Unbelievable A/C Leak 2019 Equinox

[@jafo9346]

The fact that you have connections with a body shop and are willing to suggest that avenue, is great! Like the Nissan; rather then give up, you merely stated that the frame needed to be straightened. You're an honest man Wes and a top shelf mechanic. Your videos make my day. Stay well.

[@zrkn1]

I second that emotion.👍

[@jeffryblackmon4846]

Make that 4.

[@damyanovasen]

Wes at the parts store: “Hey, I need a AC hose ” Parts store clerk: “Best I can do is a random pump take it or leave it”

[@rider9195]

That is a DEF pump for either the baby duramax or the 1.7 diesel that came in some of those cars. At times they were hard to get, I bet someone is waiting for that part somewhere in the country lol!

[@butler386]

Wow what a bad job the other folks did on this car. But you immediately saw the problems and knew what needed to be done to complete a proper repair. Fantastic job as usual. Thanks for the videos.

[@DanEBoyd]

Out of sight, out of mind...

[@calholli]

When I was 17, I fixed an old Mercury Sable with similar damage. I tied the front support to a tree with a rope, and slowly yanked it in reverse until I pulled it around to where the bolts would line up. It wasn't exactly perfect, but at least everything bolted back on and covered it up nicely. These guys didn't even attempt to get it right. smh..

[@royalriding1720]

Wow. Whoever "repaired" that after the front end collision is straight up a scam artist

[@Noah_E]

That's why you get from most insurance jobs. They want it done fast and cheap and quality doesn't matter.

[@orbitalair2103]

probably the dealer. thats how its not on the carfax. if a dealer fixes it on the lot, it doesnt have to be recorded.

[@robertheinkel6225]

Looks more like a car that was damaged, sold at auction, repaired good enough to sell again, without disclosing the accident status.

[@robertheinkel6225]

@@Noah_E Insurance companies would never sign off on a repair like that.

[@CAPNMAC82]

@@robertheinkel6225 Not enough of them actually go "look" at the repairs. They just send the check to the shop and presume the owner will pitch fits about shoddy work.

[@Andy-ql9wh]

as a 35 year tech, I had to laugh when you said "does anybody even Know what it is".. the parts situation is unbelievable. we will be lucky in another year if any of our cars are running.

[@markbowen3638]

'Somebody's been here before' great fix Wes! Previous bodyshop not up to Vehcors standards ...

[@wifelikecow]

Vehcor does some good work. Also, so does his "elves".

[@markbowen3638]

@@wifelikecow He sure does, and I love his sense of humour 😄

[@somerandomguy3868]

Always fascinating to me how an experienced table operator can can put right an otherwise ruined unibody

[@MortskeRepair]

A mid-week Wes video?!? Fantastic! Congrats on 200k subs good sir!

[@HamiltonvilleFarm]

Yeah i had to do a double take😂

[@davidyates748]

That's absolutely appalling, a good demonstration of the value of independent vehicle inspections pre-sale.

[@gekkedirkie]

That must be an fun phone call to your customer

[@tiredagain6722]

Sure would like to know the back story on the body work. Fly by night at the very best! Max was so disgusted he refused to move!

[@usethenoodle]

Sadly, a lot of these cars come from auction and I'm sure the last seller didn't even know it had been wrecked and botched up. Wes said it all, "buyer beware".

[@redneckbryon]

This is a vehcor special, he loves working on vehicles where people have been there before. Just think if manufactures started testing vehicles in the colder climates, how things could be different. They sure wouldn’t be pushing for more Electric Cars.

[@Jeg_er_tyk_og_grim]

Dude I haul cars into and out of salvage auctions. I dont think I will ever buy a used car again without taking at least half a day inspecting it

[@thomas316]

Your assessment of GM quality control issues vs shoddy repairs is very amusing to me.

[@NickOfTime99]

I used to work in GM Parts Department. I can't tell you how many times I sold the right part number for something, only to have a completely different part in the box.

[@philtowle4683]

I once ordered an EGR valve from Fiat. When I went to collect the parts manager handed the box over. I said that is not right. He said yes it is. I said no it isn't. He said, how do you know you haven't opened the box. I said I know because the box isn't big enough. He had to apologise as guess what, it wasn't the right part.

[@SportFury1966]

Secret Santa gone mad.

[@2nickles647]

Blame the computer..😅😅

[@pettyfogger2305]

Hey Wes, I am a retired W. WI deputy who got comfy early working with WSP MV inspectors who do everything from truck inforcement to dealer complaints. Before I retired, IL dealers near the border used to buy reams of blank WI used car window inspection sheets and advertise that their cars were inspected up to WI state standards. I got a WI dealer's licence put onto double-secret probation when they sold a kid a POC Camaro off their lot premises but with the sticker still attached. He drove it 14 miles and the LF A-frame detached at about 40 MPH. I worked the accident and called my fav inspector who issued 3 grand in citations and did a 2 year audit of the dealer. Word got around and the next year the local dealer's association withheld their fifty dollar gratuity to the Policeman's benefit-all my fault. 😂😂😂😂😂

[@leocurious9919]

3'000 $ is all they had to pay? Seems like they make more money selling just one such car?

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

That green paint is Gorgeous from a distance

[@2nickles647]

Id call it The Gremlin 😅😅😅

[@hermanschepers4739]

"...a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." Cogent assessment, indeed.

[@jc5445]

Wes would be proud of me. I put permatex brake parts grease on my new brakes. Would never have done that if I hadn't watched him work.

[@OSXMan]

I wonder what the title says. Sure looks like it was "totaled" before. Great repairs by the body shop and yourself.

[@lolatmyage]

New cars don't get totaled that easy, a little frame damage is no big deal when the car is still valuable

[@gritnix]

I wonder if the insurance company cut the owner a check for the repairs of $X,000 and the owner took it to some dude down the street who "fixed" it for $X00 instead.

[@OSXMan]

@@lolatmyage I was under the impression that late model cars are totaled more frequently these days. Either way, it was readily repairable.

[@OSXMan]

@@gritnix That's another likely possibility.

[@lolatmyage]

@@OSXMan I guess it depends, you definitely have some cases where they do big boy stuff like replace multiple frame rails

[@gutsngorrrr]

Wow, I bet the owner was shocked and extremely pissed off with the person or company they got it from.

[@baldy95307]

Not necessarily. Perhaps the owner forgot to mention that he/she bought the vehicle with a salvage title and then had the hatchet body work done just to make it look pretty.

[@johnhpalmer6098]

@@baldy95307 In this case, unlikely or they would have protested with Wes, likely the gal who owns it now was not aware of the issue to start with.

[@calholli]

Definitely.. You know they sold it to her as a clean car.. at a premium price. smh.. she might have already drove it for years though.

[@johnhpalmer6098]

@@calholli In fact, Wes does say how the conversation went once he had to break the news to the owner, as he put it, tears were shed.

[@jdretiree2433]

Some of those crushed frame parts should have been in "THE PILE" in Chicago. We all know who didn't do the original repair on that vehicle.

[@calholli]

lol.. The repair gnomes failed on this one.

[@ksokie63]

Well from ac to body shop work. Definitely didn't see that coming. Thanks Wes for sharing and your so right ,Buyer beware. . Have a great Day👋

[@davegillett4036]

I could hear Scott’s “somebody’s been hear before!” When you said the radiator had been pushed back. Nice work Wes and your bodywork gnomes did a great job too.

[@usethenoodle]

What a mess! Good job sorting it all out for the lady Wes. It's good the car wasn't totaled, as that would have been an expensive lesson for her. Good work.

[@stans5270]

What shoddy workmanship. Whoever put on that foam piece with masking tape should be FIRED! That calls for a Duct Tape repair.

[@shawnmciver3943]

exactly, everybody knows that job calls for duct tape, bunch of hacks

[@atikovi1]

HAHA. One car I bought was missing not only the foam piece but the bumper bar behind it. Somebody just put on the bumper cover and left off everything else.

[@rong-man1502]

Ten thousand comedians out of work and you’re trying to “break” (nice little play on words, don’t you think?) into the business.

[@harveylong5878]

no no, in Wes's area it is mandatory zipties and bailing wire type repair. frame rail called for structural rebar, fiberglass screen reinforced bondo

[@suzi_mai]

@@harveylong5878 no, you put a 2×4 there.

[@JimmyMakingitwork]

It's amazing what we have seen lately in our shop from the the used car market. Sketchy body work, substandard parts, missing hardware...It's as if some people no longer have any pride in their work or products. Makes me sad.

[@gayle4804]

I think she ought to go after the person that put it back together together and give them the bill. Really like watching your videos!

[@Unknown_Ooh]

The body shop was probably paid by the insurance company, good luck with that one. She accepted the delivery of the vehicle and signed the paperwork. I don't know who gets body work done and signs off on the work without looking at the vehicle first.

[@jailbreakgamin1966]

lol Bermuda triangle of auto repair ... white knuckle towing ,you come up with some great sayings ... funny stuff .. ..great vid!!!

[@mehmeh5471]

sad you upvoted your own comment

[@jailbreakgamin1966]

@@mehmeh5471 sad it bothers you so much ..

[@divadyrdnal]

Imagine the damage (to car and folks inside) if that car had taken another hit to that messed up front end…

[@patrickinottawa27]

The 2019 Chev Equinox must be cursed. Mine has been hit in the front twice "Parking lot Hit & Runs". The first was a lower bumper cover and fog lights. The second was everything in this video, along with a new Grill, AC Condensor, Rad, Active shutters, and something with the turbo, long story short the itemized bill was ten pages long. It was $14K for the bodyshop, 5 Months in the shop, and another $5K for a rental, all covered by Insurance. A week after I got the vehicle back, I was sitting stopped in traffic and my vehicle was low speed rear ended by a distracted driver.

[@georgeking5746]

You must have an exceptional body shop to be able to get the necessary parts to mount the radiator properly that quickly. Good job having them fix all the body damage, that is incredible if the owner “paid” someone to fix the obvious crash damage. Beyond shoddy work.

[@calholli]

It was weeks later.

[@Baystateboy125]

My son is a Technician at a Chevy Dealership and he said its common knowledge that Chevy/GM is overconfident with the use of plastic components instead of steel.

[@ezrhino1803]

Wes " ill put it back together and send to the body shop, Me... get this piece of chit outta here....next.. Wes is the man with the patience of Job

[@davidkraft3690]

Good show Wes. The average person would not pick out those signs of poor body work, but after you point them out we can ALL see them.

[@quartfeira]

I like how you did the video. The pace of it fits very well with my brain: small, clear statements, good dynamic images (not too messy not too steady), good lighting, cuts and transitions at the right time. Enjoyed.

[@marksd5650]

Wes, what I love about your channel: one project vehicle, define the problem, gather the parts and explain the repair process. Thank you. You and Eric O are the best at this format. Best Regards

[@HODGEPODGEDODGEGARAGE]

Now THAT is just plain *sad!* 😑 It's amazing how soo many body shops take advantage of people by not fixing what's unseen. There is a body shop close to me that does the same kind of "repairs." How they are still in business to this day is a mystery to me. I'm glad you and the body shop could still get the customer back on the road. Take care 🔧

[@WatchWesWork]

There's a place in the food chain for everyone I guess!

[@CAPNMAC82]

All too often, insurance just sends a check for what the BS (body shop) bills, less the deductible. Customer just sees the outside, not the inside. Usually while griping about paying the deductible, and taxes, and having had to wait ddd days with a rent car or loaner while the shop worked. Body Shops are under considerable time pressure to get work out the door fast, sometimes faster than the paint or top coats have time to dry. Sometimes the employees are burnt out and just don't care.

[@HODGEPODGEDODGEGARAGE]

@@CAPNMAC82 thats still no reason to cut corners...

[@jessicabuckman9675]

Nice job Wes.

[@bostedtap8399]

Looks like new says the salesperson . Ouch, serious bodging done, good to see the customer had it repaired correctly 👍. Thanks for sharing

[@svseaquest9328]

Omg Wes .. cant believe a body shop would do crap work like that! How the hell do they sleep at night....the masking tape ???? Good Grief! .Glad you found a body shop to do things right....Thanks again for great videos and your honest work ethics.

[@charlesecheese8499]

As expected, repaired properly. I imagine it would have been possible to continue along the same trajectory and bend some new lines so they wouldn’t rub, etc., however you really can’t guarantee that sort of work (or have any desire to associate your shop with that sort of thing). In this case the customer apparently had the means to fix it properly, but I feel bad for those who don’t and would have been in a real bind here.

[@EdStrong929]

So what did the CarFax report say? I'm betting not a word! Great job on the repairs. I hate to see people abuse the system like this and take advantage of the others. You said it right "buyer beware"

[@ShouldersMoondog549]

WOW!! what a mess! I'd bet that was an insurance repair!! (they didn't want to fix it right) Glad you had recorded the disassemble of the front end! that way the customer had proof that you didn't do anything wrong!! At least the customer has a "Fixed Right" Vehicle!! Thanks for sharing the video!!

[@RADIOACTIVEMASCULINITY]

It’s crazy what some shops will allow out the door with no regard for quality control

[@RM.....]

shops dont care.99% of the people will never know they didn't do half the work they should have until something like this happens and it probably took a year for it to quit. And customer prob bought it from some used car dealer that got it from the auction . Run forest run

[@laveritesurlestemoinsdejeh8522]

At the shop where I work, we got the exact same 1234 machine. Let me tell you a story about it...When we got it, I was tasked with filling the internal tank. As you well know, that 1234 gas is insanely expensive, I believe it was 800 bucks Canadian for a 10 pound bottle. Well, I started up the process and went to do something else while it filled. Then I heard a hissing sound a while later, the bottle was almost empty. I opened up the brand spanking new machine only to discover they had shipped it with a completely loosened fitting inside it, the entire 10 pounds of precious 1234 had disappeared in the atmosphere. Needless to say, my boss was NOT happy....they ended up refunding us, but it took a whole lot of persuading and ultimately a lawyer threat to get them to do it. Like Wes says, new doesn't mean good...

[@kylematteson3038]

That's the classic "i'll just take the insurance money and fix it myself." Then have a buddy paint it.

[@bartdegroot4826]

You get what you paid for...

[@devincrosby1594]

A fun pastime I like to do is spotting body shop repairs that come through my service bay. Amazing what some vehicle owners are ok with getting back from the body shop cause it can be pretty obvious.

[@chrisfreemesser5707]

If Wes is posting on a Wednesday you know it's going to be a "special" episode 🤣

[@vehcor]

Hey, this looks like something I have to fix on my channel... Somebody's been here before!

[@WatchWesWork]

Somebody did the Chicago rebuild!

[@terryharvey4811]

We as mechanics get to see more than our fair share of crappy body work/repair. Body man had used entire roll of electrical tape on wiring then hung the new rt ft fender over the mess. I fixed his CEL and driveability problems by removing the inner fender, the tape, and splicing several cut wires caused by the wreck.Body shop owner brought me the car. That's just one of many....Rainy day no run F 150 had the cracked windshield replaced, then it leaked water into left front kick panel, filled ECM with water. I could go on......

[@craigsudman4556]

Masking tape? No, no, no, that's a universal fastener...um all the upscale body shops are using that now, yeh that's right. I can see why they did not want to bring the car back to the people who "fixed" their car to address the AC leak. Great video Wes thumbs up.

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

Hose+frame work=fixed AC! PERFECT!

[@christianclausen9434]

Well done, Wes. I am sure the customer has peace of mind after the discovery of the shoddy repair, and quality re-repair.

[@jimrky6062]

Very nice, I always like to watch an honest, competent mechanic at work. Thanks!

[@kennethhoovler9050]

Thanks for an extra mid-week update. Between you and Eric O I'm not getting a whole lot accomplished. I'd love to know the back story on this vehicle. I'm going to guess this has a clean title. It was wrecked with no insurance. It was repossessed, sent through the dealer auction as-is, slapped together, and sent on to an unsuspecting victim.

[@danielburke8350]

I think you're on the right track. Sold through an auction yard, buy it cheap, fix it cheap, sell it high.

[@johnhpalmer6098]

Or it was sold through online sellers like Carmax that buy these cars that may be at auction, then "fixed" and sold.

[@bmacd2112]

It's bad enough that modern autos need to be half disassembled to accomplish what should've been a reasonably easy task. It gets much worse when you find all that plastic is covering nasty secrets that even the current owner didn't know about.

[@jeffmaclean7700]

Great job Wes your an honest man .Proud to watch your videos

[@leelaand7581]

Hello, I'd like to add something to the whole 1234-yf thing. I'm an apprentice in my 2nd year at a ford dealership in germany. We also have such a "Robinair" machine, but a different model. Ours is able to inject oil, the uv-dye and a special non conductive oil you need for vehicles with high voltage a/c compressors, which are in ev's and some hybrid vehicles. So yea, I don't know how it is for you in the usa but we have such machines over here. And yea, the whole put in pull out deal is normal, I once asked someone at our shop and got the answer it is supposed to get a charge which is more precise in terms of actual refrigerant charged into the system. Oh and, yea. Our Robinair machine recently made a bang noise and was dead. A tech replaced the inbuilt power supply and the logicboard, hope it doesnt happen to you. Anyways, keep up the good work. Greetings from Germany ~Marek

[@WatchWesWork]

Strange. I looked everywhere for a machine that would inject oil. I could not find one.

[@leelaand7581]

@@WatchWesWork Strange... Our machine is a "Robinair AC1234-8". Maybe it's not available in the US, but that seems like a rather stupid idea not to sell them, i mean it's money they are not making.

[@arthurcortright8550]

Ya know what 11 min videos mean? More family time for Wes and the family. Well done Sir. As always, all the best to everyone. Chef Scott 👩‍🍳

[@russell154]

1000 to 1 odds it had some Chicago body shop work done.

[@WatchWesWork]

We call it the "Chicago Rebuild".

[@djhscorp]

Another first class video. Thanks for taking the time and trouble.👍

[@pinwizz69]

I can't figure out how I missed this one. Ooh, I was suffering a summer cold after spending 2 days at the VA hospital for appointments.. Nothing new there. Anyways, watching Wes repair a AFUBAR like this one really made a nice Saturday night surprise.

[@JC-sc4il]

Bravo Wes for your expertise ! It is deplorable to see garages that work in this way (...) Thank goodness you stepped in and were able to to see this carnage !... I think that in the future this customer will know where to turn to have his car repaired ;-) (video a bit short, too bad...) JC

[@richarddietz6145]

You always get the best stuff to work on An what you run into is unbelievable

[@gwharton68]

Every time I watch one of your new car horror stories, I am so happy that I am still driving my 2000 Yukon.

[@51ubetcha]

As a retired GM tech and have been in similar parts situation, the parts department should have caught the error in the packaging knowing that the hose that size doesn't come in a box that small. But like all automotive engineers, they don't care because they don't have to work on it.

[@evananderson5812]

Related to the f700 video that had some wiring comments. An Everett based plane builder does not allow twisting of the conductors. A unit measurement is assigned to each size of wire. Same for the splices/terminals.(think area). You can jam as many conductors as you like, as long as the minimum and maximum area units are maintained. Hope that helps you sleep better. Great videos. Thank you.

[@FishFind3000]

On my sisters car the crash bar was pushed and collapsed the crush tube piece. Never knew till an air duct fell out of place when someone backed into her and broke the fog light. I knew the car was hit but the carfax was clean. Didn’t know it was a owner repair and not insurance. They got it looking good and sold it.

[@lolatmyage]

Yeah this is not cool, if the front took another hit then the safety is reduced because parts have already crumpled

[@mummabear01]

Wes, the infamous can-o-worms is always lurking and you can bet some sinister, unknown force is working the can opener.

[@patrikpersson9446]

Yous sarcasm and humor is hilarious!!!

[@OneCupOfCoffee204]

Another great show Wes, congrats on 200k. I suspect it will grow much more in the coming months.

[@magnarberge6907]

"Haamm, thats not gonna work!..." epick komment. Ceep up the good work, Wes.. been following you for some years now really enjoying the channel.. stay safe, greetings from Norway

[@garybrugone433]

It's a real shame that some shops do such crappy work. Good thing they brought it to you. Great Video. Max is so chill...

[@how_to_hallagon1]

You're a nicer mechanic than the ones we have here. These ones in cali just tell the customer to take it to the body shop. They don't do it for us. And the body shop won't install any hoses. They only do the body stuff.

[@WatchWesWork]

I have a good relationship with this shop.

[@samsonian]

@@WatchWesWork amazing what cooperation can result from respect, a back scratch now and again…and perhaps a 12-pack of beer. 😉😁 Cheers, Wes! 🖖😎👍

[@Bobsutubes]

Another gem all polished up. Nice work Wes...

[@rong-man1502]

Gem? Is that what it’s called? I thought there was another name for it, and polished “gem” isn’t it.

[@DconBlueZ]

Thanks for the video, always enjoy watching!

[@tgk-sd385]

As i always learn . Watch Wes Work means there is always a mystery somewhere

[@jasonhudson4239]

In the KZbin dreamworld this would have been a perfect Watch Wes Work/Vehcor collaboration.

[@Rotaris1]

I have never turned down a job in my shop. This one I would have said "sorry not today son"!

[@roypearce6968]

Yes Wes I understand some didn’t the work right and you get to fix right. Great video so sad 😞 they did a terrible job on it. You always get the fun jobs .

[@peteraitken6494]

Well spotted wes that car was some mess top class workmanship from a great mechanic don't make them like you no more mate take care and all the best 🔧🔧👍👌🔧

[@calasr]

Thank you for the mid week video West, your videos are much appreciated. Watching it while I am having lunch on the job in the always sunny California.

[@weshawkins7165]

To bad you had to waste all that time on but you probably gained a customer with your honesty. Good job.

[@JasonSmith-vd1sz]

If I live closer I’d bring all my cars to you. You’re a heck of a good mechanic!

[@timkis64]

buyer beware indeed.there seems to be no end of what some shops will try to get away with.the problem is.way too many actually are getting away with it.integeity is a dying virtue.

[@doctube2020]

Recently discovered your channel. I've enjoyed your honest work, personality and laughs. Always enjoy the shop visitor and max updates. Keep up the great content. You've gained another subscriber 👍

[@yhird]

"The Bermuda Triangle of auto repair" LOL. Too funny. Great video.

[@BradKempeny]

7:08 I look forward to the video where you remove those absolutely obnoxious fender flares from the Silverado.

[@solgudman1439]

Really enjoy your humor and the technical expertise

[@nicolaspa4644]

Mirando este video y anteriores del canal en el 2024 , envidiando la tranquilidad de ese taller para trabajar

[@ilikefix]

Like your video from Thailand.

[@SkylineFTW97]

I work at a Honda dealership and most of the A/C work we get here is 1234YF. It's definitely more of a pain than the old R134a. Plus the machine gets very finicky sometimes. And that doesn't even touch on how much more expensive it is. A good chunk of our A/C work is 16-21 Civics coming in for condenser replacements under a recall. Each one gets a complimentary evac and recharge of course. God only knows how much the refrigerant alone costs them.

[@anthonydefreitas6006]

I've just noticed ,You've broken the 200K mark . Congratulations 🍻

[@Trains-With-Shane]

You can count on Wes to clean up the mess. Seems that shoddy auto body work, especially collision repairs, is pretty common these days.

[@65bugnut]

That's sad that someone would send the vehicle back to the owner like that. I was worried that you wouldn't be able to put it back together enough to send it to the body shop.

[@donparker8246]

Great catch Wes. The owner probably didn't even know the car was hit. I'm glad you didn't have to change the compressor. I watched a video of someone clarifying one on an Equinox and it's a nightmare. Makes me feel a little uneasy because I have a GMC Terrain and they're basically the same vehicle. I hope mine doesn't crap out. 😳

[@grawey77]

I love watching Wes work. Sometimes his soothing voice puts me to sleep.

[@WatchWesWork]

Great?

[@grawey77]

@@WatchWesWork Lol on the question mark. I enjoy watching good techs do their thing and fall asleep quite often. A comfort of sorts.

[@ChevyConQueso]

I remember my first attempt at body work.