Anyone heard of this?

https://mecp.com/

Just curious. Guy I used to work with at Toyota. Knew him a bit before that too. Don't have time to do the shit myself since the twins were just born.

yea, that's mainly something a stereo shop would be looking for. Installer at best buy for example.

The rep from the Car Toys who fucked this 7 series in my shop right now has it.  So I looked it up. Never heard of it.  But I did hear him say heat shrinks are not required when doing butt connectors behind the dash.



Lets wire a power and ground right next to each other with exposed metal!  Yay!  He explained to the customer that butt connectors with built in heat shrink were VERY expensive.

I think the ones I have in the shop from Worth run me 10 cents each.

The tech schools



Nothing like they use to be. They are nothing but printing presses now.

Omg it is dead.  I had guys in the single digits on Thursday.

Been very slow for us too.  Occasional waiter rushes, but afternoons are slim pickings if you don't have something already.  Been like that for weeks.  Very strange since December was a record breaker.  We are even down a guy (although he turns next to nothing so no biggie).

We're super busy if you guys want a career change lol.

Did a turbo yesterday, it's always neat to watch the metal smoldering and change color after running for a while.

Doing a service and inspection this morning.

Gasket leaking? No problem.  Just at RTV.  Right?  Right guys?  Right?

Well, no one ever said you can't....

if they would have used red it would have held

Took the ML350 in and got paid to do a 70k mile service.  While I was doing the transmission service I overfilled it and drained it several times since they installed the torque converter plug in an area that is inaccessible.  I did this while it was running so the fluid got mostly changed instead of half changed.  Then, because I had the stuff laying around I replaced all the other fluids too, except the coolant.  Rotated and balanced the tires and installed my modded steering shaft to eliminate the clunk.  Sent it to detail for my courtesy wash and got it back with a missing weathertech floormat clip and a broken cup holder.  I spent two hours fixing those items.  I'm dissatisfied with my free wash.  This wash was performed by a manager.  

I knocked down fifty hours on a six day week, and it was all I could do to get it.  It was a real struggle because we didn't have enough work.  Two guys called out sick, which I'm certain was because they'd rather get eight hours for a sick day than less for being there.

I got approval to replace a dashboard and heater case, radio screen and console wood in a new GLC with five thousand miles on it because it was in a major accident and there are tiny glass particles embedded in everything.  It has scratched up the wood trim and the screen, doesn't vacuum off the surfaces and cannot be fully removed.  

I am waiting for a wiring harness from Germany on an SL 550 due to fluid wicking.  I have one leaky cam solenoid, four leaky injectors,   control unit and harness.  

I imagine the same guy will get both jobs from me because they are bigger than I can handle.  I also had to pull a car in to a stall with a floorjack under the front end, and the rear wheels on roller skates because a tree jumped out in front of this cls63 AMG and ripped the entire lf wheel off with the control arms and strut still attached.  The brake hose ripped off but somehow the wheel speed sensor wire kept it attached.  Thank God for the power pusher and our variety of stuff for dealing with dead cars.

Had a ratty old e class sitting for several weeks, finally got the go ahead to do ignition switch.  Old key unlocks car but won't turn, New key does nothing.  Put in ignition switch, New key will turn, old key will not.  Car won't crank because engine control unit is not compatible?  So possibly someone swapped in a used module and it won't work because it's married to the car it came from?  I'll have to wait for the exciting conclusion because i desperately need some time off.

Toyota master tech walked out of the dealership this week.

They paid him a $5k bonus for getting his master cert and he worked at this dealer for about 3 years so they had a ton of money invested in him. Part of his MDT cert was getting weekends off.

The dealer GM has hired a kid that is going to college to work on Saturday to be trained. They wanted the MDT to work on Saturday and train him one day a month.

He asked for a 8 hour bonus plus get whatever he turns to do this. The GM said no so the tech said no. The GM told him to take a couple days off and think about it.

So 2 days later he came to work with a wrecker and picked his stuff up and rolled out! So the GM started bitching out the service manager about it like it was his fault

I hate working weekends.  It would be in writing if I went anywhere that I would not work weekends.

I enjoy every story when a dealer is reminded that technicians are not property or endentured servants.

If I hadn't looked at the name next to the post, I'd almost think I wrote that.  If you aren't a complete retard, or even if you are, but you know how to hide it, you look like a goddamn rockstar in 90% of shops.  If my route hadn't been 60 miles from home and I wasn't tired of the drive, life would be different right now.

One thing I did when I was selling tools that I probably "shouldn't have" was that I had 2 shops I'd do troubleshooting on the side for.  One called me last week wanting to know if I was still interested.  Unfortunately he's a customer of where I work now, so I won't do it.

Loctite high flex form in place gasket. I swear that stuff will seal anything.

True story

I walked into a shop, car raised on the rack and a guy is using a power probe to diag a starter


It's hooked to a car battery




That's in the floor, not the battery in the car.



He'd been working on it for several hours.

There are times where I don't even bother to help, because I don't want anything to do with it.  Nope, I didn't see a thing.  Not my problem.

It looks as if you've been inflicting self harm.

No, Ive just been replacing an engine wiring harness.

An intermittent tire pressure sensor can ruin your day.  Two on the same vehicle is just not fair.

It's still dead.  We don't even have half our usual hours.

Other team leader found a CAN blocker on an instrument cluster plug.  Mileage magically increased by forty thousand miles when it was removed.  

An independent shop brought us the car thinking it was under warranty.  They had just bought it from auction from MB financial services.   Was a lease from Florida.  Someone is going to start having serious legal issues.

Yeah that will not go well for someone.

cool thread

tagged 'caused somebody shorted the butt-connector on the "subscribe" button

This is fixed.  The bracket was drilled and tapped by the Car Toys lead guy.  And he put the head unit back in over this to cover his mess.







Here is the screw he used in that hole.  Modified since the head was too big.

So I got this rc 4x4 truck for my son.  Because I want to live through him by making sure that he has all the cool shit I always wanted but never had.  Six is a good time to get started right?  

It may have lost control under my command and did a few cartwheels across the driveway at high speed.  It drove fine but later I saw that it bent two drive axles.  One is really messed up.  I straightened them in a vise for now, and ordered more.  Since it seems to be something called "hsp"  and comes from China I figured I'd buy some stuff from eBay.  And because it has plastic parts that flex and caused the axles to get bent, I got all aluminum everything.  And a nitro aluminum frame I can modify for it because it's electric.  Because it cost like eleven dollars shipped.  I'm sure it will have a few challenges but nothing some files and a drill can't fix.  On the bright side it's way cheaper to fuck around with than a C5.  And when it crashes, nobody gets hurt.  Parts are cheap.  

Friday was pretty dead.  We did an evaluation on fuel pump guy.  I team leadered a guy who was attempting to dump his problems on me.  Simple questions like what have you done, what are you going to do next?  Just so we are clear about it, I am NOT doing anything FOR you.  It worked well enough and I believe he saw the error of his ways.  I mean it's dead as hell.  It isn't like you don't have the time!  

Saw other team leader assisting a tech troubleshooting an inoperative microphone on a 2007 clk.  They were still working on it an hour later.  I quickly realized what was going on and brought up work instructions for installation of the cell phone.  There were some jumper wires that never got configured.  They don't fully appear in any one diagram because they are part of three various optional systems.  The car was ten years old and had never worked properly.  Th  New owner noticed it.  If I hadn't installed a bunch of these things a decade ago, they would still be scratching their heads!

Did voltage drop test on fuses.  All were .000 except one at .001v.  This made finding a 1.4a draw quick and easy.  Took five minutes to do what normally takes hours.   Quick kill on that problem.

z my face when you tell someone not to get a diesel, then they do.  Then they neglect the maintenance.  Then they don't fix it.  Then you tell them that they absolutely need to get rid of it rfn.  And they don't.  And it gets towed in because it won't start.  And you are $3500 deep in to the adblue system and have no end in sight.  And it needs a timing chain.... yesterday.  And it needs an oil cooler, brakes, tires, axle boots, maintenance.......  I'm getting a sob story and I cannot begin to give a fuck.  He was warned, informed, and chose to do nothing.  The chickens have come to roost.  The vehicle is essentially worthless now.  And it won't be worth much even if it didn't need all these repairs because he beat it to death.

Double tap

Let's get some more out of the story! What year make model and what's going on with the adblue system?

12 r320cdi.  Purchased pre owned via interwebnet.  Customer never does maintenance.  Last one he had did over 100k on air filter.  The current one he has had for maybe three years.  100945 miles.  He knew last year that the check engine light was on, and it needed an adblue tank module.  

He calls and says it is counting down starts.  I tell him to add adblue and watch it.  I remind him that when it goes to zero its done.  He asks how to reset it.  I tell him that you can't.  When it sees the system functioning it resets itself.  He keeps on driving and it hits zero.  He acts pissed off about it.  I asked him what he expected to happen.  He knew it was broken, and did nothing.  He wants me to come reset it.  I tell him that isn't possible.  It gets towed in.  He expects me to just drop everything and fix his problem now that it won't start....

He would periodically mention that the system would dump adblue like crazy and exhaust would smell funny or smoke. He never once had it checked out.

I take the laptop out to the parking lot, and perform adaptations and get five starts remaining out of it.  I drive it in.  Well when I started it, it sounded like it was trying to jump time.  Chain rattles like crazy.  

Pull codes.  Adblue temp sensor faults and something about the injector operation.  I cannot do any testing because the adblue sensor reads zero degrees and the system believes that the fluid is frozen.  

I get further flustered by the extremely sketchy aftermarket trailer hitch which blocks the adblue tank from being removed.  Now I have to pull the bumper and remove the hitch.  

He gets hit with massive estimate.  Begin adblue system repair, four hours and a $1500 tank module.  Oil cooler at thirteen hours.  Timing chain at ten hours.  Axle boots.  Tires, brakes, maintenance.... the body damage is all over, seat cover is wrecked, it's filthy, neglected, and destroyed.  It's been neglected and run until it quit.  

I explain that I can do nothing more until it gets adblue system functional, and it needed to be dumped asap.  He agreed to begin repairs.

I pull bumper and remove hitch.  Drop tank, replace module and clean off the nasty shit all over.  I filled the tank and reinstall it.  Begin tests.  Fluid temp is good, heaters are good... injector doesn't work.  Pull it, it's clean.  13 ohms.  Jump it, no clicks.  Get another.  $540 part.  System won't build pressure.  Needs a $1200 pump.  I go home.  Frustration and anger build.   He has been waiting for four hours, I say I'm going home.  

Next morning I pull hail Mary and flash engine control unit.  It causes the five start remaining message to clear.  I put the old injector in, return the new one.  Throw the bumper on and park it.  I gave explicit instructions to not start it, not run it.  Drive from parking spot straight to carmax down the street, shut it off and sell it.  Take whatever they offer.  

Our sales manager refused to take it.  We didn't want it.  Customer showed up, paid Bill, emptied his shit out of it, and went to carmax.  I advised him to not buy another Damn diesel.  He has already found one.  I get pissed off and point out that he drove this thing in to the ground in just 100k miles.  It needs ten grand in repairs.  What makes you think that the next one will be any different?  They all do the same thing.  We replace adblue systems on sprinter vans every day, at seven grand a pop.  We do timing chain replacement and oil cooler seals every day.  If you get another, it is going to fail in the same ways, and you were told that this would happen.  You ignored me and bought it anyway, and now you have a vehicle that is essentially worthless.  

I haven't heard back.  Don't care to.  He is a fucking idiot and I'm sick of his entitled attitude.  Perhaps accommodating him so many times has trained him to just ignore it until ultimate failure when he knows I'll bail him out.  Well he brings nothing to the table but aggravation.  It's not like we ever made any money by doing overdue oil changes and giving estimates for work he never had done.

Customers be stupid, yo.

Somebody's  kid jumped on a golf cart in the show room late last night, and drove it in to a brand-new e class that was to be delivered this morning.  $80k.  He broke the grille.  Car has radar sensor there, and no suitable donor was available.  That's how today started.  We were swamped, I was stressed out all day.  I came in early and opened, started working on my corvette.  Immediately the SM calls about the e emergency, and I stayed slammed all day.  Ended up finishing my own car around 6:45 and raced home.  The new synthetic transmission fluid seems awesome so far.

Saw this on Facebook and thought of you guys... 

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Mother of all tool bills.

It was after five when the call came.  Salesman stranded with customer and her kids on highway.  They were test driving a Gl diesel and it quit.  I jumped in the courtesy van and picked them up.  The thing would not click, crank or anything.  It had a timing chain forty miles ago.

Used car?

But  of course.

Well then.


That doesn't bode well.....

Engine would not crank.  Very difficult to turn over with breaker bar.  I pulled vacuum pump off the front and see camshaft spin with crank.  Good.  Not the chain.  Keep digging.  Pull belt, no change.  Cannot get starter to click or anything.  Starter is basically inaccessible.  Jump power to solenoid  nothing.  Pull right side injectors, rail and valve cover.  Everything is cool.  Mark chain,  crank engine with breaker bar, inspect every link.  Engine becomes easy to turn.  Chain is perfect.  Borescope cylinders, perfect.  Reassemble.  Engine spins freely with breaker bar.  I figure out that the asshole salesman lied (imagine that) and burned the fucking starter up.  It remained engaged to the flywheel making it incredibly difficult to turn.  So I don't know why it cut off, or whether it will start.  Fuel pump and fuel are good.  Ordered a starter.  We will see what's up tomorrow.

Ever seen a MB dealership give shit away? They give free engine diags also.

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While you're here, noticed you're due for A or B service, can we knock that out for you and save you a trip?

Trust me, we give shit away all day every day.  Usually to the least deserving.


So a starter was installed on previously mentioned diesel.  Nothing  else was done.  It turned over real slow like it had a dead battery for two seconds.  Then the new starter smoked.  The new starter which took five hours to install.  Engine seized again.  It was surreal.  Put long breaker bar on it, it took all my strength to make it budge.  Unbolt starter, no change.  Turn engine a few times with bar, it begins to spin much more easily again.  Engine is being removed for teardown.  We suspect a spun bearing or something like that.  I've never seen a Mercedes starter fail like that.  It  fucking nuts.  It was used for literally two seconds.

Rod bearing number six.

About four month ago another shop put cam lifters and active fuel management in this 5.3. Looks like they get to try again.

In New Orleans for work

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Nice.

Tool expo?  If you have a chance can you ask Autel why my maxis mini wont turn on?  Battery wont charge.  The wall charger and the car charger both don't do a thing.  

fuck them people


sounds like the tablet is fucked, I'll ask tomorrow.

My parts manager and I share/make memes most weekends.

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Working a major fleet is great for this.