Jim Warman

That's the one I was trying to think of... Sadly.... the bigger the TV I buy - the less I watch it... And now I can't even remember advertising "jingles".

Truth be known.... I picked a bad week to quit smoking... I have started to reply to this a whack of times and wind up wondering if your tongue is in your cheek or not (and what better way to find out than be direct?). The worst part is that I managed to get you to step out in the open and I have nothing nasty to throw.... It's a great relief to find you are giving me a hard time for the sake of giving me a hard time. In two weeks, I take two of my three weeks holiday.... As usual, that old insecurity rears it's ugly head.... "what if they find they don't need me as much as they think they do?" Some of us are overcompensating for things we don't need to overcompensate for... Without the aid of bottled bravado, I spent some time on InFord this AM... I have no idea what I am doing to the censorbot.... But I think I broke my old record for posts taken under review....

What the fuck did I say that rubbed you the wrong way?

I might be way out in left field but my rose coloured view of the universe would be for anyone to showcase his chosen career in his daily life.... the shoemaker would wear the finest cowboy boot he could make (well, mine would)... his dress boots would have you step on a quarter and be able to tell if it was "heads or tails". His work boots would fit well and last a long, long time on concrete floors. You would never, ever see your butchers car in the McDonalds drive-thru.... Lawyers would stop chasing ambulances and simply buy their own fleet of them... They could offer cut-rate "scoop and scoots" to entice customers.. And every last tech would drive "something" where the attrition of sacrificial parts has been considered... He would be like us.... Going on a very long trip? We could send all of our time packing a nice lunch because we know the chariot is in the best of shape.... But I came home last night... My neighbours Dad was over visiting... being the neighbourly sort, I wandered over... Dad asks what he should do with his oil change..... He has over 5000 kms on it, but the last tech he visited said his oil looked too "clean".... "Don't change it for a while" he was told (in an authoritative voice). How many of you guys work with techs that pick through your old parts? The ones in "limbo" waiting to see if the customer wants them back or not? The ones that ask if you can tell them if you are going to throw <that> out.... Shit... techs can run a car on nothing... surely a customer can too... Yes I have a narrow view of the world.... I always say I was born 100 years to late.... Sometimes I wonder if I wasn't born 100 years to soon.... The typos are gratuitously offered to the sharks.... enjoy them while you can. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

I am one that will drive the vehicle I want to drive... If my fuel costs are higher than someone elses... Oh, well.... am doing what I want and I can still afford to do it... Look at it this way.... and we are going to look at my pants.... My pants of choice are Levi 619s.. I have no understanding as to why other than they kinda fit and they feel good. If I come to your wedding, I will be wearing 619s.. If I come to your funeral - I will be wearing 619s... I'm a self centered, egostistical bastard.... I can't take it with me... and if anyone is going to squander it, it will be me and not my kid... (but... he is spoiled beyond belief). My SuperCrew isn't quite what I wanted... but the deal was too good to pass up and the little bit of pain I endure towing my holiday trailer is long forgotten by September. For my wife, I chose a V6 Mustang convertible... For getting groceries and going to the coffee clache, a Focus might have been a better choice... Cheaper and better mileage... But why would I do that to myself... That would be like buying a pair of ill-fitting, uncomfortable pants and subjecting myself to interminable periods of "being uncomfortable"... It is "different streaks for different freaks"... but there's not a lot of things that sours my gut as much as a tech driving a "cream puff". If you are driving a junker.... and especially, if you are extolling the virtues of this POS... What message is that sending to your customer? "Forget that new shit.... buy a clinker and I can spend my time doing "this is only a guess so I'll book less time on it..." rather than trying to make sure I did FIRTFTOT. Don't get me wrong... if you feel you are worth treating yourself like shit - be my guest. Me? I have my family members driving the cars I own.... I "overservice" and I "overmaintain".... I am not about to have one of my loved ones stranded alongside the road.... Funny thing.... I have a six year old truck, a nearly four year old car and a five year old scooter... And I still think that an "unexpected" breakdown is a sin.... We are what we project... If we wait for Mother Nature to provide rain to "wash" our car... If it doesn't "sound" quite right.... If we are seen to have a "prestart ritual"... We will send a powerful message to our customers... the first one is that "I am happy with a piece of shit - you should be too". And then.... our wonderful little gas sipper is dead in front of the grocers.... Even the richest people have to go grocery shopping... and one or two of these fine people happen to see you working up a sweat trying to get "old Nelly" to give up those last few miles... to get your ice cream home and in the freezer before it melts.... And these one or two fine customers will be thinking "Gee... this is the guy that worked on the last three trucks that got towed in to the dealer.... This is a powerful message, indeed.... and it ain't a good one. If you haven't noticed - this trade is held very low in public esteem.. we aren't to be trusted... News shows feel driven to "rig" cars and take them to shops just so that they can prove we are charlatans and thieves.... We are going to sell a customer on preventive maintenance - and then brag about spending nothing on a car for over 200,000 whatevers.... GIVE YOUR FUCKING HEAD A SHAKE

Alex, Dwayne, Steve (and any other Canadians)... Just got this in my personal e-mail this PM.... To all Technicians, Warranty Administrators, and Parts Personnel: We'd like to take a few moments to answer some questions and address some of your concerns regarding the new Prior Approval program for 6.0L Diesel engine components. Below are some of the questions we've been asked, and the answers: Question: Does this prior approval program apply to all dealers? Answer: No, Level 1 dealers are not included in this program. Question: Are SPW repairs included? Answer: Yes, but only if the SPW repair is performed within the base warranty period. SPW repairs completed outside of the base warranty period are not included in this program. Question: Do I have to submit a request for each part I need? Answer: No, you can select all of the parts needed to make an accurate repair on one request. Question: How do I find out if you approved my request? Answer: From the PTS home page, select the Technical Hotline tab at the top. On the Hotline page, select Prior Approval Status, then Diesel Engine from the left navigation menu. Question: Why do I need prior approval to remove a cylinder head? Answer: Prior approval is not required to remove a cylinder head, but it is required for head gasket replacement. This is why we ask that you make your request before removing cylinder heads. Question: What if I have a labor operation on the RO for one of the parts included in the program, but I'm not replacing it? (clean, repair, etc) Answer: Prior Approval is only required if you replace one of the included parts. Question: Why do I need a repair estimate for 6.0L parts prior approval? Answer: The repair estimate field was a carry-over field from the diesel engine assembly request form. As of 6/11 it has been removed, and all of the prior approval forms have been better organized. Question: Why did you approve some of the parts on my request, but not all of them? Answer: There are several possible reasons, but the most likely is that some of the information we need was not included in your request. We have tried to keep the questions on the form to the minimum we would need in order to make an accurate decision, so be sure to answer the form question with as much detail as you can. Skipping any questions will most likely result in us asking for additional information, and delaying your request. Question: What information do I need for each part? Answer: The information we need may vary, depending on what diagnostics have been completed before you submit the request. As a guideline, you should include any base diagnostics that apply to the customer concern, plus the list below: Turbocharger - Be sure to review TSB 08-4-7, and note any physical damage to the turbo and the location. High Pressure Pump - Be sure to review SSM 19424, TSB 08-9-9. Record IPR% and ICP pressure when the concern is present. Cylinder Heads - Review TSB 06-21-10 Head Gaskets, EGR Cooler or Oil Cooler - Review TSB 08-3-7 and 07-23-14 Thank you for your time! Technical Service Hotline

We have seen a sharp downturn in bookings.... Where we used to be two weeks, we are now barely two days... Local GAS price is a buck thirty a litre ($4.92 per US gallon) diesel a few cents higher... I don't think fuel prices are the major driving factor in our downturn... Our ridiculous turn-around times have certainly done enough to piss people off... I don't have enough time to ensure quality control at a time when I need it the most.... and our spring has been very dry with no mud to help generate sales. But... when it costs well over a C note to fill your tank.... you don't drive as much and a lot of those "retail" concerns don't seem so bad when fuel costs are dipping into the maintenance budget... Isn't it ironic that I am still staying until 7:00PM and later "putting out fires" and some of my guys are starting to run out of work before days end....

One of our guys is getting beat up on something similar... as we speak... This one isn't modified... It started out as head gaskets and EGR/oil coolers... and now it has 8 new injectors, two new oil rails, an HPOP and fitting. Al of the high presure oil stuff was replaced because of identifiable air leaks (even taking the time to crank oil back up into the system.... )... One of the new injectors spit the top O-ring out.... I took a couple of minutes to upload some recordings for him but I haven't deen given enough time to really stare at any of the recordings he has made... It starts a bit easier if you leave it sit for a bit after an event but it doesn't have to run long before the idle gets a little funky.. then ICP starts to roll off, IPR starts to ramp up and then it is all over... If you try to restart immediately, ICP heads over 1000 pretty quick but as soon as the injectors come on line it'll firs and die, fire and die. We verified base oil pressure with a master gauge while the problem was occuring and we don't expect that the HPOP reservoir is running dry. With the FICM relay out, ICP is really quite "handsome". One thing that others me that doesn't bother the other two diesel techs is a "noise" I can hear while the motor is running. It's an rpm depending kind of an "eek".. like nothing I can put my finger on (remembering my ears are not what you could call "normal"). If I can drag my sorry ass out of the fartsack early enough tomorrow, perhaps I'll have a little time to spend without distractions....

I'll have you know I've been re-instated... How long it will last is up for grabs....

Yes, Bruce... I see the "spelcheck" does indeed work "grat".... Now, if they could get that toolbar to make sure my replies don't go to the "lost sock dimension", I'd be laughing. I'm almost thinking or rereading the SooperCheeps warranty so I can poke more holes in it.... I'm not a lawyer in real life - but I read a lot of John Grisham novels (and I've been thinking of staying in a Super8).

Keepththth.. You gotta do something.... All that typing and all that pruuf redding to avoid typos and spelling errors - PFFFFTTTT! Makes me feel like on inFord... Back to Larry and SupperChips (sp)... I spent some time skimming over this fantabulous warranty.... They tell the customer near everything except that he is expected to bring his own vaseline for the boning he is about to get.... Let's start with registering the warranty.... First off, Supperchips (sp) has to "approve" the application... and you won't know if it approved until after the electronic piece becomes "unreturnable". Looking at warranty "inclusions" - there ain't no surprises. They could have lifted this out of any warranty manual, anywhere. It's the exclusions that should worry people... if for no otyher reason than they spell out the conditions where "inclusions" become "exclusions" because of the fine print. Where to start.... Any and all intake (air filter) systems are included... They wont pay for a dusted engine... Duh... are we surprised? Interestingly... Exhaust mods are restricted to "cat back" systems.... Notice I said "interesting" and not "surprising"... They are obviously worried about "something". I'm going to dance all over for this... bear with me... At the top of the page are several links... nothing out of the ordinary... mostly boring lawyer talk... WHOA!!!!! Lawyer talk???? Uh-oh..... But first.. let's get something out of the way... Everybody and his dog is churning out diesel programmers these days... Compared to a gasser, it is just too damned easy to get massive power gains from a diesel... Throw in some more fuel, fool the VGT... "BAMMMM". How can we get more "market share"?? Easy.. offer a warranty that covers engine and transmission repairs... While we are doing this, let's not try to point out that there is a payout limit for these repairs. $5G for the motor and $3G for the trans. While we are doing this, we can recommend Cortex (look at "Cortex @ work') for guys that use their PSDs for "work"... but one of the exclusions is a PSD used for "delivery"... 'scuse me.. If I'm using this truck at work, am I not going to be "delivering" stuff? Looking, one more time, for the delivery reference, I encountered several more other "really interesting" inconsistancies. This thing is starting to read worse than a whole life or partial medical policy in how it's going to play... Blown head gaskets is mentioned in the "exclusions" - information only. In a market flooded with performance chips, how do you sell more chips and remain "safe"? Offer a warranty where you limit your exposure.... Offer a warranty full of loopholes that cause "inclusions" to become "exclusions" more by how they are read than by anything actually done. SuperChips has found a "hook"... and they have found a way to make "us" look like the bad guys.... Look at it this way... they have found just the right wording to make their product look good.... And now we are left to decide if it is Ford that is wrong.... or SuperChips that is wrong. We were the "fall guy" before... now we have it in writing. Consumers are gullible.... you can tell them the realities and be branded an asshole... promise them a chip with a hard part warranty... you know where this is gonna go.... You had nothing to do with it,,, but make sure you bring an extra large vaseline. Thanks, Larry, you fucked up a fucked up day.

Google "painless wiring"... they might have something that will help... Big problem is in justifying the extra cost in something they pray wont happen again.... Another consideration... I don't throw much stuff away... especially wiring harneses.... Sometimes I can take miracles out of my "tickle trunk". FWIW... I have boxes of stuff that isn't worth /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/2cents.gif .... but, if you need it, it's worth a million bux....

With the snake pit of custom pipes festooning the top of that motor, I would have to say that Mike has made the understatement of the year...

Well, we've seen a few bent pushtubes... it can be hard for even some good guys get them in just right on these things (no not me - I'm saving myself for another "mother of all screw ups"). We had a new guy get a valve bridge on wrong... that cost a bent valve and a missing rocker tip... Any valve train woes *should* have an accompanying noise - even to some old fart with tinitis... At least he knows which cylinders to concentrate on...

Anthony, not to get too simplistic... you may need to try reproducing some not too common conditions... like idling in the corner of a Wendys parking lot for 4 hours and then rooting on it real hard. My first inclination would be to set up the VDR... and let the ambulance crew reproduce the concerns for you...

It works the same way, James... I can see where you are coming from too... If simply flushing the system does the trick (and who is to say it wont?) and the truck lives a healthy, happy life forever after... a guy is going to look like a prince. But there is an overwhelming factor.... we are factory trained techs and we are not blessed with the ability to fail... If we, as individuals, embark on this repair, someone - somewhere (and God help us if he has "barrister and solicitor" on his business card) is going to be sure that it is "understood" that we are performing repairs in a manner accepted by the manufacturer... A few "factoids"... we ARE acting as AGENTS of FMC... We ARE expected to follow ALL the manufacturers guidelines during the diagnostic and repair process... FMC is, for all intents and purposes, our customer - I'm sure they wouldn't mind having me, my boss, my store all named as co-respondants in any claim. Somewhere, in the paper trail, we have to leave a note that this engine has had the benefit of a load of gasoline. If you don't cover your own ass... there ain't nobody else out there going to do it for you. There are jobs that I don't feel comfortable with.. that's why God made the automotive aftermarket... BUT... in a case like gasoline in a 6.4, I feel it necessary to offer some modicum of protection to my "other" customer... FMC deserves some sort of loyalty - if for no other reason because it is the "right" thing to do. Replacing a 6.4 that was destroyed by some gasoline fuled failure isn't going to make your stores numbers look any better... The people that made my TV, toaster, scooter, video game (I have almost all the Guitar Hero games), saw(s) - you name it - don't warranty "Stupid" - Why should Ford? There's a book in the cubbyhole... The worlds most expensive unread book... How many people read it? Fuck... how many techs read it? Call me a !@#!?$! if you want... I are a old fart... I see todays litigious society... I have no desire to spend my remaining days paying off some judgement that I could have avoided by simply explaining to my customer that there is only one way I will perform a repair.... but another shop may do it "this way cheaper -but it is THEIR gamble". I make some damned good money... and I do it without ever having to say this MAY work.... I am condemned to a life of saying this WILL work. And I make sure it does.

I think they are close enough to one and the same thing that any differences will be a moot point... One is an ineffective "repair" and the other is an ineffective diag... Whether it is Ford (who is, by the way, a "customer")or a private customer - the end result is the same... the customer is displeased... The guy off the street can do little more than complain... Ford, OTOH, has a means of recourse. I am reasonably sure that Ford wouldn't find much fault with a little bit of gain time if there weren't repeat repairs, ineffective repairs and customers expressing displeasure with Ford products... Don't get me wrong... most of this sh!t shouldn't be breaking in the first place... But I'm willing to bet that each and every one of us has seen and still sees a steady stream of repairs that were botched, improperly diaged or carry some other stigma that a customer is quite justly pissed with. Not all of my ROs are squeaky clean winners.. especially when you have what amounts to a large caliber weapon pointed at your temple and not enough time allotted for the desired result.. but we still try to go the extra mile and make the best of a bad situation... In our world.. this separates "us" from "them"... In the customers world, we will all be assholes. On edit.... thankfully, Keith can't check my hotline usage... I often call hotline or have a tech call hotline for no other reason than to add to the "paper trail". In another thread, we are discussing prior approval... how long before we must have prior approval to get rid of that second bowl of chili we had at lunch... If I even suspect that warranty is going to flex their muscle, I want all the ammo we can get....

There's two sides to that coin, Scott... One of our fleets demands that no matter how small or mundane the task, only three of us be allowed to touch their trucks.. Yes, the three techs that I speak of care about their finished product... But it isn't about how we have pleaed them - it is about how the rest of our "warm bodies" have displeased them... And that is a sad state of affairs.

Been to the Namao air show a few times but the most memorable would have been at Cartierville in Montreal - about 1966. Daryl Greenamyer (sp) had a clipped wing F-8 and would make 0 foot near supersonic passes over the main runway. I was 15 at the time and my head was firmly in the clouds (up until I REALLY discovered girls and pot)... What a rush....

James... it's called "gambling"... For much of it, I have no doubt that we have engineers playing "CYA".. but if they aren't about to "sign off" on a procedure, what makes me an instant expert? We aren't just gambling with a customers money... that roll of the dice has our reputations wrapped up in it as well. Detorquing something in the proper sequence? It doesn't take any more time than detorquing something "willy nilly".. BUT... detorquing something in the proper sequence is one of those things that separates "artisan" from "hack". FWIW.. we aren't talking about $6G of our customers money... we are talking about $20G of our shops money. Waiting to see what happens can have that effect... How lucky do you feel? (oooh, Clint Eastwood "go ahead, punk... make my day /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif ). Could I be described as "over-cautious"? Does a one legged duck swim in a circle? Hell, yes. But I have a reputation in my town - and I protect it. I look at last years tax return... and that makes me protect my rep even more... Even with all the signed waivers in the world, coffee shop talk can kill a store. If this motor was in an airplane instead of a truck... would you fly in it? Disclaimer... I would hope by this point in time most would know that the preceding is "my style". I bear no animosity to anyone - I simply open my mouth and words fall out. If I sound like dork - it's because I AM a dork.

Powder balancing is used quite extensively in our area... 19.5s get two bags. There are special valve cores that are supposed to be used with this product.... few seem to opt for the extra charge or stocking an extra part number ( /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/shrug.gif ). When we are dealing with this kind of rotating mass (19.5 and bigger), it becomes less likely we will feel or see the effects of a few ounces of imbalance.... For those cases where a wheel/tire assembly is grossly out of balance - one can either add an additional bag of powder or insist on a replacement tire (under the tire manufacturers warranty). For my part, I believe that tires that are more than a very few ounces out of balance are faulty... (Most Ford WSMs have an allowable out of balance spec) and should be replaced as such. Occasionally, we are called upon to repair a tire... this would be where we discover a leak during a PM or a repair - we do not usually take on tire repair jobs alone. My preference is to "boot" the tire using the plug/patch combination repairs. The powder can make this a chore.. Other than that, I am neutral on the use of powder. FWIW.. we are not set up for rim sizes ending in ".5" and prefer to send these to the tire shop (four of them in a town of 7000ish souls). Tire sizes ending in ".5" have a different bead angle and require special safety considerations when working with them.

Backing up one very small step... I spend a not inconsiderable time perusing "public" forums. This will open your eyes to the level of satisfaction some owners AREN'T seeing.... Does anyone here check the service history of what they work on? We have a lot of transient customers.... looking at their service history, we often see a long chain of the same parts being replaced over and over.... With nobody ever really looking for the root cause.... "Ineffective repairs"... they're being made all over the place... Those of us here, with the desire to do things right, have little effect on the grand scheme of things as "rank and file" parts jockeys load their cannons for another repair effort. Ford isn't responding to you, me or anyone else in particular. I see Ford as a company that is being bled dry by under-achievers... They are responding badly but the truth remains... Case in point... the number of owners that have had multiple RMS replacements... How many RMS failures have YOU seen? And this isn't limited to RMSs.... We are painted with the same brush as those techs that should be seeking a rewarding career in the food and hospitality industry. Look at what the guy in the next by is doing... and tell me that we aren't paying for the sins of our bretheren.....

Ron, you'll find that the oil patch is usually in a "boom/bust" cycle.... A "new" field is easy to get the stuff out of the ground... After a few years, it starts to cost more money to get the same production out of a hole.... Finally, it get's to the point where they will shut a well in as being unprofitable... The well can be shut in for many years but, as the price of crude skyrockets, the well can become viable again... They may choose to open the old hole or they may decide to drill near it (there have also been improvements in the geophysical side of the coin). Back in the Trudeau years, I recall a bumper sticker... "Please, Lord... let there be another oil boom - I promise I wont piss it all away this time". Compared to the rest of Canada... when things are good, they're great... when things are bad, they're still pretty good.

This is something I've touched on many times, Aaron... "Whose repair is it anyway?". Every time we open a hood..... every time we put a truck on the hoist... we lay our reputations on the line. We should, at all costs, avoid doing those things that leave us feeling uncomfortable... Allowing ourselves to be cowed by paper shufflers or customers is counter-productive. "I did what I was told... EVEN THOUGH I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS RIGHT" isn't much of a defense. Now, I realize that there are many that are fearful to be this assertive... especially those in "right to work states" (correct me here if I'm wrong, guys) where workers have no protective labour laws... But if we design our careers, skill sets and talents to appear impeccable, we come to realize that we have some amount of "clout". I've gone over some of the ways to gain this "clout" in the past.. most centre around "product knowledge"... Kudos to you and parking the offending vehicle outside. If the insurance adjuster is hell bent on putting in a short block... let HIM put HIS rep on the line... He's trying to look good for those that pay his wage (the insurer)... You need to look good for the person paying your wage (the insured)... Geez.... this is starting to sound like a John Grisham novel.... And if you don't know who he is... you need to read more. That's why God created the "throne room".

Oh yes... there ARE deletions.... we just don't get to partake in them...