Nuts and Bolts with Buffalo Jim

Hello,

I own a 1994 GMC conversion van with 350 fuel-injected engine that currently has 180,000 miles on it. Six months ago, I had a complete tune-up done. The van is having trouble once it is warmed up accelerating up slight inclines. It appears to cruise fine once it reaches above 45 mph.

It feels like I might have a bad plug or a clogged fuel filter. I took it into a dealer who hooked it up to his diagnostic test. According to the test, he could not find anything wrong with the van, but he feels the only way he could correct the problem is to give me a $625 tune-up. I feel this is a bit excessive. Do you have any ideas on what the problem might be? Also, how does this guy know that maybe I didn't get bad gas or the timing isn't off? Occasionally, it runs rough at a stoplight, which could be one of many things. Why isn't the diagnostic testing showing anything?

--Paul

In the spirit of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, let me answer your question with a question, bro. You just had a tune-up six months ago. Assuming it was done correctly, why would you need another one? And why we're on the subject, what kind of tune-up costs $625? The standard tune-up consists of plugs, wires, cap, rotor and filters, which are going to cost the dealer a whole $42. Even if you assume that the technician is going to fiddle with the fuel injection, you're still talking about $400 of unexplained expense. Worst of all, there's no indication that a tune-up is going to solve your problems.

As far as I'm concerned, you've got one of two problems--low fuel pressure or a partially plugged exhaust system. When you're going uphill, you're putting a load on the motor, and it's struggling because you're either not delivering enough fuel or not pushing enough exhaust. The first thing you want to look for is a clogged fuel filter ($10), which will cause power loss and hesitation. If it's not that, it could be a bad fuel pump--a $250 job that will require a mechanic to drop the tank. If you're getting adequate fuel pressure, I'd guess the trouble is in either your muffler ($50) or catalytic converter ($200). Whatever it is, a $625 tune-up isn't going to do you a whole lot of good. That said, I'll leave you with this question: If a shifty mechanic makes a diagnosis but there's no one there to hear it, does he collect his commission?

Tip of the week: Body repair

I don't know if there's any other way to say it: Body work can be a real pain in the ass. It's time-consuming, cumbersome and an awful mess--especially if you don't know what you're doing. While this isn't likely to change until manufacturers invent cars that snap together like Legos, you can at least save a little money on parts by buying them through Gordon Auto Body Parts--a Taiwanese company that makes aftermarket body panels for a fraction of the factory cost. For example, I just paid $136 for a hood that would have cost me more than $400 from the factory.

The trick is finding a Gordon distributor (I use Bumper Distributors in North Las Vegas), and then finding a shop that installs them. Some body shops will insist on O.E.M. parts because they make a bigger profit on them, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're better. Gordon parts are stamped out of high-quality metal and approved by the Department of Transportation. They also come with the Buffalo Jim seal of approval--an endorsement that doesn't come easy, I assure you.

Buffalo Jim is the owner of Allstate Auto Marine. He recently purchased a 1972 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow, which he plans to trick out with a $10,000 Audiovox entertainment center and a brand new pearl white paint job. He insists that when he's done his Rolls will make Jesse James' "Monster Garage" look like "Romper Room." Send your car questions and petty boasts to buffalojim@lasvegasmercury.com.