Air Intake hose was 'slightly' loose.

This produced 7 full pages of error codes mostly pointing to the demise of the entire drivetrain.

The technician turned a screw, cleared the codes, drove the car.

$98, lady at the window, etc.

 

WOW! That hurts, but I guess it is good that it wasn't more involved.

Thanks for keeping us updated. Glad I don't do my own oil changes anymore! I would certainly screw mine up!

 

Confused.

Are you saying they charged you $98?

For what?

 

Yes.

As the old adage goes... for knowing which screw to turn.

These guys are kinda brutal. I called back the service writer to request a shuttle pick up. I said: "So it looks like I owe you an hour of labor huh?" Her reply was: "You got my message didn't you?".

Like I didn't already feel stoooopid enough.

I'll tell you what really worries me... This "minor air leak" from a loose screw messed up a sensor called an Air Mass Meter. AMM's tend to fail eventually, typically from nothing more than age. On all the cars I ever worked on, a dead AMM would put the Enigne Management system into "limp-home mode" where the car was driveable, if at reduced power, with a CEL on the dash lit.

This car... apparently... if the AMM should ever go slightly out of calibration (or develope a slight air leak on it's own) the car completely freaks out and makes really ugly noises.

I don't know if this is sign to keep a closer eye on certain things... or to leave it the hell alone.

Whatever.... it's just been a bad week... only Monday too.

 

Just noticed you are in AB.

They probably wouldn't have nicked me for an hours labor up there huh? They probably would have had a good chuckle at my expense and sent me on my way... especially if I bought the car from them for full-chump retail.

Ah well... It's expensive down here... REALLY expensive if you're a dumbass.

 

About a hundred years ago, a guy took his gun to the gunsmith. Said it wouldn't work. The gunsmith looked at it for a couple minutes. Then he took out a screw driver, and tightened one screw by a quarter turn. Handing the gun back to the customer, he said "That'll be a dollar." The customer didn't think turning one screw a quarter turn was worth a dollar, and said so. The gunsmith explained. "Turning the screw is only ten cents. Knowing which screw to turn is forty cents. Knowing by how much to turn it is the other fifty."

 

Ok, so I am confused....how did this "screw" get loose and what screw it is? I have taken apart the entire air intake on this car and have not had a problem...other than forgetting to plug the MAF sensor back in. Where is the AMM?

 

Sorry, old habits die hard. AMM ~Scandanavia~ (Air Mass Meter) = MAF ~rest of world~ (Mass Air Flow sensor).

I changed the Air filter on Saturday, it ran fine on Sunday, then it went to hell in a handbasket today. They claim the air box to runner clamp screw was "slightly loose".

Weird huh?

 

So was the loose screw your fault or did it just work loose?

There should be a $98 difference in the answer to that question.

 

Most of the charge I am sure came from "pulling the codes" if I had to venture a guess.