Category Archives: In The Shop

Dangerous Wheel Spacers

I was looking over an 8th-generation Honda Civic in the shop, and was finding quite a few issues with it. There were some fluid leaks, the brakes were almost worn out, and there were broken springs in both the front … Continue reading

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My Thoughts on FAKRA Connectors

A few years ago, Honda started using the MOST system in some of their vehicles. MOST stands for Media Oriented Systems Transport. It’s a particular design for communication between different components in the car, including the audio unit, gauge cluster, … Continue reading

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Shoddy Collision Shop Work

Mechanics usually like fixing problems, but we usually don’t like having to fix problems caused by other mechanics doing poor quality work. Collision shops have to do some of the most meticulous repairs, so when they don’t do something right … Continue reading

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Broken Flex Plate

A Honda CR-V was driven into the shop with a bad tapping or knocking noise coming from the engine area. The noise attracted a lot of attention as the tech brought it in, because it’s not a normal sound. When … Continue reading

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Watch For Shifted Brake Hardware

If you or someone else recently worked on your brakes, and now you’re hearing this little scraping noise, here’s something to check for.

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Car Won’t Turn Off: Faulty Shifter Diagnosis

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Wiring Almost Chewed Through

Hondas have a bit of an unfortunate reputation for having wiring that is appealing to animals. For a while the insulation is some sort of plant-based material, and when an animal takes up residence in a car’s engine bay, they … Continue reading

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Toasted New Brakes

A Honda CR-V was brought into the shop with a complaint about the brakes. I can’t recall exactly what the complaint was, but it was probably that the brake pedal would pulsate as they slowed the car.

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A Neglected Minivan

I would say that most of the cars that come into the dealership I work at are regulars that take good care of their cars. A good number of the non-regular customers have taken care of their cars decently well, … Continue reading

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Driven In With No Brake Caliper

A lot of times, a mechanic’s least favorite vehicle to work on is one that someone else already worked on. I don’t mean one that’s had work done correctly, but one that someone tried to work on and failed, whether … Continue reading

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