Mr D's Brain Problem

Hello faithful readers and welcome to this week’s adventures from the KAM team. With more and more of you gifting us with your car gremlins we have been as busy as ever as we strive to be your number 1-car repair specialists. You can leave your comments, questions and queries on our blog at www.drkev-kam.blogspot.com and our twitter account at www.twitter.com/dr_kev
This week we received a visit from Mr D at our Long Eaton branch. He came into complain of a possible flat battery in his Jaguar X type and said he had just about managed to make it to the garage. ‘The car wouldn’t start this morning, I had to get my neighbour to jump start it for me’ said Mr D. We explained to Mr D that we offer a free pick up service but he was just eager for the problem to be fixed. Another problem followed as Mr D explained that straight after the jump start, a light had appeared on the dashboard. So we had two problems to fix and after taking Mr D’s details we sent him off in one of our courtesy cars.
The battery task was assigned to Superman Sundeep who did a battery check and the battery was in fact defective. This was simple to fix as a new battery was all that was needed. Now to the second problem, the light that had appeared had been the EML (Engine Management Light). We connected our state of the art diagnostic machines to the car and I suspected that some of the electrical components had blown out from the jump start. Modern cars should not be jump started without a serge protector as there are so many electrical components connected to the ECU (engine control unit). The ECU acts like the brain to the car and controls a lot of the car’s parameters. ‘We need to test the brain’ I told the boys. ‘Oh there is no need to talk about Steve like that’ replied Shaun laughing. We have our own unique ECU testing equipment which allows for better, faster results and keeps prices low. Sundeep undertook the testing and it was soon uncovered that the ECU was damaged. The extra surges of electricity from the jump start had blown the ECU beyond repair. The car was in ‘limp’ mode which is the emergency mode for cars just before they are about to break down. Mr D had come just in time if he had left any longer the car most certainly would have broken down and caused MR D even more inconvenience. After a call to our fantastic suppliers we were able to source a reconditioned ECU at a fraction of the price of our competitors.
Sundeep Sunny was the mystery solver this week and as he started to assemble the new ECU along came diagnostic Dan. ‘Are you sure you don’t want a second opinion?’ he questioned. ‘We are fine, you just stick to your German cars and will stick to the right diagnosis’ Sundeep replied with confidence. Is there some in- house rivalry brewing? The ECU was assembled, and the codes were reset to within the correct parameters. All that remained was to turn on the engine and hopefully witness the disappearance of the EML. We waited as Shaun turned the key ‘it’s off’ he bellowed from the car. The car was repaired and after a clean from Dynamo Dhillan was back to its previous vigour. Mr D pulled up to the garage and saw his shiny Jaguar sitting on the forecourt and a smile adorned his face. ‘Wow thanks Dr Kev’ beamed Mr D. ‘That car is my pride and joy and now it’s back to its best thanks to you’
Remember faithful reader, our team of dedicated and hard working staff at the branches in Sutton and Long Eaton, along with our bodywork shop are open ever day of the week, EXCLUDING Sunday’s, while the lads at our Sawley and Heanor workshops and Sutton car sales are at your service seven days a week, keeping your car where it belongs. ON THE ROAD.

Weather

Now we all know how bad the weather has become. What started as a nice addition to christmas and added to the spirit and all round ambience of the winter months has quickly become a nuisance. With icy roads and freezing temperatures the car gremlins are out in force attacking your cars. But never fear your dediacted KAM team is here to solve all your motoring needs and our dediacted team of specialists will work tirelessly to keep your cars on the road. The ice is no match for us here at KAM. However please be advised to drive carefully and to be safe. Our team can fix your cars but you'll need a proper Dr if you get into an accident. So be careful faithful readers and call into your nearest depot if you experience any problems with your car. Our new look website will also be running soon so visit it at www.kamservicing.com. Our twitter is aslo up and running so to find out about the day to day actions of our heroic team visit us at www.twitter.com/dr_kev.
Till next time faithful readers
Dr Kev

Mr H's Double Dillema

Hello faithful readers and welcome to another week of adventures from the KAM team. We have been very busy this week as you continue to heed the call and more and more of your cars are being restored to perfect health. We have seen a surge in sales for Maxxi’s tyres due to our competitive prices which are still much lower than our competitors. You can leave your comments, questions and queries at our twitter at www.twitter.com/dr_kev.
This week we received a visit from Mr H who came to our Heanor depot early Sunday morning. Mr H has been a loyal customer to the KAM team gifting us with all his car gremlins. As he pulled up in Renault Megane Scenic he appeared to be driving very tentatively and let out a sigh of relief as his car came to a standstill. He rushed to the reception ‘Hi Dr Kev I think I’m the latest victim of the dreaded cam belt, I keep reading about them and from that awful noise I think mine is about to break’. We took Mr H’s details and quickly dispatched him off in one of our courtesy cars so he could get back to work as car salesman.
Our first task was to take the car for a road test and this job was delegated to Big Al who heard the knocking noise Mr H complained about. Mr H’s admission of a possible cam belt fault was strange as his car was only 3 years old and had done less then 3000 miles and so this diagnosis was doubtful. After the test drive he returned with a look of confusion adorning his face. He explained to ‘His Royal Highness Raj’ how on the test drive another noise had presented itself. Now as well as the knocking sound, a squealing noise had also surfaced. We now had two mysteries to solve. Noises in a car can be quite deceptive as sound travels along the metal and so a noise that may sound like its coming from the front could actually be coming from the back.
We hoisted the car onto our ramp and the car appeared to be brand new, everything under the bonnet was in good working order and not suffering from any visible faults. The cam belt was in perfect working condition. So where was the noise coming from? After further inspection by Big Al one mystery was solved as it tuned out the squealing noise was the result of a loose power steering belt. After tightening the belt the squealing noise was gone. Now the boys were left bewildered by the remaining noise and just when I though I might have to intervene, someone piped up. I would just like to take this opportunity to introduce a new member of the KAM team ‘Beam me up Scotty’ who is our very own Japanese and French car specialist. Back to the story, while the others had been trying to figure out the location of the noise, ‘Beam me up Scotty’ had been observing the car attentively. So we gave the new boy the floor, would he be able to find the fault on his first go? - ‘If you lift out the shock absorber you’ll find it to be broken’ he said with an air of confidence. As Big Al removed the shock absorber we were all stunned as it was revealed to be broken. So are the powers of your dedicated KAM team.
Both shock absorbers were replaced as it is advised that they are replaced as a pair. Big Al seated behind the wheel, then turned the key to ignite the car, gone were the noises that had previously troubled the car and in its place was a gentle hum. Followed by the customary car wash from Dynamo Dhillan the car was ready for collection. So no dreaded cam belt this time but Mr H was delighted with the result and promised to praise us on the Good Garage Scheme. With our experienced staff of car specialists KAM aim to be your one stop shop for all your motoring needs.
Remember faithful reader, our team of dedicated and hard working staff at the branches in Sutton and Long Eaton, along with our bodywork shop are open ever day of the week, EXCLUDING Sunday’s, while the lads at our Sawley and Heanor workshops and Sutton car sales are at your service seven days a week, keeping your car where it belongs. ON THE ROAD.