Officer D's Range Rover comes under attack

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. You can leave your comments, questions and queries at www.twitter.com/dr_kev.
This week I would just like to say that I like many others have been glued to my screen when “Coppers’ is on. The documentary follows Nottingham’s finest and it has been a real treat to see the inner workings of the police and the men and women behind the force. I have really enjoyed the insight into the various areas of the police and it was great spotting familiar places around Nottingham. It is great to see men and women so dedicated to what they are doing and it reminds me of the hard work the KAM team have put in over the years to become a garage people can rely on and trust in. Now, granted we are not the police but we are committed to keeping the streets safe, from faulty cars. This brings me nicely to this week’s mystery in which we were visited by one of the boys in blue, Mr D, who arrived at our Heanor depot one morning, in need of help.
“Kev I can’t believe this, I am just so frustrated with this car now. It has caused me nothing but problems and I have been informed by my colleagues that you are the best in the area.” Mr D was a new customer here at KAM and was skeptical about garages having previously had bad experiences. “Kev a lot of people don’t know I am a police officer and I’ve found that some just want to take you for a ride, no pun intended. The last garage I went to wanted me to pay lots of money for the repairs and they didn’t even fix my car.” Mr D was very angry and had taken steps to ensure that the garage would not providing an inadequate services to future customers. “I have been told that, that won’t happen here so I am trusting you to fix my car.”
The car in question was a Range Rover Sport and the problem was that the dashboard was illuminated with a plethora of lights, which had appeared recently.
“I hope you can find the problem and I can finally have a fault free car.” Joked Mr D.
We took all of Mr D’s details and then dispatched him of in one of our courtesy cars so that he could get back to keeping the streets safe from criminals. I then looked around the workshop to see who this week’s mystery solver would be. “I’ll take it Kev.” When I turned around Tasmanian was already shoulders deep into the bonnet and had already started the preliminary observations to see if there were any visible faults. “I think I will have to go old school on this one. It’s time to break out the volt meters.” Trev suspected the problem lay within the alternator and so he would test the voltage out of the alternator. After a short while of testing the infamous words rang out “I’ve got it Kev.” It so transpired that the alternator was faulty and that this was preventing the right amount of charge from reaching the battery. This had also sent the parameters of the ECU (engine control unit) off base and so this had been the cause of the many lights appearing on the dashboard. After a quick call to our fantastic suppliers the new part arrived and Trev used military precision to install the new alternator. Then because the ECU was faulty the fault codes would need to be taken out and thanks to our state of the art machines this was easily done by Trev. Trev then tested the car; the key went into the ignition and all the boys waited…. A roar resonated from the car and Trev echoed the infamous word “this car is back on the fast track.”
Later Mr D arrived at the garage and was very happy to see his car roar back to life when he ignited the engine. “Wow Kev I guess there are some honest reliable garages left. I think this calls for a round of donuts.”
Remember faithful reader, our team of dedicated and hard working staff at the branches in Sutton, Long Eaton, Bullwell and Belper along with our bodywork shop are open every day of the week, EXCLUDING Sunday’s, while the lads at our Sawley and Heanor workshops are at your service seven days a week, keeping your car where it belongs. ON THE ROAD.
So until next week faithful reader, drive safely and keep it shiny side up.
Dr.Kev.

Miss C's Cat-Astra-phe

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. You can leave your comments, questions and queries at www.twitter.com/dr_kev
I would just like to pay my respects to Nigel Doughty, he was a great leader of Nottingham Forest and his family is in our prayers. As a long time Nottingham Forest supporter and having met the great man himself, I am very sad to hear the news and send my condolences to all the people he touched.
This week we received a visit from Miss C, who was a new customer here at KAM and she was in a way after hearing about us from a neighbour. But Miss C was not on her way in the traditional form as her car was currently out of service and she was at that very moment, in the tow truck in need of a quick rescue. “Kev the recovery service were really helpful in picking me up fast but now I need my car fixed. I need to get back to school.” It so transpired that Miss C was a teacher had found her car in a state this morning and was too scared to drive it. “Kev I don’t know what happened. I went out to my car this morning and there was a horrible noise resonating from the car.” Miss C had been so startled by the noise that she then called up the AA who were on their way to our Tamworth Road depot. A short while later the AA turned up onto our forecourt in their own ‘twuck wid da fwashin lights’ and Miss C’s Vauxhall Astra was lagging behind. While the car was unloaded Miss C entered our warm KAM offices and we greeted her with a hot coffee to ward off the icy weather outside.
“Miss C then regaled us with the details of her car and was in some what of a hurry to get her car back in working order. “Kev with it being Valentines Day tomorrow, I was hoping to have my car. I have organized a very romantic day for my boyfriend tomorrow and I am so upset that this has happened at totally the wrong time. Miss C was upset and needed the KAM team’s help. Moreover as she was a teacher she was currently missing work because of her car. “Kev this car is just causing me too many inconveniences please say you can help.” Miss C was desperate and we wanted to make her Valentine’s Day a special one so we got straight to work. Here at KAM we are quite the romantics and we wanted to ensure that Miss C’s plans for the big day were not ruined. We took all of Miss C’s details and dispatched her off in one of our courtesy cars so that she could get to work. Diagnostic Dan was this week’s mystery solver and he was straight to work perusing the AA report. “Mmmm well they seem to think it is a burst water pump. We will have to do our own diagnostic tests to determine the cause.” He got to work first undertaking some preliminary observations to see if there were any visible faults within the car. Unfortunately it would not be that easy and so Dan would need to dig a little deeper. He then undertook a pressure test, to check the rest of the car. After some rigorous testing the results were ready and the fault became clear. The pressure test showed that there was water leaking from the cam belt covers and so he would need to take them off to discover where the fault lay. He took the cam belt covers off with all the skill and precision that you can expect from our KAM engineers. It was not long till the infamous words rang “I’ve got it Kev.” It so transpired that the water pump was in fact collapsed and this had been the reason for the worrying noises and the water leaking. We called up our fantastic suppliers and they arrived promptly. Dan then replaced the cam belt and tensioner kit as well as the water pump due to slight damage and anti-freeze contamination to the belt as you can’t be too careful. The pressures were returned to normal and we also topped up all the levels in the engine bay and checked the tyre pressures.
We did our road test and the car roared back to life with no sign of the previous noises. Miss C arrived later and was ecstatic to have her car back to its previous vigour. “Wow Kev, thanks so much. You are my very own St Valentines.
Remember faithful reader, our team of dedicated and hard working staff at the branches in Sutton, Long Eaton, Bullwell and Belper along with our bodywork shop are open every day of the week, EXCLUDING Sunday’s, while the lads at our Sawley and Heanor workshops are at your service seven days a week, keeping your car where it belongs. ON THE ROAD.
So until next week faithful reader, drive safely and keep it shiny side up.
Dr.Kev.

Mr J's Primera Perplexity

This week we received a visit from Mr J, a new customer to KAM, who was in dire need of the KAM teams help. It was a bright and brisk Monday morning and the KAM boys were hard at work. Tasmanian Trev was getting started on his first mystery of the day and the rest of the boys were rooting through their toolboxes, looking for the right tools to effectively beat those pesky gremlins. We have been very busy over the winter period as more and more customers take advantage of our free winter check. If your car becomes victim to the weather the effects can be detrimental and very costly. So come down to KAM and we will check your brakes, tyre pressures, anti freeze, lights and levels to ensure that your car is ready to take on all conditions.
On this particular morning Mr J called into our Bulwell depot and was in quite a panicked state. “Oh Kev, please say you can help me. I don’t know what else to do. Everyone is staring and I just can’t believe this has happened here.” Mr J sounded hysterical and I was eager to hear what predicament had got him in such a twist. “Kev my Nissan Primera has just stopped right here in the middle of the petrol station. Please say you can help.” Mr J had been filling up and had gone to restart the car and was met with a heavy silence as the car had failed to start. Now he was stuck at the petrol station with a broken down car and he needed the KAM team’s help. Tasmanian Trev was first to load up the ‘twuck wid da fwashin lights’ and sped away to rescue Mr J from his petrol station jam. He also went with a courtesy car in tow so that Mr J could get on with his day with no further embarrassment or inconvenience.
Trev arrived back at the garage a short while later. I looked around the workshop and everyone appeared to be busy. There were bodies under cars and heads under bonnets as the boys worked hard on their cars. I did wonder if this would be my chance to dust off my old diagnostic gloves and get stuck into our newest mystery. I was just about to get stuck in when I heard the infamous words “This car is back on the fast track. What’s next?” It was the voice of Benjamin Button and he was ready for his next mechanical mission. He got straight to work and hoisted the car up onto the ramp so the mystery solving could commence. Armed with his gauges and diagnostic machine, Ben got to work and awaited the results. After a short while the infamous words rang out “I’ve got it Kev. I can’t believe it was that easy actually.” It so transpired that the starter motor had shorted out and was the reason for the car’s stagnant position. We called up our fantastic suppliers and the part arrived promptly and Ben fitted it with military style precision. It then came time for the moment of truth and Ben turned the key in the ignition. The boys waited with bated breath as the key was turned and… a gentle purring erupted from the engine. “That’s another one back on the fast track Kev, I wish they were all that easy”
Mr J arrived later and was elated to see his car back in such great condition. “Wow Thanks Kev, as a first time customer it’s so great to see you take care of all your customers with such great care and attention.”
Remember faithful reader, our team of dedicated and hard working staff at the branches in Sutton, Long Eaton, Bulwell and Belper along with our bodywork shop are open every day of the week, EXCLUDING Sunday’s, while the lads at our Sawley and Heanor workshops are at your service seven days a week, keeping your car where it belongs. ON THE ROAD.

So until next week faithful reader, drive safely and keep it shiny side up.

Dr.Kev

Mr G's Combo Calamity

This week we received a visit from Mr G, who was irate at the state of his van. “Kev, I can’t believe this has happened again. Just when I thought I had it sorted, it goes and happens again. It really could not have come on a worse day.” It was a busy Sunday morning at Heanor and the boys were hard at work, discovering and diminishing those pesky gremlins. Mr G had called up because he was in quite a pickle and he needed the KAM team‘s help. It so transpired that Mr G had gone to start his van in the morning and had discovered that the battery was dead and that the van was in a stagnant position. He was a builder and used the van for his profession. Now his vehicle was not in working condition and he had been forced to call out a recovery service to help him. “My Vauxhall Combo van just stopped working and now I’m on my way to your garage. Please say you can fit me in today, I really need your help.” Mr G was a new customer here at KAM and needed the van back for Monday as he had lots of worked scheduled and could not let his customers down. “Kev, I am a self -employed man and as you know every job helps in this economic climate. I need to go to work and make sure that I don’t let my customers down.” We could understand Mr G’s predicament and we were determined to get his car healthy so that he would not miss out. We told him to come down in the recovery truck and a short while later he arrived with his lifeless van in tow. He walked into the reception and a sigh of relief overcame him. “Thanks for seeing me Kev. I really appreciate it. Plus I can make your job a little easier because I already know what he problem is.” This was interesting, of all the customers that have come through the KAM doors, and none have come with their own diagnosis. We are always cautious of customers who have their own theories but we were willing to hear Mr G out. “Well the recovery place told me it was the alternator. They were unable to fix it but I have heard all good things about you and the garage. This must be the easiest mystery you have had to not solve. Hey Kev?” We were happy that Mr G was in a better mood but we would need to carry out our own stringent tests to determine the problem.
Diagnostic Dan took this week’s challenge and got to work testing the van. He plugged the car into our state of the art diagnostic machines and awaited the results. After a short while, he entered the reception and was slightly confused. “Kev, the battery was fine. The charge is okay and there is no fault in the alternator.” Mr G’s assumption was incorrect and so we would need to keep testing to find the real problem. It was next onto the fuse box, the feed and the electrical signal would need to be tested and so Dan stripped back the fuse box. He was armed with his multimeters and after about 20 minutes the infamous words rang out. “I’ve got it Kev.” It so transpired that a few months earlier Mr G had installed a work bench, with high intensity light bulbs, in the back of the van. What Mr G had not realised was that the lights in the back had been staying on and draining the battery. He had not seen the lights on due to the partition blocking the cabin from the rest of the car. Dan then fixed the switch to the lights, so that there would be no more drain on the battery. The battery had been recharged while the repairs were being carried out so once the switch was fixed and the moment of truth came. Dan re-checked all the feeds and drains to the work-lights and as expected there was no longer any drain. Mr G took the van home and was very happy with the service. He called back on Monday morning to thank the KAM team. “Thanks so much Kev, my van has never started so well and I was able to make all my appointment. I have definitely learnt to leave the hard work to the professionals.”
Remember faithful reader, our team of dedicated and hardworking staff at the branches in Sutton, Long Eaton, Bulwell and Belper along with our bodywork shop are open every day of the week, EXCLUDING Sunday’s, while the lads at our Sawley and Heanor workshops are at your service seven days a week, keeping your car where it belongs. ON THE ROAD.

Mr F's Floundering Fiat

This week we received a call from Mr F, who was a new customer here at KAM. It was a busy day at KAM and we were filled to the rafters with your gremlin filled cars. Mr F was quite angry as his car was not in the best condition and he was now fed up and needed our help. “Kev you have to help. I cannot take this anymore, it just keeps getting worse and now I’ve come to the end of the line.” This was very worrying and we sympathized with Mr F, who was experiencing awful problems with his car. We know how much of an inconvenience not having a working car can be, and so we were determined to help him out. “My Fiat Punto has been experiencing some awful problems. It keeps cutting out intermittently, it keeps jerking forwards and now the EML light has come on.” This did not sound good and now Mr F was late for work and so needed us to rescue him. We immediately dispatched Tasmanian Trev off in our ‘twuck wid da fwashin lights’ and after a short while he returned with the Punto and Mr F in tow. Mr F looked sad in the passenger seat and as soon as he entered the Belper offices he was greeted with a warm cup of coffee. “Thanks for seeing me today Kev. I heard that you do whatever it takes to get the job done and I need help.” Mr F had been to previous garages with the same problems, but to no avail. He had been lumbered with large bills and his car was still in the same position. “I cannot take any more rogue traders and I just want this horrible problem fixed with no unnecessary costs. I’m trusting you Kev, please say you can help.” We assured Mr F that we would get the problem fixed in no time and that we would only undertake the necessary work. We then dispatched Mr F off in one of our courtesy cars and promised to keep him up to date on all the car’s developments.
Benjamin Button was chosen as this week’s mystery solver and got to work straight away by hoisting the car up onto the ramp. He looked around the car for any visible faults but his search came up fruitless. “The EML light is on so I’m going to check the engine control unit (ECU) and see what happens.” So Ben hooked the car up to one of our state of the art diagnostic machines and awaited the results. The ECU is the brain of the car and so a fault that lay here could very well be the reason for the car suffering from cut outs and jerking. After a short while the results were in and the infamous words rang through the workshop “I’ve got it Kev.” It so transpired that there was a misfire on the 2nd and 4th cylinders and this had been the reason for the problems. Thankfully the problems had not been too bad and if they had persisted much longer, it could have been much worse. We called our fantastic suppliers and they arrived promptly with a new ignition coil pack and a new set of spark plugs, which Ben fitted. It was then the moment of truth and Ben turned the key in the ignition and a gentle purr resonated from car. “The light is gone and this car is back on the fast track”. So when Mr F arrived he couldn’t believe we had managed to find and fix it quite so easily, but was very happy that we had, paid his bill & drove off into the sunset.
Mr F returned a few days later, having had a few days to drive around and enjoy his car’s new vitality. “Kev, it has never driven so well. I am so happy that I can trust in the KAM team. You really are the one stop shop for all motoring needs.”
Remember faithful reader, our team of dedicated and hard working staff at the branches in Sutton, Long Eaton, Bullwell and Belper along with our bodywork shop are open every day of the week, EXCLUDING Sunday’s, while the lads at our Sawley and Heanor workshops are at your service seven days a week, keeping your car where it belongs. ON THE ROAD.
So until next week faithful reader, drive safely and keep it shiny side up.
Dr.Kev.

Mr K's Vauxhall Vex

This week it was our Bulwell depot that was the site of heroics and gremlin slaying. It was a busy morning at KAM and the boys were hoisting up the cars onto the ramps to start the diagnosis process. Our power heaters were warming up the workshop and we awaited our next mystery. Just then we received a call from Mr K, an existing customer here at KAM and he was far from happy. “Kev I can’t believe this. I just got it recently and now this happened. What is going on?” Mr K seemed quite upset and he was in need of his trusted KAM team. When I inquired further I was met with an abrupt answer. “I’m stuck Kev.” After some further probing Mr K revealed that he had recently bought a new car, a Vauxhall Zafira, and everything had been going swimmingly. That was until today when he had returned to his car from the supermarket and had found his car to be lifeless. “I am just sat here in the car park and the car won’t start. Please help me Kev.” Mr K was one of our loyal customers and so we immediately loaded up the ‘twuck wid da fwashin lights’ to rescue him. A little while later he returned to the garage and was eager for his car to be fixed. “Kev I have always relied on you in the past and so I am hoping you can offer me the same great service as usual.” We assured Mr K that we would carry out the necessary procedures and that we would find the problem and fix it. He explained that he had bought the car four months ago and that it had been the best car he had ever driven. “But now this has happened and I have absolutely no clue as to why.” We took all of Mr K’s details and then he was dispatched in one of our courtesy cars.
Dan was this week’s mystery solver and was quick to get to work. One of his first tasks was to check the fuel and so he took apart the fuel filter. Now in this car there are two fuel pumps, one is in the fuel tank and is a low-pressure pump and the other is a high-pressure fuel pump, which is connected to the cam belt. After undertaking some primary observations Dan found that there was no fuel coming up to the injectors. Not only that but the fuel inside the fuel filter had some unidentified grit or sandy material in it and had effectively become blocked. “This isn’t making any sense Kev.” Said Dan confused. This would not be a straightforward case and we would need to have a closer examination of the fuel. Dan removed the fuel tank and proceeded to drain the fuel out of it. This was a fairly long process but there lying there in the fuel tank was the answer. “I’ve got it Kev.” It so transpired that there was sand in the fuel tank. The fuel cap had been tampered with and it appeared that someone, perhaps as a harmless prank, had indeed inserted a large amount of sand into the fuel tank. On this occasion it had not caused too much trouble within the car but it could have been much worse.
After a call to our fantastic suppliers the parts arrived and after cleaning out the diesel tank, the low-pressure fuel pump was replaced, the fuel lines were cleaned and we changed the fuel filter. Once the fuel system had been primed and the air bled from the system we then awaited as Dan turned the ignition key and… the car jolted back to life with a gentle purr. “We did it Kev. This car is back on the fast track.”
Mr K arrived later and was ecstatic to have his car fixed and back to its previous vigor. “Wow thanks Kev, I knew I could rely on the KAM team. I guess it’s always better to stick to what you know.”
Remember faithful reader, our team of dedicated and hard working staff at the branches in Sutton, Long Eaton, Bullwell and Belper along with our bodywork shop are open every day of the week, EXCLUDING Sunday’s, while the lads at our Sawley and Heanor workshops are at your service seven days a week, keeping your car where it belongs. ON THE ROAD.
So until next week faithful reader, drive safely and keep it shiny side up.
Dr.Kev.