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Big George Welcomes You!

Can't seem to get it fixed? Email me your problems and we will check our database of over 100,000 repairs for uncommon problems to come up with a solution.

Does this sound like your car?

Ever had your mechanic say "this is a common problem on these cars" or "these cars are notorious for this"? Well in this page we will try and share the vehicle problems that we run into on a daily basis, sometimes multiple times.

There are in fact some inherent quirks in some vehicles that sometimes show up in more than just a couple of them. When enough vehicles are affected, the factory issues a bulletin of repair, so that their techs are on the lookout for these problems. If the problem is safety related, or enough people sue the manufacturer, they issue a recall, and foot the bill. There are really a bunch of these out there, you just don't always hear about them, unless a newspaper picks up on one.

COMMON PROBLEMS AND RECALLS

As a result of 25 years experience, and one of the latest and greatest information systems available in the automotive aftermarket, Big George and the boys have seen or done or heard of, just about any common "experience" with today's vehicles. First and foremost we must explain the acute difference between a Factory Bulletin, and a Factory Recall. The bulletin is something that the manufacturer knows exists, knows the needed repairs, but puts the cost of those repairs on the consumer. It is more or less info only, and helps to identify common problems that are actually built into the vehicle. Even they built it in, they won't pay a dime. This info is rather guarded, but our information system has managed to retrieve it, right up to the newest bulletin. I'm sure you see how valuable this info is to us. The Factory Recall is the thing you sometimes read in your local newspaper, or hear on the 6 o'clock news, but not always. Some of these recalls are kept secret or "in house" as the dealer likes to call it. They might even perform them when you take your vehicle in for warranty work, unbeknown to you. These are common problems they know about, and by some reason are being forced to pay for. When the federal government deems it a safety issue, or a group of consumers win a class action suit, or it is such a big screw up they can't fight it, they have to pay!

That having been said let me tell you what the High-Tech guys at USA have run into over these 25 years and well over 100,000 successful repairs.

General Motors

In the 90's GM had a serious problem with fuel injectors. Prior to 1996 there was no known cure except to replace them. Most shops wanted to replace them all when one went bad, knowing that the others could follow suit. However at an average cost of $110 per, being that there was six of them, that was a very expensive "cover your butt". At USA we would use an ohmmeter to find the bad one, and identify potential weak ones, make our replacements as needed, and in turn kept the cost as low as possible. After 1996 a new type of fuel injector was installed that could be cleaned, when serviced by a certified cleaning machine. Just dumping a can of stuff in the tank is good maintenance habit, when one or more injectors have a problem, you need a serious cleaning. Without a rather expensive machine that cleans the fuel rails and injectors completely, you are spinning your wheels.

While on the subject of fuel in the GM category, we must talk about the GM fuel pressure regulator problem, which by the way is quickly goint to become a recall. These regulators are on the V6’s from the early 1990's all the way up to the early 2000's. They leak fuel under the hood, which is of course a potential fire hazard. The feds are exerting pressure on GM to rectify this, but the corporate lawyers are delaying the recall, all the while more are being fixed in the aftermarket. GM is sending out some recall letters, but hoping the stall tactics will save them some money, as cars get junked or traded, or burn up.

These same V6’s have an inherent problem of leaks. Either antifreeze or oil, can leak from the intake manifold, and make for a very costly repair. This isn't an isolated problem, almost all of these motors leak to some degree.

The 2.2 four cylinder in the smaller GM is going to have the head gasket replaced at some time in it's life, that's a for sure.

The v-tech 4 cylinder motor is a 65,000 throw away, although we have seen them go to 90,000. All of a sudden they just lock up and quit.

If you own a GM SUV or light truck, with the V8 motor, and it starts to run bad, especially intermittently, be prepared to by a $400 distributor. They are made of plastic, and a real cause of drivability problems.

When your wipers begin to act like they don't care where you have them set, a new printed circuit board is in order. About $64

The blower motors have a tendency to lose one or more speeds, again a new circuit board in on the shelf at your local dealer. About $45

The GM hazard switch can cause a number of problems with turn signals, or brake lights etc. Depending on the model GM, this switch can cost $200 to $400.

FORD

No domestic vehicle on the road today from the 90's almost to current needs fuel injection cleaning like the Ford products. About every 40,000 miles if you have the "real" fuel injector cleaning, not only will you get the best mileage, but also you'll probably save yourself a ton of drivability problems along the way. In the last ten years I can count on one hand the number Ford Motor Company injectors we have replaced, but we're up in the thousands of cleanings. A professional cleaning usually fixes the problem, before expensive parts get involved. Remember the cleaning is done with a certified machine, not a can of goop.

The number one cause of the check engine light in late model Ford cars and light trucks is lean conditions. If you've ever had a check engine light on your Ford, chances are the codes were po171 and po174, lean bank one and lean bank two. This means that both sides of your motor have more air than fuel. While dirty fuel injectors, or a dirty mass airflow sensor can cause this problem, a leaky intake manifold gasket is a very common condition. Ford knows this, they have even changed the make up of the gaskets several times, but as usual a service bulletin, no factory recall (you pay). Still, cleaning the injectors as well as the mass airflow should be done also.

The second big cause of Ford check engine light is an EGR valve code. There are several conditions that can cause this, be careful! Repair shops that don't know the scoop will replace some unnecessary parts! A new DPFE sensor or a Controller will usually do the trick, or even a plugged passage, before a costly EGR valve.

Noises..noises..noises. If your Ford has a rattling underneath, before some muffler shop sells you a catalytic converter, make sure it's not just the shield above the exhaust, (it usually is), which can be removed and thrown away. That rattling in the suspension front or rear can be a broken spring, which are very common especially on mid and full size models. Ball joints on cars aren’t uncommon, but on the vans and light trucks it is a dilemma. We have some fleets that every one of their Fords has had ball joints. Between the broken springs and the ball joints they keep us quite busy.

Their late model trucks are always having heater blower motor problems. Chances are you'll find a burnt switch and it's plug, or a burnt resistor and it's plug. An updated plug and parts will fix this, usually for good. A new blower motor is rarely needed, but can crop up.

The Fords were the first to have a turn signal switch that has multi functions. So now, a complaint of one light out could cost you a $150 switch. It also run the wipers, the hazards, the cruise control, and on some models more.

CHRYSLER\DODGE

Like the other domestic brands of cars the MOPARS need fuel injector cleaning. This is a needed maintenance that the manufacturers don't put in the owners manual, but you'll feel the difference in performance, and see the mpg go up. They claim that you can go 100,000 miles between tune-ups, and that’s only a slight stretch. Those $13 platinum spark plugs do last a long time.

Some of the older MOPARS
have a problem with the pressure regulators, much like the GMs, but somewhere in the 90's they moved it to the fuel tank with the pump as well as the filter, and they are fairly reliable. The real problem is, when 1 or more of those go bad, you buy a $600 or $700 fuel module, because they all come together as a unit. Most of the newer vehicles use the fuel module, so when a problem does occur bring your wallet.

Chrysler Corporation
has had their moments with several of their newer V6 motors. There have been some serious mechanical problems resulting in motor failures on the 2.5 and 2.7 V6's. I'm no engineer, but I believe there are some lubrication shortages, causing early failure. Anything after 55 or 60K miles keep your ears open for funny noises under the hood. There are several factory bulletins out on these motors, but of course no recalls.

The Neon’s!
Oil leaks abound, and while some are cheap, the most common one is a bad head gasket. This requires removal of the top part of the motor, and it is by no means cheap. This usually starts as an oil leak, but can also be antifreeze related. We have not seen a few of these, but almost 100% of the Neon’s that come through my shop have some form of head gasket leak.

The mini vans
are well known for belt problems, squealing, grinding etc. If they are caught in time, just a new tensioner will fix the problem. If that belt was squealing for any length of time it will need replaced also. There is a factory bulletin for a special shield to be added to the tensioner to prevent belt walk, and keep it aligned.

Also on the subject of mini vans are the very costly problems with the air conditioning. If the a\c compressor fails, you got away cheap (about $600), and that is somewhat common on some models. The most common problem is the evaporator in the dash. This job requires removal of the entire dash, including the steering column. Always insist on a factory evaporator, as the aftermarket ones fit badly.

The Jeep
products need a little preventive maintenance on their differentials to ensure long life. I suggest at about 30,000 miles changing the fluids in the differentials and replacing it with synthetic oil. The synthetic oil gets rid of the moisture better, and will lubricate the bearings better. We have a shop Jeep for plowing, and we change this oil every 20,000, because of the harsh conditions.

The Jeeps also have a brake rotor warping condition, causing a vibration while braking. They have redesigned these rotors several times, but if you're out of warranty, just go to an after market repair facility, as those rotors don't warp as easily.

If your Jeep rattles up front, chances are you need sway bar bushings. There are different prices of these but the average is about $65.00.