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32 Undercar Digest R&R; Tech R emember the days when you'd get a car in your shop with the complaint of "dash lamps inop?" The first thing you'd look at even before checking the fuse (and usually see) was a freshly-installed in-dash after- market stereo system. Another do-it- yourselfer sabotage. Sir, the yellow wire is NOT a ground. Fuses blow when a powered circuit is grounded and, er – never mind. I'll fix it for $40. Easy money, right? Those were the days. If only it were that simple today. Given the complexities and advancements of intricately net- worked electrical components, after- market electrical accessory installations become a challenge for even the most seasoned professional, and nearly impossible for the at- home repair ninja. One typical Tuesday a customer brought his 09G-equipped 2004 VW Beetle into our shop early in the morning. He stated that his 6 speed automatic transmission "… jerks on downshifts when warm, and the en- gine revs up on upshifts while driv- ing on the highway. It also slams into gear on occasion." Sounds like a fun one, so I prepared to duplicate, veri- fy, and diagnose the issue. The customer left the vehicle with us so I could do my evaluation. This consists of a short road test, comput- er scan, fluid check, and under car inspection. So, the first thing I did was hook up the scanner to the Data Link Connector. I received a "No communication" error (Figure 1). Well, we've all seen this from time to time, and the first thing that we normally check for is a blown fuse (most likely the cigar lighter fuse). I checked each one and in this case the fuses were all fine. I remembered hearing something regarding af- termarket accessories causing a "No communi- cation" problem on these vehicles. Knowing that finding the cause in this case was going to be chal- lenging, I got with our manager, and we in- formed the customer that it will be a little bit more complicat- ed than a normal evaluation. We got an extra half-hour for diagnostic time and quickly got back on the car. The first thing I did was a quick Technical Service Bulletin search that revealed two TSBs pertaining to this issue. TSB Reference # TT 97-14- 02 states that the Data Link Connector may be damaged by an aftermarket device (such as a drive data recorder used by an insurance company). It can be bumped by the driver's leg or misaligned and then forced onto the DLC, and in doing so can unseat (push back) or cause damage to one or more of the termi- nal pins. There were no devices con- nected to the DLC, and after a good visual inspection, no damage or any pushed-out terminal pins was found. I could conclude that this possibility was ruled out. Mr. DIY Ninja fails to master intricate wiring Rewiring of aftermarket radio reveals transmission problems By Troy Hopp ASE Master Certified Technician 1 Don't Forget Stainless Exhaust Hardware There are many talented shops that specialize or do custom pipe bending as an exhaust option for their customers. There is a growing demand from customers to do the job in stainless steel. In these scenarios price is not the driving factor. These educated customers put their focus on the quality of the job. When we visit shops that special- ize in custom bending, all too often they are doing a stainless steel job with stainless pipe, stainless mufflers and stainless tips, but that's where the stainless ends. Many don't use stainless steel weld, stainless hangers or stainless flanges. If you're thinking of making the jump to offering a full stainless-steel exhaust system to your customers – using stainless weld, hangers and flanges – we definitely agree. Properly promoted (just letting your customers know that you pay attention to these details) you set yourself apart from your competition and soon become the custom shop of choice in your area. There is a small learning curve with stainless steel welding, but it's definitely worth the time and effort. If you have questions regarding any of this, we can answer them. Just give us a call. 716-875-7656 soloperformance.usa@gmail.com www.solo-performance.com Circle No. 35 on Reader Card