As a Libertarian, I’m 👀💀 over the bumper sticker comments😮 Edit: Re: I'm not part of the Libertarian Party, political parties piss me off too much to be involved with one. Libertarians tend to embrace individual responsibility, oppose government bureaucracy and taxes, promote private charity, tolerate diverse lifestyles, support the free market, and defend civil liberties- Google
Now you know where and why those customers come in and say "I want the old parts back after you are done" so they can at least see that parts were actually replaced.
This is me.... I even ask for my old parts to be put in the new boxes... had some Tom foolery in the past. Folks charging for OEM parts then putting in Chinese knockoffs.
When I replace a part on my car I keep the old parts I put them in the box the new parts came in. It’s so I can remember what has been replaced since I do my own work there’s no paper trail only my memory lol.
Several years back , a local chain automotive shop had a special on brakes. I brought my car in and told them to do both axles. They called me about an hour later and said my rear brakes are fine and do not need work. They could have done them and charged me, and I would never have known. That is the kind of repair shop I like. I still use them because of their honesty.
I managed a shop and a customer brought his 5 series BMW on a tow truck. He had a complete brake service performed by a nearby independent import repair shop. Their technician bypassed the brake wear sensors and installed aftermarket Chinese parts. Owners brakes locked on the highway causing all four wheels/brakes to lock (ABS activated). I was helping manage the shop as I retired as a criminal investigator. I grabbed my camera and took “crime scene” photos of all the damaged rotors, calipers and pads. The vehicle owner returned to the first repair shop to request a reimbursement, the owner declined and called us. We showed him the substandard work performed, the brake rotors were purplish red, it was obvious they overheated. The photographs I took and the parts that were tagged/identified. The owner threatened to file a claim in small claims court with the evidence we presented. The customer was reimbursed with a cashiers check. To this day, I take photos of every job and file them for future reference. We allow the customer to view all of the old/damaged parts. Just like there’s bad shops, there are bad customers!
always grab the old parts, the pars cannon shops make tons of mistakes and more than half the time they take the good part and replace it with Amazon/chinesium part. Having the old parts helps when you take it to a legitimate shop and you don't need to buy again.
yep, if i work on ANYONES car, as I am not a shop owner, I take pictures and show them exactly what the problem is, and what i feel should be done. its up to them if i do the work or not. But pictures and physically involving the customer is always a good idea as they know exactly what is involved and can make an informed decision
Agree. I am in Brisbane, Australia and have a 2007 BMW X3 3.0d (6 cyl diesel). Fortunately I have an independent BMW specialist mechanic nearby for those bits of maintenance I can't do myself. I love my BMW, beautiful engineered vehicle. I don't care what people say about them, if you keep the maintenance up, they are great cars
@@desoneill5489 BMWs are beautiful and well engineered cars. Some will say, Senior BMW/Audi/MB that they’re over engineered. Why? They take some of the take other car maker use or manufacture and add another level of complexity. Thats translates into cost. I don’t see that level of complexity in Toyota/Lexus. I run into many customers that chose to move into a Lexus for that reason alone. If you can afford that BMW, then just stick with it. That’s why you have a choice.
This is why it helps to know your mechanic. Hopefully this will reduce the chance of fraudulent activity. Ray is a rare breed, even honest enough to show his little mistakes. Keep up the fantastic work Ray. ❤
Ray, I am a retired mechanic. This episode was a little painful to watch. First, I love that you are an honest mechanic. And I thinks it's awesome that you explain why and what you are doing to correct a problem. But Ray, may I please make a few comments - compressing the brake pads against the pistons before trying to remove them makes it much easier. Removing the strut bolt to remove the strut added no advantage (yes I know one bolt was still in there). Plus trying to hold the camera and work one handed is crazy, that was a two handed job. (who stole your tripod?) And finally, instead of sawing the rear shock bolt, grab your muffler impact chisel and split the nut. Takes way less time and you get to pretend you have a machine gun in your hands! Just putting my 3 cents worth in. (used to be two, but inflation)
If a shop charges you actual money for a job and doesn’t actually fix the problem, you are entitled to your money back. Never, EVER let it slide even if you have to take them to court. You can make them pay your legal fees, too. NEVER let it slide.
YOU are correct. tram I had to do that to an old Camaro i had the transmission "rebuilt" ha ha no all they did was put a junkyard one in. Long story short i had it completely rebuilt at a COMPENTNET transmission shop ran great!
In Florida there are so many fly by night shops that if they're in for a lot of money or a suit, they just close up shop and open up a Jose2 shop down the street.
yeah same here. But really the main reason for me was that I grew up dirt poor and I never would have been able to afford to own a car. I couldn't afford to pay someone else to do the repairs so I had to learn myself. But it was a great skill I learned which saved me 10's of thousands of dollars over the years.
@xerowolf4242 Agreed. I enjoy being a grease monkey! I've been poor most of my life as well. There have been times I could afford it and got screwed over by a couple. It all comes down to trust, and that's hard to earn nowadays, sadly. It makes me feel good and confident about my vehicle ☺️
Having had so many bad experiences with shops a n d dealerships for decades.....I have been doing all repairs on my vehicle for a long time. Fed-up to the point that I invested in a 10k lb lift recently. I do it all.......tires ...AC....engine etc etc. I will go to a repair shop if there is something I just can't do.....that hasn't happen yet. I'm seventy four....and hoping I can continue to continue doing my own work. Watching Ray's videos is a big inspiration ....and I continue to learn. Kep up the great work Ray!!!! From Ottawa Canada.
I had a shop here in Hampton VA that I really trusted, which had done good work for me. I asked them to replace the camshaft seals on my Toyota Sienna (with the 1MZ-FE engine). I usually do my own work, but I had just had surgery. I paid, got the car back home (1.5 miles from that shop) and when I pulled into the driveway it was leaking worse than before. Thiking it might be something else, I checked it out. Not only did they not replace the valve cover gasket, they didn't do anything but cram some silver-looking stuff into the space where the seal was. It looked like Never-Seize! With my wife helping me, I did the work in about an hour. I took my thousands of dollars of business elsewhere, and told everyone I knew about it.
You start off talking about camshaft seals and then you talk about valve cover gasket. So you did the work in an hour while recuperating from your back surgery? No, you didn't.
@@jeffro221 Yeah I did. And since this is an overhead cam V6, you need to remove the valve cover to expose the camshaft. You’re partially right, though, about the time; it took about an hour to expose the mess. Then I had to go get parts. And reassembly time was another 45 minutes to an hour. I used impact wrenches on low setting to spin things on and off then manually torqued them down.
You could be right but are you absolutely sure? Ray is only going off what the customer said, we don't know what exactly transpired before the truck got to Ray. In other words, we don't have all the facts. Even though the rotors don't appear to be new, it's not fair to call anyone a liar or a rip off if you're only presented with one side of the argument. If you were given a receipt that showed you paid for new rotors, why on earth would you go to another shop and pay for another new set? Does that make any sense to you?
@@IR-nq4qvif you can’t take one look at the brakes and rotors and know that other shop lied especially when they said they couldn’t find anything wrong and allegedly put new rotors on then you’re just as shitty as that other shop. If they couldn’t put brand new rotors and brakes they are the bottom of the barrel. Don’t even give them the benefit of doubt.
By looking at the condition of the vehicle, I bet the owner refused repairs. He just went with changing the brake pads. He was probably too embarrassed to go back for new rotors, after a chest thumping refusal of repairs at the brake shop. The just got vibrations got significantly worse.
@@JMark514 I'm not giving anyone the benefit of doubt. The whole thing stinks. I said what I said because there is something very wrong with the whole story and we are only getting one side of it. It's obvious that new rotors were not installed a blind man or a child could tell you that, you can spot new rotors 10 feet away through slotted rims....and who in their right mind goes to another shop to pay for another new set? I'd be there with my receipt in hand demanding them.. If I had to venture to guess, the customer declined new rotors at the other shop, made up this story and is why he is now at Ray's.. He tried a band-aid solution and it didn't work.
@@JMark514 And if you believe this brake job story from the customer, you're probably just as much a shitty liar and just as gullible as anyone who believes it. I'm hope you never get selected for jury duty, you're already to convict on heresy
I never ever try to save money on a brake job! Use the best quality parts for your vehicle. They will last longer and will stop you when you press the brake pedal.
well... Not so much. If you put pads that bite harder, they will indeed brake harder, but will worn out rotors faster. There is always some kind of balance. It's not like there is one best solution, you need to think what you need and then do it
skimping on brake work is like buying poor quality tyres because they are cheap. When things go wrong and you have to stand hard on the pedal....you want the best chance you can get. I always use good quality name brand pads and decent tyres.
Agreed, brakes, tires and wiper blades are not the place to save money. Wipers are so cheap and easy to replace that I don't understand why people don't replace them at least once a year. Brakes and tires will save your life, how much is that worth?
Ray, just like to say thanks for all your instruction, I have been working on cars all my life just doing what I thought was right, but now I just did a brake job on my car and doing it correctly makes is so much difference. I think you would be proud of me washing the new disk's down with brake cleaner and grease the slide pins with the correct grease. 😊
You've been working on cars that long and didn't know petroleum based grease can't be used on brakes? Hmm. The slide pins would ruin the calipers if you don't use silicon grease.
I also bet this customer is not telling you the whole story. The shop probably told them it needs more work but they didn't want to pay for it. I had been in the car business my whole life I'm 62 years old now. These customers are beautiful sometimes
It's a possibility no doubt. Still no way to know for sure. Of course past experience and reputation of both the shop and the guy who owns the Tundra would carry a lot of weight but we don't know that either.
Nowadays, it’s a good idea to record as soon as you start the car up so customers can’t say that light wasn’t on when you got my car and it happens more than you think.
Took my truck in for an exhaust issue. When they called to tell meet was finished they inquired as to what to do with the service engine light lit on the dash. I drove the truck in and there was no service light on nor had the truck acted out in any way prior. It has now been in the shop for several weeks and the bill is currently over 2 grand and it is not expected to be running for another week. (waiting for parts) This from a local and reliable shop. It makes you wonder.
This might be true but I had my car back from the mechanics and I took it for a drive about 500 meters the day I got it back and my engine light came on - I was accused of lying and told it didn't happen when they had it. Mechanics don't drive cars after they've worked on them more then 500 meters? I think they just cleared the codes and that was it. I'm hindsight I should have checked the time / date the codes were cleared but by that point I'd had enough of the shop. Anyhow fixed it myself.
Glad to know the customer made the right decision; sometimes it's just too much for their budgets, buy they will follow up. Great video despite the heat.
Tip: I've learned the hard way, if you have Heat Spots on your rotors, change them. Turning them will only temporarily reduce the vibration and will return in a short time. Do Not buy cheap Chinesium Rotors as their low quality WILL show up quickly and are prone to warpage. Remove any rust/dirt from the hubs prior to installing new rotors. It's very important to evenly Torque your wheels for even bedding of the rotors to the hub.
you can avoid heat spots by shifting to neutral at traffic lights and setting the parking brake and let foot off brakes those hot brake pads act like a hot iron and it will put uneven high spots on your front rotors.
@@victorsong8416 There's lots of information on testing brake brake rotors in extreme conditions by manufacturers and race care teams. Power Stop is a good source for Rotor Issues.
I had a local shop replace the front brakes on my 2011 4x4 Colorado. After a few weeks, the brakes would grab hard when nearing a stop. I had them checked & was told they were fine but a rear brake adjustment was made. Some weeks/months later I could feel the front rotors had warped. I returned to the shop & they warranted the repair and changed out with a different brand. All has been good ever since. The shop owner did admit he had been having issues with a particular supplier.
The front rotors on 2006 2wd Colorado were prone to warp after 20k miles. The last time I replaced them I put on high performance rotors on it, and had no problems afterwards.
I had a set of rotors I replaced, 2 years later and about 20k in mileage, the hat cracked off about half way around, the second one was cracked but I had to remove it before I could see the crack. One hit with a small ball piene hammer and you had Bluetooth rotors, scarry bad metal.
Sadly that does happen even with major brand name suppliers. E.g. Brembo had bad batches of brake pads that would delaminate within 500-1000 miles, resulting in a recall.
I have been there as a service technician myself - but in servicing sewing machines - where the customer was charged for a new part - when in fact that all what was done was the other shop polished up the old part and put thick oil to hide the wear in a rotating assembly - so being a perfectionist that I am - I fully explained to the customer and documented EVERYTHING that was not done by the previous shop - and ended up doing the needed work - and the customer was VERY HAPPY now that her equipment is running GREAT.
@@TheDragonCustoms Aw, c'mon - they're cute names. We don't like referring to the engine lid as a gangster! ('jus lemme pop this hood' has quite a different meaning to us) And a trunk is a giant box used by enlisted soldiers.... but hey it's all good.
One SHODDY shop like that gives ALL shops a bad reputation and it's not warranted. Thankfully this customer found Ray and had him not only correct the bad work but do what was needed to fix the problem. Well done, Ray.
Ray. Wear cloth "liner gloves" under the rubber ones. Change them like sweaty socks as necessary to keep your fingies dry. Have a fleet of them, they wash well. Mine are poly/cotton blend. The cotton melt proof ones don't wick for me, they become soggy.
I squirt a puff of talcum powder in before I put them on. They are s-o-o-o much easier to get your hands into, and they stop the hands getting sweaty. (And a squirt of talcum in your shoes too !)
@@oldcynic6964 Make sure it is talc based and not cornstarch. Cornstarch feeds fungus and bacteria. Both turn to a white pasty slime when you sweat. Glove liners are the only thing that helped me.
Over the past few years, I have very frequently been running into brake job complaints (someone else did the work). The _worst_ example I recently came upon was a 2015 Honda CRV that was taken to a HONDA DEALERSHIP to have the brakes properly repaired (all new everything... supposedly). This vehicle sat in the snow & assorted weather for TWO an entire years without ever being driven an inch. The brakes were rusted solid; (the vehicle had to be towed). The dealership claimed they replaced everything brake related. 4 years and 25,000 miles later I drove the car to inspection for my mother in law. I never got there. It had no brakes. Half way there I turned around, came home and took it apart. There was absolutely ZERO wear on the front brake pads (I even measured against new pads. ZERO wear after 25,000 miles)... and the rear brake pads were down to ultra bare metal grinding into the rear rotors. (So, the whole time, this car had rear braking only. Good thing an old lady was driving it SLOWLY). The problem was simple... (Keep in mind this was a case of "severely rusted" brakes SO BAD that I insisted they take it to an actual Honda Dealership to assure a correct repair... so much for that)... the dealership changed everything EXCEPT the utterly rusted calipers, of which the front pair were frozen. I rebuilt them, and reused the existing zero-wear brake pads, and then installed new pads and rotors in the rear. I also rebuilt the rear calipers while I was at it. My mother in law (and entire family) could not believe how well the brakes work. They didn't realize they HAD NO BRAKES ("40% rear braking only") until they drove the _properly_ repaired braking system. ` Ps... It has been my personal experience that when vibration is an issue, and the rotors are NOT burned, scarred and/or warped, the problem will ALWAYS be jamming pins in the calipers. If mechanics service the pins at all (usually not) they use GREASE to lubricate them. YOU CANNOT USE GREASE; (just don't do it). Grease destroys rubber and causes it to swell and therefore jam. You need to remove the pins, clean off any corrosion; (you're actually supposed to replace them upon finding corrosion, but if they're not pitted, they are ok to reuse). After thoroughly cleaning the pins and rubber inserts, you need to use SILICONE brake grease which is made for this purpose. The second area of concern is the metal plates that the brakes slide upon; (i.e. "those metal parts that come with new brake pads that many mechanics simply toss"). The old RUSTY plates MUST be removed, the area where they mount must be wire brushed clean, and new plates installed conservatively coated with that same SILICONE grease. --- Here's what's happening: With the pins NOT working _evenly_ it is impossible for both brake pads to offer equal pressure from both sides of the rotor. It is usually the INSIDE brake pad that will wear twice as fast as the outer pad when the pins are binding. What's worse is as those pins get tighter and tighter, it causes the pads to wear on a angle. The two problems add up to a WICKED vibration, particularly up front upon sudden hard braking. ` Btw, just as there are mechanics who "cannot find a problem because the engine light is NOT on" (these people actually exist, and usually at dealerships), there are also "brake experts" who will claim there is no problem when they see reasonably new brakes pads. However, "new brake pads" inside a caliper does NOT mean they were installed correctly. Finally, whether you replace rotors or not, its important to remember that even when just "replacing pads", you MUST pull, clean and lubricate those caliper pins to assure EVEN brake wear with minimal vibration; (it takes about 5 minutes per caliper).
I go to Miami quite a bit, driving semi. If you see all of the shady looking shops and stores. No wonder he got a pad slap, they have signs all over Miami, advertising cheapest brake jobs in town. And what you see is what you get………..
It's not just car repair industry. They have FAA repair stations that repair/overhaul electronic parts off commercial jets. I worked at one near Seattle and we'd get stuff in that was reportedly still not working right after they had just got it back from a shop. Checking the warranty sticker on the unit, and it was ALWAYS from a shop in Florida, usually Miami area. I'd see the paperwork where they paid for an overhaul and it was nowhere near an overhaul. That business is highly competitive and they don't pay employees well.
Shops like that Miami shop is what gives the whole industry a bad name. It's a shame bad shops ruin the reputation of good shops, but that's how it is.
Thing is you get mad when you figure out they are trying to rip you off. It's easy to write something about them then and that spreads the thought that "all shops" do this. It's not nearly as likely that you write about good experiences with a shop as honestly that's what you feel should be the common experience. And if you read a comment about a good experience it doesn't hit you the same way that a report about people being ripped off. And it's the same for almost all businesses. Even online shopping works like that. If a product has a few thousand reviews I tend to look at the most negative first. Those are what my monkey brain think is most important as there has been so much faking of good reviews that I always suspect something is wrong when too many posts claims the shop is fine and the product exceptional. Nobody fakes negative reviews for their own products, but fake positive ones? Now those are suspect. Now is that a good way to handle things like this? In my opinion no, but it's easy to fall for the nasty comments.
Same with owning a house, boat, motorcycle, and pc. You're better off doing it yourself. I'm now a mechanic, plumber, electrician, carpenter, and IT specialist. And magically, things are lasting and working correctly.
Documented case like this can get a shops business licence revoked for Fraud and sued for endangering the customer and the public. If you first report it to credit card(if that is how you paid) you will reverse the charge and give shop a black eye with bank and lose merchant account.
I get the feeling, by looking at the poor condition of the rest of the vehicle, that the owner is probably not telling Ray the whole story. I bet he declined repairs. Just went with the cheapest brake service, i.e., just pads.
I quit from a car dealership that was ripping people off. (TL;DR it's essentially the same story as Ray's video, with extra salt in the wound.) 21-years-old, Jeep service technician about 11-12 years ago. 1998 Chevrolet 1500 rolls in, wants NC state inspection. Pull rear drum brakes off, wheel cylinder is leaking badly enough to fail, essentially only had 3 brakes. Shoes/springs look about 50%, gonna call it just a R&R the wheel cylinder, advise customer get brakes checked again in a year. Go to parts, have them call sister Chevrolet store 5 minutes down the road to get it coming, told service writer don't even bill them for the labor, it's about 2 minutes to swap. Wheel cylinder was $9. Go back to checking everything else. Front had a pad slap within a year or so it looked like, calipers looked OEM, checked fluids. Brake fluid is what GM poured in from the factory, and it's about to start sucking air. Service manager notices things happening at this point, comes over, "What's going on?" "It failed for a leaking wheel cylinder." "Can't be, we just did a full brake service on this 10 months ago!" *points at inside of drum brake caked in brake dust and actively dripping onto 50% shoes. Then walks to front where rotors that have waves a surfer could catch and rust in a non rust belt vehicle are present. Points at 15 year-old brake fluid in master cylinder.* *stares angrily at me for 10 seconds, walks off.* I paid for the parts to make the job whole, got new front pads/rotors, new shoes and spring kit, p/s wheel cylinder to match because it was seeping, which isn't a fail, but it's still not right. Chevy store has caught wind of this, sells it to me at cost, and sends customer a brand new set of some nice tires plus a spare, the fluid for the job on them, and a free oil change/tire rotation coupon. Parts manager paid my labor for all this. This was in 2013, maybe 2014. The service manager just got fired for being a crook in January of this year. Here's the kicker. The customer. 70~ish-year-old woman. This was her husband's truck. He just died and this was the first vehicle he ever bought new, so she wanted to essentially maintain its, apart from this fiasco, pristine condition. We got her a shuttle home since she'd been there for about 90 minutes for a 15 minute job. Only when she had her keys did we break the whole truth. We only charged her the $30 for the inspection, legally obligated to charge it, re-inspection to pass is free within 90 days. She simply asked "Well, is all the work done right this time?" "Yes." "Thank you for your honesty. I think I will start taking it back to Chevy store."
IME, way more than half of all dealers in my trade area qualify as stealerships. Now, with most mfrs producing vehicles with a 10 yr (or less!) useful life, older vehicles & a solid independent like Ray are the only way to go.
This video made me feel much better about the encounter I had with my Tacoma! Seeing you, an experienced pro, doing exactly what I ended up doing to remove the rear shocks. Keep up the good work!
14:00 you got to me.. speculation and hypothesization CAN work hand n hand..you are the only mech who has EVER spoken these terms of interest BRAVO!! you do rock dude!
A saltwater heat conversion system would allow you to have a cool shop in the morning and if your big doors are closed enough the whole garage would be cool all day.
Yeah, that scenario happens at car dealerships, my niece took her SUV to a dealership, not name dropping, charged her $2800 for a brake job, she brought it to me , I checked what they supposedly done and charged her for, half a- job, went to dealership after I did the job properly and went scorched earth on the service manager, did not get all of money back , but they won’t do that again
We had that happen in our shop. We took many photographs and kept the old parts. Customer asked if he would reimburse him. He declined, owner stated he would file a claims in small claims court. The shop conceded and reimbursed the money.
Complain to the Head Office only. Do not complain to the local dealership. Reason being that the Head Office don't want to tarnish the brand and will kick the ass of the Dealership to put things right.
".......they won't do that again." Yup, they won't do that again.....not until the next time they do that again. So did you get her a refund for the parts/labor they did not do? Nope. You didn't do anything.
This is one of those jobs that isn't hard... But it is time consuming. I've done the "Got all three bolts out... why is it not.... Oh. Fourth bolt. Hmmmm." type of repair more than once. One trick I picked up over years of wrenching on mid-60s air-cooled VWs and enough late-70s/early 80s Japanese cars (crusty rusties): a wire toothbrush prior to some lube on bolts can expedite things. I dunno how much it would help here, though. What really stands out is you provide the superb running commentary as always. Thanks for the great video- nice seeing an independent shop catch other "shops" cheating car owners.
In the '80s I had a '70 Volvo with bad suspension bushings. It had started life in New Jersey so the rust wasn't bad but the bolts in the rear axle were all rust welded to the bushings. I had to cut them off on both sides and even then they wouldn't release. I can relate to the heat. I had to replace a front wheel bearing on a Saab in 100+ degree heat in central valley California (only 40% humidity). I kept slipping in the pool of sweat on the floor of the garage. Still better than pulling the transmission from an Opel, outdoors on a windy 20 degree F day. The good old days, when I had no $.
It's sad, when a shop "Claims" they did something, charge you for it, then act like nothings wrong, when you bring the vehicle back, going as far as to tell the customer, that it's something else, and not the work they did. SHAME ON THE MESS!!!
Heeeeyyyy Ray, a few pointers to help you in those struts sutuations. After you knock the bottom bolt loose, use a 11/16" or a 3/4" wrenxh over the bolt and spin it with your impact and it will come right out. Also on the top of struts or shocks when the nut won't come off, use a 3" wiz wheel or an oscillating tool with a metal blade, they cut a whole lot easier than a recip saw. Trying to help you young guys, especially since we boomers keep getting told we dont want to teach you young guys( no i have never heard you say that, lol)😮
You're not kidding about how far down the Keys are. We used to drive from NJ to Boynton Beach for the holidays with my folks, and the first time we crossed into Florida we were saying "woo hoo! almost there!" not realizing we had 4-5 hours driving to do.
I have been charged for work that wasn't done a lot here in Toronto. My first car repair ever was springs/struts on an Accord. They needed it badly. They returned the car to me with the original parts untouched. No witness marks or anything, they didn't even touch the car. Then on my (used) 1994 4runner, at a big dealership, I paid for spark plugs, brake flush, engine oil, coolant, 2x diff oil, transfer case oil, repack front wheel bearings, and transmission flush with filter change. And grease the chassis. What I got was engine oil and spark plugs, but all the plug wire retaining clips were destroyed. No grease, Old brake fluid throughout the system, they didn't even change the reservoir fluid for show. No witness marks on the drain plugs or bolts for the transmission pan. When I dumped the fluids myself, they were all dark/exhausted and not new or even refreshed by dilution. The list goes on, but now I just do things for myself since I end up paying once and then doing it myself anyway. Anyone know a good mechanic (toyota) in the Toronto area? I would really rather let someone else do certain things these days.
Ray, Appreciate all that you have taught me even at 76 years of age.I never qualified to to the depth of work that you do and share on your channel, but I have one piece of advice for you from a man who has "over cooked" his hands doing a lot of what you do. I appreciate your view on plastic gloves and would follow your ways when it comes to fluid problems that you handle on a daily basis. BUT as an old timer who has used his hands as hammers and wrench extensions must of my working life I would like to recommend to you to use some sort of dry glove,leather or mechanics style popular today even just cloth work gloves. They do two things, one they protect from dirt and cutting injuries, and for me they acted like a saftey valve if you will, like a fuse in an electrical circuit they keep you from over powering your hands because they keep your grip from being so solid and secure, They worked for me because they kept my body from hurting my body. if you understand what i mean. At 76 I wish my hands felt like they did a long tome ago not the way they feel and work today. Keep up the good work and the fine attitude Ray. Good bless you and your family.
Caught a shop trying to sell me my own voltage regulator. They pulled it off and took it to "match up" with the new part. Stuck my head around the corner to ask the mechanic something and caught him spray painting my part. There was nothing wrong with the original, turned out to be a bad ground and dirty connections causing all the issues.
You can throw a screwdriver into the red hole on the Milwaukee “grips” and really tighten it like crazy after you lock it on. You may know that but thought I’d drop the tip for those that don’t know what that’s for.❤
Imagine the face of that fool that “replaced the rotors” when he sees this video. Might think twice about ripping other people off. Rainman for the win.
@@Ham68229 You'd have to take them to court which can be a several months long process not to mention tons of other costs and fees. Usually not worth it.
@@BrandonFlint-ro2ns this would be small claims court and if it's $500 or less, just wasting money going to court. Lawyer fees, court costs, best to just report to the BBB and never return to that shop.
sounds like the previous shop said they would change both disks and pads, but didn't manage to change disks due to different brake layout but docked it anyway..
I am glad to hear that you wanted Power Stop brake parts. I just replaced my f150 pads, rotors, and all new rubber brake lines with Power Stop. I replaced all six rubber lines because the truck is 15 years old, and this was the first brake job. The truck had 85 thousand miles on the original brakes, and because the truck is driven mostly on the highway and never driven in salt, they seem to last much longer than usual, even though i pulled a camper during most of those miles.
Ford dealer said they were putting ford parts on my f150, turned down my brakes from great to truck. Better than my dad who got "new" pads straight from the wood shop. 89 f250 sucks stock better prepare early w that crap.
I just had the brakes on my car changed out. it was about 900 bucks. They did front rear pads and rotors. I was contemplating doing a pad slap myself but then I remembered its smart to replace them at the same time, even if it is going to cost a crap tone more monies.
If the customer had been charged for a full brake job (new parts and pads) he should go to small claims court if the Miami Shop fails to make restitution. Brakes are your life, you don't die if your motor fails.
You can die if your motor fails in the middle of the highway and you lose power steering and brake boost and can’t get out of the way of a car that’s about to run into you or rear end you or you rear end them. Many more scenarios but yes you can die from a motor going out.
Shop issue? Yep! Took an old chevy in for an alignment and was told I needed to have the knock outs done before the job could be done. Paid an extra $100 to have the knockouts removed. Took the vehicle back to the same shop about a year later to have alignment checked and guess what? A different tech told me I needed to have the knock outs done again. Told him to pull the vehicle back into the shop and show them to me. After we got back out in the bay I told the young tech that he should at least look at the front end before pronouncing that it needed the knockouts removed. Told him it might be a good idea to at least look at the service history before recommending something that has already been done. The part that really made me mad was when I got home and could still hear a knocking noise on the way there. Reached down and with my bare hand removed one of the upper control arm nuts because it had not been tightened. No, none of my vehicles or those that I recommend people have serviced ever go to THAT shop anymore. Looking back on it now and I have probably sold thru recommendation well over a 100K worth of business to them over the years but, not anymore.
Even a Dealer does that. Had it in for Oil Change and Dealer stated Pads were "Marginal". So my nephew is good a pads and rotors so I ordered a set of power stops from Rock Auto when I got around to it (a few 1000 miles later) and when we pulled them they still had 50% on the pads. Replaced them anyway. Took truck back in for recommended oil change and again "marginal" pads. Looked at the service writer and said you need to retrain your tech. Those new pads and rotors have at most 3k miles on them. I now have a new shop that I take it to for Oil change and they never mention brakes
ahh, that explains the issue I had with my brakes. I had the calipers replaced (Some after-market jobbers were tolerable at first). However, within a week from the brake service, I lost brake power. Brake pedal turned to mush. I was able to limp to the shop, using my parking brake and they discovered that the brake caliper leaked, right on that seem you pointed out. NOW i understand... I thought it was strange that the brake fluid chamber in the caliper would reach that far... I didn't realize it was a 4 piston caliper. Thanks for pointing that out.
What has happened to the industry ?. Is there no integrity or professionalism anymore ?. I wrenched for over 40 years and always repaired my customers vehicles as if my wife and kids were going to be in this vehicle.
We are from Michigan, and we've used the same repair shop since at least 2005. Extremely honest, reasonable prices, great turn around time, and NEVER try to sell something you do not need. Always do inspection, and let us know what may need doing. We are truly Blessed,
My wife always laughs at me when I see your videos. She thinks I would squirm back and forth as if I wanted to rush to help you. That's right, she's right!
With regards to vice grips I've replaced the adjusting screw with a long bolt and then used a lump of steel with a hole to make a slide hammer. Works a treat.... Thank you for your work love the channer
Imma be real here, as a service writer, ive had a ton of customers come in and request just pads, even when we recommend them replacing pads and rotors especially living in the north where rust is EVERYWEHRE. We explain the problems with only replacing pads when they need both replaced. Most interactions ive had within customer service have made me stray away from believing customers. I just let them speak and take looks for myself, if they claim they were changed, id ask to see their invoice to double check. Just the other day, I had someone come in and say we did something on their car because it was on the invoice, I ask to take a look and see that the item in question was under the decline section thats labeled declined, and the customer was adamant we did them. Not everyone lies, but enough that do cause enough distrust to believe anything without physically being in the place at the moment what ever was done.
For a customer to drive several hours from the Florida Keys to Rays shop is without a doubt a testament on his reputation as a mechanic and businessman.
Same happened to my son at P.B.'s . Replaced pads only and charged for new rotors. Mechanic stood next to me and said he changed the rotors and you can see the surface of the rotors were all grooved and ridged.
I also love how you call out shops (not by name, nor the peoples working there) about their disgraceful labor practices. Billing for work not done. PLEASE keep up the excellent work and outing those that really don't give a damn about their customers.
@RainmanRaysRepairs I’m a Toyota technician the easiest way to die the front struts is too remove the lower ball joint bolts loosen the camber caster bolts and remove sway bar links.
Hey! Back here again after a long absence from your channel (TH-cam's fault). Delighted to watch you work through a mounted camera. Beautiful steady view. I wish a lot of other TH-camrs would get the message and stop using a jerky handheld. 😀❤👍
Back in the day at dodge, we made a hook tool that would go around the control arm near the ball joint and it had a hole big enough for the pray bar to pass through, it made bringing the arm down 10 times easier.
Rainman thanks for the tutorial, I own a 2008 Toyota Highlander with 250,000 miles and need to do CPR and change out the struts and shocks. I have owned many brands of vehicles and consider this Toyota the best!
Here's today's off-topic tip... I was replacing the spark plugs in the wife's 2014 2.4L Jeep Patriot. Three plugs came out fine because I spray some PB down the holes and back the plugs out slightly to allow it to soak in. Steel plugs, alloy heads. The problem child tightened up within 1/4 turn so I found the neutral spot and let it soak some more. After a few minutes I tried again and carefully got it out. This is why you never use a power tool to remove spark plugs or any steel fasteners threaded into alloy threads. Not pulling the threads is worth the patience.
FYI for front struts it's much easier to just drop the lower control arm down and let it hang. All you have to do is loosen the essentrics for camber and caster after you mark them, take off the swarbar end link and pull the bolt that runs through the lower control arm then take off the lower ball joint mount from the knuckle. Can pull those struts out much easier and faster.
Ray please do an update video of your shop since opening all the hard work you and Lauren have put in over time. Thanks for sharing. Maby a montage it will be a great look back.
I'm not a mechanic but when I took y struts out I used a spring compressor to get them out and disassemble the strut. Seemed a lot easier. Thanks for your entertaining videos
As a Libertarian, I’m 👀💀 over the bumper sticker comments😮
Edit:
Re: I'm not part of the Libertarian Party, political parties piss me off too much to be involved with one.
Libertarians tend to embrace individual responsibility, oppose government bureaucracy and taxes, promote private charity, tolerate diverse lifestyles, support the free market, and defend civil liberties- Google
Same. Leave politics out and watch your work on a shady last shop's job.
Then as a Libertarian, you should know that we have the Right to make comments that you don't like.
So the mechanics saw the bumper sticker and decided to be thieves and terrible people… thought dems are supposed to be morally superior
@someoneelse2106 And on his channel, he has the right to block you if he chooses.
Woooooooooo the mighty Ray the Rick Flare of the car fixing world! 😂
Now you know where and why those customers come in and say "I want the old parts back after you are done" so they can at least see that parts were actually replaced.
I hadn't really thought about it, but it does make sense to ask for the old parts back to try to verify that the parts were changed.
It's the law in Florida, but most shops just ignore it.
I automatically give back the old part. It's the right thing to do.
This is me.... I even ask for my old parts to be put in the new boxes... had some Tom foolery in the past. Folks charging for OEM parts then putting in Chinese knockoffs.
When I replace a part on my car I keep the old parts I put them in the box the new parts came in. It’s so I can remember what has been replaced since I do my own work there’s no paper trail only my memory lol.
Several years back , a local chain automotive shop had a special on brakes. I brought my car in and told them to do both axles. They called me about an hour later and said my rear brakes are fine and do not need work. They could have done them and charged me, and I would never have known. That is the kind of repair shop I like. I still use them because of their honesty.
My mechanic recently retired. I cried.
The garage offered to do it for at 800$ wound up doing it 6 months later cost me 1400.🤨
Or they were dum brakes and rhey wanted to skip doing them
I would always just ask the measurement , like when I went in I had 6mm in front and 8 mm in rear
I managed a shop and a customer brought his 5 series BMW on a tow truck. He had a complete brake service performed by a nearby independent import repair shop. Their technician bypassed the brake wear sensors and installed aftermarket Chinese parts. Owners brakes locked on the highway causing all four wheels/brakes to lock (ABS activated). I was helping manage the shop as I retired as a criminal investigator. I grabbed my camera and took “crime scene” photos of all the damaged rotors, calipers and pads. The vehicle owner returned to the first repair shop to request a reimbursement, the owner declined and called us. We showed him the substandard work performed, the brake rotors were purplish red, it was obvious they overheated. The photographs I took and the parts that were tagged/identified. The owner threatened to file a claim in small claims court with the evidence we presented. The customer was reimbursed with a cashiers check. To this day, I take photos of every job and file them for future reference. We allow the customer to view all of the old/damaged parts. Just like there’s bad shops, there are bad customers!
always grab the old parts, the pars cannon shops make tons of mistakes and more than half the time they take the good part and replace it with Amazon/chinesium part. Having the old parts helps when you take it to a legitimate shop and you don't need to buy again.
yep, if i work on ANYONES car, as I am not a shop owner, I take pictures and show them exactly what the problem is, and what i feel should be done. its up to them if i do the work or not. But pictures and physically involving the customer is always a good idea as they know exactly what is involved and can make an informed decision
GOOD work exposing the thieving money grubbing hacks!
Agree. I am in Brisbane, Australia and have a 2007 BMW X3 3.0d (6 cyl diesel). Fortunately I have an independent BMW specialist mechanic nearby for those bits of maintenance I can't do myself. I love my BMW, beautiful engineered vehicle. I don't care what people say about them, if you keep the maintenance up, they are great cars
@@desoneill5489 BMWs are beautiful and well engineered cars. Some will say, Senior BMW/Audi/MB that they’re over engineered. Why? They take some of the take other car maker use or manufacture and add another level of complexity. Thats translates into cost. I don’t see that level of complexity in Toyota/Lexus. I run into many customers that chose to move into a Lexus for that reason alone. If you can afford that BMW, then just stick with it. That’s why you have a choice.
This is why it helps to know your mechanic. Hopefully this will reduce the chance of fraudulent activity.
Ray is a rare breed, even honest enough to show his little mistakes. Keep up the fantastic work Ray. ❤
Ray, I am a retired mechanic. This episode was a little painful to watch. First, I love that you are an honest mechanic. And I thinks it's awesome that you explain why and what you are doing to correct a problem. But Ray, may I please make a few comments - compressing the brake pads against the pistons before trying to remove them makes it much easier. Removing the strut bolt to remove the strut added no advantage (yes I know one bolt was still in there). Plus trying to hold the camera and work one handed is crazy, that was a two handed job. (who stole your tripod?) And finally, instead of sawing the rear shock bolt, grab your muffler impact chisel and split the nut. Takes way less time and you get to pretend you have a machine gun in your hands! Just putting my 3 cents worth in. (used to be two, but inflation)
If a shop charges you actual money for a job and doesn’t actually fix the problem, you are entitled to your money back. Never, EVER let it slide even if you have to take them to court. You can make them pay your legal fees, too. NEVER let it slide.
This is so important!
YOU are correct. tram I had to do that to an old Camaro i had the transmission
"rebuilt" ha ha no all they did was put a junkyard one in. Long story short
i had it completely rebuilt at a COMPENTNET transmission shop ran great!
In Florida there are so many fly by night shops that if they're in for a lot of money or a suit, they just close up shop and open up a Jose2 shop down the street.
They should be names and shamed all over social media. Guy should also demand full refund, $1,000 compensation at least.
Not sure you can get legal fees at small claims court. Most states you can’t even bring a lawyer to the court. They can’t either.
At least we all know that Ray is as honest as the day is bright, unlike the previous shop
And this is one of the main reasons why I do all my own work on my vehicle's other than tires and alignment. 30+ years of doing so.
Great job, Ray!!
Only repairs I dont do on my vehicles is the AC system if n when needed.
#ITRUSTZEROMECHANICS
yeah same here. But really the main reason for me was that I grew up dirt poor and I never would have been able to afford to own a car. I couldn't afford to pay someone else to do the repairs so I had to learn myself. But it was a great skill I learned which saved me 10's of thousands of dollars over the years.
@xerowolf4242 Agreed. I enjoy being a grease monkey! I've been poor most of my life as well. There have been times I could afford it and got screwed over by a couple. It all comes down to trust, and that's hard to earn nowadays, sadly.
It makes me feel good and confident about my vehicle ☺️
Having had so many bad experiences with shops a n d dealerships for decades.....I have been doing all repairs on my vehicle for a long time. Fed-up to the point that I invested in a 10k lb lift recently. I do it all.......tires ...AC....engine etc etc. I will go to a repair shop if there is something I just can't do.....that hasn't happen yet. I'm seventy four....and hoping I can continue to continue doing my own work. Watching Ray's videos is a big inspiration ....and I continue to learn. Kep up the great work Ray!!!! From Ottawa Canada.
@@xerowolf4242
Dirt poor people don't own cars, no computer, phone or internet to watch TH-cam .
You don't know what dirt poor means
I had a shop here in Hampton VA that I really trusted, which had done good work for me. I asked them to replace the camshaft seals on my Toyota Sienna (with the 1MZ-FE engine). I usually do my own work, but I had just had surgery. I paid, got the car back home (1.5 miles from that shop) and when I pulled into the driveway it was leaking worse than before. Thiking it might be something else, I checked it out. Not only did they not replace the valve cover gasket, they didn't do anything but cram some silver-looking stuff into the space where the seal was. It looked like Never-Seize! With my wife helping me, I did the work in about an hour. I took my thousands of dollars of business elsewhere, and told everyone I knew about it.
You start off talking about camshaft seals and then you talk about valve cover gasket. So you did the work in an hour while recuperating from your back surgery? No, you didn't.
@@jeffro221 Yeah I did. And since this is an overhead cam V6, you need to remove the valve cover to expose the camshaft. You’re partially right, though, about the time; it took about an hour to expose the mess. Then I had to go get parts. And reassembly time was another 45 minutes to an hour. I used impact wrenches on low setting to spin things on and off then manually torqued them down.
@@nancy4don Beats paying a shop big bucks!
@@jeffro221 You’re right about that, and thanks for the affirmation. It definitely beats paying for work that doesn’t get done.
@@jeffro221back surgery? Who said anything about back surgery. Where you get that from?
This is why having a trust worthy mechanic is worth its weight in gold.
Another rip off shop at work in Miami.... Glad you are fixing it the right way Ray!
You could be right but are you absolutely sure? Ray is only going off what the customer said, we don't know what exactly transpired before the truck got to Ray. In other words, we don't have all the facts. Even though the rotors don't appear to be new, it's not fair to call anyone a liar or a rip off if you're only presented with one side of the argument.
If you were given a receipt that showed you paid for new rotors, why on earth would you go to another shop and pay for another new set? Does that make any sense to you?
@@IR-nq4qvif you can’t take one look at the brakes and rotors and know that other shop lied especially when they said they couldn’t find anything wrong and allegedly put new rotors on then you’re just as shitty as that other shop. If they couldn’t put brand new rotors and brakes they are the bottom of the barrel. Don’t even give them the benefit of doubt.
By looking at the condition of the vehicle, I bet the owner refused repairs. He just went with changing the brake pads. He was probably too embarrassed to go back for new rotors, after a chest thumping refusal of repairs at the brake shop. The just got vibrations got significantly worse.
@@JMark514 I'm not giving anyone the benefit of doubt. The whole thing stinks.
I said what I said because there is something very wrong with the whole story and we are only getting one side of it.
It's obvious that new rotors were not installed a blind man or a child could tell you that, you can spot new rotors 10 feet away through slotted rims....and who in their right mind goes to another shop to pay for another new set? I'd be there with my receipt in hand demanding them..
If I had to venture to guess, the customer declined new rotors at the other shop, made up this story and is why he is now at Ray's.. He tried a band-aid solution and it didn't work.
@@JMark514 And if you believe this brake job story from the customer, you're probably just as much a shitty liar and just as gullible as anyone who believes it.
I'm hope you never get selected for jury duty, you're already to convict on heresy
I know Ray wont do it but I wish the customer would come into the comments and tell us the shop so other people know where NOT to go.
I never ever try to save money on a brake job! Use the best quality parts for your vehicle. They will last longer and will stop you when you press the brake pedal.
well... Not so much. If you put pads that bite harder, they will indeed brake harder, but will worn out rotors faster. There is always some kind of balance. It's not like there is one best solution, you need to think what you need and then do it
skimping on brake work is like buying poor quality tyres because they are cheap. When things go wrong and you have to stand hard on the pedal....you want the best chance you can get. I always use good quality name brand pads and decent tyres.
@@Flakmagnet1701 Absolutely never skimp on things you might need to save your neck later.
Agreed, brakes, tires and wiper blades are not the place to save money. Wipers are so cheap and easy to replace that I don't understand why people don't replace them at least once a year. Brakes and tires will save your life, how much is that worth?
Always get your breaks done by someone you trust as your life is in there hands.
Love the new mike placement; clean sound. We won't miss any of the fun witticisms.
Ray, just like to say thanks for all your instruction, I have been working on cars all my life just doing what I thought was right, but now I just did a brake job on my car and doing it correctly makes is so much difference. I think you would be proud of me washing the new disk's down with brake cleaner and grease the slide pins with the correct grease. 😊
You've been working on cars that long and didn't know petroleum based grease can't be used on brakes? Hmm. The slide pins would ruin the calipers if you don't use silicon grease.
I also bet this customer is not telling you the whole story. The shop probably told them it needs more work but they didn't want to pay for it. I had been in the car business my whole life I'm 62 years old now. These customers are beautiful sometimes
My thoughts exactly. I think he's not telling Ray the whole story.
It's a possibility no doubt. Still no way to know for sure. Of course past experience and reputation of both the shop and the guy who owns the Tundra would carry a lot of weight but we don't know that either.
Not sure, they authorized Ray to do suspension work as well as the brakes. Doesn't sound like skimping?
Yep! And that might be why Ray is not naming the shop.
Customers do lie alot of course but there are honest ones who just get lumped in with the rest of them.
Alot of Mechanics aren't much better either.
Nowadays, it’s a good idea to record as soon as you start the car up so customers can’t say that light wasn’t on when you got my car and it happens more than you think.
Took my truck in for an exhaust issue. When they called to tell meet was finished they inquired as to what to do with the service engine light lit on the dash. I drove the truck in and there was no service light on nor had the truck acted out in any way prior. It has now been in the shop for several weeks and the bill is currently over 2 grand and it is not expected to be running for another week. (waiting for parts) This from a local and reliable shop. It makes you wonder.
@@donmoore481 And that’s why I don’t test drive people’s cars anymore I let them drive me around the block.
This might be true but I had my car back from the mechanics and I took it for a drive about 500 meters the day I got it back and my engine light came on - I was accused of lying and told it didn't happen when they had it.
Mechanics don't drive cars after they've worked on them more then 500 meters?
I think they just cleared the codes and that was it.
I'm hindsight I should have checked the time / date the codes were cleared but by that point I'd had enough of the shop.
Anyhow fixed it myself.
Dont worry, I once broke 2 sockets and a 3/4 to 1/2 adapter before i realized i was turning the bolt the wrong way.
Glad to know the customer made the right decision; sometimes it's just too much for their budgets, buy they will follow up. Great video despite the heat.
Ray: Remember your health and safety is the most important thing to all of your viewers.
Tip: I've learned the hard way, if you have Heat Spots on your rotors, change them. Turning them will only temporarily reduce the vibration and will return in a short time. Do Not buy cheap Chinesium Rotors as their low quality WILL show up quickly and are prone to warpage. Remove any rust/dirt from the hubs prior to installing new rotors. It's very important to evenly Torque your wheels for even bedding of the rotors to the hub.
you can avoid heat spots by shifting to neutral at traffic lights and setting the parking brake and let foot off brakes those hot brake pads act like a hot iron and it will put uneven high spots on your front rotors.
Even genuine high quality Toyota rotors are made in CHina
You need to learn a LOT about metallurgy...
@@victorsong8416 There's lots of information on testing brake brake rotors in extreme conditions by manufacturers and race care teams. Power Stop is a good source for Rotor Issues.
@@victorsong8416 Who?
We put "new" rotors on it. *Ray proceeds to knock it loose with extreme force*
Ya really lol
Not even a rattle can rebuild.
I had a local shop replace the front brakes on my 2011 4x4 Colorado. After a few weeks, the brakes would grab hard when nearing a stop. I had them checked & was told they were fine but a rear brake adjustment was made. Some weeks/months later I could feel the front rotors had warped. I returned to the shop & they warranted the repair and changed out with a different brand. All has been good ever since. The shop owner did admit he had been having issues with a particular supplier.
The front rotors on 2006 2wd Colorado were prone to warp after 20k miles. The last time I replaced them I put on high performance rotors on it, and had no problems afterwards.
I had a set of rotors I replaced, 2 years later and about 20k in mileage, the hat cracked off about half way around, the second one was cracked but I had to remove it before I could see the crack. One hit with a small ball piene hammer and you had Bluetooth rotors, scarry bad metal.
@@richardschmidt6619 Mine were replaced at ~150,000 miles. I think I pad-slapped 'em around 100k
Sadly that does happen even with major brand name suppliers. E.g. Brembo had bad batches of brake pads that would delaminate within 500-1000 miles, resulting in a recall.
I have been there as a service technician myself - but in servicing sewing machines - where the customer was charged for a new part - when in fact that all what was done was the other shop polished up the old part and put thick oil to hide the wear in a rotating assembly - so being a perfectionist that I am - I fully explained to the customer and documented EVERYTHING that was not done by the previous shop - and ended up doing the needed work - and the customer was VERY HAPPY now that her equipment is running GREAT.
From Australia: Yes I noticed. "Spanner" and "Bonnet" in one video. Well Done! There's hope for you yet.
If he can identify a Drop Bear, he gets citizenship!
We fought a war to not call the hood a woman’s hat, and the trunk a piece of footwear.
As long as he doesn't start saying "aluMINIum".
@@moehoward01 That'll be the day I dance a lil' jig! Go Enger-land!
@@TheDragonCustoms Aw, c'mon - they're cute names. We don't like referring to the engine lid as a gangster! ('jus lemme pop this hood' has quite a different meaning to us) And a trunk is a giant box used by enlisted soldiers.... but hey it's all good.
One SHODDY shop like that gives ALL shops a bad reputation and it's not warranted. Thankfully this customer found Ray and had him not only correct the bad work but do what was needed to fix the problem. Well done, Ray.
It wasn't so much shoddy, just incomplete. The shop didn't do what they said they did.
@@adotintheshark4848 Just incomplete? That sounds like the textbook definition of shoddy workmanship to me.
@@proudcanadian5713 in a manner you're right since they never completed what they started.
@@adotintheshark4848 Rather what the customer said they claimed to have done
@@33trn bottom line, the shop were crooks.
Ray: "Look at all that rust on that unit".
Me: * Cries in michigan *
Precisely
Ray. Wear cloth "liner gloves" under the rubber ones. Change them like sweaty socks as necessary to keep your fingies dry. Have a fleet of them, they wash well. Mine are poly/cotton blend. The cotton melt proof ones don't wick for me, they become soggy.
Hand puppets
I squirt a puff of talcum powder in before I put them on. They are s-o-o-o much easier to get your hands into, and they stop the hands getting sweaty.
(And a squirt of talcum in your shoes too !)
@@oldcynic6964 Make sure it is talc based and not cornstarch. Cornstarch feeds fungus and bacteria. Both turn to a white pasty slime when you sweat. Glove liners are the only thing that helped me.
Always done my own stuff but at 74 i like what your doing had the same troubles myself over the years 😊
Over the past few years, I have very frequently been running into brake job complaints (someone else did the work). The _worst_ example I recently came upon was a 2015 Honda CRV that was taken to a HONDA DEALERSHIP to have the brakes properly repaired (all new everything... supposedly). This vehicle sat in the snow & assorted weather for TWO an entire years without ever being driven an inch. The brakes were rusted solid; (the vehicle had to be towed). The dealership claimed they replaced everything brake related. 4 years and 25,000 miles later I drove the car to inspection for my mother in law. I never got there. It had no brakes. Half way there I turned around, came home and took it apart. There was absolutely ZERO wear on the front brake pads (I even measured against new pads. ZERO wear after 25,000 miles)... and the rear brake pads were down to ultra bare metal grinding into the rear rotors. (So, the whole time, this car had rear braking only. Good thing an old lady was driving it SLOWLY). The problem was simple... (Keep in mind this was a case of "severely rusted" brakes SO BAD that I insisted they take it to an actual Honda Dealership to assure a correct repair... so much for that)... the dealership changed everything EXCEPT the utterly rusted calipers, of which the front pair were frozen. I rebuilt them, and reused the existing zero-wear brake pads, and then installed new pads and rotors in the rear. I also rebuilt the rear calipers while I was at it. My mother in law (and entire family) could not believe how well the brakes work. They didn't realize they HAD NO BRAKES ("40% rear braking only") until they drove the _properly_ repaired braking system.
`
Ps... It has been my personal experience that when vibration is an issue, and the rotors are NOT burned, scarred and/or warped, the problem will ALWAYS be jamming pins in the calipers. If mechanics service the pins at all (usually not) they use GREASE to lubricate them. YOU CANNOT USE GREASE; (just don't do it). Grease destroys rubber and causes it to swell and therefore jam. You need to remove the pins, clean off any corrosion; (you're actually supposed to replace them upon finding corrosion, but if they're not pitted, they are ok to reuse). After thoroughly cleaning the pins and rubber inserts, you need to use SILICONE brake grease which is made for this purpose. The second area of concern is the metal plates that the brakes slide upon; (i.e. "those metal parts that come with new brake pads that many mechanics simply toss"). The old RUSTY plates MUST be removed, the area where they mount must be wire brushed clean, and new plates installed conservatively coated with that same SILICONE grease. --- Here's what's happening: With the pins NOT working _evenly_ it is impossible for both brake pads to offer equal pressure from both sides of the rotor. It is usually the INSIDE brake pad that will wear twice as fast as the outer pad when the pins are binding. What's worse is as those pins get tighter and tighter, it causes the pads to wear on a angle. The two problems add up to a WICKED vibration, particularly up front upon sudden hard braking.
`
Btw, just as there are mechanics who "cannot find a problem because the engine light is NOT on" (these people actually exist, and usually at dealerships), there are also "brake experts" who will claim there is no problem when they see reasonably new brakes pads. However, "new brake pads" inside a caliper does NOT mean they were installed correctly. Finally, whether you replace rotors or not, its important to remember that even when just "replacing pads", you MUST pull, clean and lubricate those caliper pins to assure EVEN brake wear with minimal vibration; (it takes about 5 minutes per caliper).
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I go to Miami quite a bit, driving semi. If you see all of the shady looking shops and stores. No wonder he got a pad slap, they have signs all over Miami, advertising cheapest brake jobs in town. And what you see is what you get………..
It's not just car repair industry. They have FAA repair stations that repair/overhaul electronic parts off commercial jets. I worked at one near Seattle and we'd get stuff in that was reportedly still not working right after they had just got it back from a shop. Checking the warranty sticker on the unit, and it was ALWAYS from a shop in Florida, usually Miami area. I'd see the paperwork where they paid for an overhaul and it was nowhere near an overhaul. That business is highly competitive and they don't pay employees well.
Shops like that Miami shop is what gives the whole industry a bad name. It's a shame bad shops ruin the reputation of good shops, but that's how it is.
Thing is you get mad when you figure out they are trying to rip you off. It's easy to write something about them then and that spreads the thought that "all shops" do this. It's not nearly as likely that you write about good experiences with a shop as honestly that's what you feel should be the common experience. And if you read a comment about a good experience it doesn't hit you the same way that a report about people being ripped off.
And it's the same for almost all businesses. Even online shopping works like that. If a product has a few thousand reviews I tend to look at the most negative first. Those are what my monkey brain think is most important as there has been so much faking of good reviews that I always suspect something is wrong when too many posts claims the shop is fine and the product exceptional. Nobody fakes negative reviews for their own products, but fake positive ones? Now those are suspect.
Now is that a good way to handle things like this? In my opinion no, but it's easy to fall for the nasty comments.
That's why I work on all my cars😅
Same with owning a house, boat, motorcycle, and pc. You're better off doing it yourself. I'm now a mechanic, plumber, electrician, carpenter, and IT specialist. And magically, things are lasting and working correctly.
Documented case like this can get a shops business licence revoked for Fraud and sued for endangering the customer and the public. If you first report it to credit card(if that is how you paid) you will reverse the charge and give shop a black eye with bank and lose merchant account.
I get the feeling, by looking at the poor condition of the rest of the vehicle, that the owner is probably not telling Ray the whole story. I bet he declined repairs. Just went with the cheapest brake service, i.e., just pads.
I quit from a car dealership that was ripping people off. (TL;DR it's essentially the same story as Ray's video, with extra salt in the wound.)
21-years-old, Jeep service technician about 11-12 years ago. 1998 Chevrolet 1500 rolls in, wants NC state inspection. Pull rear drum brakes off, wheel cylinder is leaking badly enough to fail, essentially only had 3 brakes. Shoes/springs look about 50%, gonna call it just a R&R the wheel cylinder, advise customer get brakes checked again in a year.
Go to parts, have them call sister Chevrolet store 5 minutes down the road to get it coming, told service writer don't even bill them for the labor, it's about 2 minutes to swap. Wheel cylinder was $9. Go back to checking everything else. Front had a pad slap within a year or so it looked like, calipers looked OEM, checked fluids. Brake fluid is what GM poured in from the factory, and it's about to start sucking air.
Service manager notices things happening at this point, comes over, "What's going on?"
"It failed for a leaking wheel cylinder."
"Can't be, we just did a full brake service on this 10 months ago!"
*points at inside of drum brake caked in brake dust and actively dripping onto 50% shoes. Then walks to front where rotors that have waves a surfer could catch and rust in a non rust belt vehicle are present. Points at 15 year-old brake fluid in master cylinder.*
*stares angrily at me for 10 seconds, walks off.*
I paid for the parts to make the job whole, got new front pads/rotors, new shoes and spring kit, p/s wheel cylinder to match because it was seeping, which isn't a fail, but it's still not right. Chevy store has caught wind of this, sells it to me at cost, and sends customer a brand new set of some nice tires plus a spare, the fluid for the job on them, and a free oil change/tire rotation coupon. Parts manager paid my labor for all this.
This was in 2013, maybe 2014. The service manager just got fired for being a crook in January of this year.
Here's the kicker. The customer. 70~ish-year-old woman. This was her husband's truck. He just died and this was the first vehicle he ever bought new, so she wanted to essentially maintain its, apart from this fiasco, pristine condition.
We got her a shuttle home since she'd been there for about 90 minutes for a 15 minute job. Only when she had her keys did we break the whole truth. We only charged her the $30 for the inspection, legally obligated to charge it, re-inspection to pass is free within 90 days. She simply asked "Well, is all the work done right this time?"
"Yes."
"Thank you for your honesty. I think I will start taking it back to Chevy store."
IME, way more than half of all dealers in my trade area qualify as stealerships.
Now, with most mfrs producing vehicles with a 10 yr (or less!) useful life, older vehicles & a solid independent like Ray are the only way to go.
This video made me feel much better about the encounter I had with my Tacoma! Seeing you, an experienced pro, doing exactly what I ended up doing to remove the rear shocks. Keep up the good work!
14:00 you got to me.. speculation and hypothesization CAN work hand n hand..you are the only mech who has EVER spoken these terms of interest BRAVO!! you do rock dude!
A saltwater heat conversion system would allow you to have a cool shop in the morning and if your big doors are closed enough the whole garage would be cool all day.
Yeah, that scenario happens at car dealerships, my niece took her SUV to a dealership, not name dropping, charged her $2800 for a brake job, she brought it to me , I checked what they supposedly done and charged her for, half a- job, went to dealership after I did the job properly and went scorched earth on the service manager, did not get all of money back , but they won’t do that again
Sadly, they will. For each one of you that catch it and go back, there will be several that dont who fluff up their profit margin.
We had that happen in our shop. We took many photographs and kept the old parts. Customer asked if he would reimburse him. He declined, owner stated he would file a claims in small claims court. The shop conceded and reimbursed the money.
Complain to the Head Office only. Do not complain to the local dealership.
Reason being that the Head Office don't want to tarnish the brand and will kick the ass of the Dealership to put things right.
".......they won't do that again." Yup, they won't do that again.....not until the next time they do that again. So did you get her a refund for the parts/labor they did not do? Nope. You didn't do anything.
Impact gun cam is like playing a FPS like Doom 😎
looked like nascar wheel changer cam
Peeps with seizures beware.. lol.
Just one of those days, man! Just proves - even for the pros, there is no such thing as a quick 10 minute job only taking 10 minutes! 😎👍
This is one of those jobs that isn't hard... But it is time consuming. I've done the "Got all three bolts out... why is it not.... Oh. Fourth bolt. Hmmmm." type of repair more than once.
One trick I picked up over years of wrenching on mid-60s air-cooled VWs and enough late-70s/early 80s Japanese cars (crusty rusties): a wire toothbrush prior to some lube on bolts can expedite things. I dunno how much it would help here, though. What really stands out is you provide the superb running commentary as always. Thanks for the great video- nice seeing an independent shop catch other "shops" cheating car owners.
Another Florida frame that is rust free. That would make South Main Auto’s Eric jealous in New York.
In the '80s I had a '70 Volvo with bad suspension bushings. It had started life in New Jersey so the rust wasn't bad but the bolts in the rear axle were all rust welded to the bushings. I had to cut them off on both sides and even then they wouldn't release.
I can relate to the heat. I had to replace a front wheel bearing on a Saab in 100+ degree heat in central valley California (only 40% humidity). I kept slipping in the pool of sweat on the floor of the garage. Still better than pulling the transmission from an Opel, outdoors on a windy 20 degree F day. The good old days, when I had no $.
It's sad, when a shop "Claims" they did something, charge you for it, then act like nothings wrong, when you bring the vehicle back, going as far as to tell the customer, that it's something else, and not the work they did.
SHAME ON THE MESS!!!
Heeeeyyyy Ray, a few pointers to help you in those struts sutuations. After you knock the bottom bolt loose, use a 11/16" or a 3/4" wrenxh over the bolt and spin it with your impact and it will come right out. Also on the top of struts or shocks when the nut won't come off, use a 3" wiz wheel or an oscillating tool with a metal blade, they cut a whole lot easier than a recip saw. Trying to help you young guys, especially since we boomers keep getting told we dont want to teach you young guys( no i have never heard you say that, lol)😮
You're not kidding about how far down the Keys are. We used to drive from NJ to Boynton Beach for the holidays with my folks, and the first time we crossed into Florida we were saying "woo hoo! almost there!" not realizing we had 4-5 hours driving to do.
"You'd think it was 120 degrees in here. Can't be more than 114"
“I get no kicks from champagne…”
Only us old guys will know what that means!!!!!! LOL!!
I have been charged for work that wasn't done a lot here in Toronto. My first car repair ever was springs/struts on an Accord. They needed it badly. They returned the car to me with the original parts untouched. No witness marks or anything, they didn't even touch the car.
Then on my (used) 1994 4runner, at a big dealership, I paid for spark plugs, brake flush, engine oil, coolant, 2x diff oil, transfer case oil, repack front wheel bearings, and transmission flush with filter change. And grease the chassis. What I got was engine oil and spark plugs, but all the plug wire retaining clips were destroyed. No grease, Old brake fluid throughout the system, they didn't even change the reservoir fluid for show. No witness marks on the drain plugs or bolts for the transmission pan. When I dumped the fluids myself, they were all dark/exhausted and not new or even refreshed by dilution.
The list goes on, but now I just do things for myself since I end up paying once and then doing it myself anyway.
Anyone know a good mechanic (toyota) in the Toronto area? I would really rather let someone else do certain things these days.
I'm getting to old to straighten out things I payed someone to fix
EFG AUTO in richmond hill Franklin is honest as the day is long.
@@billmilner-l2n Thank you. I will reach out to them.
Ray,
Appreciate all that you have taught me even at 76 years of age.I never qualified to to the depth of work that you do and share on your channel, but I have one piece of advice for you from a man who has "over cooked" his hands doing a lot of what you do. I appreciate your view on plastic gloves and would follow your ways when it comes to fluid problems that you handle on a daily basis. BUT as an old timer who has used his hands as hammers and wrench extensions must of my working life I would like to recommend to you to use some sort of dry glove,leather or mechanics style popular today even just cloth work gloves. They do two things, one they protect from dirt and cutting injuries, and for me they acted like a saftey valve if you will, like a fuse in an electrical circuit they keep you from over powering your hands because they keep your grip from being so solid and secure, They worked for me because they kept my body from hurting my body. if you understand what i mean. At 76 I wish my hands felt like they did a long tome ago not the way they feel and work today. Keep up the good work and the fine attitude Ray. Good bless you and your family.
Caught a shop trying to sell me my own voltage regulator. They pulled it off and took it to "match up" with the new part. Stuck my head around the corner to ask the mechanic something and caught him spray painting my part. There was nothing wrong with the original, turned out to be a bad ground and dirty connections causing all the issues.
11:20 I love that bumper sticker!!🥰
You can throw a screwdriver into the red hole on the Milwaukee “grips” and really tighten it like crazy after you lock it on. You may know that but thought I’d drop the tip for those that don’t know what that’s for.❤
Imagine the face of that fool that “replaced the rotors” when he sees this video. Might think twice about ripping other people off. Rainman for the win.
probably would not worry, These shonks have no shame
Problem is, they don't care, they already got their money from the customer and good luck at trying to get refunded.
@@Ham68229 You'd have to take them to court which can be a several months long process not to mention tons of other costs and fees. Usually not worth it.
@@BrandonFlint-ro2ns this would be small claims court and if it's $500 or less, just wasting money going to court. Lawyer fees, court costs, best to just report to the BBB and never return to that shop.
Just add a few holes to their windows a few months later.
sounds like the previous shop said they would change both disks and pads, but didn't manage to change disks due to different brake layout but docked it anyway..
I am glad to hear that you wanted Power Stop brake parts. I just replaced my f150 pads, rotors, and all new rubber brake lines with Power Stop. I replaced all six rubber lines because the truck is 15 years old, and this was the first brake job. The truck had 85 thousand miles on the original brakes, and because the truck is driven mostly on the highway and never driven in salt, they seem to last much longer than usual, even though i pulled a camper during most of those miles.
Ford dealer said they were putting ford parts on my f150, turned down my brakes from great to truck. Better than my dad who got "new" pads straight from the wood shop. 89 f250 sucks stock better prepare early w that crap.
Another informative, entering video. It was good that the customer agreed to have their truck fully repaired.
I just had the brakes on my car changed out. it was about 900 bucks. They did front rear pads and rotors. I was contemplating doing a pad slap myself but then I remembered its smart to replace them at the same time, even if it is going to cost a crap tone more monies.
You could've done it yourself in a couple hours and saved 3 or four hundred.
@@Zippadeedoodaa-nt8om And been in agony for three days. I'll spend the money and have someone else do it.
Even the sasquatch was holding on for dear life LOL
That crummy brake work was "messin' with sasquatch"...
...(tip of the Hatlo hat to Jack Link's)...
YOU CAN TAKE HIM
You should name drop the shop in Miami too prevent anyone from going there. Ripping off people is not cool. Love the bumper sticker.
I use to use an air gun with a pointed bolt splitter to split the bolt on top of the shock. Generally made short work of removing rusty shocks.
I went to O'Reilly and bought a can of brake cleaner in Ray's honor...but the music didn't come with it! I am SO disappointed!!🤪
If the customer had been charged for a full brake job (new parts and pads) he should go to small claims court if the Miami Shop fails to make restitution. Brakes are your life, you don't die if your motor fails.
You can die if your motor fails in the middle of the highway and you lose power steering and brake boost and can’t get out of the way of a car that’s about to run into you or rear end you or you rear end them. Many more scenarios but yes you can die from a motor going out.
the bad thing about court is you got to pay the fees even if you win 😵
@@ChrisWijtmansNot necessarily, you can request the court to have the defendant reimburse those fees. There’s no guarantee, but it’s worth an attempt
@@jamram9924 you mean defendant (ripoff shop)
@@carlosnavarro921that’s why spelling checking is essential. These devices have the tendency to fill in with additional words.
Shop issue? Yep! Took an old chevy in for an alignment and was told I needed to have the knock outs done before the job could be done. Paid an extra $100 to have the knockouts removed. Took the vehicle back to the same shop about a year later to have alignment checked and guess what? A different tech told me I needed to have the knock outs done again. Told him to pull the vehicle back into the shop and show them to me. After we got back out in the bay I told the young tech that he should at least look at the front end before pronouncing that it needed the knockouts removed. Told him it might be a good idea to at least look at the service history before recommending something that has already been done. The part that really made me mad was when I got home and could still hear a knocking noise on the way there. Reached down and with my bare hand removed one of the upper control arm nuts because it had not been tightened. No, none of my vehicles or those that I recommend people have serviced ever go to THAT shop anymore. Looking back on it now and I have probably sold thru recommendation well over a 100K worth of business to them over the years but, not anymore.
Even a Dealer does that. Had it in for Oil Change and Dealer stated Pads were "Marginal". So my nephew is good a pads and rotors so I ordered a set of power stops from Rock Auto when I got around to it (a few 1000 miles later) and when we pulled them they still had 50% on the pads. Replaced them anyway. Took truck back in for recommended oil change and again "marginal" pads. Looked at the service writer and said you need to retrain your tech. Those new pads and rotors have at most 3k miles on them.
I now have a new shop that I take it to for Oil change and they never mention brakes
Talking to rotor: Are you done? 😆
I can feel that florida heat just watching you drive the car... I can also feel my knees hurt with you having to bend down to recheck the mounts
ahh, that explains the issue I had with my brakes. I had the calipers replaced (Some after-market jobbers were tolerable at first). However, within a week from the brake service, I lost brake power. Brake pedal turned to mush. I was able to limp to the shop, using my parking brake and they discovered that the brake caliper leaked, right on that seem you pointed out. NOW i understand... I thought it was strange that the brake fluid chamber in the caliper would reach that far... I didn't realize it was a 4 piston caliper. Thanks for pointing that out.
What has happened to the industry ?. Is there no integrity or professionalism anymore ?. I wrenched for over 40 years and always repaired my customers vehicles as if my wife and kids were going to be in this vehicle.
We are from Michigan, and we've used the same repair shop since at least 2005. Extremely honest, reasonable prices, great turn around time, and NEVER try to sell something you do not need. Always do inspection, and let us know what may need doing. We are truly Blessed,
My wife always laughs at me when I see your videos. She thinks I would squirm back and forth as if I wanted to rush to help you. That's right, she's right!
I’m the same way. I can’t just sit and watch. I always wanna jump in to help.
New pads, old rotors!
New rotors, new pads, rotate tires.
With regards to vice grips I've replaced the adjusting screw with a long bolt and then used a lump of steel with a hole to make a slide hammer. Works a treat....
Thank you for your work love the channer
I Know how you feel Ray. Hit 70 degrees here in Newfoundland today. Could hardly carry wood up the hill to my house.
I thought Rick Flair was in the building with his WOOOOO!
Imma be real here, as a service writer, ive had a ton of customers come in and request just pads, even when we recommend them replacing pads and rotors especially living in the north where rust is EVERYWEHRE. We explain the problems with only replacing pads when they need both replaced. Most interactions ive had within customer service have made me stray away from believing customers. I just let them speak and take looks for myself, if they claim they were changed, id ask to see their invoice to double check. Just the other day, I had someone come in and say we did something on their car because it was on the invoice, I ask to take a look and see that the item in question was under the decline section thats labeled declined, and the customer was adamant we did them. Not everyone lies, but enough that do cause enough distrust to believe anything without physically being in the place at the moment what ever was done.
Happy Tuesday
For a customer to drive several hours from the Florida Keys to Rays shop is without a doubt a testament on his reputation as a mechanic and businessman.
Same happened to my son at P.B.'s . Replaced pads only and charged for new rotors. Mechanic stood next to me and said he changed the rotors and you can see the surface of the rotors were all grooved and ridged.
You probably put 4.7 in the title just to get people to comment on your error. Here we are so it obviously worked, fine job!
Did he end up figuring out the pentastar issue from the other day?
So far nothing but radio silence on that topic. 🤔
Hey Ray I think it's time to get a bigger garage and more employees
Why ??
The bigger the garage, the more responsibilities. He's doing just fine where he is.
More employees, more problems. Then he needs to become a manager. I don’t think he wants to go down that path.
at the shop i work we always save the parts to show the customer what we have changed out if they want to
thankyou Ray,,,excellent crystal clear audio no background noise at all,👏👍
25:20 Are you done? LOL 😂
It has been many many moons since we have heard those 4 non-blond people.
Its always playing I swear to God lol
What’s going on?
Time to get the HOT wrench fixed. It is not a problem when it is liquid !! Thank you for another great video. Cheers
I also love how you call out shops (not by name, nor the peoples working there) about their disgraceful labor practices. Billing for work not done. PLEASE keep up the excellent work and outing those that really don't give a damn about their customers.
@RainmanRaysRepairs I’m a Toyota technician the easiest way to die the front struts is too remove the lower ball joint bolts loosen the camber caster bolts and remove sway bar links.
25:20 I'm glad you acknowledged that rotor rotoring, otherwise it would've been weird. 👍😊
I used to use an old rotor as an anvil when I made rings out of old quarters and stuff
On those, I pry between the rotor and the brake pad to compress the pistons
Hey! Back here again after a long absence from your channel (TH-cam's fault). Delighted to watch you work through a mounted camera. Beautiful steady view. I wish a lot of other TH-camrs would get the message and stop using a jerky handheld. 😀❤👍
In hong kong when car serviced parts would be swapped to other cars, leaving you with bad parts.. just remembered that.
Back in the day at dodge, we made a hook tool that would go around the control arm near the ball joint and it had a hole big enough for the pray bar to pass through, it made bringing the arm down 10 times easier.
Rainman thanks for the tutorial, I own a 2008 Toyota Highlander with 250,000 miles and need to do CPR and change out the struts and shocks. I have owned many brands of vehicles and consider this Toyota the best!
it has been a while Ray. Happy to get back and enjoy your diagnostic skills extraordinair. From N Ontario, Canada.
Red 66 dart ragtop.
Here's today's off-topic tip...
I was replacing the spark plugs in the wife's 2014 2.4L Jeep Patriot. Three plugs came out fine because I spray some PB down the holes and back the plugs out slightly to allow it to soak in. Steel plugs, alloy heads.
The problem child tightened up within 1/4 turn so I found the neutral spot and let it soak some more. After a few minutes I tried again and carefully got it out. This is why you never use a power tool to remove spark plugs or any steel fasteners threaded into alloy threads. Not pulling the threads is worth the patience.
FYI for front struts it's much easier to just drop the lower control arm down and let it hang. All you have to do is loosen the essentrics for camber and caster after you mark them, take off the swarbar end link and pull the bolt that runs through the lower control arm then take off the lower ball joint mount from the knuckle. Can pull those struts out much easier and faster.
Ray please do an update video of your shop since opening all the hard work you and Lauren have put in over time. Thanks for sharing. Maby a montage it will be a great look back.
I had to also do the same thing to replace the rear shocks on my 2015 tundra using a sawzall.
I'm not a mechanic but when I took y struts out I used a spring compressor to get them out and disassemble the strut. Seemed a lot easier.
Thanks for your entertaining videos
One trick for extra leverage to loosen a ball joint stud or for your situation is to use a strap or chain around the lower control arm to step on.
you need one of those pry things that Eric O has that hooks over the lower control arm and gives you more leverage to pull it down.