Tuesday, August 31, 2021

$680 Car Repair

My car is 8 years old and has only 45,000 miles on it.  It started stuttering a few months back.  It would happen infrequently, maybe once every few miles or so, and was sometimes very subtle, but it made me nervous to drive.  

I took my car to my long-time mechanic who usually does my 6-month oil change and regular maintenance.  It didn't surprise me that he couldn't recreate the stuttering and therefore was unable to do any repair work.  The only solution was to keep driving until the problem worsened and became diagnosable.  

A few days later while on the Servco Kaimuki website looking for the price of a new car, I noticed that I could easily book an appointment to have my car serviced there.  The soonest time they had was in 3 weeks, but it was so easy to schedule and with no other options, I booked it.

The Servco mechanic also couldn't reproduce the stuttering.  But they did recommend a two-step "BG intake cleaning" and spark plug replacement to start. 

That did the trick.  My car is now running as smooth as silk (knock on wood). 

My bill shows the use of a GDI Fuel Kit which I learned while researching is a "powerful treatment which introduces chemicals and cleaners to the right areas of your entire fuel system - dissolving and cleaning accumulated buildup."

The following info is from torque.com. 

WHAT IS CARBON BUILDUP?

Carbon is a by-product of the combustion process, which happens as your engine burns fuel.

Think of your engine as a fireplace or barbecue pit. When you burn wood, the by-product is the soot or carbon that coats the sides.

The same is true for car engines. Carbon builds up in the cylinders, intake and exhaust valves.

HOW DO I PREVENT OR REDUCE CARBON BUILDUP?

Today’s petrol and engine oils are formulated with additives to help keep carbon buildup in check. Ensure that you use quality fuels and change your oil according to the manufacturer’s recommendation.

A good engine oil is formulated with a degree of detergency to clean up these deposits. The carbon deposits will then be pulled away from the metal parts and trapped in the oil filter.

This underscores the importance of changing your oil and filter regularly!

HOW CAN I TELL IF MY ENGINE IS CHOKED UP?

If carbon buildup is bad enough, a few symptoms will appear. Rough engine idling is one sign. Poor acceleration would be another.

If your hear knocking/pinging, that could signify very bad levels of carbon buildup.

And so, in an effort to prevent or reduce further carbon buildup I've decided to switch to a name-brand gasoline.  I chose Texaco because the station near me is very spacious.  😆


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13 comments:

Anonymous said...

what gas were you using before? I thought aloha and hele both used top tier gas but if you were using one of those, then I better switch too (eeeep.)
v

jalna said...

V, I didn't want to "bad mouth" the gasoline that I used so I was reluctant to mention it in the post, but when I was working I went to Hele near my working place and after I retired I would go to Aloha by my house. I also want to add that from Day 1 I always chose the most expensive premium grade at both places.

Anonymous said...

Good to know. Thank you. Actually when I read you switched to Texaco, IIRC my friend took an Auto Class from George Nitta and I think she said he recommended gas from Texaco.

Izsmom

Honolulu Aunty said...

Good to know. I always fill up at Alan Nakamura's Kaimuki Auto. I think they use good gas.

Anonymous said...

interesting. Like I mentioned, both places say they are top tier so supposedly have all the additivies that places like Shell or Texaco have. Must be that the latter two have additional ingredients.
Thanks for the info.
v

Anonymous said...

K, bros friend was a mechanic and took care of Gov. Ariyoshi's car. One day it would die and after extensive checks, found they have going to the same gas station for years. It was a built up gunk and dirt. So yeah I rotate to the cheapest but Firestone automatically gives me 3 cents off per gallon. My bro and mechanics told me get the cheapest gas cuz it doesn't really matter, so 87 it always is for me. BTW Servco is hellua expensive.I think It's $50 just to pull in to diagnose. I like their pick up and drop service. before they use to always wash the car free too.My truck is 23 years --yikes-- old and still 97k miles. Servo lady told me her car was an '81 and no probs. She said Toyota's last. --N

K and S said...

wow! but at least now it is okay:)

Chet Colson said...

Im glad the Servco tech was able to fix the problem. I have a Toyota Tacoma 2010, I've had minor repair issues. I take it in every 6months for the standard maintenance.I think changing the oil, regular lubes keeps it in good running condition. I put regular gas, not the premium gas, I pake....lol. Nah, friend said regular gas is good for Toyota's.

jalna said...

Izsmom, good to know!

Aunty, I think so too.

V, I read that they're top tier too.

N, on my recent researching, I found that if your car doesn't need the higher grades then no need.

Kat, for real! At least I'm not stressing while I'm driving.

Chet, I think you're right about regular gas. I not going get premium anymore . . . maybe the middle one instead.

Susan said...

Feels good to have a good working car! Happy you got it fixed.

jalna said...

Susan, yah, it's so much better driving stress free.

Ainakoa said...

Gas is gas. What makes the difference is the additives that each brand adds to it. The BEST additive is techcroline which is what Chevron &Texaco (same company) use. Techroline is the best on the market for keeping your engine clean of deposit buildup &protecting your engine.

jalna said...

Ainokoa, THANKS!