Car trouble.

[Bimini15 0]

Some of you know that I am a transplant from Spain. I miss it, but obviously love it here too because I am going on twenty years, I am raising my family here, etc... But, do you know the one thing that I absolutely dread and despise? It is the car experience. Not driving, but buying a car and taking a car to the mechanic makes me feel like I am getting ripped off and lied to every time.

 

I am having trouble with my wife's 2009 CR-V. I have taken it to Autozone and to two "real" mechanics and I have three different answers.

 

How is this even possible?

[vicente 0]

What's wrong with it?

[Bimini15 0]

Autozone: Bad Rocker arm oil pressure switch. $100, part only.

Mech 1: VTech solenoid and VSA Unit. $400 and $2,300 respectively.

Mech 2: Transmission overhaul. $1,800.

 

Am I crazy in thinking that this is crazy?

[Kentuckysteve 0]

Is the car losing oil pressure or smoking?

 

Trouble with anti lock brakes?

 

Shift problems?

 

Why did they say you need these specific repairs.

[Bimini15 0]

Their assesments are based on their diagnostics, the codes pulled from the scanner. I did not actually saw the codes being read.

 

What I know is that the car jerked when accelerating to get on the highway. CEL, VSA and caution lights came on. Since then, when I get up to around 3,000 rpm, with brisky acceleration and the motor up to operating temperature, the car jerks back and forth.

 

If I accelerate more timidly, it shifts at around 2500rpm and it does not jerk, but I am limited on speed.

 

When I checked the oil after the incident, there seemed to be little to none, which was strange because my wife took it to the dealer not too long ago and had them change the oil while they serviced the recalled airbag. I have to check transmission fluid. I am afraid, very afraid...

[Bimini15 0]

BTW, don't mean to have a troubleshooting session on this thread. Just wondering if other people people feel the same way about the "car experience".

[DrVette 0]

I would have some-one look closer at the wiring. This sounds like bad/wrong sensor input. Maybe a loose ground...which could lead to a blown ECM. Sorry, i have usually done all of my own car work...When i approached a shop they knew that i knew and i have only had one try to play games. But i do know of a lot of shady shops...the dealerships tend to be the worse.

[Kentuckysteve 0]

I would feel the same way getting 3 different opinions.

 

Without getting into a troubleshooting session.......

 

Autozone is giving you their diagnosis based on the trouble codes they obtained from the OBD2 computer in your vehicle.They are not everyday mechanics so i would listen to the mechanic more for repairs.Sometimes codes pop on because of ANOTHER problem and are not THE problem.The codes will clear once the problem is repaired.

 

The mechanics see these problems everyday and are familiar with your vehicle.They have seen these problems before.I would get another opinion from a 3rd mechanic and see which direction they steer you.

 

DrVette is right.These repair shops will try and sell you a lot of repairs that you don't need if they think they can get away with it.

[josephcsylvia 0]

Find a mechanic with a strong social media presence, they will be more afraid of screwing you as you will in turn tear into them on social media.

[Adam Saarinen 0]

Join a CR-V forum?

[caloosa bug 0]

All good replies. Modern vehicles are all electronic. I have an 06 f-150 with 160,000 plus miles. It's been an awesome truck and I couldn't have asked for better. I've always taken care of it since I bought it new, other than the occasional mudhole or hunting expedition that happened 8-9 years ago. Before a wife and 2 kids..3rd due in March. It has been our only family vehicle.

 

The only real scares I've had were...

 

one day it would shift gears with a clang and at odd times.. high rpm or low rpm. didn't matter. I checked everything out.couldn't find anything. I knew my auxilary power outlet didn't work so i went through the fuse panel and found 2 blown..read through the manual and discovered one was for trans shift control..or something..

Fixed it. Good to go.

 

The last couple years it randomly would rev up when sitting still then idle back to normal. about a month ago. I would slow down at a stop light, or make a slow turn, it would shut off..completely..I had to put it in neutral and crank it back up and be fine. Only random times..throughout the week. Some days it would and some not.. i asked several co workers who are diesel and heavy equipment mechanics..I was told everything from starter to fuel pump.

 

finally it wouldn't crank one morning and I jumped it off. checked the battery at work. No good..I googled the shutting off incident and battery timing and sure enough.. a battery about to die can cause it to shut off completely.

with a new battery my check engine light came on. I went to advance and if you're light is on they'll check it free and get the code it's showing. I googled the number and the most common problem/solution with that code was the throttle body...even though the code actually was for low idle solenoid... I you-tubed how to clean it.. it only took one hose clamp, a toothbrush, and some seafoam cleaner..

Now it s smoother than ever and much better throttle response and power.

 

What I've learned is ask many people.. do some homework..only then sometimes will you succumb to a reputable mechanic only.

Forums are full of good info..and read through multiple sources.

Best of luck.

[Dave G. 0]

Car repairs are unbelievably expensive these days. It's actually almost cheaper to just buy a new car every three-five years or so and always have it in warranty. You just have a constant car payment for the assurance you won't be paying a large car repair bill ( and they can get far more expensive than you have quoted here believe me). But the forum idea is a good one. I was a heavy truck mechanic for 46 years. In the last five years of my career I was a one man shop and they bombed me with car repairs as well. I survived that with my Windows Phone doing searches on trouble codes and general repairs etc. Finally at 64 yo I couldn't handle everything that a three man shop had been doing and they offered me my package to leave. But I bought 5 years by searching with that phone and that got me to my full retirement by visiting forums and tech support lines, even got the company some free repairs because something was on a service bulletin or some such thing, that you wouldn't think would still be covered at 90,000 miles.... So it's worth a shot to ask some questions in a CR-V forum I think. I used to just search it out actually, almost always someone had the problem before.

[Bimini15 0]

Thanks for the replies.

I did join a Crv forum beforehand. THAT is where the troubleshooting is at. But I do appreciate all input from this forum as well.

 

Dave G. hits home. I deal with technology problems all day long. I know that I do not always have all the answers, and I also have to turn to Saint Google sometimes for some crowd wisdom. I know that error codes can be way off (i.e., printers that say they are out of paper when a user reaches his printing limit, go figure...). But I also know that, very often, the problem is a very minor thing that you can fix by wiggling a cable or tweaking a setting.

 

So that is just it, I am no mechanic, but I know enough about troubleshooting generally to smell bullshit at the mechanic. It feels like they want to charge me for a new computer power supply when the problem is that the computer goes to sleep every 20 minutes.

[JSzymczyk 0]

take it to the most reputable DEALER in your area. Put some damn oil in it in the mean time. Yes car buying and maintenance can be a royal pain in the ass. I'm not a "car guy" but I have done a lot of basic stuff over the years. I had one small independent garage try to rip me off on a minor job once, and had another botch a scheduled maintenance procedure (timing belt). I know I know lots of people have different experiences but I'm going to the dealership with any maintenance issues. With them at least you always have another level above to go to if something is not right and you are sure you know what you're talking about.

[Bimini15 0]

Put some damn oil in it in the mean time.

 

First thing I did. Not that we are driving the car, but...