I thought I would give a marketer a go (Auto Guru). Everything looked good until I spoke to my manager. It's a good idea to create an app then design it so it makes it easier to make a booking and the idea of afterpay and zip means more customers. But it's designed to upsell which i made clear I just don't do that. In my opinion someone looking for a mechanic does so looking for the skills that mechanic should have, it's not what the mechanic can sell you.

If I wanted to be a salesperson then I wouldn't be a Mechanic. I don't know about you but when I go through a drivethrough I know what I want and do not like suggestions for anything else. Except for my reporting obligations that falls under my duty of care, eg timing belt is due or brake pads need doing and safety items, other than that my customers do not ever get a huge list of what i would like to do, cars wear out, it's within a mechanical nature for any part to wear out and eventually fail, nothing lasts forever. I've seen these huge lists given to my customers from local mechanics stating this list needs immeadiate attention when 90% is just bullshit upsell.

No wonder Mechanics have such a bad reputation and its not getting any better with companies like AutoGuru encouraging upsell when that defeats the purpose of what a professional tradesperson mechanic should be. I prefer the old fashion way and been in this industry 36 years to know that a customer wants to speak with the mechanic, not some uni student fresh out of nappies. Therefore you won't find me on AutoGuru or any other marketing platform. If you want a quality repair from a true professional then give me a call, if you want upsell go to MacDonalds!

I post these blogs to cut to the chase when it comes to repairs or service on cars, I save people money and don't charge anywhere near dealership costs, the only thing I cannot offer you is a big screen TV coffee and donuts and a nice air conditioned lounge, but if that's what you prefer then remember that you are paying for it.

People come to me for my trade skills, but every now and then I get a customer more qualified than my 36 years experience and 2 trades as Motor Mechanic and Diesel Fitter who try and get me to repair or service how they want me to service. I'm not a robot and there are certain parts and materials and fluids that I just won't use. Remember the labour warranty I give, I match the parts warranty so if you use my services and there's a problem, there's no seperate Labour Warranty and Parts warranty. It's totally covered.

I no longer fit supplied parts if they cannot be matched with my 12 month workmanship warranty, this means ebay cheap, bottom of the line and poor quality parts including cheap chinese parts as I don't want to be replacing the item in a few months time for very good reasons. Ebay doesn't honour there warranties and can get around consumer laws because they are offshore and the only customer service you will get is from an Indian messenger service who tell you what you want to hear but do nothing in reality, there's zero customer service with Ebay, and the nature of mechanical anything is that one part works together with another part to in all keep the whole mechanism working, if you put a cheap part in your car or cheap oil etc sooner or later it will spell disaster for the whole mechanism. This includes automobiles, and anything that's mechanical.

So I had this guy book a service with me, he brought his own filters and recycled oil, instructed me to only change the engine oil and asked if he could watch. I laughed at him as he supplied gulf western oil and fuel and oil filters with chinese writing on them, never heard of that brand and despited directing him to my sign 'Gulf Western Free Workshop' he still didn't get it. I said, mate I can't use these filters and defenately will not use that oil, he argued that he's paying me to do this, but I said no way, i have a duty of care, the oil was the wrong grade, cheap two dollar filters off ebay and he still expected me to stamp his service book. So I handed him a cigarette lighter and said go set it on fire mate it's quicker that way. 

In conclusion, I simply won't take your advice or direction on how to do a repair or service. It will be done the right way using the right parts and fluids or it simply will not be done by me or anyone that works for me. I've been doing this for a very long time, I have a good reputation and I intend keeping it that way by doing the right thing by your car. I don't use bulk oils as every car must have a high quality Penrite or Nulon oil and always serviced to spec's, there's no such thing as a generic oil. Filters are another very important factor, I use westfil, Ryco and Max filters and never had a problem with these high quality filters and I know they are the best for your car and budget. I don't play the upsell game either and not out to service or repair every car on the road, but enough to keep me open and pay the bills. But honestly, if you want your car repaired or serviced your way then it's best if you do it.

I've been getting a lot of calls from so-called google 'experts', hey I done the course too but that doesn't make me an expert, I still need help running my ads, but get this the latest caller says "Would I like my google maps up the top of the page as preferred mechanic?"

I asked him. "How do you know I'm a top mechanic?" No response. Then I asked "ok then, if i'm a preferred mechanic, who gave me that rating as a preferred mechanic? You?" He was dumbfounded and lost for words. I said " Don't you mean the top 3 mechanics are those willing to pay you so they get that listing?" But wait there's more! "I am in the top 3 already!"

Conclusion..... Never trust a so called expert to run an honest advertising campain, results and customer satisfaction is what gets you at the top of the list without paying some so-called expert to do it, don't even take reviews as being correct as business's like 'Quick Fix' pay someone to review, if a business needs to pay someone then in my book they can't be a very good mechanic.

The nissan 3.0 diesels from 2000 to 2017 are now experiencing turbo and EGR problems. These engines are supposed to be direct competition with Toyota but don't even come close to Toyota quality. I've never worked on an engine that's full of defects even from factory, a poorly constructed engine that takes double the time to repair and service than these engines, they are messy to service and impossible to replace anything without stripping down other components to get to the problem area. A huge 2.5 ton body on the patrols with a tiny engine means more wear, more problems and try doing a 3 point turn in a Navara? More like a 5 point turn. Direct competition to Landcruiser? What a joke and Nissan claims the Patrol was built for Australia? If this is so then why does it have an EGR system when its not necessary to have them here? It's like driving a brick on wheels. The EGR systems stuff turbo's and when you go to replace the turbo's then it's highly likely there will be problem after problem after problem. I've got a good reputation but these cars are giving me a bad reputation, i've had to cancel appointments as when i get into a small repair I always find more things that need to be done while in that area. Impossible to quote and when I cancel appointments I lose customers so now, in order to keep customers and a good reputation I can no longer repair or even service Nissan 3.0ltr Engines. The design of this engine was designed by university students for cold climates in european countries, the cylinder heads mass produced in China using a mix of metals that render the heads brittle and unreparable. In my book Nissan 3.0ltr Diesels are at the top of my do not touch list just under Great Walls. If you own one, don't call me.

If you see a Google ad up the top of the page when you are searching for a mechanic, just because they are at the top, it doesn't mean they are a top mechanic, but the reverse.

Here's how google ads work, there are free listings and there are paid listings. Paid listings are at the top of the page, but ask yourself a question. If they need to pay for the top listing then chances are they have no repeat business and the reason for this is they charge way too much or they are not very good so they need to pay for the ad to get new customers.

I don't pay for google ads, its far too expensive around 500 a month, instead i'm still on the first page as my site is attractive to google and i get a lot of traffic because of my blogs. I don't need to advertise and pay for a top page listing as I have 180 plus customers who wouldn't go to anyone else.

Also if mechanics are paying for a top listing on the first page of google they are paying top dollar for it, this added cost is intergrated to your bill. Take AutoKing for example, they advertise 'No call out fee's'. And they are technically correct as they don't charge a call out fee (but) their minimum is 100. I'm honest and charge a 88 min which includes the call out fee and 1/2 hour labor charge, clearly marked out on my first page so you know what you're paying for. I hope this clears up why some mechanics are on top page of google. Not because they are the best, because they need to be on the top of the first page.

I get a lot of calls for Servicing and Repairs to outboard engines and inboard Diesels. My Trade is Motor Mechanic and I'm also a Heavy Vehicle Fitter. So i'm trained to work on passager cars and heavy machinery. My Business name is Everything Mechanical, Everything Petrol and Everything Diesel in my field of qualifications.

Marine engines fall under a different qualification of Mechanic who is trained on small engines and light duty engines and they must have a seperate qualification to work on these engine types. A Mechanic falls under many different catagories, mine are light and heavy vehicles. I do work on my own outboard and my inboard on my boat, but i'm not qualified to work on anyone's marine engine. If a 'Mechanic' is spinning a dollar off fixing outboards without the marine certification then he's practicing illegally and why would you want a breakdown at Arlington Reef anyway?

Ask him if he's marine certified and if he isn't then find someone who is. You don't want to be in our croc waters to have your outboard breakdown or stuck out at sea. If you can't afford to have your marine engine serviced and looked after properly then the risk is great when it comes to saftey if you use a 'Mechanic' as he's cheaper, if this is a factor then you probably shouldn't have a boat as they are expensive.

If you have a marine diesel then give this guy a call, and he's the yanmar dealer

KG Mechanical

Diesel engine repair service in Bungalow, Queensland

Address: 26 Svendsen St, Bungalow QLD 4870

Phone: (07) 4033 7311

It's a question I am often asked, What should i buy?

When you are looking at a new car or a secondhand car you should be looking at a lot of factors like What do you want the car to do? like if you have a family a roomy car like an suv or a work ute or a passanger car for people without children. It's confusing, of course the car salesperson will say whatever to get the sale but there is little on the market in the form of good quality and something that will last.

In my opinion Vehicles that are 20 years old or older even some models 10 years or older are not worth the money as the design of them are only meant to last the warranty period and that's it, after that buy a new car.

I can't recommend any brand or car, but i can tell you what not to buy.

1. Great Walls are at the top of my list, the Chinese cannot make anything good and are renouned for making rubbish, I won't have a great wall in my shop even for a service. the parts are not readily available and Great Wall do not warrant their warranties, this is cheap and nasty.

2. Navara and Patrol 3.0 ltr. These are heavy cars with a long chassis and a very poor turning circle and are full of problems, they are messy to service and expensive to fix, they weigh far too much for a little 3.0 ltr engine to push and there are problems with the EGR and DPF filters. They clog up driveways and workshops

3. Holden Cruze, Barina and Astra are models designed for european climates, not hot rough climates like Australia, the 3.6 commodores are another car now showing problems with wiring and stretched timing chains as they are not meant to last.

4. Anything Indian made is another cheap pile of garbage, stay clear of these.

5. Hyundai Tuscan are full of problems the X3 excels have problems from showroom, not many around now but stay clear of this model

6. RAMs and Jeeps and chryslers. I have a relative to owns a Ram dealership and we don't talk as we have different opinions about these cars, if you bought a Jeep, congratulatios, you just bought a money pit

7. Ford Festiva, Focus and Fiesta again designed for Europe, not Australia.

Well there's a short list of what not to buy and the new cars are not getting any better, they are getting worse and are just not designed to last outside the warranty period. Toyota actually make a car for Australia. The others swap badges and rename a car for Australia.

Have fun shopping and remember, never trust a Car Salesperson!

O2 sensors measure the burn rate of the exhaust gasses. This information is sent to the computer to calculate the intake of fuel and air for the next combustion stroke. If you have scanned your car and found an O2 sensor code, it doesn't mean the O2 sensor is always faulty. If you use the term 'We are what we eat' then this also applies to your car. If you have bad fuel or cheap 91 fuel in your tank then the combustion burn will no be as high as good 98 fuel. If you look at fuel rates, 91 means only 91% of the fuel will be burnt, another 4 to 5% of the fuel will recirculate and burn up eventually but the remainer 3% will deposit as sludge and gradually build up in your intake and throttle body. If the O2 sensor comes up as faulty, remove the sensor and check for unburnt carbon deposits. cleaning the O2 can save you heaps

In Cairns, inside vehicle temperature can reach 120 cel, most people jump into the hot car, turn on the A/C and drive away without giving it another thought.

Every vehicle is fitted with a recircualtion/vent switch. There is a reason for this. When you get into the hot vehicle you should wind the windows down, put the vent on fresh and run until the majority of hot air inside the vehicle is despirsed. you will feel it when it's cooler, then wind the windows up and put on recirc.

By turning on the AC and recirculating hot air this puts more stress onto the engine as the AC compressor takes longer cycles to cool the cabin of the vehicle. This means more stress on the AC system, more stress on the engine and more fuel used to cool the car. The fuel used to cool when on recirc is excessive, it may cost you only 30 cents extra but think of that cost when you stop and start over a 6 month period. Makes sense to operate the AC the proper way than to pour your money down the drain.

When you turn off your car and park it for the day or night, all the oil in the engine drains back into the sump, the coolant cools and the thermostat closes.

In the morning when you start it up and drive it straight away, without giving it enought time to warm up you are actually causing premature wear and tear on your engine.

You may say that warming your engine is an old fashioned way of doing things, but warming up is actually written in most manuals you get when you buy your car. Loading up is a term that means you stress the engine or put load onto the engine, if you load it up when cold, or drop it into drive and drive it straight away the lubrication hasn't had sufficient time to get through all the oil galleries, the engine revs slightly higher as its cold and more fuel is deposited until warm up is completed.

All you need to do is start you car and wait until the temp guage gets to normal operating temp, then drive it. This way you don't stress out the engine, you will get better fuel economy and performance and reduce wear and tear on your engine. This applies to any engine from a ferarri to a lawn mower, regardless what engine oil you use, even aircraft need to warm up before flying, it makes sense to warm your engine up before you use it.