Mr F's Frightening Focus- From Horwich to Holland

Hello faithful readers it has been another busy week at KAM as the winter chill begins to set its gremlins on to your cars. This winter make sure to come down to KAM so that we can keep you and your car safe. Our talented technicians can take on any faults that may besiege your car and so don’t let a fault stop all the Christmas shopping and festivities to come.

 

 

   Here at KAM we know how easy it can be to get carried away with the upcoming Christmas preparations and so we are here to help. At KAM we are now offering a FREE 10 point winter safety check including a free screen wash top up. According to the RAC you are 50% more likely to break down at home during the winter. So let the KAM team keep you safe. Don't get caught out this winter!!   

 

This week was quite the eventful week at KAM and it was at our Long Eaton depot that we received a call from Mr F. This was no ordinary call as it was on the eve of Mr F’s departure from England and he needed his car so that he could travel back to his native Holland. “You have to help me Kev, my car has broken down and I am supposed to be on a ferry tomorrow, please say you can help me.  Mr F had been in the country a few months and his car had suffered from no end of problems.  “Kev I have taken it to another garage and they replaced the crank shaft sensor and the cam sensor and now they are telling me the ECU needs to be tested and I can only imagine how expensive that is going to be.

Mr F had lost faith in the other garages after they had been unable to fix the problem and so he contacted us after reading about our exploits online. “Kev you have to help me. I have to be in Harwich tomorrow and hopefully with a car that works.

Mr F was desperate and it was a race against time to see if we could have his car fixed and fault free for the next day. We assured Mr F that we could fix any problems and that he would make it to his ferry. We dispatched Derby Road Dan to rescue Mr F and his Ford Focus and to save him time we also sent a courtesy car so he could carry on with his day.

With all the details taken the car was hoisted up onto our state of the art ramps and our crack team of mechanics got to work trying to decipher the problem. Benjamin Button, Diagnostic Dan and Tasmanian Trev were quick to start the testing of the various areas of the car. All studied the car with great intensity looking out for any visible faults. Armed with their specialist tools our A team of mechanics were quick to analyse the results it was not long till the ‘Eureka’ moment. It was Dan who was the bearer of good news “We’ve got it Kev.”

   It so transpired that the fuel pump in the petrol tank was not functioning correctly. This was brilliant news as it meant that the ECU would not need to be replaced and would save Mr F hundreds of pounds. All that was required was a new fuel pump, which arrived promptly from our fantastic suppliers. The petrol tank was drained of fuel and the new part was fitted by our hard working technicians.  It was then time for the moment of truth. Trev was seated behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition. All the boys waited with baited breath- this would need to be a success otherwise Mr F would be left disappointed. The key was turned... and the car roared back to life. “We did it Kev.” Trev shouted with a smile.

Mr F arrived later and was very happy to have his car back and ready for his imminent departure.  “Kev I can’t believe that you have fixed it and in such a short amount of time. I have finally found a garage that I can trust and I’ll definitely be adding to your great reputation on the Good Garage Scheme. 

 

 

You can leave your comments, questions and queries at www.twitter.com/kamservicing  or on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kamservicing.  

Remember faithful reader, our team of dedicated and hardworking staff at the branches in Sutton, Long Eaton, Bulwell, Beeston, Belper and Stapleford  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 F's Problematic Passat

Hello faithful readers it has been another eventful week at KAM and there is lots going on. With children in need coming up the KAM team have been getting involved in the community to help raise those vital funds needed to help vulnerable children. This is why we helped out for the annual Guru Nanak sponsored walk from Nottingham to Derby. The volunteers from the Sikh temple in Derby braved the cold weather for this great cause and we were very happy to help. The volunteers stopped at our Long Eaton depot in Derby Road and were met with warm drinks and refreshments to help them on their way. We would love to know what you are doing for Children In need.

 

 

More good news this week as KAM has officially become members of the Derbyshire County Council Gold Card Scheme. This means that if you possess a gold card you can now receive 15% off all your future car repairs. We want to ensure that our prices stay low and that you get the best value for money. We are very happy to be able to provide the discount and look forward to your next visit.

 

 

   This week our Sawley depot was the site of engineering feats and car fouls as we received a visit from a spooked Mr F. In the spirit of Halloween it seems Mr F’s car had developed some scarily impossible habits. “Kev it is my Volkswagen Passat it is like a ghost car. When I take the key out the car is still inexplicably running. I have no idea what is going on.” Mr F had previously taken his car to two other garages but they had quoted him very costly repairs so he had come to KAM in the hope of some reprieve.  We assured Mr F that we would not only find the problem but also fix it to a budget that was suitable to him. Here at KAM we keep costs low and standards high.

 

Once all the details were taken Mr F was despatched in one of our new state of the art courtesy cars and we got straight to work. This week was the turn of VW expert Dan to take the reins and he did so with due diligence.  First he did some visual inspections and it seemed this piqued his interest as he asked. “Does the engine running happen more in the rain.” After reading over Mr F’s details it so appeared that it did in fact occur more often in the rain.

After hearing this Dan then removed the carpet up from the passenger side floor well and the famous word rang out. “I’ve got it Kev.”  There lying beneath the carpet was the ECU (engine control unit) which had become submerged in water. This had led to the electrics being shorted out and this had wreaked mayhem in the car, in this case the car’s unexplainable running. This was a result of the water drains in the bulk head next to the pollen filter having become blocked. Now we had to keep Mr F’s budget in mind when undertaking the repairs and so we first unblocked the water drains and cleaned out the ECU. First it was dried out and resealed and the ECU was back to its best. We did not need to replace the ECU and in fixing it we had saved Mr F hundreds of pounds.

 

Dr Kev- KAM Servicing

   Mr F returned later and was delighted to have his car back faultless and road ready. Even better for Mr F was the fact that he was a gold car holder and so received an extra 15% discount on his repairs. “Thank you to you and the boys Kev. I can’t believe you fixed it so quickly and at such low prices. At least now I know there is a garage that I can trust.” 

You can leave your comments, questions and queries at www.twitter.com/kamservicing  and on our blog at www.drkev-kam.blogspot.com and our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kamservicing.  

 

Remember faithful reader, our team of dedicated and hardworking staff at the branches in Sutton, Long Eaton, Bulwell, Beeston and Belper, Stapleford 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 B's hair raising Vauxhall vex

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 and on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kamservicing.

    As the KAM team were hard at work at our Bulwell depot preparing for a Bank holiday weekend break when we received a visit from Mr B. He parked up his Vauxhall Zafira in the forecourt and from first glance there did not appear to be any visible problems. In fact the only tell tale sign that anything was wrong was the look of desperation that overcame Mr B’s face as he entered the reception. “Kev I feel I may have been a catalyst in the appearance of a dreaded gremlin within my car. I just need an expert’s opinion and I have heard you are the best.” Mr B was a retired scientist from Nottingham and even sported similar hair to that of one Mr Albert Einstein. He was now home a lot and had used some of his free time to undertake some DIY mechanics. “Kev I recently installed a cooler into my car and I may have interfered with parts elsewhere.” Before I could assure Mr B that this would be an easily fixed problem, it appeared he was not done. He said with some hesitation “Kev I got a little too confident and used what little knowledge I possess to install in an in car entertainment system.” Mr B was happy to admit that the procedure had been successful but recently he had noticed the appearance of the ABS (anti-lock braking system) light.  “I need your help Kev.” We assured Mr B that we would have his car fixed in no time and after all the details were taken, he was dispatched in one of our courtesy cars.”

   Diagnostic Dan got to work and immediately got out his diagnostic tools to start the search for the illusive gremlin. He first did a visual test and to see if there were any visible faults that could be deduced before we would need to bust out the diagnostic machines. After some rooting around it was not long till the infamous words rang out. “I’ve got it Kev.” It so transpired that the DIY work that Mr B had undertaken on the car had unfortunately had an adverse affect on the car. It so transpired that when he had wired the new features into the car he had wired the main live feed incorrectly through the fuse box. This had burnt the wiring loom, which leads to the ABS wiring. This had caused the ABS light to appear. Dan then removed the ABS pump and saw that the wiring leading up to the ECU (Engine Control Unit) was burnt. Mr B’s work had led to some electrical problems but thankfully he had bought his car in time and so no serious damage had occurred.

 

 We called our fantastic suppliers who arrived promptly and we were able to source a reconditioned ECU. This usually costs a lot of money but we were able to get it for a fraction of the price. Dan fitted the new ECU and then reprogrammed it and it was time for the moment of truth. Dan got behind the wheel and turned the key, and after a few seconds delight covered his face. “The light is gone Kev. We did it, this car is back on the fast track.”

Mr B arrived later and was elated to have his car back. “Thanks Kev, I suppose next time I’ll leave it to the professionals.”

  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 and most Bank Holidays, 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.