did the tech try to get me?

[bigreese]

i took my 92q to the nissan deal where they had a certified infinti tech on duty. i told him that i believed my power steering was leaking from the high pressure hose or another hose, and that my hvac unit was not blowing out in either cooling or heating modes this is what he came up with:

high pressur hose: 345 _ 200 laborreturn hose:45 _ 80 laborps pump: 453_ 200laborblower moter 190_ 120 labor

when i told him that the high pressure hose had recentley been replaced, he then said " oh your hp hose is not actually leaking but the fluid from the pump makes it look that way.

by the way, this entire check took about ten minutes or less

[Need4Speed]

Whenever I take a vehicle in to have service done (which is rare) at someplace I have never been, I make it a point to NEVER give my diagnosis to the problem (even though I am 75% sure of what or where the problem is). I only describe the symptoms and I will let them tell me what the problem is. The reason is that you can never be sure of who you are dealing with...I want to know what they think the problem is and see if we are on the same track.

I also realize that Techs are not supermen and sometimes it just comes down to their best educated guess. The best Techs will come right out and tell you that this is their best guess. If I find one of these kinds of Techs I usually will bring more stuff in for them to work on as well as spread the word to my friends and associates.

As a vehicle owner (especialy a Q owner) you have to know your vehicle WELL. If you don't you will most certainly spend much more money than you should have. The Q is not a car that you want to throw money at and "see" if it solves the problem.....you WILL run out of money.

Andy

[Q451990]

I have never heard of a Q power steering pump leaking, although anything is fair game on a 12-13 year old car. The hoses feeding it (and the return to) the reservoir will leak frequently, and the high pressure lines will too – but since that’s already been done – I’d next look that those low pressure reservoir lines. It would probably be worth your time to clean everything up with brake parts cleaner and check it after a quick drive to see where you find fresh fluid.

Is the blower motor the auxiliary fan under the hood, or the one for the climate control inside the car? If it’s the under-hood fan, that should be a high priority for you with warm weather upon us, and the Q’s cooling system being marginal at best.

Heath

[Q45tech]

The parts prices look normal as does the labor rates.

Again rarely see PS pump failures except on active cars.

Failure to flush the PS frequently will take out all parts of the system.

Whether his diagnosis is correct is another matter.

Take it to an INFINITI dealer: the parts prices will be the same and maybe the labor only 10% more at most. Bet the pump isn't bad.

[jtesensky]

i took my 92q to the nissan deal where they had a certified infinti tech on duty. i told him that i believed my power steering was leaking from the high pressure hose or another hose, and that my hvac unit was not blowing out in either cooling or heating modes this is what he came up with:

high pressur hose: 345 _ 200 laborreturn hose:45 _ 80 laborps pump: 453_ 200laborblower moter 190_ 120 labor

when i told him that the high pressure hose had recentley been replaced, he then said " oh your hp hose is not actually leaking but the fluid from the pump makes it look that way.

by the way, this entire check took about ten minutes or less

Labor, I wouldn't know but here is the damage on the parts:HP Hose - MSRP: $209.82 - Our internet price: $157.36Return Hose - MSRP: $38.57 - Our internet price: $28.93PS Pump - MSRP: $453.34 - Our internet price: $351.34Blower motor - MSRP: $210.53 - Our internet price: $157.90Hope this helps!-Joe

[boomstriker]

What he gave you is an estimate. If he replaced everything on the list, you would have a huge bill or do like most and just drive it till it quites or sell it cheap.We're are in this buisness to make money.No mechanic or shop is going to do the research to find the cheapest parts, then sell them 'at cost'.

The difference between a dealer and a good shop is that a dealer will have no problem charging you for their 'guess-work' and replacing everything on the estimate, if you agree to it.

A good private shop will spend the extra time to determine what IS leaking and replace ONLY what's needed to fix the problem. If you've ever get a bill that was much cheaper than the estimate and the mech tell you it was because something didn't need to be replaced, you've found a good, honest one.

Any mech can 'shotgun' every job and replace every part that is suspect so it's out quick and with a big profit, but these guys don't learn from experience because they never really know what fixed it. Dealers seem to breed this type of 'part swapping' mechanics.

A good steam cleaning is a must to determine fluid leaks.Most of the time the return hoses leak at the clamps and can be fixed by simply tighening the clamp. If this was done before and the hose is really smooshed at the clamp, it will need to be replaced.I would make absolutely sure the pump was leaking before replacing it though.

Kirk

[DAEDALUS]

Sage! With full respect to our dealership bretheren, who are creme de la creme, I would say this is common. Like a NICO member who was advised by his dealership to replace all coil packs because the car had a missing cylinder!

[psychic_mechanic]

Any mech can 'shotgun' every job and replace every part that is suspect so it's out quick and with a big profit, but these guys don't learn from experience because they never really know what fixed it. Dealers seem to breed this type of 'part swapping' mechanics.

Kirk

Dealers don't usually like to work on 10 year old cars, because if they replace one hose this week another one can blow out next month and then they have a "come back". People don't take cars to the dealership mechanic to save money, they take it there so they know that when they turn the key it will run beautifully.

It might have also been some punk kid with no respect for the Q.

[Q45tech]

"EVER SINCE" you changed the oil, the fuel pump quit."EVER SINCE" you replaced the fuel pump, the radio hasn't worked."EVER SINCE" you fixed the radio, the brakes have squeeled"EVER SINCE" you fixed the brakes, the antenna mast hasn't worked.

What we hear all the time, you have to be very careful with who you accept as clients..........as the is a whole subset of people who look high and low to find shops that will bend over.

These people usually drive old lux cars and only fix what is necessary to crank and run.

[SmithSR]

[quote=" Q45tech [B you have to be very careful with who you accept as clients[/quote]



The people you speak of, they wear it like a sign on their back. Can't miss 'em. Since I cannot flat out tell a customer to scram, I usually quote them prices that I'm certain will send them down the road to Costco for tires.

I always want to ask these people if they're this much of a cheap jerk when they're buying the car itself, but I'm too afraid they'll answer yes, with that smug smirk of satisfaction at being such a pain in the world's arse because they have nothing better to do while the rest of us work for a living. [/end run on :rant