Tag Archives: dpf

NO GUESSWORK, PROPER DIAGNOSIS IS KEY!

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A customers vehicle recently visited us, very hard to start, huge lack of power. Vehicle had been elsewhere and had a “diagnosis” of a faulty mass air flow sensor. At this stage they decided to fit a new mass air flow sensor and guess what, fault still present. So why did the part highlighted in the “diagnosis” not fix the fault? Well, to put it simply, the car was not diagnosed but had its fault codes read and then an assumption was made on the fault code alone.

So now, customer comes to us ” can you read and clear codes on my car, I had a new part fitted but its still not right!” As usual our approach to our customer is to hear what they “want”, question them to gain information on the fault and history of it, then discuss with them what they really “need”.  In this case the starting point was a proper diagnosis. What did this entail, well…we confirmed the fault existed, read the fault codes (but in our case this is only used as a guide to possible issues), analyse the data available from the engine control unit and then decide on testing actions. Now it may seem long winded, but its not, its a proven strategy for correct diagnosis. This led us to solving the real fault behind the mass air flow which was in fact a stuck EGR valve. The stuck EGR valve unfortunately in this case not fixable and needed to be replaced, but in this case we knew from proper testing that this would resolve the issue. We’re not saying diagnosing faults properly means you don’t need parts but it does mean you won’t fit unnecessary parts or add unnecessary labour costs.

As I’m well aware some customers may think at first that our diagnosis fee is expensive but it really isn’t, it is value for money and then some. The original “diagnosis” ,which in reality was a code read and a gamble, carried out by the other garage was actually much more expensive, why?, well they cost the customer a part which was not needed and cost in excess of €200 for the part alone not including their “diagnosis” and fitting labour.

So don’t just settle for a best guess, the cheaper option, the parts a €30 scan says to fit…..query what service you are getting for your money and ask yourself is this value for money?

When it comes to efficient, cost effective repairs proper diagnosis is key!

We are Authorised Avon Tuning Agents!

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So whats new? Well a few months ago we decided to contact Gareth Jones of Avon Tuning to find out more about what Avon had to offer and if we could improve our services to our customers by jumping onboard with the Avon team. As you can see by our blog headline……we decided to go for it and we are delighted to have done so. But why? What extra can we possibly offer you, our customers? Please continue to read and we’ll enlighten you.

After many rave reviews from several sources and from speaking to other professionals in various trade groups we are involved in we were left in no doubt if we were to go down the road of tuning/ remapping, then Avon had to be top of of the list of our potential file providers. They are top end providers of tuning files, they custom their files to ours/ our customers needs and provide excellent back up to us.

What do we offer as an Avon agent? Well, the main reasons for tuning are: Economy, Performance, Better response/ driveability and other alterations to a vehicle that need the software of the car to run differently from original. Our main type remap that we carry out is a stage one tuning which is used to enhance standard vehicles without any hardware upgrades and results in a vehicle having much improved power, torque and efficiency without compromising reliability. There are other services we can provide via Avon and also a tuning options and calculator section on the Avon website at: https://www.avontuning.co.uk/services/ecu-remapping/cars

For any queries or to get that bit more from your vehicle please give us a shout!

Shanahan Auto Gorey Wexford Member The DPF Doctor

The DPF Doctor Network @ Shanahan Auto Services

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For almost two years now (Jan 2021) we have been accredited members of The DPF Doctor Network and the move to join the network is easily one of the best decisions we have ever made.

I had been reading about the network and was impressed with the knowledge, research and training the network provides. DPF issues were and are a big part of our diagnostic and repair work, but the system has many factors affecting the health and performance of the filter.  While I was on a training course with the brilliant Andy Savva, aka The Garage Inspector, an opportunity arose to speak in person with Darren Darling, The DPF Doctor himself. Darren founded the network and it really is “his baby”. It was a great conversation and it allowed me to get a better insight into the ethos of the network, drill into the knowledge that the network seemed to exude and really confirm that they did exactly as they say on the tin. It confirmed for me what I had thought the network could offer me, my team and ultimately my customers.  Not only was this a business/ technical conversation but also a chance to see if these were people we could work with, those who know me know I like honest, straight talking people, no frills and a bit of craic too!

Following on from our meeting a few days later Darren called to our garage, he wanted to sus us out too. That is something I really liked, he needed people who were genuine, he could trust and were capable in their work. Darren insisted on vetting us personally to ensure this. This trust is something we strive to achieve from our customers, so I totally got it.

So why is this important, well, it just gives folks some background into The DPF Doctor Network. Now you know that when you engage the services of any of our members you don’t just get a paying, uncaring franchisee but a professional service provider. We have the backing of a network of like minded professionals, an online forum, technical helpline access, dedicated training facility, researched information, experience and a network that constantly aims to keep the members trained and up to date in all the best test methods and procedures for DPF assesment and repair.

Our method of DPF assessment is unique, tried and tested. When we take a call from our customer we start to immediately gather information about the fault, the vehicle, driving style and much more. On arrival at our garage we then begin the in depth and thorough initial assessment of the vehicle.

We are often asked straight out by a customer “can you clean my DPF?”, our answer is, Yes, but only if needed and that will only be decided after our assessment. To be honest we’ve found that 80% of the time in our garage that a clean is not required but something else is at fault and once rectified the DPF is able to regenerate or put simply perform its own cleaning function itself after rectifying the fault.

Unfortunately we have had many people come to us after having a clean performed elsewhere only to have a DPF issue again after a short time. Worse than the inconvenience is the fact that these cleans can cost a pretty penny often times in excess of €400. Aswell as the unsuccessful cleans we have seen unnecessary parts replaced, botched repairs and even irreparable damage to the DPF by over use of additives or cheap additives.  Our assessment is €95, the majority of the time it gives us a definite route for repair, however sometimes additional diagnostics is required. Whether we sus it out in the initial assessment, it needs additional diagnostics or we carry out the repair we are always honest, keep our customers in control of cost and never carry out unnecessary repairs or cleaning.

The DPF Doctor Network members are spread mainly accross Ireland and the U.K but also in many other countries including far flung destinations such as Australia! You can find out much more about the network at: www.the-dpf-doctor.com.  Also at the web address you can verify that members, including us, are genuinely affiliated via the accredited member search/ map function.

So, if you are having a DPF issue, call The DPF Doctor Network!