Please STOP going to Autozone for those "Free Code Checks"

LNSvince · Nov 14, 2014

First let me say, IF you swing by my shop, I will gladly give you a FREE code check.
Even if you don't use my services, I will steer you in the right direction.

A code check is NOT a diagnostic test.
Because you car has a code does NOT mean that the code is exactly what is wrong with your car.

The most common one is for Catalytic converters..............
Please stop thinking your converter is bad, and heading over to Midas for a converter replacement. Its NOT gonna fix it.

Next is Oxygen sensors.......... JUST STOP ! :noes:

Too much to explain why in a few sentences, just ask anyone who has fallen for this same trap.

Times are tight for everyone right now. We all want to save money.
Don't waste it by thinking a free code check, followed by the sales pitch of
"Yes we have one in stock" is gonna fix your car.

The "Diagnostic" list they print out of the possibilities is a joke too.

I'm just tired of seeing people waste money. Your gonna end up at my shop after your car is not fixed anyway. Just start the right way the first time.
PLEASE.........

usmc-nav · Nov 14, 2014

Awful good of you...

SVTFreak · Nov 14, 2014

And Vince for the win! He speaks the truth here.

Pas Tout La · Nov 14, 2014

I stopped in at O'Reilly's a while back to have the battery tested on te wifes car so the guy said he wanted to check to see if it was throwing any codes first. Sure enough he tells me the its the catalytic converter. I changed the battery in the parking lot and he rechecks the code....... Nothing.

KvichakKing · Nov 14, 2014

+1 on what Vince says. One day on the way to work my wife's Impala started to act up and she pulled into one of the local GM dealerships and dropped it off. At the end of the day they presented her with a professional proposal of about 20 pages of all the things that needed done to her car totaling more than $7000. I called Barbara Streisand on that and told her we would drop it off the next morning with Vince. Long story short Vince also invoked the same name and told us what was really wrong and what wasn't and told us it would cost about $1200 so we left it with him another day and he had it running fine. If the GM dealership is full of it imagine what kind of scam Autozone is up to.

Mxav · Nov 14, 2014

Thanks for the heads up.

BigNick73 · Nov 14, 2014

Also you can buy a bluetooth OBDII scanner for about $15 these days and check/clear codes with your phone, just be sure it says it'll work with iphone otherwise its could be android only. I bet for every 5-10 times I clear a check engine light on one of my vehicles only 1 is actually legit and comes back after clearing. These newer cars have sensors on everything, almost seems like they'll just glitch out sometimes. The drastic altitude changes they see up here does some really weird stuff to my wife's Jeep, she won't take it over the divide to Denver anymore.

general mills · Nov 15, 2014

This is correct. What throws the code is generally what is sensing something out of normal, not what is causing the problem. To figure that out, you need a good, honest mechanic, and LNS is full of them, I'm in a position to know!

jussaddwata · Nov 15, 2014

I need to stop by Monday after work, the engine light came on in my 2013 wrangler.

sandman7925 · Nov 15, 2014

BigNick73 said:
Also you can buy a bluetooth OBDII scanner for about $15 these days and check/clear codes with your phone, just be sure it says it'll work with iphone otherwise its could be android only. I bet for every 5-10 times I clear a check engine light on one of my vehicles only 1 is actually legit and comes back after clearing. These newer cars have sensors on everything, almost seems like they'll just glitch out sometimes. The drastic altitude changes they see up here does some really weird stuff to my wife's Jeep, she won't take it over the divide to Denver anymore.

Say what?!! I have to have one now.

LNSvince · Nov 15, 2014

If you get the code scanner or generic data readers, before you clear the code, document it.
You may erase info that I will need. [ this goes even further that what you see as just a code ]
Then again, I'm assuming that if you clear the code, and it comes back, you realize that something is actually wrong.
NO need to buy a scanner. Just stop by the shop. Its free, and its that simple !

Last, don't just clear codes and keep driving. That's not the point. If something is wrong, then something is wrong. Your car may drive OK, but its only because the adaptive corrections are handling the problem temporarily.

I don't want you to feel like you can "outsmart" the system. You cant.
Autozone / Oreillys etc. should NOT pretend that a code scan is a "Diagnostic" test or check or whatever term they are using.

My next rant will be about saying "OK" to your Quick Oil change place performing maintenance.
"Because we can do it while you wait" :doh:

Please STOP going to Autozone for those "Free Code Checks"

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