When repairs go wrong! How I got to the REAL solution!

Go to our sponsor betterhelp.com... for 10% off your first month of therapy with BetterHelp and get matched with a therapist who will listen and help. 🎥🎬🎥 Not all repairs are done actually fix the problem. That's the case with the cars in today's video. ➡️➡️➡️ Don't forget to check out ‪@MrsWizardsWays‬. She has her last set of P-artworks listed on eBay for this year. www.ebay.com/u... (Sale ends 12/13/23)
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#carrepair #carwizard #carmechanic #autorepairshop #automobile #cars #car #trucklife #truck #pickuptruck #pickup #volkswagen #vwbeetle #volkswagenbug #chevy

[@CarWizard]

Go to our sponsor betterhelp.com/carwizard for 10% off your first month of therapy with BetterHelp and get matched with a therapist who will listen and help.

[@cactneir]

Actually piece of advice if your AC makes a funny sound for 3 months before quitting it's the blower motor going out.

[@thefalloutshelter7799]

Thanks for the off topic commercial, but hasn't this already been proven to be a scam/farce . Pretty lame for an automotive based channel. Will you be selling crystals next week?

[@QALibrary]

very good sponsorship due to the time of year and also your demographic of your audience - men esp find it hard to ask for help

[@erwinrommel1963]

My youngest son is a psychologist, he has been helpful. I've had a mixed history with therapists. One lady rubbed me wrong because I didn't like the smile on her face as other patients cried during group therapy, I also was angry she encouraged my wife to divorce me when I was at such a low point in life, so I analyzed HER. She later fled her office in tears when I dropped the hammer. I'd expect to see tears or at least understanding from a therapist. The rest have been fine. Moral of the story, never play mind games with people who are out of your league. Her former boss warned her. I saw what made her cringe. My last therapist was an absolute doll, I adore her to this day. I want respect and understanding, she gave both. I'd never say anything to hurt that precious woman.

[@lewiskelly14]

Scam

[@brianowens1002]

Notice wizard didn’t crap all over the past mechanics. He’s humble and has class.

[@craigfin3222]

Like his opening is "my mechanic can't figure out my car, can you wizard". Then proceeds to mention how other mechanics could not figure it out, so the customer was like get it to Omega.

[@mikkovihersaari6233]

It seems quite obvious that the wizard ''didn't crap all over the past mechanics'' of the Beetle because he wants to keep the relationship with the local Vw dealer good for business. Changing the new head and checking the timing of the chain three times was quite stupid, and a classic ''parts cannon'' move. The right diagnose that the wizard did should be fairly easy for any normal mechanic after all the new parts.

[@CMp-bq1bj]

Yup I agree. I had a mechanic Screw up my coolant pump after a flush. A little upset they didn't Google how to flush it and bleed it properly.. just thankfull I didn't f up my engine block from overheating

[@custos3249]

He's talked about other mechanics butchering jobs in the past, but ok.

[@DjDestinyChicago]

@@custos3249he never mentions the shops

[@AeroGuy07]

I was late getting home one night and my dad was mad. Curfew is curfew. But when I told that I had to file the points down, while parked on the riverbank with my friends using lighters so I could see, all was forgiven. And the next weekend we put electronic ignition on the 72 El Camino.

[@houseofno]

I am shocked a dealership service department actually TOUCHED an eleven year old Beetle.

[@donswier]

Ha😅 I remember as an ignorant teen taking my first car to a Honda dealer in 1982. Keep in mind, that car was a 2 cylinder, air-cooled, 0.6 liter Kei car (Honda N600). By that time Honda had been selling thousands of "normal" Hondas: Civics, Accord & Prelude models. They were polite, but I could tell they were bemused by my early, low-volume clown car.

[@tatialo37]

Probably a used car dealership.

[@williamdomey7584]

A Jeep dealer works on my 2000 Cherokee.

[@conorf8091]

I take mine to main dealer every 2 years for a visual health check as they record a video so you can see all under the car etc for free (I draw the line at my own repairs if it involves going under the car on jacks etc. heard too many horror stories) . Peace of mind and don’t need to worry about mechanics being horrible for asking a few questions even though a paying customer. They even email me once a year offering the free health check, it’s a 23 year old standard golf 4. Not all are bad !

[@BrendenPragasam]

I actually own a last gen beetle, i will say its not as bad as you may think. Its much easier to work on than earlier generations, just some minor fixes every other month and you're driving without a worry!

[@bigbangger998]

Wizard. You are being too nice to the dealership. It really baffles me that a dealership troubleshooting their own vehicles can not work out the problem. No wonder more and more people are giving up with dealerships.

[@zabnorg]

it's not a mystery, they shit all over their mechanics and pay them peanuts, feed them horseshit about coming up in the biz and when the poor fool get all his certs he's rewarded with half-book time (already shit) warranty repairs in perpetuity until he wises up and either gets a fleet service job or starts his own shop, or gives up on wrenching entirely. Service writers are overpaid glorified salesmen who rarely know anything useful about cars and fuck up customer relations by overselling and fuck mechanics by not upselling what really needs to be done. It's like having the nurse dictate treatment after the doctor has made the diagnosis (except nurses have some idea of how the human body works). The reason shops like Wizard's do so well is because they keep the profits rather than sending them up the food chain to all the useless idiots who know nothing about cars running the stealership/auto corpos/manufacturers. Mechanics who get paid a percentage of their labor rate are perfectly happy to bust their butts to make it right for the customer no matter how long it takes. It's called compensation for a reason. If you're not getting compensated for time and effort, exorbitant out-of-pocket tool costs, endless recertification, etc., THEN WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU BOTHER TRYING. I'd shotgun the shitboxes myself if I had not drive left or pride in my work to compensate for the shitty compensation the stealership provides.

[@XXGunzNClipzXx]

The funny thing is as an Ex VW tech we have access to engineers to come and help us diagnose and also even over the phone or email they can get us info, I wonder why they just gave up. Also I hope the customer can get some money back but knowing them the dealer paid wizard and now they will charge the customer as if they did it. I know this because we outsourced sometimes for water leaks and still bill it as if it was us

[@robstephens]

If the '71 Chevy doesn't have a ballast resistor on the wire feeding the old coil, it probably has resistor wire feeding it which drops the operating voltage to about 9 volts so the points will last longer. However, it will have 12 volts on the old coil whenever the starter is engaged, fed from another wire. The HEI distributor is probably designed to operate on 12 volts. You probably already know this, but I thought I would post this in case someone else was converting theirs.

[@davidcolantuoni9165]

The resistive wire Most definitely should have been mentioned!

[@kennywhiddon1497]

You should run a 12gage wire from the fuse box to the HEI, as stated in the video he needs to run a ground wire also. That is false, the HEI gets it's ground from the block, the negative terminal on the HEI is for a tach wire if the truck has a tach.

[@bobdavis3389]

you are right about the 12ga, wire but hot only when cranking and running , if you get 12 volts all the time it will never shut off.@@kennywhiddon1497

[@BruceLee-xn3nn]

​@@kennywhiddon1497LMAO... finally someone that has hands on experience. My 71 nova was converted to HEI the way you mentioned. These old cars are as complicated as a rock.

[@michaeld4349]

If there was a mechanic like wizard near me, I would not go anywhere else.

[@Chevydork04]

Right. Wish there was a good honest mechanic like him that actually knows what he's doing even on old school Carb classics

[@scott8919]

I had a mechanic like Wizard but he retired and gave the business to new owners who promply ruined whatever goodwill was earned over the years.

[@jeffzekas]

No kidding, all of our local mechanics are incompetent, mostly, though, they use the parts cannon as wizard calls it, they just throw parts at problems, instead of actually diagnosing the car.

[@TheRacerRich]

If there *were

[@joshuagibson2520]

I bet he turns down a lot of work. I don't blame him. I do fence, logging, landscape, power washing, etc, etc. I have never had to advertise. Word got out that I show up and do what I say I will, and my phone never stops ringing. All via word of mouth.

[@erwinrommel1963]

Wizard is really an awesome mechanic. I appreciate his advertisement for a therapist. Probably due to chemical exposure during my career, I ended up bipolar. 3 of my former coworkers have self terminated. Very sad really. God bless you Wizard!

[@hb5914]

What was your career and what chemicals were you exposed to?

[@erwinrommel1963]

@@hb5914 I was a paint and robotics engineer. Basically anything related to automotive paint. I've read many places there is a connection between the chemicals and depression problems. Pretty much any organic solvent you could imagine. I seem a bit out there at times because I am.

[@krisseekins5864]

Hey man, glad you're here. ❤

[@erwinrommel1963]

@@krisseekins5864 I am grateful. Sometimes I can be a bit difficult to get along with. I really cannot always help it. It has shown me who my true friends are. Funny thing is, while at Motorola, before the chemicals, no issues.

[@JustSomeGuyNotAnAlien]

⁠​⁠@@hb5914I don't know this persons but I do know exposure to certain heavy metals (Lithium mining), heavy alcohol and drug use can trigger it, psychadelic drugs are known to trigger it and are used to help treat some symptoms. Ironically the same chemicals and substances that trigger it by misuse are then needed to treat it by proper use. (Lithium salts in mining, then prescribed Lithium medicine for treatment. Shrooms have triggered it and now they are treating shrooms as treatment) Your body gets used to certain chemical and biological balanced levels in it known as Homeostasis. Once you screw with what your body is accustomed to, being in Homeostasis, it can't be repaired just managed. I was exposed to heavy chemicals in trash burning and even stood over burning trash breathing it in with no protection. I am talking everything from plastics, metals, air propelants used in cans, to just food waste all burning at the same time in large barrels or pits. All at an age before my brain had fully developed (adult male brains are not fully developed until mid to late 20's). You can add to that my family has a large percentage of bipolars. Like way more than normal. Grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, aunt, 3 male 1st cousins, brother all have/had bipolar disorder. I was already playing the Bipolar roulette game before I even had toxin exposure or really even was born. This guy could have been involved with those burn pits or handled heavy metals easily in the service not to mention the cap they never told us about like loading a rig up with crap and not telling you what your hauling.

[@richfarfugnuven6308]

Dealerships don't generally have "real" mechanics anymore. They have technicians that read codes and then just throw parts at it...

[@hotpuppy1]

For those doing the points distributor to HEI swap (even mechanics) need to remember that GM puts a resistance wire ahead of the coil to drop the running voltage. Chrysler and Ford use a ceramic ballast resistor that is easy to see. The coil gets full battery volts only when cranking (battery voltage drops quite a bit while cranking>>it's not 12 volts if you measure it). You need to go back to the fuse block and remove the wire that feeds the coil and replace with a standard non-resistance wire. HEI needs full battery voltage when running. GM fist put HEI in their vehicles starting in 1974. My old neighbor's new 1974 Pontiac Catalina 400 was one of the early ones. Some '74's still had points.

[@glennmanchester5696]

Absolutely I changed out so many from points to hei back in the day and yes ypu.run a number 12 wire from a key on point in the fuse box straight to the batt connection on the hei. And it will run like a champ forever

[@BruceLee-xn3nn]

​@@glennmanchester5696HEI is great. We used to crank up sbc/bbc motors on garage floor with a can of gas and a battery hooked up to starter and HEI distributor.

[@henrykim4230]

Dealer sent their car to CarWizard???!!!! man Wizard must be hell of a mechanic

[@jeffjankiewicz5100]

That C10 is in really good shape. That HEI distributor should take care of it`s issues. I prefer the old pushrod engines, much easier to diagnose issues than new cars that are rolling computers.

[@edsyphan3425]

Yes, indeed, but I would love to see the customer have the Wizard add fuel injection to the old girl too.

[@erwinrommel1963]

@@edsyphan3425 If I ever build another rig, it would be HEI and Holley Sniper EFI.

[@jamesmedina2062]

its a double edged sword as Wizard pointed out. The other mechanic got all the mechanical repairs right but not the computer and sensor stuff. If you have the computer tools the repair will be highlighted and made much simpler and easier. But without those tools the repair will be elusive.

[@muziklvr7776]

. @erwinrommel1963 Holley Snipers are drowning in problems, just stick to HEI.

[@erwinrommel1963]

@@muziklvr7776 Thanks for the tip

[@davezupansic8930]

Reminds me of my distributor story. I had bought a 1965 Corvair convertible and was driving it back home after driving it home. After driving it for a distance it would just stop running. I called a mechanic and he told me that the fuel filter in the tank was clogged and to use compressed air and blow back through the fuel line to clear it out. The next time it quit I checked to see if it was getting fuel right away and it was. I ended up towing it home. I figured that since it was getting fuel it had to be something electrical with the distributor. I decided to install a pertronix electronic ignition on it and it ran fine ever since.

[@riceburner4747]

Such talent! You were always cleaning up someone's mess & you're always so patient.👍

[@aaronberga8803]

I'm the senior technician at the company I work for, and essentially every job I do is the ones that no one else can figure out, or has messed it up so bad, I have to go in and recover the account. I feel your pain, but also appreciate the fact that it keeps the job interesting.

[@ronaldspins]

@ 2:10 The Car Wizard is my therapist ... a calming voice in a world of disasters .... 🙃

[@bullitt3980]

In the 90's I worked at a AC/Delco auto electric shop that got all kinds of work from the local GM dealers. I remember one where a Oldsmobile had problems when the power seat was used. I watched the tech study a wire diagram for a while and declare it was a bad ground. Sure enough he found a ground strap not attached. A rep from GM Canada came and asked the tech some questions how he found it and slipped him $50 for his time. It seems a bunch of cars didn't have the strap attached at the factory. The place also rebuilt GM speedometers and you wouldn't believe how many folks broke their speedo trying to clean it LOL

[@jacobyo99]

This happened on my 2017 Passat 1.8T. It would randomly run horribly at idle speed (whether I was sitting still or coasting in gear). It would go away when I applied gas. I scoured the internet and forums and finally found that it was the Camshaft Adjuster Magnet. The dealership put on a new one and checked the timing, which was completely fine. That car likely did not need a whole new timing chain

[@jaybeemhardscrote7466]

Although depending on mileage it still might've been a good idea to do. They should be inspected and possibly replaced every 100,000 miles

[@MrTheHillfolk]

I thought he said at the beginning that the cylinder head was replaced. Maybe it ate some chain guides and bent some valves.

[@pllinc7014]

The HEI only needs power, no ground wire required. The second lead is the tachometer signal. You also need to bypass the ballast resistor that steps the voltage down to 8 volts for the points ignition. The HEI wants full battery voltage.

[@ronberry5316]

I was about to post the same thing. I've fixed quite a few DIY installs where they didn't do that.

[@BigDaddyThrock]

except he was talking about the cap, the cap does have a ground for the coil that comes from the distributor.

[@chingonr]

@@BigDaddyThrock that's what i figured, he was talking about the cap.

[@CarWizard]

Ran full ignition power to HEI. Bypass resistor wire.

[@sbrown307]

What were they thinking?! They replaced everything on the top end of that engine except that adjuster. Did they not have one in stock? There should be some recourse for the customer to recover all money wasted by the dealership on an incorrect diagnosis. An ethical shop/mechanic would not charge for un-needed repairs due to a mistaken diagnosis... LOL I know, good luck with that. It should be like malpractice claims against doctors.

[@vmlelectronics]

8:32 in Brazil, chevrolet kadett E uses this HEI module onthe distributor too; the magnets loose their properties due to the heat and the engine comes out of timing randomly until finally fail...

[@crazyfroggie6546]

i find it hard to believe a Master Tech couldnt find the problem. Such is the time constraints on the labour force in dealerships, they probably gave him an hour to do some diagnostics

[@jameslawn6159]

Yea seems like they said screw it and started replacing everything😂

[@jwenting]

@@jameslawn615999% of shops hook up the diagnostics tools, replace what the tools tell them, reset the codes, and send the car out to the customer. If the customer comes back they throw in the towel more often than not.

[@ashetonp3840]

As a tech, I can say sometimes it's frustrating we get only an hour for diagnosis. If we ask for more on a complex issue, we get backlash from advisors and customers. At some point we have to look at our own bills and give it our best shot in the hour we're given...

[@ORRadtech]

I'm kinda dumbfounded the dealership replaced a head and timing chain and reused the part that controls it all. How can you get codes like that and ignore the only part not replaced? Also, I've seen several mechanics use the same website the Wizard did, does the dealer really not have access to the same thing? Wizard may be too polite to say something about a local shop but, honestly, that was a supremely inept failure for supposed brand "experts"!

[@crazyfroggie6546]

@@ashetonp3840 As a former customer advisor in car dealerships, i will always fight for my staff, to try and get them the time they wanted to do the investigations. I would never give backlash against my colleagues. I want the customers car fixed, our bill agreed and paid and the customer to leave us happy.

[@frankmcdonough3351]

I had a 2015 Passat 2.0t with no codes but from cold while warming up idling the engine would surge until it warmed up, then ran fine. Start from cold and drive it no problem. Finally looked at the desired and actual intake cam timing the actual would bounce form 0 deg to 30 deg and everything in between intermittently, the desired advance was 10 deg .Replaced the camshaft adjuster magnet and the it now runs fine.

[@fuse8052]

My last shop was like Ohmega. We fixed what nobody else could.

[@jasoningram9928]

Wizard, there are "Master mechanics" and mechanics like you who are masters. I love watching your channel.

[@steeleluedtke398]

Quite common and simple issue to check. Magnet needs to move freely in adjuster. Can't believe a dealership couldn't figure that out when we see those at my dealership pretty often. I'm suspecting late oil changes causes it when you already get 10k oil changes at the dealership for VW.

[@sterling6860]

As a Truck/Heavy equipment mechanic here in the mining industry ,of West Australia Its nice to think that their are people like the Wizard who have such passion to work on the most complicated nonsense the Auto industry can come up with,,and do it with a smile Great Job.

[@oldkid6]

why couldn't the dealership scan it like you? personally, i think the dealer just started doing the most expensive repairs they could, that's seemingly how they operate from past experience.

[@butcher390]

Im glad you mentioned that . 🙏 Ive also experienced , Brand new components , Junk , right out if the box . 😑 At an , alarming rate !! Especially these past few years .

[@RS-vd6cs]

At the tender age of 15, I was in an Explorer scout troop. Our leader, Glen Leach was a Master Mechanic. I did a tune up on my 63’ Impala, 283, 2bbl, automatic. Replaced points,plugs and wires. Followed the firing order…sure I did lol. After spraying more gas on the engine than through the engine. Glen came to show me the rotation of the dist makes a huge difference. I learned a lot from Glen, he shared his skills with us kids-GREAT GUY.

[@nellayema2455]

I wonder if the mechanic who did the tune-up on the '71 Chevy was a younger person not that familiar with the old ignition systems. I'm not a mechanic, but as a kid in the '70's who worked on his own beaters, I recognized the symptoms right away as either a distributor being installed 180° out, or the plug wires installed wrong. I've made both mistakes, so that one was easy for me to figure out.

[@chemtrailtracker]

I got all your multiple choices right. That's worlds easier of course. I love what you do, very educational in this one

[@alpine1600s]

The problem with modern cars is the amount of sensors used. They are more efficient and run more precise, but they are overly complex. Seriously my next daily driver is going to be from the 1960s.

[@petesmitt]

I managed to find a much newer vehicle that is completely free of computers and sensors; 1989 Mazda Bongo van; has modern suspension and steering geometry but because there's no computer, it's carb and points, no fuel injection and has no safety technology such as airbags or ABS.

[@Roberto-de8xv]

Why not a Japanese vehicle from the 90s-10'? A 1960s vehicle would be a terrible daily driver.

[@Warpedsmac]

You and Mrs Wizard are really nice people. Cheers and happy Christmas from sunny Australia!!!

[@mikesawyer4707]

My dad was a self taught G.M./ G.M.C. machanic. He was very successful in his own repair garage for over thirty years. Great memories. 😊

[@PrivateUsername]

Glad to hear you like the harder stuff; I should bring my 2000's Silverado for a heater core replacement :)

[@michaelmooney6701]

You can do a quick modification on that heater box and have that job completed in 45 min without removing that crackling dash

[@JUST_ONE_ID10T]

I've done own repairs and it wasn't done right, had to do it all over again but figured it out in the end. But didn't destroy it.

[@Celician83]

Knew EXACTLY what was wrong with the Beetle as soon as you said the codes, Cam Phase sensor. My 2014 Jetta 1.8TSI had the EXACT codes, and it was the problem. The cost for the local VW dealer to do this job back in 2021 was $964, because there was another sensor right by the oil filter housing that also was bad, and it was a special order part.

[@clydedoris5002]

Get the part # and do it yourself

[@Celician83]

@@clydedoris5002 to properly align the cam phasesensor on a 1.8 model you have to have a VW specific tool to align the cams and set the phase sensors in place, or I would have done it myself I don't have access to these tools

[@GrimesGarage]

@@clydedoris5002it’s not a DIY task for most hobby wrenchers. Camshaft has to be replaced completely, timing set properly, etc.

[@Celician83]

@@GrimesGarage on the 1.8 the phase sensors attach to the head and pop right out, it's a 30 minute job, but, it has to be clocked and set properly and has adjusters on it that require tools only VW techs have access to. I don't live in Massachusetts so the new laws there don't help me in NC. I think the phase sensors also need VAGCOM to calibrate.

[@rayward3835]

Wizard. Please do a video on replacing Hoovie's Optispark on the vette.

[@DBVintage]

I actually did a per Tronics kit on the old points distributor in the El Camino. This was back in the 1990s when their stuff was pretty good.

[@MoeLarrycurly1]

There should be more shops like you throughout America.....

[@reign114]

I had the distributor issue figured out based on my ancient knowledge and experience from back in the day when that was how all GM vehicles were set up.

[@kevinfalkner1624]

On that Chevy distributor from 1955 to 1974 , the number 1 wire if the distributor were a clock it would be about 7:30 on the cap from 1975 on it was at 5:00 on the cap Which lines up with number one spark plug side of distributor . Most people think all Chevy's #1 line up with number #1. Making the entire fire order wrong.pre 1975.

[@michaelnomura5196]

Car Wizard is not called a wizard for nothing. He really has the knowledge to fix any car.

[@TheGuruStud]

except nissans apparently LMFAO, he just cries and cries (even though he bought a 180k mi nissan with zero maintenance and is surprised he has to replace wear items and a couple quirks unique to that generation).

[@MHD_.1]

You can tell how good the wizard based on how chill he is while explaining the issues with the vehicles

[@CHIEFS8214]

I used to drive that butterscotch C10 .😅 My dad loved that color and his C10 was 100% butterscotch. Gee, our old LaSalle ran great, , , , ,

[@Wbfuhn]

I had thought in the past about mechanics solutions to problems that a vehicle may have. All solutions and troubleshooting should be shared with all shops.

[@danielc1417]

What a stupid comment!

[@paulcherrytrains3339]

Hi from the UK. I had the same thing with a Vauxhall Cavalier. Sorted with a new condenser. Cheers Paul.

[@spatchist]

The learning curve never rests - knowledge ages out like it or not , as soon as I overcome one challenge more come along .

[@LMacNeill]

That is the cool thing about HEI -- it's just about a drop-in replacement for the old distributor/points/coil system. Easiest conversion to electronic ignition ever. Every so often, GM knocks one out of the park.

[@MoeLarrycurly1]

Gee that's how I got my 2003 Corolla a large repair facility here in my town couldn't figure out how to get a stripped bolt out of a 2003 Corolla... They said this probably just be put in the junkyard... I was lucky enough to hear this story from a co-worker and she was going to get rid of it and I got the car for $200 bucks.. it now has a SAE threaded drain cuz that's all I had at that time.. I fixed a few other things and painted it myself.. I think this car should last me quite some time with 170,000 MI.. but I didn't want to tell her anything she didn't want to hear anything about that the dealership was bad they didn't even add any oil in for her... I said okay I'll buy it for $200 rather than go to the junkyard I tell you any more you better know how to work on your own stuff..

[@JMgmkh]

What I see are all the good dealer mechanics are migrating (for good reasons) to good independent shops such as yours, or they are starting their own shops. ( 🙏 Please don't get carried away with your ad time Wizard )

[@dylanfinch6186]

I sometimes go away from the channel for a moment, but always come back. I need to replace the distributor on my 93 K1500. It works OK, but gets wonky in the cold and I've replaced the rest of the components and rebuilt the TBI.

[@willyck948]

I heard from ac repair guy capacitors aren't what they use to be and the same is true with ignition condensor as old materials are toxic and no longer used. I still use antique condensors on my small engines and new ones don't work. If I do have ignition issue I upgrade to electronic ignition.

[@chrisogilvie2230]

Wizzard, great video! You touch on two really important things: a. Good diagnostic skills are critical. A good mechanic can go way beyond checking error codes to test individual components. Also compare and test new parts to the suspected bad part. I have had repeatedly a chance to test and sharpen my diagnostic skills on my 2002 VW GTI 1.8t. Have owned it from new, it has 198k miles and is still my daily ride. Amusing little car, I have nicknamed it my German Rice Krispy since things can go "Schnep, Kraekel und Pop" with the wonderful plastic parts etc. b. In my experience, the achilles heel in a points and condenser ignition system is the condenser. These can fail unexpectedly, even if replaced regularly. The points are fairly robust, but will go out of adjustment and the distributor cam lobe might need a light smear of grease. So, do need maintenance. Done that for a "few years" on my former Volvo PV544, and an Onan CCKB engine in a Fairmont MT19.

[@georgebettiol8338]

Love your "Schnep, Kraekel und Pop" description of the poor quality German plastic components fitted to these cars. They are a truly disgraceful use of cheap plastics that crumble in you hands once they reach the 7+ year age.

[@chrisogilvie2230]

Funny that you mention 7 years. My GTI was trouble free the first 7 years. Trouble started when the time came to replace the thermostat. To get to it you have to pull the plastic dipstick tube, which then breaks. That was just the start to a "career" replacing plastic and rubber parts and hoses around the engine. Amazingly, some of the cheap Chinese aftermarket replacements have held up much better than the factory originals. I put up with it, because I love driving the thing. Very responsive and fits me like a tailor made suit.

[@georgebettiol8338]

@@chrisogilvie2230 Certainly agree with your comment that some Chinese plastic 'knock-off' parts are more robust than the original German OEM plastic parts. How sad.

[@stevearnold100]

I had one of those distributors on my Oldsmobile Cutlass and the coil burned out while I was in the middle of stop and go driving on the 405 freeway going into Los Angeles from the San Fernando Valley. I was blocking the fast lane and couldn't get out of my car as they were passing me on the shoulder (pre diamond lanes). Finally a good Samaritan blocked the shoulder and helped me push my car out of traffic. He then took me to a service station and made sure I was taken care of before heading back to work. I don't trust distributors with the coil built in!

[@joelpierce3940]

I am an old timer. Did many points and condensers, and replaced the modules in HEI distributors. Fords were bad with their separate module modules located in the engine bay.

[@jamesonpace726]

The bad new parts thing is truly scary & keeps me from buying a vintage car....

[@leecarroll1817]

HEI is light yrs better, will perk up a tired ole small block. Starting etc will improve. Easy fix, don't see why anyone would have a problem with this. Great improvement.

[@paulmac9634]

Hey Wizard, I really liked this video because you didn't bash the last shop that worked on the cars...

[@wymple09]

I have bought a lot of Cheap distributors, and use the foreign built HEIs a lot. Also cheap copy carbs on everything from Chevy 6's to 8's, Ford engines with the 2150 series carb stuff, even old Ford & Ferguson tractors. I've never gotten a bad carb or dizzy or coil pack. ONE time I got a bad MAF sensor. ONCE.

[@joshjeckel5]

I work in the parts department of a Volkswagen Dealership and actually drive a 2012 Beetle that looks just like that. Those cam magnets are a very common failure point. If you are replacing one of the old metal style ones with the new plastic ones, make sure that you get the new connector for the harness side because it's a different size.

[@richdf5664]

Weird how the dealer didn't know about the cam adjuster because that issue is SOOOOOO common in the vw/audi realm with these engines to the point It makes no sense they had no idea.

[@CheesusSVT]

Always excited for another Car Wizard video, always full of surprises, and so down to earth. ❤😊

[@LilYeshua]

Those HEI distributors would periodically arc through and make a tiny hole in the distributor rotor button rendering the vehicle inoperative which a new rotor button would usually fix it and hopefully the resistor module wouldn't be fried as well. That type of distributor coil would produce 50K volts at idle and the voltage would fall as the rpm increases

[@joshuaespino8976]

That dealerships lead tech must not be very good. The adjuster and phasers are known problems that can be identified by reading out measured values and a few basic easy checks. I worked for vw for 13 years and was master status. Also lowoil causes some faults that were stored as well.

[@henrycarlson7514]

So Wise , Thank You for sharing the wisdom gained through years of hard work and practice

[@adotintheshark4848]

It's more economical for dealers to fire the parts cannon than it is for them to diagnose. Time is money, lots of it, so "throw parts at it and see if it fixes it".

[@allworldmusic8270]

A similar thing to me I have been working on my boat, it is a 302 Windsor HO new ten years ago but had not been started for a number of years, any way it was not getting petrol to the carb and I had put in 30 litres of new fuel after draining all the old stuff out so I thought it was the fuel pump,any way I did the right thing and instead of rushing in I primed the pump and tested it and to my surprise it was good, the boat has a massive 100 gallon tank and 30 litre (sorry for going between litres and gallons) was not enough for the mechanical pump to pick up in the huge tank, solution more petrol. But the lesson is always check the minor things first before pulling stuff apart.

[@nicknicolaus]

12:00 - "...some crappy Amazon distributor..." & 17:30 - "...any tools we use are listed on our Amazon affiliates link..."

[@RoadWarrior77]

It's a Volkswagen. If you look at the emblem, they already circled the problem. On the 71, converting it to HEI, you don't need to worry about a ground. You remove the wire from the resistor and wire it up to the positive in the cap. three of the remaining four wires comes from the module under the cap, and that last wire is not a ground. It is a tachometer lead. I know this for a fact, because I did the same conversion to my 74 Chevy.

[@racingdreamz8021]

I fixed that magnet & a solenoid inside that was completely seized, Easy fix very common

[@dongordon4464]

if anyone is interested I just found an HEI distributor for my 1966 Ford 390 - takes the same pieces as the GM HEI - what a vast improvement Assault Racing Products

[@davidmorris4819]

Beetle: Did the dealer change the rear main seal?- Understand has a critical timing trigger built into the seal - so positioning paramount

[@TheCyberMantis]

I don't work on German cars. That old Chevy truck is my favorite. HEI is nice. I would yank that Quadrajunk off, and put a Holley 4-barrel on it.

[@fredmalito9869]

I had to go back and rewatch part of the episode to figure out why in the world he was standing in front of a square body S-series truck and kept saying “Durango“. Had me all confused!

[@ianglover3642]

Dwell! I haven't heard word for such a long time!

[@waynegood9233]

I had two problems with 2 different cars one needed the oxygen sensors changed and the other one needed catalytic converters ( those were replaced for free ) 2001 Corvette and 2003 Pontiac Grand Am

[@bikecommuter24]

I once worked on a truck doing electrical work and took the ground cable off while I was taking it off I noticed it was corroded so I got a replacement, did my work forgot what it was, but I couldn't get the truck to start, I sat in the driver's seat and thought what the hell, looked the engine over, then I did my smack my head moment I never installed the bolt for the ground cable on the body, I clamped the cable to the battery post but forgot to check the other end, I also found out when working on motorcycles, bikes that would stop running and then start again or rough operation a loose ground cable will cause that. I started working as a mechanic in the 1970's working on vehicles like that truck, I retired form working on vehicles four years ago and honestly I don't miss it, the years of chemicals and injures have caught up with me so to you younger guys and ladies getting into it, wear your gloves, eye protection and watch the exposure to chemicals, now days many of the cleaners, oils etc are not as potent as they were when I was younger but they can still have negative effects on the body. The cream you can buy as a barrier to keep oil, gas, etc off your skin, use it if you don't want to wear long sleeves, which sometimes you don't when working in tight spots on cars.

[@robsonselzelin]

"That's faster than I can fix most of Hoovie's cars." 😂😂😂

[@jayclark5912]

This channel is starting to grow on me. I wasnt sure how to take the wizard at first. All in all class A trouble shooting with a good dose of sarcasm.

[@galeng73]

I love this game, mostly because I'm good at it. Well, we'll have to wait to see if it did indeed fix it after you do the work. I figured it wasn't the engine or they'd know that. I figured it wouldn't be the timing chain 'cause those are relatively easy to do, and that left option C. So, I picked that.

[@blackenigma1054]

Great video wizard!!! I didn’t know you even did videos like these!👍🏿😂

[@MichaelNovello-q4i]

So, the VW techs could not do what you just did? That's pretty pathetic. I can't imagine how much the bill will be for the customer with everything they replaced, too. Great video!!

[@jeremyyarbrough6459]

Is there an update on the mystery BMW someone anonymously dropped off awhile back? Just wondering.

[@tylergow3026]

I am amazed a fellow VW dealer didnt catch that, there is a tech bulletin/tech tip with that fault and first step is to swap the adjuster (N205) with a known good part. As an apprentice, P0011 without the presence of P0016 would point me towards that adjuster or the valve inside the cam.

[@willyck948]

I don't even work on audi engines and "slow response" instantly made me think oil pressure or cam control issue.

[@84gssteve]

15:50 You said it! While I don't appreciate bad factory engineering or fixing other people's hack jobs, complex repairs and diag jobs are fun for seasoned mechanics. After many years of the same work, it can get stale if you know exactly what it will take to fix the job or just do the same maintenance jobs over and over. A job where I don't know for sure that I will win, keeps you thinking critically and opens up new ways to tackling a problem.

[@steveg2203]

I bought a 2023 MIni Cooper S that has been at the dealer now for 3 weeks. It has 3,000 miles on it and it has a check engine light that they can't turn off.

[@mazerrackham5959]

“I don’t fault them for that, but it’s definitely faulty” lol

[@michaelbrinks8089]

8:46 I do know those ignition modules on the distributor often go bad causing no spark.

[@johnosullivan8680]

I never had a problem with the old points set up . The 5 cars I own start and drive just fine.

[@johnpro2847]

put some tape over the engine fault light ..issue out of mind so effectively solved

[@JettaRedIII]

Camshaft adjuster. Crankshaft sensor. Oil pump.

[@kennethwolf531]

FYI tidbit - P0390/P394 of Jeep Rubicon (possible others). I watched another car diag. mechanic had these codes on one of customer's Jeep. After the customer replaced parts, the problem remained. The You tuber found out the, not through tech manuals or Tech web-sites, by talking to another mechanic that the Jeep Rubicon engine has two bolt holes in the front separation camshaft wall under the valve covers. The bolts have a tendency to loosen and come out, causing these error codes to appear. The bolts have a tendency to fall back into the engine. Solution; add lock-tight to the bolts and reinsert them.

[@davidrobinson6495]

You’re classy Wizard for not bashing the dealership. cam position code on a VVT engine and didn’t replace/check the actuator… seems pretty basic to me. Oh well, that’s where we are.

[@mx4073]

The problem is its a VW LOL! Love the channel you guys are one of the best source of car info!

[@Bubbles12345-cat]

VW, Audi, BMW, and Mercedes are CRAP vehicles. Buy a Lexus, or even a Toyota. Camry or Highlander. Or RAV4 even a Corolla 😊😊😊

[@davezupansic8930]

They don't call them Jokeswagens for nothing!😂

[@donerickson7869]

The problem is the dealership wont pay any money for diagnostics so dealer techs will kick it to the side for something they can mske flatrate on can you blame him for not wanting to figure it out. Also as a dealer tech they most likely have an oem troubble shooting tree requiring a lot of extra work to justify ordering a part

[@Jim_M_75]

C. 100% a VVt phaser or solenoid, seen this kind of fault so many times. Odd they missed it but I guess everyone misses the mark now and again.

[@NGMonocrom]

_"Can you figure it out, Wizard?"_ Well here's your problem.... It's a Volkswagen. 😆