Pep Boys??? I wouldn't trust them with my lawn mower....

So the woman takes her car to a Ford Dealership to diagnose a problem and they fail to tell her there is an unrelated safety recall on the door latches of her car that can cause them to open unexpectedly. That's really horrifying.

5 years with a check engine light on but comes to a mechanic to get the A/C fixed. Shocker. There’s an outfit in my hometown that only does automotive A/C work and I’m starting to realize how brilliant that business model is.

We need more good Mechanics like you Ivan.

I love that Ivan has no ulterior motive to sell you stuff you don't need as opposed to dealerships (parts canon). I learn a lot of information on this channel. He is also easy to listen to without a lot of preaching. You are doing the community a big service. Thank you.

I have been doing Automotive A/C for over 20 years now and I have seen some crooked establishnents stealing peoples money on minor repairs. It is not a missed diagnostic, it is outright thievery. Thank you PHAD. Great video.

Unfortunately....Most days at dealerships, techs see the low paycheck light on 1st .... Good CATCH 🤦‍♂😶😊

Great thought process and diagnostic, Ivan! The dealer must have been grinding his teeth while refunding, but he did the right thing. Meanwhile, you are really building a reputation - one of these days you will have to get a bigger shop 🙂 Love these happy endings 🙂

Let’s give credit where it is due…Props to the dealer for refunding the mis-diagnosis. After all, EVERYONE makes a mistake every now and then and the dealer owned their mistake. Most people these days are way too quick to point their fingers and lay blame yet those same folks rarely ever give a compliment when it is due. Great job Ivan!

Forget the AC it’s a minor miracle this thing still has an operational transmission!

Off topic Ivan, but I look forward to the day you can build yourself a workshop on the property with a vehicle hoist. Your back will say thanks when you hit your fifties, trust me! You have saved countless people from the clutches of incompetent dealerships and for that you deserve praise. The people of State College area are lucky to have a tech of your caliber.

I had a friend whose air con was cutting in and out. He went to 2 mechanics, both wanted $1500aud for new compressor to fix. I told him I will have a look at it. The compressor clutch was slipping, so I took one of the shims out. That was 5 years ago and still working perfectly. Only took a few minutes to fix.

You're the Metzger Wickersham of diagnostic technicians. The dealer saw your name and they said pay her. Fantastic ending, and great job Ivan.

Man Ivan, a 2012 Ford Focus with a double dry clutch transmission and 94,000 miles... Tell this poor lady she is about to have much bigger problems than her A/C

Ivan, you are just awesome! The problem with the dealerships are that they are too fast and don’t take their time on the car. Get it in and out as fast as you can!

Great work as always, Ivan. I hate to assume this, but had she okayed the repairs at the dealer, they would've thrown the $1,500 parts cannon at it, realized the A/C still wasn't working, and then finally they would be lead to the coolant sensor AFTER all the new components were installed. The dealer would've charged her for the coolant sensor as well, but would've probably made it seem unrelated to the A/C system. So there she is, dropping $1,500+ because of a faulty $50 sensor, and yet the dealership still seems like the hero because ultimately they got her A/C working again. Like I said, I hate to assume that, but it wouldn't surprise me one bit. Happens all the time.

Apparently the Ford CEO talks all about the customer “experience “ being most important…yeah / nah ..looks like their dealers are having trouble living up to the CEOs dreams…well done Ivan !..once again being professional shows honestly and diplomacy = excellent customer experience 🎉!👍

You are definitely a diagnostic master for sure man, looks like everyone, but the dealership had a win.

Ivan if ford dealership still hasn’t banned you by your next video I’ll be amazed, you put them all to shame! Great work as always👍

CEL on with 5 codes and no codes present. What is wrong with the dealer service departments. They should just inform the customer that their muffler bearings need to be replaced. That way everyone will understand that the diagnosis is a joke. 1.2 hours for a coolant sensor and 5 hours to install a new short block. Where do these flat rate figures come from.

Hi Ivan, your rep on KZfaq has the dealers quaking in their boots. Well done to you and your customer for having the guts to ask for the refund. Many thanks from Nr Liverpool UK.

It is strange how many issues Fords have had for years that are all related to the temperature sensor. Even "no start" scenarios. You would think by now that would be the first thing they would check. Well done, sir!

"It's either a bad sensor or a bad connection". THIS is a sign of a quality mechanic! Had the same problem with my V10 Excursion, only it turned out to be the connection rather than the sensor- just needed a pig-tail. Since I don't have manifold gauges or anything for servicing A/C, I took it to the shop my neighbor owns, as he specializes in auto A/C (Former HVAC tech)...he thought it was the high pressure switch. I knew it wasn't that- he was just guessing. So I took it to the auto A/C place in the next county. They picked up the CHT sensor, said I could just replace it- but I was unsure, so for the first time in my life I went to the Ferd stealership for a diag. They got it right [Surprise!]. But it's sad how many shops just guess and want to do parts cannon, or just go off of what a code says without doing any further diag, like checking the connection. Love this channel; you are extremely competent, conscientious and honest!

Great stuff Ivan! As I have never even saw You or anyone else except myself and CAT mechanics use this simple procedure when replacing coolant sensors and other coolant related components. Using whatever fittings from coolant pressure kits or smoke test kits or whatever, hook up a vacuum source to the coolant system up high anywhere and pull a vacuum on the system. If Your quick enough, You can use a hand vacuum pump, or use an electric pump and You won’t loose any coolant. It works great! 👍👍🇺🇸

I like that you took a quick look for anything obvious re: the vacuum leak. It made sense to ultimately set that aside as a separate diagnosis, but I have no doubt if you found a PCV hose laying loose on top of the intake or something, you'd have plugged it back in and called it a day. Well done sir. And ATTABOY FORD DEALER!!!

Awesome video, Ivan! So happy the customer got her money back. I'm glad to see your attention to detail gets the respect it deserves! :)

You are a good guy, Ivan... Your customers are lucky to have you...

Ive been following this channel for some time now. Ivan is an honest, reliable, diagnostic tech. Top Work as always Bud 🙂

Sounds to me like a typical dealership. They’re incompetent at best and thieves at worst. Most likely both. Being banned by dealerships in your case is a badge of honor. Keep up the good and honest work, Ivan!

Great job Ivan. I actually had a Ford dealership refund me when they couldn't program the remote part of the aftermarket key fobs I bought, but I could. I called them and the service manager admitted that they had trouble and gave up after two tries. I did it once and had no issues. However, their honesty had kept me coming to them for parts.

Wow, diagnosis refund from the dealer, time to buy a lottery ticket. Good thing the lady got second opinion from you, that would have hurt. Way to find the door latch recall too. Yep, don't say this often but agree, kudos to the dealer. Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Nice work Ivan.

It's hard to believe that the dealer mechanics are unable to apply simple logic! If the A/C works and blows cold, has proper charge and pressures, then stops because the clutch is not engaging why would it need a new compressor? I love the way you apply scientific principles and logic to finding the problem.

4 years with check engine light on! The dealer should have checked that first. GOOD JOB Ivan!!

It seems like a trite statement, but honesty is really the best policy. If you can't give a pretty definitive diag, then just admit so, instead of shooting from the hip and quoting an expensive (non)repair. Thanks Ivan!

And again, Ivan shows that one of the primary steps in diagnosing ANYTHING, car, lawnmower or your fridge, is that you NEED to know how it WORKS! #howdoesitwork

Nice diagnosis Ivan! Didn't realize that ECT can effect the A/C! But cool to know. I've worked on bad sensors when customer has hard start but when warm, i scanned it on my scanner (think pro) i knew in my mind that that coolant has gone wonky. Scanner proved me right -40 deg. I checked for resistance, showed OL. Replaced it, the car started fine now. Haha! You could have smoked the intake just for fun on video lol. See if anything is obvious lol. Overall great job and video, Ivan.

It was very satisfying to see you find the real problem. Sometimes I wonder if it's the dealer's incompetency or dishonesty. For the amount of money they charge you'd hope they'd be more conscientious. Kudos for using your critical thinking to save the customer a lot of money.

Your understanding of the systems and their interconnectedness never ceases to amaze me. I'm happy everything worked out so well for your customer. We know who will be getting her family's future business. The Crazy Russian strikes again. :)

I did a prepurchase inspection on a Mustang. Found rust under the sill plates. Told her looks like car did some diving. She went back to the dealer saying Don told me you are trying to sell me a flood car. This didn't go over too well. I told future customers to use more tact when declining purchases.

I gotta say, I missed my first guess. I was thinking the fan control circuit might have been preventing the fan from running. Without that, the A/C isn't going to get the airflow it needs to work properly when slow or stopped.

Your diagnostic skills are way beyond anything you get at a Ford dealership. Or any dealership.

5:30 and I can already feel the classic no or few parts required fix that we all know and love.

Pretty mind boggling the dealer missed that diagnosis. Not sure how they were saying "no codes stored" when the check engine light was on? Didn't they check for codes in the PCM? As for the customer, they should mind the big "Don't Ignore Me - See the light, check it out" sign that Eric O. has up in his shop. Big issue with driving around with a warning light on for years is that you don't know when something new has gone wrong.

Nice work Ivan. I had the lady across the street ask me to look at her friend's Focus or Fusion (I forget which one it was) that had a door latching problem. The door would fly open when she was driving and she has a kid in a child safety seat next to it. She had already had one door fixed by an independent shop and she didn't want to have to spend another $400 getting another latch fixed. I looked online to see if there was some info on the door latches and how to fix them and found the NHTSA recall notice on these Fords. So I told the neighbor to tell her friend to go to Ford and get it fixed for free. I never heard back about the outcome but I'm sure she did OK. It always pays to investigate problems online before tearing into some unknown problem.😊 This is one of the reasons why I watch these mechanic's channels like you and Eric O. So much great info. I still want to see some final resolution on the 460 Ford F250. Make it happen! You're not done yet.

It's worth it to them to give her a refund and get a 'kudos' from you rather than telling her to take a hike and then get roasted in your video. You have the power of getting the honest truth out there and it can force people to do the right thing.

I owned one of these for about six years. Surprisingly she didn’t say she had transmission issues also. They were never able to fix mine, so I manual swapped it and that made it drive able. Got rid of it for a manual Honda Fit and have driven it for 4 years and not a single problem. Your videos have really helped me change my way of thinking about diagnosing troubles with anything not just automotive repairs. Great channel and thanks Ivan.

I work at a Ford dealer and am honestly a little embarrassed that that dealer missed that. First day on the job or what. And I laughed when you said the door latch went out. I’ve replaced hundreds of them here. They suck!! And the icing on the cake is they pay about 1.5hrs for all 4 latches! Good diagnosis. I probably would have reset KAM maybe the coolant temp readings threw off the trims? Although knowing you you probably did that already haha.

A mechanic is an honest guy. Stands up for the customer 👍👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Cool mate you kicked a few goals today didn't ya!👏👏👏💥💯 Booyaa dealership mechanics! 1. Diagnose & repair fault 2. Find potential vacuum leak source 3. Saved customer cost of unnecessary replacement of a/c compressor. 4. Work done armed customer to successfully gain a refund for unsuccessful repairs by dealership mechanics. 5. Exposed the shortcomings of a non-sequential, non-pathsearching air conditioning fault procedure, as demonstrated by the received mechanical condition of the vehicle, as previously & unsuccessfully repaired by a dealership mechanic! Give that man a cigar, a beer, & large fries, & a high five! 👍👏👏!

I don't always agree with Ivan's methods but I must say that I appreciate his honesty and conservative values. There are not enough mechanics like him around.

From Australia, took my Great Wall x200 turbo diesel to the local dealer due to no vacuum at the brake booster (diesels have a vacuum pump due to no manifold vacuum) they diagnosed it as faulty vacuum booster, they replaced the booster and somehow damaged the master cylinder. The outcome was they paid for the new booster (2nd one) and new master cylinder and labour. I paid for the 1st booster only. Turns out the vacuum pump was faulty too; I had one and they installed it and all is fine. Dealership came through, took 3-4 weeks through.

This was the 2nd video of yours. wish I lived near you. You're on the ball and get to the root of the problem and don't just change out parts hoping to get it right.. BRAVO..

This is common practice,especially in Florida,my elderly neighbor went to the stealership for an oil change and came out with $900.00 worth of "sway bar " repairs on a vehicle with 60k miles.

The dealership learned a lot from you. you should get a check for $500.00. Keep up the good work.

I had to rewind the video to do a double take. The dealer diag said they scanned the car and found no codes? Umm, that's not what we found. You know, it hurts to see this. You would expect a dealership that should know that brand of vehicle and be able to diagnose and fix it properly. The part that sucks is, when they misdiagnose a problem with an expensive repair and the customer comes back with the same complaint, they will most likely charge the customer again for additional work and/or parts. Nice work by the way Ivan. I spotted the ECT code when you did. The fan control code was most likely triggered when the ECT sensor went offline. As you said. The fan will ramp up to full speed on a kind of failsafe protocol.

Enjoy the praise , you definitely deserve it. Thank you for your videos.

You understand how things work , so your mind goes to what could be wrong . See so many techs not fully understanding how things work and not trying to fully understanding .they still try to fix people's stuff though . Not shy about taking money for their crappy work . I love when you take apart modules , switches ,motors ,and fix for no parts recquired !

That's I work on my own car. Like you when I saw the coolant temp going crazy. I was "there's your problem lady!" Great diagnostic my friend.

More overly The Dealer techs need to stop guessing and do what you do - you scanned it - you looked at the pids and and live data and found the problem Where these dealer techs don't trouble shoot enough. That tells me better problem solving and more thinking on there part needs to be done. It's almost like that they need you to be there being a teacher to them in teaching them the proper techniques in diagnoses ... I sure love your video's Ivan You do great work and You are a honest technician with a Golden Soul. Keep up the awesome work ...

You are a true master of your craft! You are a rare breed of a diagnostic specialist!

Great find Ivan! I have taken a few of your quotes and passed them on to my Auto Tech students. "Be 110% sure of the problem before firing the parts Cannon."

I’m surprised the car didn’t run like crap. Nice find Ivan!

I cant believe people actually go to pep boys or Walmart... incompetent people...i only go to the dealership for any recalls.... Glad she got her money back...$1500.00 for a what $30.00 part and a 90 minute Job 🙄🙄🙄... thanks for diagnosing her vehicle the professional, honest and knowledgeable way!👍 👍

Years ago, I worked part time for a small trucking company on weekends. Keeping lights, brakes adjusted and the HVAC system going. One Saturday the owner asked me to look at his wife’s Cadillac, no AC. Around a 95 if memory serves. Charge showed to be on the money, compressor would not kick. Had no signal being sent to AC relay. No scanner to get deep into the control system. So I jumped the AC relay, compressor engaged, pressures dead on and outlet air in the high 40s. Owner took to dealer the next Monday, diagnoses! Needs compressor, accumulator and must flush system due to be rid from failed compressor. Mind you this was over 20 years ago and the quote then was over 1500. Owner then quizzed the service writer as to the compressor. Oh it is locked up. To abbreviate a very long back and fourth! It was a small AC control module of some kind for 212.00 labor and part. Great video Ivan, keep them coming. Great honesty, fairness, integrity and diagnostic skills. You give us much more information than we could buy. Thank you sir

I worked on a lot of A/C systems back in the '70's and early '80's. Last September, when it was still in the 100's here in Phoenix, my daughter was here from Colorado when her Jeep Liberty A/C quit working. At that time my wife was in the hospital so we took it to a local shop. They checked it and quoted $2,000 for a new compressor and condenser. We declined and I bought some HF gauges to test the system pressures. Could tell instantly that the expansion valve had failed. Installed new expansion valve, easy to do on this vehicle, vacuumed and charged the system. Cold A/C for around $120 including new gauges.

This is yet another example of why Ivan at P.H.A.D. is my go-to diagnostic channel. His capability, professionalism and honesty are all best-in-class. Thanks Ivan.

Never would have suspected a temp sender would that. That was a great diagnostic lesson. Thanks.

Never fool with Pine Hollow......! If you listen to Pine Hollow, You will always be right! Super video.....logic, before nonsense, always wins!!!

It looked like a straightforward simple diagnosis, yet I’m not surprised the dealer missed it. There are few technicians or mechanics anymore. It’s mostly parts changers left.

Great work! That’s what keeps us coming to watch your channel…knowledge, honesty and professionalism. 👍👍

I love that we always get bonus footage!

Its interesting that the dealer quote had no mention of any trouble codes. Out here in AZ, the dealer would never let a trouble code in the system be left without some recommended service your vehicle needs. The current state of stealerships is most aren't selling many new cars as they ripped everyone off during covid, so they are trying to make up lost revenue through their service department. My 2016 Fusion AC went out in Feb, I took it to the Ford dealer for diagnosis, they quoted $3500 bad evaporator core. I had guessed that is what the problem was but wasn't totally sure. I declined and fixed it myself, but required dash removal and front door removal, thanks Ford. For my repair I went with Ford parts, visited 3 Ford dealers in Phoenix area, sales room totally empty and lots all full of inventory. I wish mine would have been the coolant temp sensor but was not !

What does it feel like to be at the very top of your game Ivan? You're an acknowledged master of your profession now!

@Pine Hollow Auto Diagnostics, another great video Ivan! It's a known fact that some "dealerships" are obviously not against taking advantage of customers/providing lousy service. Just reading that note at the end "FoMoCo has determined that some vehicles CLAIMED BY DEALERS AS REPAIRED...DID NOT RECEIVE THE CLAIMED REPAIRS or the REPAIR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN COMPLETED PROPERLY..." further tells me WHY the dealer should be avoided unless absolutely necessary and then you should be on your game just like you suggesting the customer try to ger her $$$ back. I'm happy for the customer and for you, you should wear that "ban" as a badge of honor, lol.

It is unfortunate that every town doesn't have 10 men like Ivan here. It has become clear over time he is the exception; the rule being it is uncertain whether your vehicle will EVER be fixed or diagnosed properly despite the enormous cost. All people want is for their vehicles to be properly fixed; the cost is an important but separate issue. Unfortunately, charging for unnecessary or faulty repairs is common but essentially criminal - and should be aggressively defended against. The last repair shop I dealt with performed what should have been a simple repair (strut replacement/strut links because the strut mount broke) that turned into a nightmare because of another suspension noise that appeared in the same location. They chased everything else after I told them it was clearly a defective strut (whole assembly) or an improper installation but they ignored me and loaded the parts cannon/shot it with new control arms, etc. until the whole suspension was replaced. I finally paid them to get it out of there and had a buddy of mine replace the strut in question and all was fine thereafter (he didn't have the time to help me before that) I had to threaten to sue, and we agreed on a refund of all the unnecessarily replaced parts plus labor. I would urge everybody to do the same when they have been gouged for unnecessary repairs. Small claims suits are a matter of public record in my state, easily accessible on the internet, and they upload all the paperwork you file, including your complaint, the shop's name, and the amount involved. Reputable shops don't want the public to see these complaints for obvious reasons, so if your state publishes the small claims court filings, by all means look up any repair shop you're considering using and see if they have any against them. And look up the decision as well.

IVAN, YOU ARE AMAZING AS EVER. I CANNOT BELIEVE THE DEALER TECHNICIAN. IT IS A SAD UNPROFESSIONAL DIAGNOSIS EVER. YOU ARE GOD SENT TO HER. YOU ARE A CUSTOMER FOR LIFE AND IT IS THE BEST ADVERTISEMENT FOR YOUR BUSINESS. JUST AMAZINGLY PERFECT.

Ha Ivan: What can I say. I do believe "Honisty is the best policy". You are proof. I am sure that you have more work then you can handle because of who you are. We all love you!!

Great result. Surprised the door latches didn't get red flagged at the first dealer visit...but not.

Thanks for sharing… I have so much respect for that dealership stepping up to the plate and owning the mistake.

Wow, you and Jake got people money refunded from a dealers misdiagnosis. Great work. The dealership, "Oh crap, Ivans on the case!"

Fantastic work! Just another example of a dealer looking out for their pocket and not the true interest of the customer!

Most dealership today are parts fitters gone are the days when there was trouble shooters.

Ivan. Congratulations. Your diagnostic skills are now broad based. They cure cars and dealership behavior as well… no parts required!!! 🤣🤷🏻‍♂️🤦🏻😎🔥🤞👍

It’s absolutely mind blowing how under trained some technicians are in this field. Is it the techs fault for not continuing their education or the employer fault for not sending out techs for additional training?. I was blessed to have worked for an independent shop where we were sent out for advance training on a consistent basis. I am so glad now however that i no longer work in this field anymore as dealing with other shops mis diagnoses used to infuriate me.

Awesome diagnosis and repair on he original complaint/issue,- the A/C. Bonus that you found the recall (that the dealership didn't explore) and kudos that she got her money back and latches replaced. - Great going..

Nice work Ivan! I love how the dealership pulled through and they respect Pine Hollow! 🇺🇸

ivan you are getting such a great reputation that dealers are afraid of you , love your approach to fixing problems

You are a good person to help that lady out. Just shows you that the dealers hire mechanics that are not confident in themselfs. some dealers should hire the mechanics according to their grades from trade schools.

Ford Dealer Quoted $1,000 to $1,200 to repair the Rear Air Conditioning, in our Monterey Van, which blew out heat only. Was told this may not fix the the problem, and may have to go into the Dash for more $$$$. Spent a Saturday taking the Rear Panels off replaced Rear Blend Motor, $38.15 from NAPA. Also the Audible Parking Aid Didn’t Work. Replaced Speaker on other side of Van Rear, it was near the Right Shoulder Belt Mount. $19.17 for a Genuine Ford part from eBay. Got Brave and Replaced the Dash Clock Lamp, Sunday Morning. $2.02 from NAPA. KZfaq was a big help on all these repairs. Took my time and made sure the inside of the Van and Plastic was hot, to keep from Cracking or Splitting the Panels.

👍👍👍👍👍You are far better than car dealers man, your videos helped me diagnostic and repair my 99 CRV, there were a couple of problems: bad ground, valves adjustment, exaust and intake, fuel injectors filter which i myself creat, by removing the good OEM filter and replace it with aftermarket that has smaller hole than the OEM, the OEM hole filter was bigger almost twice than the hole of the after market filter, i didnt pay attention when i imstalled it, first the car start but it was shaking like missfire, and after few second the computer compensate for that and the car idle almost right but the car went to LIMP mode which i lermed from you, the car dosent allow speed more than 35 mile an hour, in addition to bad, hard and delayed shifting, rough engine idling at drive, but i had no idea what going on exactelly till i learned from you what a LIMP mode, and what can cause it.

I always look forward to your diagnostics, I am amazed at your skill and logic .

I really enjoyed this video, fun to see good troubleshooting in action. Was also cool to get to meet you at the reception back in May. Looking forward to more of these videos and learning more about auto diagnostics!

thk you for operating out honesty, integrity, you make are profesion look good

Absolutely disgraceful that the dealer couldn't find this. Incompetence.

Super job Ivan! Another fix 👍and the Dealer helped! The cameras these days are so powerful. Stay safe Have a great day!

Enjoyed the ending of the customer case. Your business ethics and diagnosis processes are becoming a great benchmark & reference to my clients.

Damn, my guess was the radiator fan - I've had the scenario where the ac runs fine for a minute until the high side hits the cutoff due to the fan not cooling the condensor, glad the customer had a win!

Nice Job man. I use to get the GMs rolling in all the time p0128 temp gauge at full cold but message center says a/c off engine overheating. That's some genius engineering!

You're so professional and knowledgeable. I keep learning so much watching you diagnose. Thank you so much. It seems like these dealership parts changers just hurry through the diagnosis and if the computer doesn't tell them what part to replace they fire the parts cannon.

Just my thoughts. If the coolant temp sensor had been under reporting temp to the PCM, the car would probably be adding extra fuel until the car reaches operating temp. And with a glitchy temp sensor it would probably stay in warm up mode or whatever, adding extra fuel when not actually needed, especially at idle. That fuel trim cell data would be as we saw, at least that's the theory I'm going with. I would think that the fuel trim cells would relearn now to a more reasonable level.