February 4, 2024
Author: Car Inspector
It won't start, you have to rebel. Life is finally back, but the check drive is coming. Never mind, let's read the error code. But where is the obd port?
Thursday
The pale morning sunlight shines coolly on the chrome of the alloy wheels. I smoothed the pearlescent metallic paint and I can feel some graining under my hand. They blew it this time. The item next to it is like orange peel. This was blown up too, but it didn't go well. There are a lot of small potholes on the hood – for some, this is bad news, not so much for me – they compete with the car. Accordingly, the air conditioning radiator has strong gaps, and the plates are broken and missing.
After boarding, I picked up the booklet that I had carelessly thrown onto the seat. Company car, service manual. Typical Octavia. All regulations were followed. This is good news for some, but not for me. The oil is changed every thirty thousand. A turbocharged engine requires more attention than this.
I turn the key in the ignition, Grunts The three cylinders come to life. The system buzzes and clicks, and a yellow light flashes on the dashboard. I haven't even pulled out a single instrument, but every part of me is screaming: Run away! The will to act wins, and the brain gives commands to the hand; I will measure the car, perform a diagnosis, and return the key. This story ends here.
Thursday in two hours
The rays of the midday sun glint faintly on the Tesco's decorative dial. harmonic. The fourth could have been lost in a previous experiment. The edge yawns darkly, like the butler in that particular painting. The shine of the body is worn away, as are the brakes and tires. I measure the circumference of the car, factory light. That's a big deal over ten years. I knelt on the wet, rotting scum, the stench of traffic hitting my nose.
Poems by long-dead poets come to mind, but the intimate moment is interrupted by chewing. Rust. It eats away at the bodywork. Fortunately, only superficial and immediate intervention is necessary; Chassis and cavity protection may still be beneficial.
I start the car. Doesn't start. I walk around to the office at the other end of the building and tell them what happened. The dealer is ready, and is about to stop to look at the car. I point out that it is not necessary, I will solve it with my pocket bull, I just wanted to say something. Come back, bull, it's begun. Check the engine. That is, a fault light. I went back to the dealer in the remote office to tell him what was going on. He wasn't surprised, he told me to keep doing it, it must be because of the bullying. Yes, of course. Back to the car. Stick the tool on the car. But there is no place. I think everyone has been there before… In particular, there is no obd socket, it has been swallowed by the bottom of the dash. I will not give up. I returned to the merchant at the other end of the building. Nervously. I'll tell you what's going on, and I'll ask and get permission to dismantle the dashboard. I'm going back to the car, and I'm going to attend the annual performance of the Kenyan national running team. I screw it in, it clicks, and the obd chat launches. I read the error log: there are a lot of problems. Ignition and catalyst failure. The customer swears kindly, and I agree (the next day we found his Fox in perfect condition with some small imperfections, but acceptable anyway). I will return the key, thank you for the opportunity.
I come home and open a bottle of flight. Tomorrow can only be better. It didn't happen.
Friday
A very fair trade (really) with (really) good cars. I'm coming to check out a Honda Jazz. Not the trade you're thinking of, but totally fair. The car is ten years old and has a mileage of one hundred thousand kilometers. Nothing, yesterday I walked a lot in the other square.
They talk beforehand, two batteries have exploded, and they also show a photo of the damage. They don't let it unfold again. I measure the car around, everything is as they said. It's almost boring.
Diagnosis. The chat is there, you don't have to do anything. No error code either. More specifically, traces of previous battery discharge appear. boring.
Live data analysis is what remains, and it is an important process. Surprisingly, the short-term mix adjustment took off like inflation. The mixture is too rich, I point out to the client and the salesperson. We go for a test drive, and the diagnostics remain on the car. The engine is overheated, and the value is still not good. We come back and the familiar error light comes on. For the third time in two days I feel cursed. Engine check with jazz? What's coming? Error code P0172: The mixture is too rich. What could the problem be? The customer asks – well, anything from the lambda probe to the spark plugs to the MAF sensor. And some little things. Fortunately, there is a workshop nearby, and the dealer undertakes to correct the error.
This happened two days later, and the customer was able to take possession of the car and has been happily using it ever since – so be it.