the speed limiter.

However, on the other hand, there are situations where you may need to drive the car in a performance manner in order to diagnose the issue. If the customer reports that the car loses power right before redline at wide open throttle, thats how you're going to have to drive it to verify the complaint. In that case its totally legit. Use good judgement and you won't end up on somebody's bad side.

As for the 3000GT falling apart, thats normal. Those cars are very poorly build and are widely known for being unreliable.

And Chris Hanson will come out of no where... "why don't you have a seat right over there!"

**Too Fast** · 02-11-2009, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by konigandy6

And Chris Hanson will come out of no where... "why don't you have a seat right over there!"

Don't know who Chris Hanson is, but I am not worried about any hidden camera in any car that I work on. Nothing I do will get me fired or result in disciplinary action by the company against me. Nor anybody else in our shop, we are reputable.

I do love to see those hidden camera episodes! Dumbasses caught on tape, then trying to say they did nothing until they see the video.

**konigandy6** · 02-11-2009, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by Too Fast

Don't know who Chris Hanson is, but I am not worried about any hidden camera in any car that I work on. Nothing I do will get me fired or result in disciplinary action by the company against me. Nor anybody else in our shop, we are reputable.

I do love to see those hidden camera episodes! Dumbasses caught on tape, then trying to say they did nothing until they see the video.

You know... Chris Hansen... they host from To Catch a Predator on dateline NBC?

**Too Fast** · 02-11-2009, 04:29 PM

OK, googled Chris Hansen and found out I don't have to worry about him. I'm not a sexual predator, just guilty of driving customers' cars to find out what the problem really is.

**konigandy6** · 02-12-2009, 03:01 AM

Originally Posted by Too Fast

OK, googled Chris Hansen and found out I don't have to worry about him. I'm not a sexual predator, just guilty of driving customers' cars to find out what the problem really is.

You are molesting vehicles!

**Too Fast** · 02-12-2009, 03:08 AM

Sometimes I'm a little slow. Built too low to the ground, they fly right over me!

**konigandy6** · 02-12-2009, 03:20 AM

Originally Posted by Too Fast

Sometimes I'm a little slow. Built too low to the ground, they fly right over me!

Tis ok.... I would have felt retarded if no one got that....

**Superluminal** · 02-12-2009, 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by 4tun8

You redline customer's cars? I'd be really really really mad if I took my car somewhere and they beat on it.

Same. My friend had that happen to his car at a paint shop that was painting his car. It was a reputable shop and they do good work, but they took his cammed C5 ZO6 for 70 miles of joyriding. Needless to say, they got fired.