Excellent video Mario! I often feel the same way as to publish a video or not, but honestly this is quite useful and a valuable lesson to be learned in doing diagnostics. I keep forgetting myself that I have a thermal imager which I would like to use for engine misfires, electrical issues, etc. You just cut your diagnostic time in half and saved a lot of time with the thermal imager. It would have been nice if you pulled out the fuse for the rear defogger just to see if the heat went away from the imager camera just for the sake of entertainment purposes. Other than that this was interesting. Good job!
Friggin engineers and manufacturers, a relay that's internal to a fuse box that they crammed behind the glovebox... WTF. Glad you decided to post this video. Thank you.
Nice job showing the thermal imager. It was good to see you following through with the complete walk around of the vehicle after seeing the heat in the glove box fuse block.
I wanted to take the time to leave a comment, to let you know that all of your videos have been helpful lessons. Letting the customer decide the repair is part of this business. We just do our best to present the options on how to proceed. Every video on your channel has been informative, even just seeing your personal diagnostic process is helpful. Just showing the usefulness of the thermal camera on parasitic draws, its something ive used but was never my first step. I will definitely keep that in mind. Thanks again for all you do for the community! Congrats on the Topdon channel sponsor! If they need me to review any scantools feel free to hit me up lol!
Great video, Mario. The use of thermal imaging cameras is becoming more useful than ever. I just feel sorry for owners of BMWs that have to deal with ridiculous, cost-prohibitive problems like this. Keep up the great work.
You could have pulled the HVAC control panel, which has the button to control rear defogger, and disconnect it. Then you will know if it is just a bad signal from HVAC panel or if it is a stuck relay. It is pretty easy to pull that panel.
Great work. I like that Thermal imager. I've been considering one for a while. There are other applications as well. I'm used to watching a select few people because the others are a waste of time. I like your work. Work is fun when you have the right tools and know how to get the most out of them.
@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics Yeah I mentioned it in the video that that’s what the customer decided to do, Permanently lol most of the customers that have this issue decide to just leave the fuse removed
@@SuperMarioDiagnostics that's what I would do too lol... Maybe install a toggle switch or timer button in series with that fuse... But in Florida rear defrost is optional 😅
great job,lots to learn from this,i use thermal camera too,in england,fixing volvos mainly,use to pull one fuse at a time and wait till amps went ,works ok,but camera is better,you should of pull the fuse and then check the draw,if gone ,then got a cheap fix,and found it ,as a shop owner ,you got stick to budjet ,as custermer got pay the end bill,nice you give them options ,you run a honest shop,not rip people off ,is good to see ,i have worked in bad shops here in england,was sad times,mechanics break stuff,not do the parts swop,i not like it ,so left,till found a good shop,i push my snapon box out the door ,and said im off,place sucks,but on payday ,so still get paid,i got myself a scope,mainly for test spark plug coils,crank pulses,no one knew how to use one ,so i found scanner danner ,he loves them ,learnt lots from him ,and southmain auto ,just found your channel and learning from you now ,scope takes the mystery out of it ,and got a endoscope now ,handy little tool,and a thermal camera, my friend is a fireman ,and gave me a old one ,works ok ,see every think ,keep up the good work ,educating the masses,around the world ,eric the car guy is another one i watch ,and sy diagnostics,a ford main dealer man ,was scoda man then r.a.c breakdown man ,rescue people ,broken down,some you fix ,some get towed,cambelt snap ect ,love gunman too,he paints cars,nice to watch
Could also patch into the command wire and pull the fuse and install an aftermarket relay that goes in between the fuse connectors in the junction box. Be sure to put an inline fuse on the new relay. Can retain the use of the defroster then.
Very valuable video because it shows the entire process of your diagnosis AND conducting business! Can you imagine what would have happened if the customer complaint was 'hot rear defroster", you did not have a thermal imager, and you trusted your component location diagram?
I appreciate you. I have a parasitic draw on a garage door remote board. I don't have a thermal cam but I think I'll put a new battery in it and just feel around it with my finger. Just trying to practice/learn. Thanks
Mario thanks for sharing. Mario did everything stop glowing when you pulled the fuse? Was the relay unserviceable? No matter what thank for sharing and we always learn something from your videos 😊Artie
Interesting case. I don't understand that massive 19 Amp draw, though. How can that possibly be accurate? I like the demonstration of the use of the thermal camera, but why not just use a simple Amp Hound tool, identify the fuse and pull it to confirm the "sleeping" amp draw is at acceptable level?
This is much faster and only my first step in the process. Have you tried getting an amp hound to the junction box on one of these? Plus i don't like the amp hound false passes. And yes the faulty component can easily pull 19 amps
@@SuperMarioDiagnostics i thought the rear and front defoggers would only work with engine (alternator)running because of the drawer on power use or because of fault that is bypassed
@@jackmay1728 youre right it will only command on when the engine is running. But if the internal relay got stuck it wont matter anymore. It will give constant power to the rear window defogger.
Hey Mario agreed the diag itself was not super complex, but the process for finding the cause definitely was educational to many. I was at ASTE on Fri, one of the questions in class was common ways to find a draw. I was the only one to mention a thermal imaging camera. Which surprised me, but goes to show the efficacy of thermal imaging is still unknown to many in the industry. So definitely a good choice on publishing this.
@@SuperMarioDiagnostics I'm sure I'll see it. A while back you mentioned possibly doing a review of the E Scan. You ever get a chance to do anything on that?
@@SuperMarioDiagnostics No worries. I'm not looking to pull the trigger on it today, just something I keep an eye out for. I find very little "unbiased" info on it. I said hello to you briefly and let you know I enjoyed your content. I'm sure I'll see you at another event in the future-John.
Thank you for this wonderful video…. I have questions…. I see you are connecting the car to battery maintainer…. They told I can not connect the car to maintainer while testing for parasitec draw?
That's not true. The draw doesn't change. Now after the draw has been found and rectified, it's suggested to power off the maintainer to get a more accurate draw reading. But without this maintainer, this vehicle battery would've died within two hours
With the battery maintainer you wouldn't be able to check for (leak) current flow ( not with an amp clamp, nor with a shunt resistor or in line amp measurement) at the main battery cables as there will be current flowing INTO the battery at all times. Yet you can check for voltage drop over the fuses as this reflects the current coming OUT of the source. Or, as Mario did, go by the thermal imager which indicates indirectly the current consumption by its product which is the generated heat.
This video! ❤ it’s why I’m hitting subscribe. The inner conflict at the end but the resolution to do the right thing over hubris. It’s a sign of trustworthiness and good character. Just because you weren’t able to complete the repair to 100% perfection but because you were able relay “ALL” the facts and still publish. You sir are an A+ in my book. Look forward to seeing more of your videos now I’ve subscribed.
INTELLECTUAL Super Mario Diagnostics Amazing tutorial video 👏 👌 👍 thank you very much helpful information Take care and have a great day INTELLECTUAL Super Mario Diagnostics From Nick Ayivor from London England UK 🇬🇧
If you disconnected the connector to the HVAC unit or checked for ground on the wire could verify relay isn't being turned on. An external relay and inline fuse could be installed bypassing junction box if desired. ( If couldn't be repaired or source a replacement) kinda janky, but....
i swear by the seek shot pro for this type of diag. do not get caught up with brand names, i promise this will do more on finding the heat difference than any truck tool and at 1/3 the price...you will thank me later, so your welcome....thanks for the vid mario!
Nice , film for us please , i enjoyed your videos from the last year event. i will be there but not this year cuz im from outside of the us and I don't have a visa yet !
@@SuperMarioDiagnostics Thanks for letting me know! I have no other choice except DIY as the dealer and a specialist electrical shop have tried and come up with nothing. Again, thanks.
The wrong service information can sure give you headaches and you showed exactly how it can give you that feeling good video don't beat yourself up on it it was good info anyway
That's where my mind went... the control wire for the relay could've been shorted to ground, or a faulty ac head unit giving it a ground when it shouldn't. It's extra labor but checking the control wire at the junction box for a ground could've been a more definitive diagnosis.
Doesn't truly matter as i always start my draw testing the same way. Letting it sleep overnight. If the customer is in a rush, they're free to take it 😆 yet to have a draw that i couldn't pinpoint
IMO, always publish. We get to see the method of attack, little things like the service info. Etc. I rather a less informative video due to decline of repair than no video at all.
Excellent video Mario! I often feel the same way as to publish a video or not, but honestly this is quite useful and a valuable lesson to be learned in doing diagnostics. I keep forgetting myself that I have a thermal imager which I would like to use for engine misfires, electrical issues, etc. You just cut your diagnostic time in half and saved a lot of time with the thermal imager. It would have been nice if you pulled out the fuse for the rear defogger just to see if the heat went away from the imager camera just for the sake of entertainment purposes. Other than that this was interesting. Good job!
A smart man learns from his mistakes and a wise man from others.
Thank you for publishing! You probably saved a lot of people a lot of headaches.
Friggin engineers and manufacturers, a relay that's internal to a fuse box that they crammed behind the glovebox... WTF. Glad you decided to post this video. Thank you.
Nice job showing the thermal imager. It was good to see you following through with the complete walk around of the vehicle after seeing the heat in the glove box fuse block.
Yes sir Mario, I think time has come to invest in a Thermal camera. Thank you for your support and short cuts, God bless you.
I am glad you decided to publish this video Mario, an excellent approach to parasitic draws. Thanks for giving the time to share your expertise 🙏👍
Excellent video. Never thought of using a thermal imager for parasitic draws. Now I have another use for my thermal imager.
I wanted to take the time to leave a comment, to let you know that all of your videos have been helpful lessons. Letting the customer decide the repair is part of this business. We just do our best to present the options on how to proceed. Every video on your channel has been informative, even just seeing your personal diagnostic process is helpful. Just showing the usefulness of the thermal camera on parasitic draws, its something ive used but was never my first step. I will definitely keep that in mind. Thanks again for all you do for the community! Congrats on the Topdon channel sponsor! If they need me to review any scantools feel free to hit me up lol!
Great video, Mario. The use of thermal imaging cameras is becoming more useful than ever. I just feel sorry for owners of BMWs that have to deal with ridiculous, cost-prohibitive problems like this. Keep up the great work.
muchas gracias Super Mario, You are a very honest mechanic, is very hard to find in these days guys like You.
The camera is the way to go. You covered every possibility with one quick scan. Good job!
R u kidding? A great vid!! Lots of good diagnostic steps. And the caution on the diagrams. Thank u!!
When it comes to parasitic draws there are always valuable things to learn, this is a topic where the term "there is too much of this" does not apply.
You could have pulled the HVAC control panel, which has the button to control rear defogger, and disconnect it. Then you will know if it is just a bad signal from HVAC panel or if it is a stuck relay. It is pretty easy to pull that panel.
That would not have brought you any more information. Because the rear defrogger on signal is a can message to the junction box.
This is valuable information, good that you posted the video. I like to use thermal imager for diagnostics.
Great work. I like that Thermal imager. I've been considering one for a while. There are other applications as well. I'm used to watching a select few people because the others are a waste of time. I like your work. Work is fun when you have the right tools and know how to get the most out of them.
Interesting diag Mario! Why not at least pull the rear defrost fuse and see if the draw goes away?
That's what i did. Didn't film it though lol
@@SuperMarioDiagnostics oh haha did that fix the draw?
@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics Yeah I mentioned it in the video that that’s what the customer decided to do, Permanently lol most of the customers that have this issue decide to just leave the fuse removed
@@SuperMarioDiagnostics that's what I would do too lol... Maybe install a toggle switch or timer button in series with that fuse... But in Florida rear defrost is optional 😅
Excellent video Mario. As a Mech. Engineer I am impressed by your thinking. Slanté
great job,lots to learn from this,i use thermal camera too,in england,fixing volvos mainly,use to pull one fuse at a time and wait till amps went ,works ok,but camera is better,you should of pull the fuse and then check the draw,if gone ,then got a cheap fix,and found it ,as a shop owner ,you got stick to budjet ,as custermer got pay the end bill,nice you give them options ,you run a honest shop,not rip people off ,is good to see ,i have worked in bad shops here in england,was sad times,mechanics break stuff,not do the parts swop,i not like it ,so left,till found a good shop,i push my snapon box out the door ,and said im off,place sucks,but on payday ,so still get paid,i got myself a scope,mainly for test spark plug coils,crank pulses,no one knew how to use one ,so i found scanner danner ,he loves them ,learnt lots from him ,and southmain auto ,just found your channel and learning from you now ,scope takes the mystery out of it ,and got a endoscope now ,handy little tool,and a thermal camera, my friend is a fireman ,and gave me a old one ,works ok ,see every think ,keep up the good work ,educating the masses,around the world ,eric the car guy is another one i watch ,and sy diagnostics,a ford main dealer man ,was scoda man then r.a.c breakdown man ,rescue people ,broken down,some you fix ,some get towed,cambelt snap ect ,love gunman too,he paints cars,nice to watch
Could also patch into the command wire and pull the fuse and install an aftermarket relay that goes in between the fuse connectors in the junction box. Be sure to put an inline fuse on the new relay. Can retain the use of the defroster then.
Good job Mario. Still great information. Have a great week.
Very valuable video because it shows the entire process of your diagnosis AND conducting business!
Can you imagine what would have happened if the customer complaint was 'hot rear defroster", you did not have a thermal imager, and you trusted your component location diagram?
I appreciate you. I have a parasitic draw on a garage door remote board. I don't have a thermal cam but I think I'll put a new battery in it and just feel around it with my finger. Just trying to practice/learn. Thanks
Great video Mario! Thermal imager is on my wish list!
Mario thanks for sharing. Mario did everything stop glowing when you pulled the fuse? Was the relay unserviceable? No matter what thank for sharing and we always learn something from your videos 😊Artie
no more excessive draw, the relay stays activated, but the coil only draws 50mA, as per customer request. The relay does glow, but not nearly as much
Thanks for the video, I appreciate the info and your walkthroughs
Interesting case. I don't understand that massive 19 Amp draw, though.
How can that possibly be accurate?
I like the demonstration of the use of the thermal camera, but why not just use a simple Amp Hound tool, identify the fuse and pull it to confirm the "sleeping" amp draw is at acceptable level?
This is much faster and only my first step in the process. Have you tried getting an amp hound to the junction box on one of these? Plus i don't like the amp hound false passes. And yes the faulty component can easily pull 19 amps
@@SuperMarioDiagnostics i thought the rear and front defoggers would only work with engine (alternator)running because of the drawer on power use or because of fault that is bypassed
@@jackmay1728 youre right it will only command on when the engine is running. But if the internal relay got stuck it wont matter anymore. It will give constant power to the rear window defogger.
You could wake up modules when you pull the fuse restarting the process again this is not very invasive
@@SuperMarioDiagnostics what brand thermal imager are you using?
Glad you published the video, it is very useful :) Wish there was electric imager around the magnetic fiels of cables :)
All.your videos are useful, appreciated man , good job
Hey Mario agreed the diag itself was not super complex, but the process for finding the cause definitely was educational to many. I was at ASTE on Fri, one of the questions in class was common ways to find a draw. I was the only one to mention a thermal imaging camera. Which surprised me, but goes to show the efficacy of thermal imaging is still unknown to many in the industry. So definitely a good choice on publishing this.
Got another one coming up in the near future
@@SuperMarioDiagnostics I'm sure I'll see it. A while back you mentioned possibly doing a review of the E Scan. You ever get a chance to do anything on that?
I have not, i don't use it nearly as much as i should
@@SuperMarioDiagnostics No worries. I'm not looking to pull the trigger on it today, just something I keep an eye out for. I find very little "unbiased" info on it. I said hello to you briefly and let you know I enjoyed your content. I'm sure I'll see you at another event in the future-John.
Thanks for this informations ℹ
Super helpful! Thank you!!!
Thank you for this wonderful video…. I have questions…. I see you are connecting the car to battery maintainer…. They told I can not connect the car to maintainer while testing for parasitec draw?
That's not true. The draw doesn't change. Now after the draw has been found and rectified, it's suggested to power off the maintainer to get a more accurate draw reading. But without this maintainer, this vehicle battery would've died within two hours
With the battery maintainer you wouldn't be able to check for (leak) current flow ( not with an amp clamp, nor with a shunt resistor or in line amp measurement) at the main battery cables as there will be current flowing INTO the battery at all times. Yet you can check for voltage drop over the fuses as this reflects the current coming OUT of the source. Or, as Mario did, go by the thermal imager which indicates indirectly the current consumption by its product which is the generated heat.
With a maintainer, you can absolutely see current draw using an amp clamp around the battery cable. Next time i do it, I'll film it for ya
Thank you very much
Thank you Juergen scholl
Valuable tutorial . Thanks
great approach brother thanks for sharing.
Thank you for publishing this video.
This video! ❤ it’s why I’m hitting subscribe. The inner conflict at the end but the resolution to do the right thing over hubris. It’s a sign of trustworthiness and good character. Just because you weren’t able to complete the repair to 100% perfection but because you were able relay “ALL” the facts and still publish. You sir are an A+ in my book. Look forward to seeing more of your videos now I’ve subscribed.
Should have checked if the relay is warm. And active relay coil will generate heat.
Yes, worth publishing Mario. Have you put up details of the thermal imaging camera before, as I might get one?
Not sure, it's the seek compact pro
Great video
Always learning something new, thank you Mario.
Brilliant video as always 👍
Hey Mario thanks again and again, publish anything ther is always a lesson in you video
Do you guys offer running a separate relay outside of junction block? Similar to the classic tipm repair. Still a dope video, thanks for releasing it.
If I'm going to go through all that trouble, i might as well fix the original relay. Assuming that is the problem, it can be done though
@@SuperMarioDiagnostics Are you talking about fixing the junction block?
@@worsttintentions yes, the relay inside of the junction box. Desolder the old relay, and resolder a new one
Awesome stuff!
Thanks mario
Good video !
nice one sir would of been nice to see the draw drop when pulling the fuse
If you remove the fuse you would be able to see if the control side of the relay was active or if it was stuck relay
Doesn't matter, client declined going any further
INTELLECTUAL Super Mario Diagnostics
Amazing tutorial video 👏 👌 👍 thank you very much helpful information
Take care and have a great day
INTELLECTUAL Super Mario Diagnostics
From Nick Ayivor from London England UK 🇬🇧
Very great informative video I like it but one problem how can you verify without hear it click especially for deaf technicians like me 11:22 - 1140
By feel, you'll feel it click
@@SuperMarioDiagnostics duh me haha sometime when I watch video I tend to get overthink lol
If you disconnected the connector to the HVAC unit or checked for ground on the wire could verify relay isn't being turned on.
An external relay and inline fuse could be installed bypassing junction box if desired. ( If couldn't be repaired or source a replacement) kinda janky, but....
It's a network command, not a ground command from hvac unit to jbe
i swear by the seek shot pro for this type of diag. do not get caught up with brand names, i promise this will do more on finding the heat difference than any truck tool and at 1/3 the price...you will thank me later, so your welcome....thanks for the vid mario!
Absolutely agreed! Best bang for buck imager
@@SuperMarioDiagnostics also it holds a charge forever.........i could go on, but you get the idea
👋Sir very nice explanation and information, blessings
Nice Job
Great video Mario , thanks for sharing …
Which app you use for the Thermal Imager?
Seek compact pro
Great diagnostic brother , like your videos and your procedure ! Are you going to the ASTE this year ?!
Thanks! Yes i am, how about you?
Nice , film for us please , i enjoyed your videos from the last year event.
i will be there but not this year cuz im from outside of the us and I don't have a visa yet !
I'm trying to locate a 100 milliamp drain. I doubt the camera would pick that up.
I’ve picked up less with one
@@SuperMarioDiagnostics Thanks for letting me know! I have no other choice except DIY as the dealer and a specialist electrical shop have tried and come up with nothing. Again, thanks.
hahah wrong service info....figures after we talked about it right??? Good video as always :)
What monitor/setup do you use? that 4 way desktop is so awesome!
That's a 4k 43" TV, thanks!
@@SuperMarioDiagnostics and what do you use to control that as a computer? Sorry still a noob and planning my setup ahead of time.
What brand thermal imager is that?
What is the reason behind having an internal relay that cannot be replaced?
To sell you a module
you decide 80x80 res or 320x240 res
Mario were I can get the thermal imager?
I bought mine on eBay lol
@@SuperMarioDiagnostics nice job bro i have the topdon phoenix plus I start learning I love the scanner
The wrong service information can sure give you headaches and you showed exactly how it can give you that feeling good video don't beat yourself up on it it was good info anyway
Still a very useful video. Things do happen. :)
Very interesting vid as per usual, didn’t quite catch the name of the thermal imager …!
Seek compact pro
@@SuperMarioDiagnostics Which camera are you using High Resolution (339.00 on amazon) or regular (200.00 on amazon)?
The pro version
Couldn't the on off switch for the defogger be bad and stuck on?
It could, but that would require the ac head unit and the junction box to be on at all times
That's where my mind went... the control wire for the relay could've been shorted to ground, or a faulty ac head unit giving it a ground when it shouldn't. It's extra labor but checking the control wire at the junction box for a ground could've been a more definitive diagnosis.
Do these attachments for iPhone really work? They are hundreds of dollars on eBay.
Yes, they work, and the good ones aren't cheap. But as a tech, this is a bargain compared to snap on
👍👍👍
👍
20 to 30 amps……! WTF a Range Rover wouldn’t draw that with the ignition on while programming it!
LOL I've seen rovers pull up to 90 amps during programming
👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
That's a lot of work to tear down the box and repair that problem.
Not that bad for just labor plus a relay. Definitely less expensive than replacing the module plus coding
16 minutes to go to sleep. I wait 20.
0:35 you can force the car to go to sleep with ista+
Doesn't truly matter as i always start my draw testing the same way. Letting it sleep overnight. If the customer is in a rush, they're free to take it 😆 yet to have a draw that i couldn't pinpoint
IMO, always publish. We get to see the method of attack, little things like the service info. Etc. I rather a less informative video due to decline of repair than no video at all.
Great video