Car inspections and mechanics "diagnosis" for imaginary problems

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

Just wanted to say that I do work in the auto industry.

There are some calipers that are part of the emergency brake system in certain vehicles. When the emergency brake lever is pulled, or the button (yes some are activated by buttons) is depressed it will trigger the caliper to apply pressure to the brake pads. Thus holding the car in place as a parking brake.

This isn't the case for all vehicles, but certainly is the case for some.

Rear calipers seize, they go bad by rusting in place, and the rubber parts age.

Re-honing the bore is possible to a small degree by hand, after prying them apart. A rebuild kit for the rubber parts costs only a few dollars. However, the process takes hours of a mechanic's time. I suspect you haven't done it yourself, or you would know how tedious it is.

Alternative would be a rebuilt caliper, which in my opinion is one of the best bargains in the automotive industry. Some are under $75....not a big deal compared to the shop time it would take, and they are rebuilt better than by hand, especially the honing and electroplate.

This summer, I did 2 brake jobs and another full bleed all on German cars. Went through over a case of brake fluid. It's a piece of cake if you get the hang of it. I can do better work myself than a shop, where they just slap it together with either crappy cheap parts, or overpriced oem parts. I get better than oem for less. I did my front Mercedes for $45, German BOSCH rotors and English EBC pads. You just have to shop.

a reply to: StallionDuck

I have a Saturn Ion Redline that would give your Hellcat a very good race from a roll.

Just last month, I was coming within 5mph of multiple Hellcats from a dead stop in a 1/2 mile event.

More fun for me to build it than buy it. Cheaper too.

a reply to: cynicalheathen

Yeah but this hellcat that would beat ya is right off the lot If I put 2k into it, I could give it an extra 100hp.

Though, the new redeyes will be faster than both the hellcats AND the demons for the same as the current hellcat pricing.

Palms are getting itchy and I already feel my pocket getting hotter. Might just have to burn a few holes.

a reply to: StallionDuck

From a dig, sure, ya'd beat me. From a roll... depends on if I caught traction or not. I wouldn't bet against me.

I can make extra horsepower with a simple turn of the boost control knob. At the 1/2 mile race, I was 2-2.5 psi (20-40whp) low due to technical issues, which have since been fixed. Car has made a confirmed 421whp, but should be good for 460-470 on higher boost. I need to get it to a dyno again to see. This is in a car with a curb weight of 2900lbs.

I could duplicate my entire setup for 7-9 grand, including the price of the car. With a bigger turbo and different transmission, these cars put down 650+ whp.

As much as I'd like something like a Hellcat or Demon, I simply don't have the disposable income. So I have to play with what I have.

You are absolutely right. My husband is a master certified mechanic, and we opened our own shop this summer. That was something we vowed to never do to people. I'm glad we have gained such a trustworthy name. We have so many people come to us for a second opinion telling us another shop told them they needed 5 things fixed, and it turns out only ONE thing needed to be fixed. It's seedy to lie in order to make money period. There is no shortage of cars that need actual problems fixed, so there is NO reason to lie. I really feel like someone needs to start cracking down on shops that are scamming people.