EXPERT ADVICE
At Davco, we understand that it is often hard to know who and what information to trust in the automotive industry. It can be intimidating, so we have tried to provide sound expert advice and information here to help.
- Who can I trust with my vehicle?
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Some words for consideration when it comes to automotive diagnosis!
Today's automobiles are complex systems that require expert diagnoses to repair your vehicle properly and to do it in a cost-effective manner.
It is a common misconception today that your technician can "hook up a computer, and it will tell you what is wrong with the car." The truth is if such a machine did exist, we would all spend whatever amount of money it would cost to buy it! This would make our jobs as technicians so much easier! Unfortunately, the facts are that any computer scan tool can only (at best) point a technician in a specific direction as to where the problem with your vehicle might be.
For instance, code P0171 is a "lean-condition, bank 1, sensor 1 code." Many shops and auto parts stores would look at a code like that and recommend replacing your oxygen sensor. This is almost never the correct repair! Lean fuel condition generally is just that: a lean fuel condition, meaning one bank of cylinders is not getting a rich-enough fuel mixture, causing it to run lean, which is a hazardous situation for your engine. Running lean causes extremely high combustion chamber temperatures that can burn valves and pistons and seriously damage your engine.
A trained and knowledgeable technician who understands how your fuel delivery system works should evaluate a code such as this. The cause of this code is often bad or failing fuel pump, bad or failing mass air flow sensor, a simple vacuum leak, or even a stuck EGR valve. Though it may seem a bargain to get a "free scan" from your local parts store, many people have come to us with unfortunate stories of spending hundreds of dollars in replacing sensors, only to find that the problem still is unresolved. This happens typically in chain repair shops and other unqualified repair facilities that claim "we do check engine lights." This is an expensive way to repair your vehicle by throwing parts at it, hoping "this one will fix it!" - What rights do I have as a new car owner?
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NEW CAR OWNERS SHOULD KNOW THEIR RIGHTS!
There is a common misconception that new car owners must return their vehicles to the dealer for maintenance and repairs, or their warranties will be invalidated.
Don't be fooled! Federal law prohibits the manufacturer from requiring the consumer to purchase their parts and/or service...unless they provide it free of charge.
Davco can diagnose your vehicle; Davco can repair your vehicle, and Davco can maintain your vehicle, just as well as the dealer can, and at times, even better, while still maintaining your dealer or extended warranty, all without those dealer-inflated prices!
YOU have the right to choose the best facility to service your car!
The Magnuson-Moss Act of 1975, US Federal Code, protects YOU, the consumer, from bondage to high dealer prices and inferior service! US Code-Title 15, Chapter 50, Sections 2301-2312 Section 2302 reads: "...No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer's using, in connection with such product, any article or service...which is identified by brand, trade, or corporate name..."
- What can we do about the high price of gas?
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With gasoline approaching $4 per gallon, we have a number of ways to improve your vehicle's performance and fuel efficiency.
Davco proudly announces that we can save you from ever going to the gas station again! If you have a diesel engine, you might consider converting your fuel system to operate on waste vegetable oil as an auxiliary system, which is as friendly to your wallet as it is to the environment.
OR...
If you have a gasoline engine (like most people do), we help you save money by making your car more fuel-efficient. For instance, did you know that the life expectancy of oxygen sensors on your vehicle is 100,000 miles or less? Why is that? If the car is running fine, why replace the oxygen sensors? Well, at 100,000 miles-or-so, zirconium sensors begin to break down. The sensor crosses the median threshold less and less times per second, which means as the sensor slows down, the computer's response to fuel mixture adjustments slows down as well. In other words, the vehicle's fuel system becomes gradually less and less efficient at delivering the exact fuel mixture for your particular driving situation. In short, you burn more gasoline than is necessary. Replacing old oxygen sensors can gain you as much as 20% savings in fuel economy, even though your engine seems to be running fine. That's just one possibility among many that we consider when we evaluate your vehicle for over-all fuel efficiency and drivability.
