Since I am one of the oldest employees here, it goes
without saying that I should be wiser as well. That is another blog all
together..lol I have purchased a 68 Mustang coupe to restore with my 13 year
old son Dustin. I took him over to look at the car and he opened the hood and
gasped for air because it ALL looked so complicated. The ALL that intimidated
him was a simple little 6-cylinder engine with the three elements that are
required to produce combustion. A source of fuel, which was a 1-barrel carburetor,
a source of heat, which happened to be the very dated, point type distributor
and of course the oxygen that is compressed inside the tiny little worn out
cylinders. They all happen at a precise time and BOOM you get the result of an
explosion, which we know as “horsepower”. He thought all that “stuff” was
complicated and didn’t know if we could make it run. My father-in-law and me
started laughing hysterically!! We started to give him the old “you don’t know
what complicated is” speech. “These new computerized cars don’t let you do
anything with them and you need special tools too”. We explained that the old
cars were so easy to troubleshoot and that we could make ANY old car run with
just basic tools. We did a quick 5 minute demonstration of how to make sure the
elements of the fire triangle were there…and then turned the key and old
Mustang roared to life…well maybe not roared….by none the less it came to life
with bad smelling gas and all. Dustin was in total “aw”. My father-in-law and
myself went in the house for a well deserved large drink to match our large egos due to our
superior explanation as well as the expert demonstration that we just put on
for Dustin. Did I mention he was in "AW?" lol My son came inside and sits down and asked the question that made
me choke on my drink. “If the computers in the cars are like the ones in the
house, don’t they give you codes, errors and messages to tell you what is wrong
with it?” I said “Sure…I guess”. He cocked his head to the side and asked “Well…then isn’t that easier to do than to
check all that other stuff on the old cars? Can’t you get a code book that tells you what the code means and how to fix it?”. After a long pause because he
had just shattered my accomplishments for the last hour…I sent him to his room.
Lol
My point in this
story is that you can’t and shouldn’t be intimidated by the new cars and the
computers that they have. They DO help you with gauges, warning lights and
warning symbols. You can plug in a decoder and it will help you to diagnose
your problem, which can save you money because you didn’t have to pay the
mechanic to use HIS decoder. You can find what part or sensors has failed and
then go to the auto part store (or order from us) and possibly install it
yourself. If you can’t install the part, at least you did most of the work
yourself and only have to pay the mechanic for installation time!
The programmers
that we sell do the same thing as a decoder and also turn off the O2 sensors,
disable the traction control, and adjust the speedometer for those great set of
rims and tires that you can get from us. You can enhance the performance or gas
mileage with a small understanding of how the computer works. My personal
favorite is the “prom night mode” LOL This is a function that I will use when
Dustin drives my Mach 1 to impress his prom date. You are able to limit the RPM
and/or the MPH that the car can go. I sense that his “cool meter” will not be
pegged out that night..he he he (EVIL LAUGH)! This is a great option to use if you
loan your car out or it is in the shop and does not need to travel over the
speed limit to perform the test drive. When you see the prices of the programmers or tuners and think they are expensive, just remember the money you can save when all you have to do is take the part into the mechanic and have him install it. Also remember that if you have just started doing upgrades to the vehicle, the programmer will "grow" with you and you are able to make the adjustments as you add new parts. And for me.....I will sleep like a baby on prom night.......