Mechanic needed

[mpicasso]

I have a great mechanic for when things break and I cannot do it myself...but he is not very proactive. General motto - fix it when it breaks.

'02 Tahoe, roughly 160K miles. Not very knowledgeable, mechanically speaking, nor do I have many tools. Have a fair amount of long distance driving coming up, starting beginning of May, and want to make sure everything is up to *****.

Live in SE Florida/Palm Beach county area, though willing to drive if necessary. Not having a whole lot of confidence in this vehicle as it sits, to the point I have been looking at newer vehicles...but that takes away boat money.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[OR VietVet]

The other thing about buying a newer vehicle, is that you will be buying something that likely needs some work, unless you buy brand new. You already have a low mileage 2002. You are aware of what you have done to it and what it likely needs. Someone will chime in with a recommendation.

 

[YukonGTmaster]

Long trip coming up:
-check and adjust tire pressure.
-engine oil and filter change.
-replace or clean air filter.
-top up windshield washer fluid, coolant rez, brake rez, power steering fluid if needed.
-check trans fluid.
-check serpentine belt condition.
-lube chassis if you are able.
-wash exterior.
-vacuum interior.

Good luck!

 

[Miami-Dade]

I have a great mechanic for when things break and I cannot do it myself...but he is not very proactive. General motto - fix it when it breaks.

'02 Tahoe, roughly 160K miles. Not very knowledgeable, mechanically speaking, nor do I have many tools. Have a fair amount of long distance driving coming up, starting beginning of May, and want to make sure everything is up to *****.

Live in SE Florida/Palm Beach county area, though willing to drive if necessary. Not having a whole lot of confidence in this vehicle as it sits, to the point I have been looking at newer vehicles...but that takes away boat money.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

PM Sent

 

[mpicasso]

Long trip coming up:
-check and adjust tire pressure.
-engine oil and filter change.
-replace or clean air filter.
-top up windshield washer fluid, coolant rez, brake rez, power steering fluid if needed.
-check trans fluid.
-check serpentine belt condition.
-lube chassis if you are able.
-wash exterior.
-vacuum interior.

Good luck!

All of those things are routinely done. Drive an hour each way, 3-4 days/wk. Thanks for the suggestions, though.
Looking for more in-depth proactive repairs, as opposed to actual "maintenance".

 

[mpicasso]

The other thing about buying a newer vehicle, is that you will be buying something that likely needs some work, unless you buy brand new. You already have a low mileage 2002. You are aware of what you have done to it and what it likely needs. Someone will chime in with a recommendation.

Have been looking at almost new...'20-21 Tundras with less than 50K miles. But then I have a $45-50K price tag, which takes away from boat money.
Concern is being on the road, 400 miles from home, and car breaks down for something that could have been noticed if a detailed inspection was done.

 

[OR VietVet]

Have been looking at almost new...'20-21 Tundras with less than 50K miles. But then I have a $45-50K price tag, which takes away from boat money.
Concern is being on the road, 400 miles from home, and car breaks down for something that could have been noticed if a detailed inspection was done.

Gobs of years ago there was a mobile vehicle inspection company called Lemon Busters, at take on the recent successful movie "Ghost Busters".

I did the same thing for a while, here in the Willamette Valley, and I called the company "Lemon Aid". I had a Duramax Diesel HD2500 and set up an inverter and had an air compressor and tools in it and did inspections for private customers, used vehicle lots that needed a vehicle sold and needed an inspection asap and even did some fleet inspections for companies before they were selling off vehicles. I had different levels of inspections that went $50, $75, $100 and $150.I was doing pretty good and was even thinking of putting on a second truck and then the bottom fell out because of CarFax. Even though the CarFax only showed what was reported and had nothing to do with the vehicle's current condition, it was easier for the customer and told them what they wanted to hear. Thankfully, all the tools I used I already had and also already had the truck. The only thing that was an added expense was the inverter and all that it took to install it and business cards and the different inspection forms I had printed up.

I do inspections at my house now but they are few and far between because of CarFax still. Plus, my home repair work is strictly a drop off set up. I don't want anyone hanging around, casing the premises.

 

[MassHoe04]

With these trucks, I tend to side with the mechanic for the most part... (See exception below.)

Swapping stuff out, just because a part is old does not always work out for the better.
A lot of factory original parts that have gone 100k+ miles may have been produced at a time when quality was better. New parts aren't necessarily better parts.

If it works great, think twice about swapping a perfectly good original part for a possibly inferior after-market, new part.

The exception I would say, based on my personal mishaps, would be to consider definitely being proactive when it comes to wheel hub assemblies. If you have no idea how old they are or suspect the might even be originals, think about replacing the hub assemblies (with speed sensors). At higher mileages, the original hubs are probably not far from failure.

Most new hubs come with matched and tested ABS wheel speed sensors already installed. Don't cheap out. Get the best your budget can afford. Better quality hubs will probably last as long as you own your truck. Cheap hubs may get you by for a short while, but you may have to replace them a second time. Avoid that. Get good ones...

 

[YukonGTmaster]

All of those things are routinely done. Drive an hour each way, 3-4 days/wk. Thanks for the suggestions, though.
Looking for more in-depth proactive repairs, as opposed to actual "maintenance".

Ok. I see what you are getting at now. In the 26 years that I have owned my truck.
Things that have left me stranded away from home:
-Fuel pump
-Alternator
-Battery
-Leaking Radiator End Caps
-4x4 Actuator

 

[mpicasso]

Gobs of years ago there was a mobile vehicle inspection company called Lemon Busters, at take on the recent successful movie "Ghost Busters".

I did the same thing for a while, here in the Willamette Valley, and I called the company "Lemon Aid". I had a Duramax Diesel HD2500 and set up an inverter and had an air compressor and tools in it and did inspections for private customers, used vehicle lots that needed a vehicle sold and needed an inspection asap and even did some fleet inspections for companies before they were selling off vehicles. I had different levels of inspections that went $50, $75, $100 and $150.I was doing pretty good and was even thinking of putting on a second truck and then the bottom fell out because of CarFax. Even though the CarFax only showed what was reported and had nothing to do with the vehicle's current condition, it was easier for the customer and told them what they wanted to hear. Thankfully, all the tools I used I already had and also already had the truck. The only thing that was an added expense was the inverter and all that it took to install it and business cards and the different inspection forms I had printed up.

I do inspections at my house now but they are few and far between because of CarFax still. Plus, my home repair work is strictly a drop off set up. I don't want anyone hanging around, casing the premises.

Have looked at a few cars in the Portland area because of an inspector I really trust. Though I would prefer an older, say 2014 Sierra or '05-'06 Suburban 4WD, I choose not because of not believing enough in my skills or my mechanics opinion.
Personally, CarFax is a help but definitely not the end all/be all. Just because a vehicle has been up N does not guarantee rust. Vehicles with few service records could have been owned by a mechanic. I prefer a detailed inspection.