My opinion is that the auction didn't want to give the customer back his money, so they made the vehicle "non-returnable" to try to get out of it.

Another trick the auction scumbags use is they cut off one leg of a fuse. Then they will reinstall the fuse with the good leg in the B+ terminal. That way when you check the fuse with a test light it appears to be good. I've learned to always remove the fuse and check for this.

Not all cars sold at auction are junk but most cars that are junk come from auctions, wise words from Eric O. 2007 and Equinox in the same sentence, a recipe for disaster.

I drove cars at an auction for 15 years. The takeaway I got All the cars are there for a reason. The dealer couldn't make money on his lot so it time to move it on to somebody else.

Very efficient, Ivan. Nailed it quickly. Obviously there was some nefarious activity afoot by the employees of auction house. There's no way the customer could have driven it away and back to them with the relay jammed in there sideways. The customer needs to bring a witness with him and video record when he returns the vehicle next time.

Yep that's an auction classic. The fuel pump relay or the starter relay. Had it happen to me more than I'd like to admit. Last one was an 06 Accord they pulled the starter relay on. And while in the auction yard someone stole the cat. Good times.

See it all of the time with the auction houses. The latest one was a Silverado we sent over to them that was running perfect. They call us and tell us it’s missing real bad so we went and got it so we could see what was going on. Turns out someone had removed the fuse for the coils on bank 1. Those places are shady as hell.

This is why I quit going to auctions, get tired of spending all your time trying to find out if a car is actually good or not and undo all the sabotage to get the chance to actually check it out.

I have always called the process of diagnosis the term of becoming a detective, a forensic detective to be more exact.

Hi Ivan, Great you were able to get it running. It does look very suspicious problems started after it was returned to the auction site. Stay safe.

A friend I have was working for a dealer and auction house in Waverly NY where we always had plenty of trouble shooting to do, wed often see cars with no problems when the rolled in suddenly need work an hour or so befor the sale,how ever we found the cars closer to the sale house never had issues as they were under guard continually and the rest were a ways away out of direct view of the guards that since has been modified with video surveillance and roveing patrols.

I do work for an auction and see that kind of stuff all the time. It's not always the people that work for the auction. Customers do it all the time to try and get the cars cheaper. I've seen many different things in me days of doing them.

James Plotkin is 100% correct. Auction people flipped the relay to get out of refunding the customers $$. Ivan, good job. PLEASE keep these coming. I am new with a scan tool, and you have been so helpful!

Great going! I'll bet the auction cars are like the tests the trade schools use to teach - they put problems in there and let the students work thru them. Of course, going behind another technician can also be a test - inadvertent problems created while troubleshooting. Been there!

would like to see follow-up from the auction to see if they took it back and how happy they were to get the car back

Quick and dirty. Good job Ivan.

"Learn by experience. Get your ass kicked." LOVE IT. So true.

Randy from auto auction rebuild said that it is common for some people to do that at the auction so you will not know if the car runs or doesn't so they can get it at a cheaper price he also said that they Rob the keys.

Auction cars are a roll of the dice no matter how they look, having said that while auction companies are legit they certainly are shady

Well, the auction house sure seems honest.

I bought a motorcycle at an auction once. I showed up the day before to check out the motorcycle. I asked can I start it up and the worker said sure. Well it cranked and wouldn't start. The worker said hmmm. It started the day before. Well anyways I came back the next day and bought the motorcycle and brought it home. I was trying to figure out why it wouldn't start and I found out why. Someone pulled two of the inner hard to see plug wires off of the plugs. I plugged them back in and problem resolved. So definitely someone tried to cut down the competition and get the price down.

that would be an 8 hour diagnostic for me, lol! gotta admit, you must be good, to go out on your own and diagnos everything from electric lifts, to different makes of cars etc...

Ivan, I like that your always up for a challenge, share your knowledge, and enjoy the effort. Your words of encouragement are extremely helpful in difficult situations. Thanks for Sharing!

A relay doesn’t get disconnected and reinsert itself another way. It’s sabotage.

Love the happy smile on start up. Been there fixing something and it actually works. Like a sign of relief.

you are so calm debugging these problem cars. incredible patience and detective work!

I just subscribed to your KZfaq channel and i must say you are extremely talented when it comes to vehicle issues. I just found an excellent channel to view whenever new video. 👍👍👍👍👍

Smart diagnostic, Ivan! Clearly looks like sabotage! Auction car - make your bets 🙂

You are my hero!!!!! The best advice you just repeated, " Just do the work and get your ass kicked and learn how to think logically and you will learn diagnostics. " You have saved me $1000.s . Thank you so much.

It's 15 years old, sat outside, probably worse was not moved as snow piled up. The snow drifts over years starts it, maybe sat in moist shady area and it becomes a year-round issue.

As a person who works at an auction yard. We do not guarantee running cars. we can say it ran when we received a vehicle or started but it could just mean it ran when it got to us on top of that sitting from days to months to maybe even a year. Components break, that includes sensors, alternators, battery draining, or have no fluids since some of these are wrecked and it could’ve leaked the way to the yard.

How did he not notice that bomb underneath when he bought it... It seems like it's been run on salted roads then sat on grass... FYI, great vid, i've been getting serious about learning mechanic work last year, people are starting to give me props, I just dont' feal confident, there's SO much I don't know and it just over whelms me... keep it simple, be humble and learn seems what I come up with. I just want that moment where I feal like I know what I'm doing, lol.. great vid and thanks for the boost

I've been missing most of your videos because youtube stopped recommending them so I had to straight up search for your channel.

I like that high amp test light idea, to avoid blowing more fuses.

Would like to know how the conversation went between the guy who took it back and the auction house.

I could have stood there for a fortnight and not found that relay was round the wrong way - Good job

love it, I used to comission machines and the first question is has it ever worked ? in this case no, so you are looking at a whole new vista of possible issues, in this case sabotage but usually just assembly issues, missing parts,missing components or wiring the list goes on and on , real first principals stuff is it wired up? is it plugged in ? why is that there .. superb video that issue would have foxed most " techs" and those familiar with the vehicle type would be the worst at actually diagnosing it,. bravo

Let me tell you what I've been playing around with this 08 equinox throughout the entire internet you had the most helpful video thank you

Ivan man love your videos. Learn something new almost every time I watch them. I am a truck driver who enjoy working on my own cars at home on my free time and watch videos of knowledgeable technicians like you. Don’t know if you know Dan from Diagnose Dan KZfaq channel, the reason I mention him is because he is also a auto technician but in Europe and he did a short impression of you! Found it funny but nothing like you. Alright man keep doing your videos love them!!

Nice work, but what blew the fuse, and why was the relay installed incorrectly? That didn't happen in a GM factory. And there's no way the mileage is reported correctly. That truck smells fishy.

That was one heck of a bonus! Perhaps it was more sabotage?

Crazy that a relay fits 90 degrees rotated.

I worked as a temp as a driver for an auction years ago and busted a couple of guys who worked for a dealership who were tampering with cars at the auction. They tossed a gadget into some bushes. After they left, I took the gadget to an official to show it to them and told them who had it. They ended up banning those guys.

I smell something and it’s not just leaking gas lol nice job as always

Fun video, Ivan! And good advice that you gave us. Don't watch vids all day. Go and do a hands-on diag on your own. God bless! And keep your vids coming!

I think Eric O said it.... Not all the cars at the auction are bad, but all the bad cars are at the auction.

Well done Ivan! Something is definitely fishy with that relay.

Great job Ivan. Your skills and confidence are amazing! Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I always enjoy your videos. Well made. God bless you!

My wife’s 2006 Pontiac Torrent just had the fuel lines replaced because of leaking. Exactly the same spot the plastic clamp at the centre post of the vehicle. She has just over a hundred and ten thousand miles on hers.👍🇨🇦

Good straight forward diagnostics. Is there any chance you could review some of the lower priced scanners? Say the 200 to 300 bucks ones?

I think someone may have intentionally blown that fuse and replaced both small relays 90 degrees off.

Can't believe I'm watching this when I do it for a living. I like that scan tool, seems nicer than my Solus Pro.

Ivan you need a hat you sell that says Ivan’s Brain. Maybe some will rub off on us🤣🤣🙀

Since I am a Genius and you are a decent amateur ;) I do have one suggestion, request or plea, when you have bonus coverage, please mention it early in your video. I was watching your Volvo vid ( simply because I used to love Volvo prior to the Ford goal of trashing the vehicles to make cash off the name) and almost missed the bonus coverage and it made me realize I may have missed bonus coverage in the past. As much as I love your vids, the bonus coverage is like getting a surprise present I was not expecting.

Love the words of wisdom. 16 years into this industry.

Only thing more dishonest then a car dealer is a car auction house. To those that don't understand what happened. Used car dealer bought the car without being able to inspect it first (Most auctions they roll through and get sold as is) and this one was presented as inspection passable and running. Dealer gets the car and finds the subframe is rotted out which means it won't pass inspection there. So they take it back for a buy back. Auction house then tampered with the car to make it non-running so they could buy it back for less and still make money. That is just the tip of the iceberg. Lots of buyers when you can get hands on with the car do things like cutting the leg off a fuse, making connectors look connected but loose etc. So they can buy the car for less.

Wouldn't a test rig set up with circuit breakers be more efficient? You could just use two wires out of a box and use a selector knob to dial in the breaker that you want to use and see if it trips.

You get a glimpse of everything that is wrong with auto, even heavy equipment, auctions just going to them. If you are very early to the auction inspection days, then right before the auction you will see the difference on under and unguarded lots. People pull out good and put in blown fuses/relays, carry in Gatorade(s) bottles with Dexcool, Blue, and Green coolant to spill under vehicles to make it seem like there is a coolant problem, when you are out testing days before people leave the key on run to kill the battery to make it seem like it has an electrical issue, to the standard unplug sensors to make something work less than well to deter other buyers.

My father spent 3 years building a ground up custom car. After many years of enjoyment, he decided to take it to the wholesale auction. Misteriously, once there, it began having electrical issues, then when it was running through the lane caught fire and burned to the ground. Luckily a pusher truck got it out of the building but all Dad's work was destroyed.

'Nefarious' activity - When someone uses a 4 syllable word like 'nefarious' in the comments then you know it's serious [serious being a 3 syllable word]. Great video.

Lesson learned is that you definitely should check the car for issues before bidding. I wonder if the fuel line also was tampered with, maybe they did tamper with that too in the hope that the car should catch fire if it got running again.

Cleetus Mcfarland got burned by Copart recently. He bought a newer wrecked Porsche 911 Turbo S from them, and the site stated that it ran and drove. They didn't find out until after they had picked it up that the engine had split in half.

I bet the auction is not gona be happy that you got it running! Also sounds like they purposely sabotage it!

A man an his tool and pen & paper, new and old world.

Would never ever buy a car from an auction, a lot of cars there have hidden histories. The mileage alone on this car is very questionable. Also why didn't the buyer peek under the vehicle, the rot was pretty obvious especially to someone already in the trade. My motto in life, if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is, I apply this to cars, houses, vaccines, lol. Served me well.

I bought a '88 LSC at an auction. When I picked it up the premium sound package was missing. Paid $1000 for it. Ran fine after I replaced the air bag system with Mustang springs. Then found out it had no overdrive. Then the break system went belly up 2 years later. Bad news could not get a mechanic to replace that system with a Mustang-R brake system. Guess that stabil it track and ABS is mandatory every where except the race track. All were afraid of the .gov inspectors. Since when are reliable brakes not much better than maybe brakes? I think that most just wanted me to sell them the old no rust collector Lincoln. Maybe to make a homemade 4 banger conversion '88 Mustang GT. Then sell that to somebody that does not know what to look for in the chassis and VIN? Yes the drive train and brakes for a LSC is the same as a automatic GT. With one difference. Vacuum boost instead hydraulic boost will fail often brakes. Yes If you don't have your own shop. Your own tools. Do not do it. Anything made after 2000 is a mandated mess of engineering. Lease new and let somebody else live with the post warranty problems. My nephew leased a 94 LSC. He said the best thing the dealer talked him into was leasing it. He bought a 84 Impala and rebuilt it. 90 days before the lease was up. He drove a rental until the Impala was done. He did not have to drive the Lincoln to the dealer. It was still there 'waiting for parts.' I have a Trax and it also is not going to make it to 100,000 miles. Oil changes at 50%, fluid flushes and maintenance at much less than recommended intervals can't make up for piss poor engineering.

the problem is it's a equinox full stop..called holden captiva "craptiva" over here in Au..

Your amazing Ivan ! just like Eric "O" ,scanner Paul danner and many other greats within automotive & diagnostics . Your talents and advice to others is top shelf ! . Not a video of yours that isn't step by step and many times it's outside the box to solve the problems .I agree if your not hands on and learning by investigating each component and system along the way to get resolve your just not involved enough to fix the problem(s). 👍👍👍👍👍

This car has 35,000 miles on it and it is a rot box already? The ol' Marquis has 435,000 miles and I have driven it in every winter I have had it and it is still completely rust-free. Great video!

Could it be someone tampered with the relay to stop the pump and ergo stop the leak without any visible signs?

holy cow the bottom of that thing is no joke rotted... LMAO... when you showed the leak at the end... it does not surprise me its leaking when it looks like that under there...

Hey Ivan I had a weird auction car the other day, 2016 mustang, everything worked on the car except the battery charge light was on the dash, but the alternator was charging, and randomly the car wouldn’t crank, battery was good and even with a jump box it would sound like you have a dead battery, several starter clicks and then that’s it. Was chasing my tail all over the place looking for bad grounds and whatnot. Finally got to a point of checking powers and grounds to the pcm, I was missing 2 powers at the pcm. Come to find out inside the fuse box it had pcm batt 1 and pcm batt 2 and one of those fuses was just missing from the fuse box. Very weird problem that it was missing 2 pcm power circuits and the only thing not working was the 2 problems I described, it was definitely a head scratcher for sure. With the symptoms it was having I can guarantee some other shops out there would have thrown an alternator and starter at it lol

Looks like Auction company doesn't want to honor arbitration, was it listed as FRONT LINE READY! haha, seen this many times, other issues are lot porters hooking up jumpers backwards too .

This seems so short and quick. It's like it was beneath your technical abilities Ivan. I'm glad you share even these simple fixes but wow you're right, it's a "rot box" with so little use and already crumbling.

Your smiling face tell at end is priceless

A great job I wonder if somebody did screw around with that vehicle cuz if the other customer stated they drove it today was able to drive it with that much fuel being leaked out wouldn't it run lean very interesting thank you

Always go with the customer's speculative diagnosis based solely on what the guy on the bar stool next to him said it could be and don't perform any further troubleshooting procedures. The customer is always right.

Another Ivan Awesome.... A bad fuse and a relay 90 degrees out of orientation.... Now they will take it back for an auction refund....

I used to know a retired technician who headed up the arbitration shop at the Manheim Auto Auction in Manheim PA before it became a world conglomerate. He used to tell me stories of what nefarious buyers would do to disable vehicles so they would be sent to arbitration to negotiate a lower price. Used to be a trick with distributor ignition to take a pencil and create carbon tracks on coil and cap towers, removing fuses, stuff like that.

Good thing the pins weren't making good contact because I speculate that would have fried the ECM if the transistor got backfed power from the load side if the driver activates inside the ECM.

Dishonesty is not ever going to change. It's only increasing.

Running when delivered. Tell the owner to take a gopro next time to record the day/date/time and also show him pulling into the parking lot of the auction to return the vehicle. A call on speaker to the auction with the car running while the gopro is recoding wouldn't hurt either

From my experience when doing Prescans of reman transmission before programing them they pull the old VIN from the reman transmission before they are programmed. I'm assuming they are auto ID by VIN in transmission. GM Techline Connect pulled the VIN to the vehicle from the ECM Odd but happens on everyone with a reman

It is amazing all the different issues and problems you run across and solve. You are the man, Ivan!

Sounds like the auction house needs the old hammer tune-up special on each nail, all 20 of them. Depending on who all is involved, might need several tune-ups.

Yay, a victory for the good guys.

What happened to an honest "We're sorry but the fuel line blew, so for safety, we disabled the fuel pump at the relay and we disabled crank by blowing the TCM fuse." What a bunch of crooks at that auction house.

I purchase a one owner 51k on the odometer from a used car lot in Southern California. This was back in 2020 and the interior of the car was excellent however the exterior needed a complete detailing. The car sat on the lot for six months prior to my purchase. The asking price when the dealer purchased the car from auction was $13995. I got it for $9995 with a three year extended warranty. I did some research on the vehicle prior to purchase using the VIN and found out it sold for $7750 at auction. The dealer still made a profit not 40% but a profit still. I'm telling you this because the used car market is ready to take a nose dive and used car dealers will be forced to lower their asking price. Do your homework prior to purchase and you may get a diamond in the ruff.

transmission control module tcm that makes sense if the ecu cant detect that the car is in park (it looks like the tcm reads the shifter then tells the ecu that the car is in park and allows it to start). a chevy equinox is not a very valuable car it isnt like a 1956 and 75 chevy bel air so i doubt anyone would want to sabotage it unless it was the original owner trying to get it back. it is possible for the short crank to be a problem with the ignition switch i think 2007 was within the range of the gm ignition switch scandal. relays should be keyed to go in only one way.

My favorite car I bought was parked with all the wheels standing up and pointing straight. It took shifting into Drive for the front wheels to turn into different directions and the front of the car to dip. It was so cartoonish.

11:50 Most important part of the video "The only way to learn is to practice" and "Learn by experience" Something the "NO Fail" generation will never figure out.

Dang. That was interesting. Sometimes, my mom's car, which is a 2005 Chevy Equinox, does the long crank/no start, and has to cycle through a few times before it will finally start.

the sketchiest things ive ever seen surround car auction. In all my years ive come across all kinds of weird situations. Ive come across cars at auction that had no history behind them at all. One car was claimed to be a stolen recovery being sold but coincidentally there was a missing persons case in the area and they said to keep a lookout for that exact vehicle. I called the local PD to give a tip that they had a car like that in the auction yard and they just said thanks and hung up without asking for any further details. didnt ask for an address or my name

Everyone's assuming the fuel pump relay was rotated for a nefarious reason but I don't see sufficient motive. It seems far, far more probable that the dealer drove the vehicle back to the auction house and the car was pissing fuel so the auction house pulled the fuel pump relay to cut the fuel, put a mat under it and mistakenly reinstalled it sideways. The guy at the auction house made a mistake and didn't even know it.

In N. Irelands copart I purchased a 2012 SLK with 30k miles, with an engine fault. When I got the car home I checked the fuses and sure enough the fuel pump fuse was missing, I replaced the fuse and away it went with no other problems. The SLK delivered to my house was less than half book value, bargain....

Equinox is the rhythmic sound the engine makes after the warranty expires.

A good way to make sure something doesn’t happen like that again is to make them start the car in front of you when bringing it back.

Love your hard work Ivan, keep putting out this great content please!

This the 1st video of urs that was reccomended to me vy the algorithm and tbh love it, i like to see diag videos pretty dope

Wow!! That fuel leak at the end was a surprise! Sucks it's such low mileage and rotted as bad as it is