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Mark: Hi, it's Mark from TLR. I'm here with Bernie Pawlik, nigh on 40 years of fixing vehicles in Vancouver. And of course, he's the owner, the big boss behind Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver, 24 time winner, 24 time winners of best auto repair in Vancouver as voted by the customers. And of course Vancouver's best auto service experience. How are you doing Bernie? 

Bernie: Doing very well. 

Mark: So we're going to talk about a 2001 Chevy Silverado diesel that had a problem. What was going on with this truck? 

Bernie: Yeah, so this truck came to our shop with the crankcase filling up with too much oil. The oil level is actually going too high and it was starting to leak out. The customer had some issues with this for a while, had it at another shop. They'd done some work on it and weren't able to fix it. So they brought it to us. 

Mark: So, what did you discover was causing the engine oil level to rise? 

Bernie: Yeah, so what is in fact happening, of course the engine oil level will only rise if you pour more oil in which wasn't happening. But what happens on a diesel like this, and a lot of diesels, they have internal plumbing, the fuel injectors are inside the engine. The injection pump has a seal into the engine and there's a whole array of plumbing under the valve covers into the engine which can cause diesel fuel to leak and fill a crankcase up with diesel fuel. So the oil level is going up, but it's actually really diesel fuel that's filling up the crankcase. 

Mark: And diesel fuel does not do the same job as oil in your car. 

Bernie: It isn't, I mean, it, it is a lubricant but not as good as oil and it's certainly not formulated to work like motor oil. So it's not a good thing. 

Mark: Yeah. So how can that, so this was filling up quite a bit, what was going on? Why was it filling up with so much diesel? 

Bernie: Well, as I mentioned, there's a few ways it can leak. A few ways diesel can get in. One is through the, there's a seal in the injection pump where the injection pump bolts to the engine. There are fuel injectors, of course, that can leak. And then there's a lot of plumbing under the valve covers from each injector through their return lines. And on this particular engine, those have a number of seals and pipes and things that could leak fuel as well and fill up the crankcase.

So it's really a matter of doing some testing but just take it a step further. The owner had previously had all the injectors replaced at another shop. They had done the work. I believe the problem was there beforehand. They took everything apart. Apparently according to the owner, three times to try to find the leak, they said, there's nothing wrong with the work that they did. Everything was fine. 

And so he brought it to us to take it to the next step. And from there, we really concluded that, you know, assuming that the other shop had done a good job you know, that there was only one other spot that he could leak from. And that was from this fuel injection, the high pressure injection pump seal.

Mark: So you changed the pump. What sort of work is involved in replacing a diesel injection pump? 

Bernie: Well, it was a fair bit of work involved in doing one of these? I think we should just get into some pictures. We can have a look at it, but yes, we changed the injection pump. 

So there's our 01 Silverado you know, it's a bit of an older truck, but still a lot of life left in it. Injection pump. There is the old injection pump. Just a couple of pictures with the injection pump removed, this is the seal that sort of seals the engine oil out from getting into the injection pump. Inside the injection pump, there's a higher pressure seal. You can actually see a little drip of fuel here. When we pulled the seal off, I thought, hey great, you know, we actually did find the leak because there's diesel fuel behind here. And of course there shouldn't be. So that's basically the front seal of the injection pump.

There is sort of where the pump is located. So this is the top of the engine. You can see the turbocharger back here. A lot of the air intakes have been removed. The pumps buried in back here behind some of the coolant pipes. It's a fiddly job. It's not as hard as doing the injectors, but there's a quite a number of hours of labor involved in taking the pump out and replacing it.

This is a view of the new pump with the new seal on the front. And one last picture to look at, this is the oil we drained out of the engine. So that's a 20 litre pail. You can see there's probably about 16, 18, 17 litres of fluid in there. There should only be 10 that's how much the crankcase. So the levels should be down around here somewhere, where to drain it. So got probably at least seven extra litres of diesel fuel in the crankcase, which is what we pulled out. 

Mark: So basically a pretty big problem that took a lot of effort  to repair, how often do you see this issue with Duramax diesels? 

Bernie: We haven't run into it too often in our shop. It does happen from time to time and it can happen on most diesels you know, because I said that there's a lot of internal plumbing. A lot of diesels, and isn't just, you know, American truck diesels, but a lot of other diesels they'll actually have a warning that comes on if the oil level gets too full. I know we've seen it on a few others. So there's a monitor for that, because of course, you don't want too much fuel in the crankcase. It'll dilute your lubrication, which is not a good thing. Plus the oil actually starts leaking out. You know, so when it gets really bad, you'll know it, but it's not a good thing. 

Mark: And how are these Silverados for reliability? 

Bernie: Oh, super good. They're kind of still my number one for North American diesel. Just especially if you take an 01, they're definitely, I'd say the most reliable, but you know, a small margin. And now these, of course, this truck is getting pretty old. It's a 20 years old now. So more problems are starting to occur. But you know, when these things were younger, say 10 years old, if you compare it to a Ford, there's a lot more, I know Ford owners hated me saying it, but truth is true. You know, there was just more problems with Fords. And Dodges have been pretty reliable, but you know, there's, there's a few issues. It just seems like the GMs have been more reliable overall. 

Mark: There you go. You need some service for your Chevy Silverado or GMC diesel pickup truck in Vancouver, BC, Canada, the guys to call are Pawlik Automotive. You can reach them at (604) 327-7112 to book your appointment. You got to call and book ahead. They're busy. They're super busy right now, actually. Or you can book online on their website pawlikautomotive.com. Click the button, put the information in. They'll get back to you. Make sure they're ready for you when you show up. As well, thanks so much for watching us on YouTube. We appreciate it. And you can watch more videos. We have close to a thousand there under Pawlik Auto Repair. And thank you so much for listening to the podcast. We really appreciate it. Thanks Bernie. 

Bernie: Thank you, Mark. Thanks for watching, listening.

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Mark: Hi, it's Mark from TLR. I'm here with Bernie Pawlik, Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver. Vancouver's best auto service experience. 24 time winners, 24 times as voted by their customers. Best auto repair in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. That's an impressive accomplishment. We're going to talk about a 2013 Mercedes-Benz ML350 that had a bit of a wiggly rear end. What was going on with this SUV? 

Bernie: Well, it actually came to us, well I guess it may have had a wiggly rear-ended and to be honest I never drove the vehicle, but it did come in with a couple of fluid leaks and one of them was coming from the rear shock absorbers.

Mark: Okay, so why would the rear, what type of suspension is that, that the shocks would leak. 

Bernie: Well, shock absorber has fluid inside. So all shock absorbers can leak fluid. Now, some Mercedes use a hydraulic suspension system where you could have potentially a humongous leak, but these do not use that. These Mercedes MLs, they use an air suspension system. So that adjust the height of the vehicle. Basically the springs are air and not metallic would be the easiest way to say it. So you can adjust the height of the vehicle. But the shock absorbers they're a special electronic shock absorber. So they have, you know, more fluid than usual, but basically that's what was happening. The fluid was leaking. 

The shock absorption actually occurs from fluid, which dampens the balance of the spring. And it goes through a certain valves and that's how the shock absorber works. It is filled with fluid and eventually seals will leak and the shocks will leak. Same with struts as well. If they're, you know, a fluid filled strike, which most are. 

Mark: Yeah, I guess it's like if you've ever seen, as more common for us older guys, but a vehicle gets going down the road and kind of bouncing along, trampolining along over every bump, it kind of goes the shock absorber just makes that happen and stop. Is that right? 

Bernie: It does. Yeah. It allows the spring to do one up movement and bounce down instead of oscillating because springs will just keep oscillating. And if you've ever been in a car that has blown shocks, it's a horrible feeling to drive it. I can't imagine what it must've been like in the olden days before they had shocks, you know, or in a horse drawn carriage. It's that continuous balancing it'd be, I mean, it's better to have springs than no springs, but the bouncing feeling it's just sickening when a vehicle doesn't do that sort of one bounce and stop kind of thing. So shocks are amazingly important. 

Mark: So what is an electronic shock absorber do that's different than a regular shock?

Bernie: Electronic shock absorber allows a different ride conditions. So you can have a sport ride. You can have a comfort ride. So the comfort ride allow the shock to be a little bouncier, whereas on sport ride will be much firmer. So when you hit a bump or you go hard around a corner, the car doesn't move so much. So that's kind of the difference. There's some trucks that have adjustable shocks where again, you can firm up the ride if you're going off road. You don't want the vehicle to bounce too much off road, so you can adjust that as well.

So adjustable shocks. They work at a couple of different ways and some of them they'll just have a valve, it'll change size and allow the fluid to flow at a different rate. But electronic shocks are interesting. These type, because a lot of them, and I'm not sure on Mercedes, whether they have them, some of them have a magnetic type of fluid and by changing, by sending electrical pulse into the shock, it'll change the alignment of basically the fluid. And so it'll flow slower through a valve. It's kind of interesting. So interesting technology. 

It seems to me, this is my experience, it seems to me like those kinds of fluid shocks tend to leak more easily than others. And it's probably because, again, I'm just guessing not an expert, but just guessing, that it's probably due to the fluid may be a little grittier and harder on the seals. That's my guess. 

Mark: How does this part of the suspension system fail and leak?

Bernie: Basically as I mentioned, I mean the leakage, you know, it just happens over time.

Here's a view of the shock absorber, this is the right rear shock. I mean, you can see a stream of fluid coming down there. This is like kind of a dust cover bellows here. But inside up above there, there's a seal that seals the fluid out and so that leaks. This is the electronic chamber in the shock absorber. Again, I'm not certain if this actually has that magnetic type of fluid or whether this electronic part here just changes the valving inside the shock absorber. I don't know for certain, but in nonetheless it leaks.

 Here's the left rear. I mean, both were leaking a lot of times we find these vehicles where only one shock leaks, but in this case it was a double whammy, both were leaking. And when we put the vehicle up in the air,  after a few minutes, there's quite a drip on the ground. So they've been leaking for a little while. There's are 2013 ML350 parked in front of our shop.

Mark: So since they're fancy electronic shocks, are they expensive to repair? 

Bernie: Yeah, they are. Yeah. They're not cheap. It's an expensive job. Any suspension beyond just regular shock absorbers, you know, it can get pretty expensive and pricey to fix. So I'd say they're cheaper than the repairs in a hydraulic suspension in an SL500, but they're certainly    pretty pricey. 

Mark: And how common is this as a failure point? This is a 2013, so it's had a pretty good run. 

Bernie: Yeah, it's actually quite common. We've done them on quite a few of these cars. So I think if you, if you keep this vehicle for, you know, it was 2013, that's what seven, eight years, eight years, eight years old. I mean, if you know that they seem to fail, you know, a lot of them by 10 years old. So unfortunately hate to break the news to you if you own one of these, but you'll probably have to repair them at some point. It's just kind of part of the game. 

Mark: And how are, especially in these generations, how are they for reliability?

Bernie: They're pretty good. This is a diesel, you know, we've talked a lot about the diesel issues. Yeah.  Yes. Yeah, no, I mean, they're good. I mean, there's a lot of things that do happen with the diesels. And you'll find all sorts of information on other podcasts, but you know, the suspensions do have issues on these vehicles.

We do a lot of repairs on the air suspension, the compressors and often the valve block that diverts the air to the different air struts will fail. So that's the common issue on those. I mean, eventually the air struts themselves will fail. We don't see too many of those yet, but you know, it's a good vehicle, but stuff goes wrong and happens and that's par for the course. So just be prepared.

Mark: If you're looking to have your Mercedes last a little bit longer and be good and safe and comfortable to drive the guys to see are Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. You can reach them at (604) 327-7112 to call and book an appointment. Talk about it with them, or you can book online. They'll get back to you. Pawlikautomotive.com. Of course, there's our YouTube channel. Pawlik Auto Repair. We've got hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of videos on there. We've been doing this for nine years, approaching a thousand, all makes and models, types of repairs. Thanks so much for watching and listening. We really appreciate it. Thanks Bernie.

Bernie: Thank you, Mark. And thanks for watching.

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Mark: Hi, it's Mark from TLR. I'm here with Bernie Pawlik, Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver. Vancouver's best auto service experience. 24 time winners of best auto repair in Vancouver as voted by their customers. And we're going to talk about a Jeep Grand Cherokee today. How are you doing Bernie? 

Bernie: Doing very well today.

Mark: So 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee had a problem with the front end. What was going on with this vehicle? 

Bernie: The owner of the vehicle actually brought it into us for A maintenance service or oil change and basic inspection. Along with some oil leak diagnostics, we actually done some previous oil leak diagnosis on the vehicle. There was still some leakage. So he wanted to figure out what was going on with that and fix that. So that's why he came in. However, when Nigel, our technician who was working on the vehicle, drove it and he heard this very loud thunking noise in the front end of the vehicle, like extremely loud. So he figured there's something worth looking at there, some serious going on. 

Mark: So you guys dug in, what was causing the noise? 

Bernie: Yeah. So Nigel had a look underneath and kind of wiggled a few things around found that the  mount on the rear end of the differential was completely worn out, causing a huge amount of play. And I'll show a video in a few minutes which illustrates perfectly what was happening. 

Mark: So what would cause that mount to wear? Aren't they supposed to stay in place for a really long time? 

Bernie: Well, they are, but it is a rubber mount it's allowed to have a bit of movement. So, you know, over time, movement amplifies and eventually the mount tears and maybe they could have made it tougher. But there's always, I think the manufacturers, they always try to balance the comfort ride of the vehicle versus durability. And so sometimes I'll put a softer rubber bushing on a control arm, which wears out faster, but there's a more comfortable ride to the vehicle. So it's kind of a balance and compromise, but I'd say just wear and tear, old age is kind of what's caused it. It's a 2005 Jeep that makes it 17 years old. So it's had a bit of usage. 

Mark: So what's involved in repairing the mount, the broken mount? 

Bernie: Removing the differential. So the axle shafts have to be removed from the differential. The drive shaft from the transfer case needs to be unbolted. And then there's basically three mounting points that need to be removed. And then the differential just drops down. So let's just look at some pictures right now. So this is a little video that shows the wear on the differential. I'll play it a couple of times. 

So I didn't do an after video, but basically that should not be movable. That's actually with a hand grabbing the differential and just pushing it up and down. So clearly a lot of wear and definitely the cause of the loud thunk. 

This is the differential out. This is the mount. There's supposed to be a piece in the middle here. You'll see it in the next picture, but that's basically what was left of the mount. You can see to the untrained eye, it does look pretty bad, I'd say. This is the whole differential assembly here.

There's the new mount. There's what's left of the old mount. It's it's a little dark in this picture, but there's sort of an airspace here. You know, the mount is solidly attached in this spot. So what 50% of it is solidly attached to the rest allows some movement of the mount.

And I guess, you know, from an engineering perspective, they want a little bit of cushioning. It's a more comfortable drive, less harshness. But of course, if it was, you know, solidly mounted, it would never wear out. But it would create a lot more of a rough feel to the vehicle.

There's the differential. There are three mounts and we did actually replace all of them. So there's the front one that was completely worn out, brand new. The rear mount, sorry, hang on I'm trying to think, no, this is the upper mount. This is the one that was worn out.

So you can see the sort of solid pieces here and the air gaps here. This is the right side of the mount, and then there's a front mount here, which is a bolt on piece.  One more picture. There's the differential before we replaced it, mounted in the vehicle.

So you can see the front mount is bolted in here. Then the other mount would have been up in this corner here and then the worn out mount buried away up in the frame of the vehicle. So there's our show for the day. 

Mark: So how common of an issue is this on Jeeps?

Bernie: You know, we work on a lot of these and this is actually the first time I think we've replaced these mounts, but the parts are readily available. So I'd say it's a fairly common wear out item, but surprisingly it's the first time we've replaced them. 

Mark: I guess it depends on how they're used too, if something's been off-road an awful lot and getting pounded a lot, up and down, over rocks, et cetera. It's going to have a little bit faster wear than something that's just been driven on the highway. 

Bernie: Absolutely. And most of these vehicles, you know, most people who drive these vehicles most SUV's, they never even get off road or maybe the odd little, you know, light gravel road, but yeah, for people who get out and use them a lot, this is going to wear these a lot faster. And you know, not that it's a bad thing. I mean, it's just a normal part of wear and tear with this design a vehicle. But yeah, certainly if you're just driving on the highway and using it gently, you know, these will not wear that fast. 

Mark: Was there anything else to replace other than the three mounts that you changed?

Bernie: That was all we did. That's all it needed to be done on this particular job. We did change the differential fluid while we had it out as well. Some of it did drain out as we took the axles out and it was a good time to do a full fluid change. So we did do that.

Mark: Anything that a Jeep owner can do to prevent this kind of wear and tear to prevent these mounts from wearing out? 

Bernie: Well, I think we just talked briefly about usage. And I think, you know, if you're going to accelerate full throttle every time at a light, you're going to wear stuff out, probably your engine mounts worse than the diff mounts.

But I think the key is just to, you know, drive it with a bit of gentleness. If you're off road, you know, don't go flying down the road and flying over bumps, you know, just go a little gentler. But other than that, I mean, things will wear as they wear. There's not much you can do with these are just a solid piece and they'll just do what they do.

Mark: And were there any other repairs on this Jeep at this service? 

Bernie: Yeah, actually the engine oil pan was leaking. So we replaced the gasket and actually having the differential out, made that a little bit of an easier job because the differential's in the way of the oil pan. Also the radiator was leaking as well. So we replaced that too, but those two jobs are completely different story. We've probably done a podcast on Jeep radiator leaks. They're kind of complicated to replace in these vehicles. So I think we did one at some point in the past. Maybe it's time to do another one some time soon, but yeah, that was it. And an A service, a basic oil change, A service. 

Mark: How are Jeep Grand Cherokees for reliability? 

Bernie: Well, they're kind of up and down. I'd say they're not quite as reliable as a Toyota Four Runner would be, but you know, you pay a lot less for them. I think they're pretty good. You can go places with them. A few more things go wrong. I think this 05 model year is pretty good engine wise, you know, we're starting to see some issues with camshaft and lifter wears in the V8s of the sort of 2010 and up models. These don't seem to have that kind of issue.

You know, the diesels are, you know, they're a category of their own. What these to the mid 2000 Cherokees, and there's a lot that goes on with those. They are kind of like the, they're a Mercedes diesel. So they have the issues. But there's a few things that were out on them and some of them get used pretty well, but you know, I think they're pretty good vehicle. If you're looking for a good off-road vehicle, I think they're really good. 

Mark: If you're in Vancouver and you need some service on your Jeep, the guys to call are Pawlik Automotive. You can reach them by phone at (604) 327-7112 to book your appointment. You can book online on their website pawlikautomotive.com. And also on there, we've got hundreds, no exaggeration hundreds of videos on all makes and models and types of repairs. Check out our YouTube channel. Pawlik Auto Repair, same story, nine years of doing this. We're getting we're approaching a thousand videos. Bernie, thanks so much. Thanks so much for watching and listening. We really appreciate it. Thanks Bernie. 

Bernie: Thank you Mark and thanks for watching.

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Mark: Hi, it's Mark from TLR. I'm here with Bernie Pawlik, Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver. We're talking cars. How are you doing Bernie? 

Bernie: Doing very well. 

Mark: So today's story. 2011 BMW 328i. What was the story on this BMW? 

Bernie: So it came to us and the engine was running rough. The check engine light was on and needed some repairs.

Mark: What diagnosis and testing did you proceed with?

Bernie: So from there, first step of course, is to hook our scan tool up.  See what stored trouble codes are in the system. Found a couple of lean condition codes and it was very evident the engine was quite rough. So next step, of course, pop the hood, do a visual inspection. See if we could see anything obvious that was causing it. Nothing was noticeable. So our next step, one of our piece of diagnostic equipment is a smoke machine. And what it does is, under very low pressure, I think about a half PSI, it'll generate half PSI pressure and it generates smoke. And also the smoke has a bit of a UV dye in it, which is kind of cool. You can use for tracing as well. But essentially we, we hooked that into the intake system and turn it on and it pumps smoke through the intake system. So if there's any vacuum leaks or any leaks of any sort, we can find them.

And lo and behold, we found a huge leak coming from where the PCV pipes connect into the intake manifold. Kind of buried low down in the engine. A little hard to see, but we were able to you know, get some flashlights in there and see it, and found the PCV connector was damaged and causing an enormous vacuum leak.

Mark: Okay. So that was a big jump. Like why wouldn't you have looked at other things that might cause rough running first? What led you to the smoke machine, that there might be a vacuum problem? Is that common with rough running? Like what led you there first? 

Bernie: It is especially with the code, this is where the trouble codes are useful. Now people think, oh yeah, just plug the computer and it'll tell me what's wrong with it. Well, no, it doesn't. It just says that there's a code that, that the vehicle can't adjust the fuel mixture. Essentially the interpretation is the engine's too lean. There's too much air getting in. For the amount of fuel that the injection system can deliver. So there's the problem. 

So this is where we have to use our brains and our experience and our other equipment to figure out what exactly it is. The computer does not tell you that it's this particular piece that would make our was a lot easier if it did.

But you know, just as a little aside story, I often thought it'd be great if they put a fuel injection pressure sensor because often fuel pumps will fail on vehicles. I thought, wouldn't it be great if they had that sensor that would tell you that the fuel pump had failed? Well, some vehicles actually have that because they actually regulate the fuel pressure in the vehicle.

Well, that's actually one of the common failure items on those particular, not a BMW, but other vehicles, the sensors actually fail on these vehicles and they cause more problems than the vehicles that don't have them. So I thought, well, it's interesting, you know how sometimes you can over monitor stuff.

Anyways, I kind of went off a bit there, but anyways, the smoke machine, once we determined it's it's a vacuum leak is probably too much air. Smoke machine's a great tool because we can verify right there is it because of too much air because there could be other things like maybe the mass air flow sensor is reading incorrectly, but if we can verify and visually see that there's no smoke coming out from anywhere, then we know there's no vacuum leak. So that's why the smoke machine is a great tool. 

Mark: And how often do you end up using a smoke machine for testing? 

Bernie: We use it quite often. I mean, I'd say like about out of a hundred diagnostics, maybe 20% of the time we'll use it. You know, if it's something with with a vacuum type of leak, we'll use it. It's also useful for exhaust systems. If we can't quite determine a leak or there's maybe a pinhole of some sort, we can pump the smoke through there. There's a number of things this thing's useful for. Especially EVAP system leaks. It can be like a very tiny little leak coming from somewhere. So very good for finding little minute leaks.

Mark: So what was involved in repairing this PCV hose connector? 

Bernie: So we have to remove the intake manifold and in our intention wasn't to take it entirely out of the vehicle because it was actually, if we could swing it out of the way we could take the screws off and unbolt it, that was our original intention.

However, the job ended up turning out to be a little more involved and I'll get into some pictures and we'll have a look.

So that is the intake manifold of the BMW off the car. So eventually we have to take it off because if you can see, this is where our PCV connector was, was, and you can see a lot of kind of roughness there. This manifold is made of plastic and it was melted here. Now, normally there's no heat around this area that would cause it to melt. But this particular part here has a heater in it for the PCV system and electric heater. And it basically it must've short-circuited and melted.

This is our melted PCV heater. You can see very large hole here. That's where our vacuum leak was. This part, is what bolts into the intake manifold, as you can see, it's very deformed and why it would have melted the manifold. And the PCV hose connects here as well as here. It's like a double PCV hose. So it sucks and this part and this heated section as well. So that hose was replaced also. 

This is what the new heater unit looks like. You can also see there's an electrical connector there. Everything is is in pretty good order on this piece. It gives you a better idea of what the piece looks like. 

And a close-up of our melted area. You know, we ordered the heater first because we figured that's what we needed. But as we looked further and struggled to get this thing out, we realized the manifold would definitely not have sealed with that a new piece in there. We would've had another vacuum leak. So the manifold had to be replaced as well.

Mark: Okay. Did you have to get a brand new manifold? 

Bernie: Oh, we're able to get a used one from an auto wrecker. I mean, this is a part that really doesn't fail, it's a good used part to buy. There's nothing mechanical inside. It's just a piece of molded plastic. And as long as this thing wasn't burnt or there wasn't anything cracked or broken because of course, in a wrecker, in an accident if a car got hit hard enough and you know, a plastic manifold, you get cracked, I've seen that happen, but as long as it's good and solid, it's as good as brand new, essentially.

Mark: What else did you have to replace or repair along with the manifold and the PCV? 

Bernie: Yeah. So we did the PCV pipe. I didn't show a picture of that, but basically it's a pipe that connects to the two sections in the manifold, loops around and connects up to the back of the engine to the rest of the crankcase breather system.

Also the electrical connector to the PCV heater is completely melted and disintegrated. So we have to acquire that. And the only place we could find that was from an auto wrecker. It wasn't available new from BMW. Sometimes they sell these things. You can buy the connector and then the little wiring bits inside and you put them together, but electrical connectors are a little dicey. A lot of them are highly specialized and only fit in one spot. And they're only built one way. So we managed to get a good use one from the auto wrecker and soldered, you know, put that in real nice. 

Mark: So remind us again, what does the PCV valve do. And then why would it need a heater?

Bernie: Good question on both. Okay. So first of all, the PCV, actually PCV stands for positive crankcase ventilation. So the V is not actually double because sometimes it is.  It's a positive crankcase ventilation valve. What it does is it basically takes the blow-by gases from the crankcase, when it internal combustion engine is running some of the explosion that happens in the pistols, it can't be contained fully by the piston rings. It'll blow past into the crankcase. And so those gases, which are highly noxious are the most horrific pollutants, the engine puts out.

 They basically capture it, instead of it going out into the environment it's captured in a closed system, goes through a pipe, goes back into the intake manifold, it's sucked in and re-burnt. Why they use a heater, I don't know. But some vehicles do have them. It may be just to prevent the oil vapours from condensing in a cold engine. That's what I'm kind of assuming is what it is. And I should do my homework before I do this podcast, but I didn't.  

Sometimes I don't dig as deep as maybe I should, but I go, it's there for a reason. I figured no car manufacturer ever puts anything on a car for no reason, because it all costs money to make. So they're all committed to doing it the cheapest way they can. So there's gotta be a reason, but I'd say it probably prevents the vapours from condensing as they get sucked into the intake manifold on a cold engine. 

Mark: And how did the car run after repair?

Bernie: Really good. Yeah. Ran fantastic. Like a brand new BMW, smooth and no check engine light. And it was nice to find this issue because you know, so often we do diagnostics on things where we can't see what it is. We have to kind of interpret things and go, okay, well I think that's what it is and give an estimate for a thousand dollars. And it works in the end, but it's like, it's always a little hairy. But this is nice when you can go, Hey, the smoke machine, there's the leak right there. There's the problem, you know, it's a hundred percent found and verified. So it was a nice repair story. 

Mark: And is this a common issue with BMW 328 series vehicles?

Bernie: Not that I know of know, we work in a lot of BMW. This is the first time we've ever seen this happen. It's common in a lot of other different BMWs. You know, the auto wrecker, when I brought the sample manifold out, the guy who pulled it out of the car, he goes, wow, this is weird. I've never seen this before. So to me, that's an interesting indication that it's not an entirely common occurrence, but it may happen from time to time.

Mark:  And how are these BMWs? The 300-320series, I guess, how are they for reliability? 

Bernie: Well, you know, they're okay. We do a lot of podcasts on them. You know, I just like to say, you know, if you own one of these cars, they're nice, but you'll do a lot of repairs over time. I think, as we said, this isn't the most common thing you'll come up with. But electric water pump failures are common. Oil leaks are common. So, you know they need good maintenance. That's kind of the key. A lot of people don't maintain them well. The factory maintenance schedule on BMWs in my opinion is really bad, that your oil change intervals are like 25,000 kilometres, which is way too long. You should be doing it at 12 or maybe even less.

You know, if you do it more frequently with good oil you're going to get a lot more life out of your engine for sure. If you're buying a used one and it's been dealer serviced, it may not be the best service that could have been done. I mean, at least it's been done, but it has been done more frequently, that'd be better.  

Mark: So there, if you've got a BMW in Vancouver and you want to maintain it, you want it running a little bit more trouble-free. You want it maintained so that you can go in and start it up. And it goes even in the cold winter and the rain. The guys to see are Pawlik Automotive. You can reach them to book your appointment 604-327-7112. Or you can book online pawlikautomotive.com. They'll check out what you think the problem is, or what's actually going on and be ready for when you show up to get your car fixed. So it's done right the first time. Of course, check out our YouTube channel Pawlik Auto Repair. There's hundreds of videos, all makes models and types of repairs on there. We've been doing this for nine years. And thank you so much for watching and listening. We really appreciate it. Thank you, Bernie. 

Bernie: Thank you, Mark. Thanks for watching.

Listen to podcast here.

Mark: Hi it's Mark from Top Local, I'm here with Bernie Pawlik, Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver. Vancouver's best auto service experience. 24 time winners, 24 times best auto repair in Vancouver as voted by their customers. We're talking about a Volvo today. How are you doing Bernie? 

Bernie: I'm doing very well. 

Mark: So all wheel drive system on a Volvo, what was going on with this vehicle?

Bernie: Yeah. So this vehicle had a warning light on the dash that the all wheel drive system wasn't functioning. That's basically the issue. The owner also noted that when there was some slippery surfaces it didn't feel like the four wheel drive system was actually working.

Mark: So what testing and diagnosis did you do? 

Bernie: So first thing, hookup a scan tool to the vehicle computers. Did a full system scan. There was two codes in the all wheel drive module or rear differential. I can't remember which term they use on this particular vehicle, but there's two codes, one for a communication issue with the differential module and one for a pump, issue with the pump. So we did some testing on the system as much as we could. Under the vehicle, found that the pump was definitely bad. And that was our first item to replace. 

You know, as far as communication errors, sometimes if there's a component that's part of the system, it will create a communication error on certain vehicles. Other times the communication error could actually be that the module had failed or something else. So we figured that the pump was a first place to start because we knew that was a problem. 

Mark: So you replaced the pump. Did you have to do anything else after that? 

Bernie: So, what we did is we replaced the pump along with the pump, we also replaced the filter and service the fluid. I mean, some of the fluid had to come out anyways, but it's a good idea to service the fluid once in a while in these systems because it's kind of a critical part of the system to use the right fluid. So we serviced the fluid, the pump, the filter tested it all out and there were still issues. 

Mark: So what was the next step? 

Bernie: Yeah, next step, so we rescan it. There's still a communication error code. So just did a little further testing on the wiring to the module to make sure there was proper power, ground, communication, circuits, that sort of thing. It was all good. So at that point there's really only two things left. I mean, the most likely the module, possible issue with the actual clutch packs, but not very likely considering the code is a communication code. So we proceeded to have the module repaired and replaced. 

Mark: So what's involved in replacing the module? 

Bernie: Well, labour wise it's pretty simple. It bolts onto the side of the engine, not the side of the engine, sorry, the side of the differential. And I'll get some pictures up in a second, but there's really a couple of options available for replacement. There's brand new from the Volvo dealer. There's used modules if one can find them and also having them rebuilt. We have a company that rebuilds a lot of electronic components. And they actually do a really good job in these things. They do a lot of them, so I'll just get some pictures here. So we went with the rebuilt option.

So there's our Volvo. This is a S60R model, which is kind of cool. It's like the high-performance edition and it it goes well, drives real nice. All wheel drive. Nice high-performance Volvo. 

There's the module. This is the rebuilt unit. The nice thing about these rebuilts is they come programmed. You know, this an issue if you buy a used one, it may need to be reprogrammed to the vehicle. Modern vehicles they all have to be, modules need to be programmed so the computers connect with each other. I don't know why such complexity, but for some reason they do it. And it just makes repairs more fiddly inexpensive. But these come reprogrammed, which is a good thing. If you're buying a new one from Volvo or a used unit, you'd probably have to do the same thing. 

Anyways, here's a view of the the differential unit. This is the Haldex unit here. And this is the module here, kind of looking at the other side of it, from what that picture was. Pump's located here. This is the drive shaft that comes from the front of the vehicle, hooks up with this coupler here. And then inside this area, there's all the clutch packs that kind of do the all wheel drive operations. So there's our picture show for the day. But yeah, the module basically is quite simple. It just bolts onto the side with some electrical connectors. 

Mark: And how did everything work once the module was replaced? 

Bernie: Perfect. No warning lights were all out. No more codes. All wheel drive system worked great.

Mark: So, is there anything unique about this Haldex all wheel drive system? 

Bernie: They actually use it on a number of different European vehicles. This system is used on Land Rover LR2s as well. There's some Volkswagens that have Haldex's. But this type I mean, what's unique about it. It uses electronics to control the slippage between the front and rear axles, which is important for, you know, good driving comfort, and then also good you know, differential lock up when you need it in slippery conditions. 

Mark: So is this a typical failure in these units at some point in their life?

Bernie: You know, some do. I mean the modules do fail. We've replaced all sorts of bits and pieces on these, like modules pumps, they all tend to have problems. But you know, there are many Volvo models that don't have problems at all. So it's not sort of a guaranteed failure if you own one of these, but you may run into one or two of these items. And sometimes, you know, the pump will be bad and it'll actually take the module out. So you know, it's often better, even though we did this in a couple of sequences, that if the module is bad, it's often a good idea to replace the pump at the same time, because it can cause a module to go. And it would be a shame to put a module in and have it blow out because the pump was not replaced. It's drawing too much current or something like that. 

Mark: And it works really well as far as the four wheel drive system. 

Bernie: Yeah, it does. For sure. I mean, you can't really tell you have it. If everything's working well you can't really tell it's a four wheel drive. If you've driven any, I always think of like American trucks or like a Jeep where you put it in four low and everything's locked in, you go around the corner on pavement and the wheel start hopping and grinding and binding. So, you know, you don't get any of that kind of thing on this sort of vehicle. So you can be driving in four wheel drive all the time, but it controls things. So it's comfortable to drive. 

Mark: If you're looking for service for your Volvo in Vancouver, they work on a lot of them. Pawlik Automotive. You can reach them at (604) 327-7112. To book your appointment, you have to call and book ahead, or you can book online at pawlikautomotive.com. They'll call and check and talk to you. Find out exactly what the problem might or might not be. Thanks so much for watching. We really appreciate it. You can check out our YouTube channel. Pawlik Auto Repair. Thousands of videos on there of all makes and models, types of repairs. Thanks Bernie. 

Bernie: Thanks Mark. Thanks for watching.

Listen to podcast here.

Mark: Hi, it's Mark from TLR. I'm here with Bernie Pawlik, Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver. Vancouver's best auto service experience. What is it? 24 time winners. 24. Best auto repair in Vancouver as voted by their customers. And today we're talking about a Porsche 911. How're you doing Bernie in? 

Bernie: Doing pretty good. 

Mark: So this had the infamous IMS bearing problem. What was going on with this vehicle? 

Bernie: So the vehicle got towed to our shop with a sudden, humongous oil leak developed in the vehicle. We didn't know it was an IMS problem, but we did know there was a huge oil leak that had developed. 

Mark: Was there any diagnosis you had to do to find the oil leak?

Bernie: Well this wasn't our traditional, there's always a diagnosis of some form, but it wasn't the usual, let's add some UV dye. Clean something, drive it around the block. It was basically as fast as we could pour the oil in, it was pouring out. So there was a pretty severe leak coming from somewhere.

Mark: Either that out of the engine drain is not in there anymore. 

Bernie: Well, yeah, that wasn't the case though. So the oil is pouring out in the bell housing area. So either, you know something happened to the IMS bearing, the rear main crank seal had blown out or something catastrophic had cracked at the back of the engine. So we figured pulling the engine out was the next step to the process. So we pulled the engine and transmission together as a unit and separated it and. Proceeded from there. 

Mark: What did you find? 

Bernie: So we found the IMS bearing had basically broken. There's a bolt that holds the IMS bearing to the collar. It was missing. Gone, and those oil just pouring out of there. So next step of course, is pull the IMS, played out and see if we can replace the IMS bearing. 

Mark: So that bearing had failed. Did you replace it? 

Bernie: We weren't able to because the bearing had basically grenaded. Just destroyed itself. And this vehicle requires a complete engine. So why are we doing this podcast? Because we're talking about why you should replace your IMS bearing way before there's any issues. That's kind of the purpose. So we can get into some pictures. We can talk some more while we're looking at pictures. 

So there's basically what we found. We took the engine and transmission apart with the flywheel off, you can see the rear main crank seal in this area and the red arrow points to the IMS plate. There's a hole in the middle and you can see a sort of a, kind of fresh oil that's run down here. And that is basically where there used to be a bolt and a shaft that sat in there. And that had basically broken off. Very bad thing for that to occur. Next pictures. What do we got?

Again, a close up view of the IMS cover plate. There shouldn't be all that metal laying around in there. Metal in, well, just, just looks like it's been sandblasted and there's still sand in there around this area here. No underneath like where the oil is and just right where your arrow is now.

I mean, that could be dirt. That's accumulated kind of hard to say. I think most of the guck would be inside the engine at this point. Now here's what it looks like with that piece off. I apologize. It's a bit of a fuzzy photo, but that right in this opening here is where the IMS bearing used to be.

And that's sort of, what's left of the outer bearing race that sits in the IMS bearing. At this point, you can't replace it. It's it's too badly damaged. And of course all the debris of that bearing is now circulating throughout the engine. 

Mark: Thus you need a new engine. 

Bernie: Yeah. Thus we need a new engine or, you know, tear it apart and dismantle it, but it's an enormous task. We're in the process actually right now, trying to find a good used engine for the customer. That's kind of where we're at. I mean, it's either that or you rebuild it, which is a horrendously expensive operation. 

 There's the plate. This is where the bearing once sat. You can see, you know, a lot of wear and crap around this area too. And then finally, this is what a replacement, LN Engineering bearing looks like. This is an aftermarket solution that works really well in these vehicles, but it's only a preventative maintenance repair.

This is not a after the fact of severe damage repair. This is a repair that you do when the IMS bearing has not yet failed. So that's a solution, a part. It also comes with a different style mounting plate because it's a different design. But yeah, so there's our, there's our picture show.

Mark:  So, what does IMS bearing do? 

Bernie: So what it does is it basically holds the intermediate shaft in place. And what the intermediate shaft is, the purpose is basically it's an overhead cam engine. There's timing chains that run from the well, no, on a lot of engines, they run directly from the crankshaft to the cam shafts.

But in this case the engineers at Porsche decided let's run an intermediate shaft, which slows the speed of the timing chains down to the cam shaft, cuts them in half. So it seems like a pretty neat idea. Unfortunately in the design of this bearing, this bearing is not lubricated by engine oil. It's a sealed bearing. So it only has a limited lifespan. Of course they don't tell you that. It's not part of the maintenance because they never designed it that way. They didn't think about that that far. 

There was actually a class action lawsuit that occurred a long time ago about these bearings. And I don't know much more about it, but it's out there. So they had these things fail under warranty as well, but now anyone who owns one of course is left holding the bag and you need to replace it yourself. But that's basically what the IMS shaft, you know, what the purpose is.

Mark: So does it matter whether it's air cooled or water cooled, because there was a change somewhere in there with Porsche? 

Bernie: Air cooled engines have, they have a lubricated bearing, like as kind of standard, I guess you know, a standard type of bearing that's lubricated with engine oil. So there's no problem with that. And when we get into the newer models, probably 07 and newer, they solved this issue. They either eliminated it or did something that this bearing is not a sealed bearing unit anymore. So really your problem years are probably from around approximately 97 to around 2005 or six with apparently the years, 2000 to 2005 being the worst issues.

So and that's 911s and Boxsters because they both use the same design.

Mark:  So was there any warning signs for this 911 owner? 

Bernie: No there wasn't and we just did a service I think, a month or two previous to this, changed the oil, there was no, you know, we generally look at the oil. There was no debris or particles or anything to be found in the oil. I mean, we didn't cut the oil filter apart, perhaps we should have. Maybe we would have seen something, but many times these bearings will fail internally. You know, the bearing will start wearing out and collapsing and then they'll just suddenly give out all in one kind of puff, I guess. Exactly. Yeah. They just kind of explode. So that kind of thing happens. 

So you can get magnetic drain plugs, oil, drain plugs, which are a good thing to see if there's any metal debris forming. Really a lot of times there's just no warning. We did have a Boxster once where there was a screeching noise in the engine and we did actually, a bearing was in pretty bad shape. We did actually replace it. The engine seemed to survive, but it wasn't like this where it completely blew apart. 

Mark: So what's the way to prevent it from happening from having the grenade explode? 

Bernie: You basically need to replace this bearing. I mean, it's that simple. If you don't know when it's been done, get it done. This LN Engineering, they have a couple of different options. They also have a solution where you can actually get a bearing this lubricated with engine oil, which is a more expensive option. I don't know if it's necessarily worth doing, but I'd say it was my own car, I'd figure, you know what I do it. And then if I was going to keep it long enough, I'd say within 10 years, I'd replace it again. That's kind of the way to go. It's a maintenance item and you just got to treat it like that. So if you don't know when it's been done and you can't find any hard evidence that has been done, I would just go ahead and do it. It's expensive, but way cheaper, a fraction of the cost of replacing an engine. 

Mark: So little hidden surprises for the 911 and Boxster owners of a certain vintage. How are 911s overall for reliability? 

Bernie: Super reliable vehicles. I mean, this is the only thing really that in my opinion, it's really bad about these vehicles. Other than that they're excellent .For a sports car, they run well. They just need some basic service. It's a great car, really overall not that expensive to maintain for what the kind of car it is. 

You need some service for your Porsche in Vancouver, give Pawlik Automotive a call. You can book online on the website at pawlikautomotive.com or call ahead. Check when they're actually open. You gotta call and book because they're busy. (604) 327-7112. Or our YouTube channel Pawlik Auto Repair, close to a thousand videos on there all makes and models and types of repairs. Thanks so much for watching. We really appreciate it. Thanks Bernie. 

Thanks Mark. Thanks for watching.

Listen to podcast here.

Mark: Hi, it's Mark from TLR. I'm here with Bernie Pawlik, Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver, 24 times voted by their customers as best auto repair in Vancouver.  And we're talking about Range Rovers today. How are you doing Bernie? 

Bernie: Doing well? Yeah, we're talking about Range Rovers again. 

Mark: So today's victim is a 2014 Range Rover Supercharged that had an engine noise. Let me guess supercharger nose cone, timing chain? 

Bernie: Nope. None of the above. This was a different noise this time. 

Mark: So what was it? 

Bernie: There was a tapping noise in the engine and basically like a tick tick, tick, tick, tick type of sound. So surprisingly the timing chains, weren't the cause of the noise. But we did need to do some further diagnosis to figure out what it was. 

Mark: So what diagnosis and then steps towards repair did you have to take? 

Bernie: Yeah so for engine noises, I mean, our favourite tool is a stethoscope. I should have actually brought it in, hung around my neck and looked like a doctor, but it's sitting down in the shop. But it's kind of different than a doctor stethoscope in that it has a big long, it was kind of like a listening piece instead of having the flat thing that the doctor puts on. This has a big, long pointed tip and it magnifies the sound. And of course we stick it up to our ears, like any stethoscope, but when you're underneath the vehicle, you could really hear like a ticking noise right. Inside the exhaust system. 

But it wasn't the exhaust because you could also hear it actually coming up from the engine. I think it was just reverberating through the exhaust and amplifying the sound. But the noise was loudest up in the valve cover sort of under the right bank cylinder bank, valve cover area. So we knew there was something going on, probably a valve train problem, cam shaft, lifter, valve, you know, something like that, where it needed further disassembly. Specifically removing the valve cover to find out what was going on.

Mark: So is that a fairly straightforward task? 

Bernie: No, it's a Land Rover. It's a Range Rover. A Supercharged motor. Now it's not, I mean, a valve cover, you know, one time a valve cover removal was like I mean, I think there's some older Chevy's is like a 10 minute job to take a valve cover off maybe even five minutes.

If you have your tools beside you, but on these things, it's quite a lot of work. First of all, the supercharger has to come off and the intake manifolds. So that whole assembly has to come off. And then from there, the fuel injectors, it's a direct injection, they sit right in the middle of the cylinder.

The fuel injectors have to be removed in order to get the valve cover off. So we have a special puller that pulls the injectors because once they're in for a little while they stick in the cylinder bore. So it's a special slide hammer for pulling the injectors out. So it's a few hours worth of work just to get the valve cover off, to look at the inside.

Mark: Right. You got to cover off. What did you find? 

Bernie: So we found one of the exhaust valves, there's basically two exhaust valves per cylinder. One of the exhaust valves. There's a huge amount of play between the cam lobe and the bucket, which is like the lifter. The thing that presses the valve down on the camshaft. Enormous amount of play, probably like an eighth of an inch like this, you know, you can them kind of look see you in the camera, you know, like quite a lot of play, a huge amount. So it's normally about 9, 10 millimetres is kind of the average specification. This is like, I don't know, I have a hard time converting an eighth of an inch to millimetres, but it was a lot. Very excessive. So we knew that's where our problem was. And from there we had to disassemble, remove the camshaft and go further into disassembling. 

Mark: And was there anything else you found after the camshaft was removed? 

Bernie: Well, I'll show you what we actually found to be the actual issue. 

So our 2014 Range Rover. It's a full-size Range Rover Autobiography Edition, super nice. And the owners put some nice extra large wheels and tires on it. So for that even better look, it's kind of cool too get a carbon fibre hood as well. 

This is a view of the valve train on the right cylinder bank. So there's the timing chain. This is the exhaust cam, intake cam and the lifter. The issue we found is right in this area here with this exhaust valve and cam right here. This is the camshaft bucket. This will sit over top of the valve and the valve spring and the tip of the valve, the valve STEM presses against here. I don't have a view of the other side, but the other side is where the camshaft rides.

This is a brand new one. If you look really closely, you'll see a nice round piece here. And these are all very precision thicknesses, because this is how you adjust your valve clearance on this engine. It's a solid lifter. There are about 40 different, I'm guessing 30 or 40 different thicknesses. So you have to get them right. Put them in the right spot and measure them out. 

This is what we found when we took the engine apart. You can see this centre piece completely gone. So there's our eighth of an inch of play. It basically just hammered out, I don't know what happened, whether that's a hollow piece and it hammered it out or what happened, but I'll just go back and you can see the good one  and the bad one.

So that's where our problem was. We measured everything out on all the other ones after repair. We went through and did a full valve clearance inspection. All of the rest of them were good. So we just repaired the one, which was the only thing going on. Now you might wonder, should we have done all of them?

This is the first time we've run into this and we've done numerous engine repairs on these vehicles. So we figured it was basically a one-off issue on this particular thing and all the other valves specked out perfectly well. So there's our picture show of the day. 

Mark: So I'm sure while you had everything apart, you had a look at the timing chains in the Supercharger. How were they? 

Bernie: Well, we actually end up replacing all of them. Actually we're kind of surprised because the timing chains are all actually in good shape. There was no play. We talked to the owner and he said, look, I've owned this thing since brand new, had about 130,000 kilometres on, he says I've never had them replaced.

Like the engine has never been opened up. So he was keen to replace them because he knows it's a problem while it's in there, it's a bit more money for parts, but the labor is not really any more involved. The Supercharger nose cone, like there's a coupler that connects between the pulley and the actual supercharger.

That's the, where the problem lies with the nose cone. And there was some play in that, even though it wasn't really noisy, we replaced that too, because again, everything is apart. Why not do it while it's apart? Little more money for parts, but, you know, saves having to do it again in a few months.

So everything's done, complete. The end of story, it sounded great. Like the engine runs beautifully. Sounds really good. Like not any noise. Really nice. 

Mark: So do you have any idea on why that part failed? 

Bernie: No, I don't. I mean, at first we thought, well, maybe bad maintenance, because a lot of time, you know, it's easy for people to miss an oil change. These are the kinds of things that happen. If you, have not even decided you just get forgetful and you miss an oil change or the warning light comes on, says service the vehicle. They should get it done right away because you know, don't wait. I mean, I say right away, get it done within a week or two. But don't wait for a month or two, or if you've missed something. It's better to service it even before the warning lights come on if you can kind of track it. You know, go, okay I'm just going to change my oil every 10,000 kilometres. It prevents a lot of stuff from happening. 

This engine didn't look abused in any way inside. It didn't have any sludge buildup. So, I don't really know why it could have just been a faulty part or something that just wore, for some reason, things do happen. I mean, even in well-maintained cars, sometimes things just break and wear out.

So good maintenance is a good prevention. It's like eating good food, you know, will generally extend your lifespan and keep you healthy, but it's not a guarantee. 

Mark: And of course, any Supercharged high performance engine, and this definitely is in that category needs to be maintained appropriately.

Bernie: Absolutely. I mean, these engines are under an immense amount of strain. When you think of the weight of this vehicle and these things like take off like a rocket. I mean, they are super fast, you know, there's over 500 horsepower in this engine. It's a lot, and it's fun to drive for a vehicle like this. But there's an immense amount of strain on an engine that can go from zero to 5,000 RPMs in a second. That's a lot of strain. So things have to be in good shape. 

Mark: If you need some service for your Range Rover and you want experts, who've done lots of work on lots of Range Rovers and know all the ins and outs. And you want to make sure your Range Rover is running well. The guys to see are Pawlik Automotive.

Book online at pawlikautomotive.com. There's also hundreds of videos, many about all the different normal issues that you might have with your Range Rover Supercharged or not. Of course, if you want to call somebody and talk to them, (604) 327-7112 to book an appointment, you got to call, he got a call and talk to them.

They're busy. You can't just show up. But of course, this is just talking about Vancouver. We appreciate everyone who watches these shows. We really enjoy making them. We've done it for nine years. We've got close to a thousand videos out there all makes and models and types of repairs. And thanks, Bernie.

Bernie: Thank you, Mark. And thanks for watching. And don't forget, you can book online too, new service works really well.

Listen to podcast here.

Mark: Hi, it's Mark from TLR. I'm here with Bernie Pawlik, Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver. Vancouver's best auto service experience. 25 time winners of best auto repair in Vancouver as voted by their, 25 times. Holy crap. They must be good. Bernie we're talking cars. How are you doing? 

Bernie: We are, I got to make a slight correction though,  it's only 24 of this time, Mark. And you're anticipating just a little further ahead, but it's hard to keep track these days. Anyways, thank you for the intro. I'm doing awesome. 

Mark: So today's victim is a 2007 Mazda CX9. What was going on with this vehicle? 

Bernie: Yeah, so this vehicle came to us actually quite a few months ago with an engine misfiring problem, it was running very rough. So that was a client's concern and all of a sudden started running rough. 

Mark: So you did some diagnosis. What did you find? 

Bernie: So we found there was an ignition misfire. The spark plugs were old and also there's codes for multiple it's cylinder misfire. So there's several cylinders, misfiring. Tested, found at least one ignition coil bad. They're all same age. So we figured the first step in the repair was to replace the spark plugs and the ignition coils which we proceeded to do. 

Mark: So you replaced that stuff. How did the vehicle run after that?

Bernie: Well, it ran better, but still not perfect. There's still a misfire in cylinder number five. And so we had to proceed with some further testing. 

Mark: So what'd you end up doing next?  

Bernie: So the next testing of course, is to verify that the coil wasn't faulty or the spark plug, we did test that found that was good. We then next proceeded to test the wiring and the wiring was good. So from there, the only thing left is the PCM the powertrain control module, which is the unit that actually fires the signal. It basically drives the primary side of the ignition coil. That was at fault. So replacing the PCM was the next step in the game. 

Mark: Are there different replacement options for PCMs? That's a computer module, basically. 

Bernie: It's a computer module, yeah. Powertrain control module. So it controls the way the transmission shifts. It controls the engine. It takes the input from the various sensors in the engine, air flow, engine temperature in a number of different items. And then it'll trigger the spark plugs. The ignition coils to fire the spark at exactly the right time. It'll trigger the fuel injectors to fire the fuel injection at the right time. And a number of other things. Plus transmission shift points and all sorts of things. It handles it all in one nice little box, which we'll look at in a minute.

Anyways as far as options. I mean, there's used parts available. There are brand new, and then usually the dealer is the place to go. There are aftermarket sources as well, so we looked through a variety of different sources. And there was nothing available used as far as new from the dealer, it was obsolete.

We deal with a company that rebuilds PCM, so we sent it off to them to have it done. And while we're talking about that, I'll just share some pictures.

So there's our CX9.  Nice red coloured vehicle. If you like red vehicles. There's a picture of the PCM. Interestingly enough of these of code numbers. Now I mentioned we weren't able to find a used one. So the interesting thing about this vehicle is it turns out this vehicle is actually a US model car. We're in Canada. This LF was actually the interesting thing.

We were able to find PCMs with this exact number it's important to get the same number. It had a different number here. I think it was a JF or a KF, something different. In I'm saying desperation, you'll know why I say desperation in a few moments. We actually did find one with a slightly different number and tried it and the engine would run, but eventually the check engine light came on because the emissions specifications for this vehicle are for California and the Canadian model PCMs just wouldn't cut it. So it ran fine, but you'd forever have a check engine light on. 

Next pictures. This is a view of the front valve cover of the engine. These are the three ignition coils for the front three cylinders. The other three coils are at the back of the engine on the back bank. It's a lot of work to get them because you have to remove the intake manifold. So this is why we often, when one coil goes bad, replace them all, especially if it's on the rear bank because you know, if you have to change one, that's the same amount of labor to change all three as it is to do one. And then you don't come back in a couple months when the next coil dies to replace that.  

The location of the PCM, which if you're looking under the hood, you have the battery, the PCMs buried away in the back the engine compartment, really not that difficult to get out, but the battery has to come out in a few things, need to be removed to get at it. So there's our pictures. 

Mark: So you had to get it reprogrammed and that took quite a while? 

Bernie: Yeah. Okay. So we sent the PCM off to our rebuilder. We've had a lot of stuff done by them. They do a great job. We got the PCM back, plugged it in, you know, going great. It's going to be done. And it ran worse because two cylinders were now misfiring. Called them up, they said send it back. So he sent it back. Actually the other thing is it took over a month to get the PCM rebuilt because they were having trouble finding the components in the unit that were faulty.

It seemed to be a shortage of them. We're now, you know, few months later, there's a big talk of shortage of computer chips out there affecting manufacturing. But I don't know if this is a start of that or whatever the case. 

Send the PCM back. They rebuilt. It said, yeah, it works fine. Now send it back to us. Same thing. So obviously that wasn't any good. This is when we tried the used one, which didn't work out. So we dug a little further with the people who did the PCM rebuild said, look, we can get you a brand new one. We'll credit you the price of what the rebuilding costs, which was actually very reasonable.

And we got a new one which actually took about two more months. So we're into this vehicle now for about six months and partway through the process, the owners decided, you know what, we don't really need this car. It's our second car. Do you want to just take it off our hands? And I said, yeah, sure. No problem. So we nixed the bill and I now own a CX9. So if you haven't watched this podcast, I have a nice CX9 for sale. Anyways, so we finally got the new PCM and plugged it in. 

Mark: Okay, so, and what happened? Did it start? 

Bernie: Oh yeah, so it still doesn't start. And this is no problem because what happens is it needs to be reprogrammed to the keys. Being Mazda is kind of a Ford sort of product, if you looked on that module, I showed it. FOMO Co on it. They use a system it's called PATS, it's passive antitheft system and the keys need to be reprogrammed. So we have to use a computer, download the files. It's a programming system and reprogram the keys to the vehicle, reprogram the computer and started up and it ran absolutely beautiful.

So yeah, so that's the end of the story. Pretty much the end of the story, but well, what I can say that we found out along the line of you're watching this podcast is PCM failure on these vehicles is very common. This is the first one we've actually run into. There's not a ton of these cars on the road. So we don't see a huge amount of them, but this is the first one we've seen that fails. And it's quite honestly a bit of a pain. Like it surprised me. I don't think I've ever had a, what I would call a regular vehicle being out of service for six months waiting for a part. If we have to do this all over again, and another vehicle came in, I know exactly where I'd order it from straight away.

And chances are, if, as a Canadian car we'd be able to get a used one pretty fast, but how reliable is it used one on a car that fails a lot. These are things we always weigh out and we do a repair on a car. Anyways, make a long story short. This is vehicles fixed. It runs great. And it's a happy ending to a very long repair process.

Mark: So all trying to sell the vehicle aside, besides PCM problems, how our Mazda CX9's for reliability? 

Bernie: Yeah. They're good vehicles. I mean, it's a nice size vehicle. A lot of them are very well equipped.  They're nice to drive, very car-like driving for small SUV. I think they're great. And we've serviced this vehicle for this person for many years. It's been a reliable car besides doing some brake work and fluid maintenances. It's actually been a very reliable vehicle. So this is one little bit of a flaw I'd say in the vehicle, but I feel confident whoever's going to buy this vehicle will not have to worry about the PCM and ignition coils because it's all brand new.

Mark: It's good for another 14 years. 

Bernie: Exactly, precisely. So there we go. 

Mark: If you need some service for your Mazda in Vancouver, the guys to call are Pawlik Automotive. You can book online at pawlikautomotive.com or give them a call (604) 327-7112. You got to call and book ahead. You have to book ahead. They're busy. Check out the website of course, pawlikautomotive.com, hundreds of videos, no exaggeration, all makes and models and types of repairs. We've been doing this for nine years now, or YouTube channel is under Pawlik Auto Repair, same thing. It's all there, all the expertise of nine years of repairing all kinds of vehicles. And of course, thanks so much for watching and listening. We really appreciate it. Thanks Bernie. 

Bernie: Thank you, Mark. Thanks for watching. 

Listen to podcast here.

Mark: Hi, it's Mark from Top Local. I'm here with Bernie Pawlik, Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver. Vancouver's best auto service experience. 24 time winners of best auto repair in Vancouver as voted by their customers. 24 times. And we're talking cars. How are you doing Bernie? 

Bernie: Doing very well.

Mark: Today's victim is a 2016 Range Rover Sport that had front brake replacement. What was going on with this vehicle? 

Bernie: Yeah. So the vehicle came to us with a brake warning light on the dash, that the brakes were worn out. And so we proceeded to do some service on it. 

Mark: What inspections do you do to kind of dig into that, that warning light?

Bernie: Yeah, so the warning light is pretty clear. It's like a brake pad wear light. So we do a brake inspection on the vehicle to determine whether it's front brakes or rear brakes. In this case, it was both. But yeah, that's the inspection we do. We look at the pads, we measure the pads, we measure the rotors, inspect the brake fluid, all the brake lines. So it's not just a, let's just throw some pads and, you know, rotors on it or whatever. We move the caliper pistons, make sure they're moving okay, and the caliber sliders are good. Yeah, it's a thorough inspection. 

Mark: And what did you find? 

Bernie: So yeah, the front and rear brakes were worn out on the vehicle. So the pads and rotors were worn out front and back. Calipers were in good shape, but this vehicle is not very old, 2016, so we wouldn't expect there to be anything else with the vehicle. But it's always worth inspecting, but pads and rotors all the way around. And the brake fluid was due to be replaced as well at the same time. So we're just going to talk about the front brakes today. The backs another time, perhaps. 

Mark: So what's involved in doing brakes on a Range Rover? 

Bernie: Well, basically there's three items to replace. So we'll just talk about the front brakes. There's new pads, brake rotors and brake pad wear sensors, which  each axle has a pad wear sensor to indicate with when the pads are worn out to give you a warning on your dash.

Mark: So how effective or the pad where sensors at actually detecting accurately, whether your pads are worn out or not? 

Bernie: Well, in this case, they were really good. I'm going to share some pictures of this point and we'll have a look at a couple of things and we'll talk about that a little more.

So there's our 2016 Range Rover Sport Autobiography Edition, which is very nice model. There's a little closeup of the brakes after we completed, a nice shiny new rotor, nice Brembo red painted caliper. It's a very large brake rotor. Although it's funny in this picture, you can't really tell so much, but it's a nice visual ratio of brake size to wheel size.  If that means anything. But, you know, I tend to think it makes the vehicles should stop faster. 

So here's a picture of our old parts. These are the front pads and rotors we removed from the vehicle. This little groove here is basically you know, helps dissipate heat can see it's pretty much worn out, especially on this pad here.

There's an edge view of our pads and this wire piece here, this is the pad wear sensor. So just one brake pad on the front axle has a pad wear sensor and on the rear just one brake pad as well. You know, on some vehicles, they have a pad wear sensor on every pad. It depends. Range Rover, Land Rovers just put it on one. So how effective is it? 

Well, let's just get a close up and we can actually look at the brakes. So this is the pad with the wear sensors. So you can see there's still probably, maybe two millimetres of pad left on this one. And the sensor is, I don't know if it's actually even touched. I didn't actually look really closely, but I don't even know if the sensor is touched. So it might be the rear one that actually set the warning light off. But if you look at this front brake pad, I mean, this is a spin as a piece of paper. So this pad is worn out and almost, almost ready to go metal on metal.

I mean, it would be a matter of a week before it would start grinding. So this is the yellow arrow here, basically points of what brake pads left. That's the pad wear sensor and the blue arrow just kind of points to the edge of the rotor, which is why we replaced the rotors. These brake rotors wear pretty hard on most European cars. As the pad, whereas it tends to wear the metal away on the rotor as well. So it's not really, if you could machine it, you'd be basically machining the rotor right down to its wear limit, which means in a short period of time, it will be under the wear limit and they just wear out really fast at that point.

So that's kind of an example of everything. I'd say, you know, the downside of pad wear sensors, when you have it on one brake pad is it doesn't monitor all the pads. So as you can see, there's quite a discrepancy between these two brake pads here. If you look how thick that is and how thin that one is.

So sometimes, you know, the brakes could wear to the point where they'll start grinding and the pad wear's warning light hasn't come on. But of course, once it grinds, you know you need to do some service. You just want to do it before that point. 

Mark: So Range Rovers are pretty big vehicles and they're very high performance. Probably got a lot of horsepower. So they need big brakes. How long did the brakes actually last on these vehicles? 

Bernie: Well, surprisingly not as long as I think they should. This vehicle has 33,000 kilometres and all four brakes are worn out in front and rear. And this is kind of typical of a lot of large European SUV's. Like Audi, the Audi Q7 for years you'd be lucky to get 25,000 Ks out of a set of brake pads. The newer Q7s are much better. They've reformulated the brakes somehow and they tend to last at least 50 now. So that's a good thing.

I think 50 is pretty decent for a set of brakes, but like 33 seems a little on the low side, and I've seen Range Rovers go up to 50. But you can sort of expect between 30 and 50 K's, you're going to go through a set of brakes. And I've said before, in other podcasts, it does surprise me because I mean, they are a heavy vehicle. They've got a lot of horsepower, but they have a huge brake. I mean, these brakes are bigger than you find on a lot of you know, there's the size of what you find in a one ton pickup truck.

And it's often the one-time pickup truck brakes on an American vehicle will last 100 Ks. So it's rather surprising that these don't last as long. But somehow I think in the formulations of the pad materials, in the rotor materials, they want to go for comfortable brakes so they probably put a slightly softer material in everything.

Mark: So does that mean that the brakes are more effective? So you're stopping power's a little higher or does it mean they don't squeak as much? Or why would they go with a softer material? 

Bernie: I think it's a combination of both. Now, even while I'm saying softer material, you think that wouldn't be so hard on the rotor. So because generally a softer brake pad, isn't going to wear the rotor metal so hard. But yeah, usually like a softer material will prevent squeaks and it'll grab better. But of course, if you're doing high speed braking, you don't want something that's too soft. So there's a lot of science that goes into brake pad and brake pad materials to get it right.

Mark: If you've ever driven down a steep road for a long time, you know, brakes get extremely hot. 

Bernie: Yeah, super hot. And I can't say enough about pumping your brakes, you know, put them on, slow down and let your foot off the brake. Let them cool down. It's really important. Don't ever go down a steep hill with your foot on the brake all the time, because you might find that you don't have any brakes. I've actually almost experienced that once in a car and it was a little bit scary. 

Mark: It's more than scary. Yeah more than scary, yeah. So you service a lot of Range Rovers at your shop, how are the 2016's for reliability? 

Bernie: So far, they seem good. Of course it is only five years old at this point. And I find sometimes you need a little longer of time before you find out the reliability of the vehicle. You know, we found timing chain issues with a lot of these engines. This one's fine. Of course it's very low mileage and five years old. But if you go, you know, a few model years back, timing chains are problems But so far so good. You know, I think first five years of these vehicles, you're generally pretty good. I mean, maybe a brake job, possibly a set of tires if you drive a lot. But other than that, so far so good. 

Mark: If you need service for your Range Rover in Vancouver, the guys to see are Pawlik Automotive. You can reach them at (604) 327-7112 to book your appointment. Or go to the website pawlikautomotive.com. You can book your appointment online and they'll get in touch with you. Get the details, get ready for you to come in. You have to call and book ahead. You have to book on the website ahead because they are busy. There's a reason why they're 24 time winners of Best in Vancouver because they are, simply. 

So check out the YouTube channel Pawlik Auto Repair. We've got hundreds, literally not exaggerating hundreds of videos on there, close to a thousand actually. Or check out the website pawlikautomotive.com, everything's there, transcripts, et cetera. We've been doing this for nine years. We've got every make and model and type of car you can probably think of and type of repair on there. Thanks for watching. We really appreciate it. Thank you, Bernie. 

Thank you, Mark. Thanks for watching.