madtube
madtube
madtube

He was just verifying proper operation of engine acceleration, clutch engagement, and speedometer calibration for the complimentary 45 point inspection they give for every customer.

I can say with 95% certainty there is an aftermarket start controller on this car. And there’s a logic fault in it. Most cars (read: all) nowadays use CAN to send multiple data packets over a single wire. If the unit is faulty, or has a corrupted input, it will definitely try to start it. That fob hanging down is for

I worked as a technician at an Acura dealer. My wife and I were renovating our kitchen on our downtime. Because of my house’s unusual construction, I had to order a very special dishwasher that was a different size. That unit had to be shipped from Queens, NY. The tracking information was on my work terminal; once I

Sit back, this is a long one.

I can totally back this up. So many systems require calibration from manufacturers software suites. The most infuriating part is many manufacturers will not release the software to be used outside of the dealer network. Years back, you could lease the HDS (Honda Diagnostic System) and have virtually all capabilities

THIS! ALL THIS!

Working in the car industry the last few years, I can definitely attest to all this. There have been numerous occasions where a small-to-moderate collision resulted in a totaled vehicle. The infiltration of all these systems put money in my pocket for years, but I shudder when thinking about buying a new car.

You’re..........welcome?

Those were markedly easier than newer ones. I loved those because the subframe could stay in, a la 97-99 3.0CL. 

I, myself, was not present for the story. It was, however, immortalized in our shop.

I know, right?!?! The warranty clerk would often come to me with issues. My experience as a tech helped us solve issues. But ho lee sheeeeeit! They would deny claims over improper usage of the Oxford comma. 

The only reason I wasn’t doing transmissions all day every day was the advanced diag that was needed at the time. We would have all kinds of weird complaints, gremlins, troublesome vehicles. I had a knack for that stuff mainly because I really enjoyed it. It was a challenge, and I liked the challenge. That time period

Counterpoint to my other statement. In the aughts, I was an Acura tech. That was when the whole “transmission third gear clutch pack explodes” thing was going on. We had a 45 day backlog on turnaround. Myself and 2 other techs did transmissions nonstop. For 18 months, I did one every single morning. Every. Single.

Oh gods. The warranty labor was laughable. The only way you could break even was if you had all the tools, parts, lift, engine stand, and a partridge in a pear tree at the ready in your area. And you had NO problems. And muscle memory on having done numerous units. Otherwise, it was ramen and rainwater for lunch. 

Were they ever able to ascertain the cause of the fire? My default go-to in cases of widespread underhood fires is an oil leak. 10 years ago, I was an Acura tech changing out power steering hoses en masse because they never insulated the rubber sections properly. When Honda went to the no exhaust manifold engines with

As a parts manager for Hyundai 2 years ago when the shit hit the fan over the Sonata engines, that seems....odd. I’m not doubting the truth that they had one in stock. I think they may have had a non-warranty engine there. Those engines were VIN-locked; Hyundai would not release one without an open RO and “proof” the

Ok, so this has a slight tinkle into the story here. Since I am a half-disabled masochist luddite that absolutely HAS to have a stick, the search for my now current car was an ordeal. I was looking for a manual Honda/Acura sedan. Working for the local Acura dealer in Alabama, I kept me feelers open.

We NEED to talk about the one thing that will never ever EVER make me get an Accord from this generation: the brake rotors.

Yeah, I got nothing on that. Mine was a stick, so I’ve got virtually no commonality on that problem. Also, I gave up trying to get familiar enough with GM to do armchair diagnostics. If it was a Honda/Acura, I’d have a good suggestion.