car repair thread.

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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lets make a car repair thread for DR1 members where people can have their input in their recent car repair experiences.
I will discuss about brake job today.
As you all know, I am a big fan of mama & papa type car repair places where fat maestro papo directs the joint. I am also a big fan of street mechanics. why? The main reason being, they are cheap.

As many know, I am also an engineer so i like to do my homework before i tackle a job. I make sure how its done right and then i go about finding a person to do it for me. The labor is so cheap here, so why dirty my hands?

Ok so here is my story:
I was coming back from punta cana on saturday (droping my sister off to punta cana airport- yikexxxxxx, now you know why I hate guests :) ), my brakes began to make noises. It was clear my pads were worn out and they were cutting the discs. its a Toyota camry 2000. I had no choice but to continue because on the highway you really don't use brakes and I was in the middle of no where. I reached home and locked the car. I hit the internet and downloaded the service manual for camry 2000. It became clear to me the front end brake job is no rocket science. Just straight forward job, where the discs have to be cut and resurfaced, the pads have to be replaces and put in new shims and regular cleaning and lube job. I then proceeded to look for mechanics to do the job right for me. I had seen a few brake service shops around my area. After inspecting a few i came to conclusion they all sold pretty much the same service and same parts. I only needed a place where they worked fast and had a machine to resurface the front discs. This one place had it all but no power tools. So what, no big deal. I had them remove the tires and when the pads were removed (yikexx) they were all gone. metal to metal. One disc was cut bad the other was still ok. thanks god the discs were still thick enough to be cut again. It took 3 attempts to cut it good and make the surface even on the bad disc. they sell few different types of brake pads. 1 brand is the refurbished one (locally) and its for concho cars and taxis. This brand is really cheap looking and I would not get near it. the next level up was a Chinese brand. it looked good but it didn't come with shimming plates. So I passed on that as well. the next brand up was a Japanese and it did come with shimming plates. I took this brand because the next brands up were american (after-marke) and genuine toyota. The japanese seemed fine so i took the plunge. The brakes were cleaned the brake cylinders were inspected and cleaned as well, the rear brakes were inspected and cleaned but left alone because they were still good. they simply adjusted the rear brakes to make them more effective and adjusted the hand brake. The front discs were cut and resurfaced and reinstalled. the brake pads were installed and lubricated and all the tired were put together. The whole job took 45 mins from the start to finish. 3 guys were working at once. the brakes work like new and i am very happy. Especially when the whole job cost me a little less than 50 dollars total.
So I would recommend jobs like these to cars that are not super sophisticated (example new SUVs and other expensive cars) but if the car is a few years old and not so delicate, i would suggest getting your repairs done in places like these, providing they know how to do the work right.
AZB
 

planner

.............. ?
Sep 23, 2002
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Great post - I like the detail of your explanation of work. I had my brakes done here about 6 months ago, similar price but I would not know what to oversee! Great idea downloading the service manual!
 
Feb 7, 2007
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AZB,

is there a website where you can download service manuals for various manufacturers and models, or is it Toyota Camry only? Where/how did you find it?
 
Feb 7, 2007
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About 3 weeks ago, coming from Jarabacoa, Thursday night around 9 pm, I hit something getting off Autopista to enter San Pedro. By the time I got to San Pedro (about 3 kms) I smelled something and I saw oil light was on. I stopped just after the Rotonda (in the SP entrance after the bridge) and parked. The oil was pouring out fast and steady. First I thought it may have been oil filter broken, not that bad situation - I had an old one with me and emergency oil could still be found at that hour in SP. So I went looking for a mechanic. I was lucky, one was living just next door. The neighbors went looking for him, in about 10 mins he was there.

We pushed the car into his taller, above the workhole (what I call hoyo). He went down and... it was not the filter, but rather the oil pan. It had a hole size of a big big thumb. He went looking for somebody who could weld. he came back about 30 mins later he said he was to 3 or 4 talleres de soldadura but nobody wanted to do a work at that hour.

So there I was, stranded in SP on Thursday night, with a friend, and 2 dogs, and car loaded with luggage and stuff (I was coming back from a month's stay in Jarabacoa). We called a taxi took everything of value, left the car in taller, and off we went to a hotel.

The next morning I was in the taller at 8 am, the mechanic was waiting for me. He, and one other guy, took about 45 minutes to unscrew the oil pan and remove it. Luck - the missing piece of metal was there. They took the pan to the welding shop and about 90 minutes later were back. It was welded quite well, good job. They took another 45 minutes to mount the oil pan back.

My cost was 1,500 pesos to mechanic, which I didn't haggle because he want out and beyond his duty the night before, helping me late at night and even went out to see if somebody would do a welding work at that late hour so I could keep on with my journey. I remember I paid around 1,300 pesos to a mechanic in Higuey who did a job on that oil pan about a year ago, so the cost was OK.

The welding work was 800 pesos, because we were put in front of the line. Otherwise I probably wouldn't pay more than 500 or 600 pesos. But I wanted to be on my way...

At about 12 noon, we left San Pedro. Off we went to pass the infamous tragic accident site that happened that very morning near Higuey.
 

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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AZB,

is there a website where you can download service manuals for various manufacturers and models, or is it Toyota Camry only? Where/how did you find it?

It was a torrent. I downloaded it from a torrent site. So my guess is that its a pirate copy.
AZB
 

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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Rubio, normally a job like this in santiago would cost you 300 pesos including the welding. But I understand your situation. i would have paid the same amount as you did given your circumstances.

AZB
 
Feb 7, 2007
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Rubio, normally a job like this in santiago would cost you 300 pesos including the welding. But I understand your situation. i would have paid the same amount as you did given your circumstances.

AZB

I don't think 300 pesos... 2 hours of mechanic's time... here in Higuey a work like that would be about 800-1000 pesos. A small welding job here (any) is 500 pesos and up... unless it's a very very simple job which might be done for 300 pesos.

With the oil pan you have to do a good job and make sure it's done right. And it's not welding like welding the window bars. I think they have to use some kind of a special material for welding the oil pan.

And how much would that be in Europe or the USA? 300 or more dollars... like when they charge 100 or 150 dlls an hour.,,, I don't think here in Higuey it could be done for less than 1,500 pesos total.

Anyhow, better to pay for a good job even though couple of pesos more than to cook up the engine by leaking the oil.
 

MikeFisher

The Fisherman/Weather Mod
Feb 28, 2006
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www.mikefisher.fun
right,
and not to forget that you've not been in your 'well known surroundings' where you know the mechanics and rates and have some more time to get it done.
if out of town, specially with friends and the car loaded with stuff,
it was the right thing and for that the job been worth the price.
hey AK,
great thread,
i hope many people join in and post their experiences.
one thing to the brake pads(man, how long did your car make that 'noise' to bring the dics to such a condition??, ha ha):
i drive a Honda Accord '98,
i bought over the years all 'qualities' of brake pads,
mostly because there are often no more than one or 2 brands available when you need some. i had cheapest ones which lastet not even 5000Kms and then they were gone, completely, both sides, made me really think about a check of my discs, 'cause uneven bad discs would wear out the best pads much faster than usual. for such maintenance stuff i have my mehanics place here in PC, he told me the discs are o.k. for a car of that age and use, for him it looks like the material of the pads is a ****. that's all a long time ago, many pads been changed since them, but the last changes i always use the Japanese ones from a shop nearby, costed me (last ones like 6 weeks ago) around 600 pesos plus tax(set of 4 for both front tyres) and they always last a 12.000-15.000 miles. so counting their price and the only once per 12-15Kmiles mechanics fee they came out much cheaper than the cheap ones been. sometimes it is better to buy quality and save over the cheapest stuff. same for the front-moltivators. i bought for prior vehicles cheap stuff and some been worn out after less than a year on our geogeous highways, while the originals of my actual car i had to change after a age of 8 years(and only because i hit a nice hole 5AM in the morning on nice speed fu.. up the right front one, btw my windshield got damaged at the same hit, lol), so i bought the 2 original Japanese ones for replacements, 4000 pesos each including tax, but hey, i need my car all day long road up and down to run my business, it costs money when it stands still, so if they hold just half of the time than the first set they've been worth the $$'s. sure i could kill such a new one in the next hole on the fu... road from Veron to La Otra Banda. i think by my own experiences over the years that the 'middle' class spare parts are the most valuables for the bucks.
where's the next one?
Mike
 

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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My japanese pads cost me 975 pesos. There were pads for 600 pesos, 800 + pesos and 1300+. pesos. I took the 975 pesos option. I am sure they will last me a few years.
AZB
 

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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975 pesos for the box with 4 pads and shimming plates. The box is green with name katumira???? not sure but it looks like this.
AZB
 

MikeFisher

The Fisherman/Weather Mod
Feb 28, 2006
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www.mikefisher.fun
don't remembervthe brand of mine.
they costed exactly 685 pesos plus TBIS, total of 795.-
bought them at Toni, he is a colombian or such part dealer,
nice elder couple, their shop is right at Friusa in Bavaro across the street from the Texaco station in the Friusa Building.
Mike