That is why I only answer calls that are in my directory. Don't even have the ringer on unless I am expecting a call. They can leave a message and maybe I'll get back. After all it's my phone.
@@kenore4003 but it's fun taking to them. I'm still waiting for them to extend my warranty for my Studebaker and my Honda Ninja. And I don't know how many warrants are out for my arrest. I think 10 are from the Texas Rangers, not sure if it's the baseball team or the state police.
But don't you know your car warranty is about to expire? Anyway...I do not answer my phone unless the number is in my address book. Unless it's something like, my doctor (caller ID will notify me for things like that). Otherwise I just ignore my phone. If it actually is someone I know and it's important, they can leave a voicemail and I'll call them back.
Hi Ray, I'm in Australia and I get a call from someone like Steve every 3 or 4 months. Last time it was from the taxation Office and I'd imported a container of assault rifle and about 100 kilograms of cocaine. When I asked how much it would cost me to receive all of the assault rifles and only half of the cocaine, "federal tax officer" hung up on me. I was very disappointed not to be receiving anything.😄😄 You handled the thieving bastards well mate. Keep up the good content.
Yeah know..............IF you were to go out into the "outback" and catch a big bunch of "roos", then take them to Mexico close to the US/Mexico border, then you could fill all their pouches with drugs and let them loose! I bet they could jump over that southern border wall with ease. Then, just have someone on the other side (miles away of course) with a receiver for the radio control locating collars that you installed on them while still in Mexico to put out their favorite food and then start collecting them and the drugs. "EASY...........PEEZY!
'They pretty well all claim to have 'western' names but speak English with an Indian accent. How did this come about? Were they kidnapped as children to be raised in India? I tell them they've already lied to me so why should I believe anything they say. Simples.
As retired senior I get far too many scam calls. I once got the "grandpa" call. I played the part of a senior who just didn't quite "get it". I drove those people nuts.
@@romancastro3253 IKR? When they can't even pronounce my first name right (it's Dean), let alone my last name. I start laughing. Most of them hang up. The rest I mess with.
I had the same guys call me. I was in trouble with the Canadian Border Services Agency. I told them that I was deaf, and they had to send braille texts to talk to me. I kept them on the phone for 25 minutes before they hung up! Another great video Ray. I am always impressed with your craftsmanship.
I rarely comment on youtube, but as a 15+ year shade tree mechanic, I love watching your videos. You are a true professional and I sincerely appreciate your efforts in producing these videos. I watched another of your videos in which you spoke about the hate you got, and while I can't do anything to reduce the hate, I can increase the love to combat it. You are an awesome dude doing awesome work. Please keep at it! Thank you!
SAME! haha. Last night did my first brake job and after some die grinder abrasive wheel action on the wheel hub, you better believe it was 'Nice and Shiny'!
Quick tip before removing wiper arms is to apply masking tape to the windshield up to where the wiper makes contact with the glass it makes it so much easier to align the wiper arms when refitting 👍
I got a phone call like that just a few years ago. They said they were from my state DMV and that my payment did not go thru for my car registration. I laughed at her and told her to go ***. Well, Within a week I got a letter in the mail from the DMV :( . I called them and got to talk to the same lady. I apologized and explained and she totally understood. lol..
Which is odd because they are actually support to send you a letter and not really call, since calling is commonly used for scamming. Unless your DMV just has a different policy compared to mine.
Whenever "Steve" calls me, I ask him if his mother is ashamed of herself for raising her son to be a thief. That really bothers some of them and they get really mad. I've tried messing with them in other ways but none work as well as this.
I once got the call from "Microsoft" that my PC had reported a virus infection. I told the woman that I work with a difference engine. I set the dials on the front panel and then turn the big crank to generate the answer. She kept right on with her script, totally ignoring anything I said. I finally told her to get another job, that she wasn't really good at what she was doing. She hung up on me. So rude.
If I get a call like that (and I'm sure it's a scammer) I swear at them in Afrikaans, my second language. You can tell someone to go to hell in that language so well that they look forward to the trip 😳😆
Love the videos. Its enjoyable to watch a tech/mechanic actually knowing and doing a great job in both the work and also customer relation. I would caution anyone dealing with struts to be wary of the springs. They are very powerful and can cause bodily harm. One broke on me once and trapped my finger between the spring and bottom plate. Long story and I was able to release myself short of cutting off my finger. Just a word of caution to all those that deal with them.
For those guys who dont have air impact tools the top of the strut has an allen key slot so you can use a ring spanner and allen key to remove and tighten the top nut. You still need spring compressors though. Just a tip for DIY home maintainence.
You ever get one of these Mexican guys ringing you about a package? I did once, I told him, but we don't have a federal government mate. Where are you calling from? I think you have the wrong number mate. You think someone would check the dialing code.
See the solution to this is cause minor trouble or errors any honest mechanic would tell you right away, others will try and charge you an exspensive item when its really not needed
@@benjaminking9738 you think thats bad? Ford RIVETS thier stuff in trucks and window regulator rivits. Seat rivets. Have fun drilling everything. bmw use plastic oil pans but metal drain plugs. Yup no one will ever over torque them then hide the fact they ruined a 200 dollar oil pan. every car has terrible things to deal with.
I love messing with scammers too😂 Just so everyone knows, NO Government Entity (especially Federal) will contact you; via phone, email or text message. If any Government Agency needs to contact you, they will do it by mail or in person. No ifs, and or buts!
@@rickmossop3733 I'm sorry to hear that. My comment was pertaining to the US Government. I do not know the laws and legislation of Canada. in the US it even pertains to State, County and Local government.
@@charlietate5514 Much the same here in Canada. They do not call. If there is a warrant they are not going to call and warn you so you can disappear, they are going to showup and arrest you.
When removing a strut from the bottom knuckle, I have used a wedge, chisel, or flat blade screwdriver to open the diameter a small amount putting the chisel/wedge where the clamp bolt "ear" gap. It does not take much. On some struts, there is a locator depression for the bolt that also has to align.
Best thing I’ve used is threading the bolt in backwards thru the threaded side and slipping a quarter inbetween the gap then using the bolt to spread the knuckle
Watching from the UK, love how you pre-empt the comments with your commentary saying things like "oh my god, you hit a bolt with a hammer, you've ruined it...."
I was worried at first about that suspicious package and then I burst out laughing when I heard "Officer Steve's" accent. When you called them back, I imagined "Officer Steve" going Do de do do do but in an Indian accent.
Someone called me the other day said he was from publisher clearing house and I won 10 million dollars I just had to Pay the processing fee. He sounded like on of them the guys from the show swap people. Call came from Louisiana too. I laughed and told him I was Ed McMann
i personally get more satisfaction out of channels that actually hack and put viruses into the scammers call centers and forcing their operations to shut down than someone smartassing them. but the repair video from end to end is way more satisfying altogether, because KNOWLEDGE! 😃😃
It's great to see some pain in the process. It shows that we mechanics dont always have an easy time of it. And we are not just ripping off the customer...... as some customers think!
All he had to do was use that spring compressor to compress the spring more until the piston fit through better. No need to use pliers and shit pulling the piston out and holding it with another pair. All he die was scuff up the piston w the pliers and its goin to wear the seal out faster. Idk why he made that so hard
I thought thats the part of the vid you meant cause thats where it seemed he struggled the most. Pulling the strut and putting it in, had he jus spread the back of the knuckle, it would have went so much easier. Also, he could/should have used a wrench for the nut and held the piston in place with an allen/hex. Or they make through sockets that allow you to do the same thing. I usually love his vids and think hes a pretty good tech, but this job he made way harder than it needed to be and kinda hacked it.
@@lechatbotte. YEAH THEY DO...EVEN MAKES CASH OFF OF SOME...HA!!! IN YOUR FACE PRIK...GIVE ME MONEY...BUDDAY!!!...SEND ME 20 FOR SHIPPING AND HANDLING...HAHAHAHAHA!!!!
@Ben Avery MY BANK ACCOUNT GOT HIT W/MICROSOFT HACKER...$163.36 to the penny...MY BANK CAUGHT IT AND CAUSED MY BANK CARD TO BE FROZEN...UH HUH!!! BANKER SAID SEVERAL ACCOUNTS HAD BEEN HACKED USING THE "MICROSOFT" NAME...WELL I NEVER DEAL WITH MICROSOFT...PERIOD!!! KIND OF A HASSLE TO GET ANOTHER CARD AND TELL ALL AUTO PAY ACCOUNTS NEW CARD NUMBERS...GRRRRR...B-TARDS...MOTHERLESS PSYCHOPATHS...
I've had those scam calls what a joke they are , the sad thing is some people fall for it !!!! I always report the number using my T-mobile shield app !
I LOVE those scam phone calls. I drive 400 miles monthly when I go to Maine which takes 7 hours. Getting them on long drives helps break up the monotony of the drive. I went back and forth with a guy for 18 minutes. That made me happy. I would have told "Steve" that the package had drugs[or dildoes] in it, and I had more coming in, so he could keep the drugs [dildoes] and use them himself.
Former Nissan Tech here... Don't you just love how you have to disassemble just to do struts? Watching you struggle brings back horrible memories. I believe warranty time for these was 1.4 hours. Don't remember what customer pay time was. That Branick 7600 is about the least sketch spring compressor. I love using it.
never buy a nissan.. same shite as chevy and fords crap... Ray has knowledge.. thanks for videos but Ray can send BUTCHER ans STEALERSHIP signals as well i wish HOOVIE's mechanic was not 5 states away.. seems that guy is good and honest BUT clean and thoughtful and thorough
I am usually impressed with your problem solving skills. However, I would be concerned about using channel lock pliers to hold the strut rod, which could mare the shaft and damage the seal, creating a leak later. Couldn't you just have compressed the spring more to achieve your goal?
I have a similar strut on my ford escape. 1st put a jack under the lower knuckle and put pressure on it to get it up on the strut, 2nd ,dont tighten the upper mount bolts untill the car is on the ground, it lets the mount seat correctly. of course i dont have a lift so mine was lower to the ground. as always keep up the good work!
The numbers are rarely accurate. They spoof their number to look like someone else's. It's allowed because a lot of business are allowed to do so in order to serve multiple people on one line
I've had those call centers spoof their number to look like mine and then I get a bunch of angry texts and calls to my number complaining about me scamming them and I'm like 'Who TF are YOU?!'
@@LilOleTinyMe They are always faked yes. I recently changed my number as I had 5-6 calls a week and same with text messages. 99% called from "UK" but of course they're in room 320 or close by. (ref: Pirogi). Last time it was a new scam for me. I had a great sum of money from the US and I needed to use a computer or a smartphone. I asked the lady where she was calling from, she said the US. Funny I said, it says your calling from the UK. She hung up.
Third-party warranties are always a pain in the butt. It’s a good thing there are so many companies contacting people on a regular basis about their cars extended warranty that is about to expire. 😂🤣😂
then you have me wasting there time "i have a 2014 LADA its a fancy import" a "2016 toyota camry i don't rightly know the miles on it as its on its 2nd engine" a "1998 geo metro with 300k miles on it" and one of them asked me if i had any other cars after listing off these random ish cars
When I get junk mail saying that my car’s warranty is about to expire or has already expired on a vehicle that I have sold 10 years ago, I trash it. I do not nor will I ever buy extended warranties on anything, it’s a waste of money. Put that money that they charge in a savings account and pay for the repair. Fortunately I have the knowledge to do my own repair, y’all have a good one
In the countries where these scammers live, working as a "thief" or "scammer" is a common and highly respected job. As long as they steal from strangers, not their own, of course.
After watching quite a few of your videos I wish I had guys like you where I live - in GUA. - Meaning, if I had your kind of mechanics at my retailers shop I would trust them way more than I do. You’re a F:ing role model.
When I do these struts, I use a support fork device which fits on the top of my gearbox jack, and goes under the bottom spring pan. With this you can compress the spring on the car and do not need to disassemble any of the hub assembly, to slide it of the bottom of the strut. this saves lots of time.
I enjoy watching these. I'm currently refurbishing a 2005 Ford Courier Crewcab 'hi-lift' 2x4 v6 SOHC 4.0l . As a mechanic, I know enough to be dangerous, as my diesel fitter/mechanic father used to tell me. Thankfully, I learned a bit through osmosis from him. I've replaced all the top end seals (not the heads or top sump), as in the cam covers and plenum, replaced the water pump, replaced the leaky thermostat housing with an aluminum/aluminium one, replaced all the cooling hoses etc, and I'm in the process of replacing the old clutch driven cooling fan with an electric one. Then it's tie-rod ends etc. I look at engines and cars like a jigsaw puzzle. Pull it apart and put it back together the reverse way. Hot tip for amateur mechanics like me, buy some ziplock baggies and a Nikko-type pen and bag and label your nuts and bolts. It'll save a lot of heartache when you're reassembling it weeks later. Oh, also, if you're going to home mechanic, expect to spend a LOT of money on tools. Buy decent quality tools, especially when it comes to torque wrenches.
This is a great, great site Ray. Know that there are tons of people that just like to argue and insult. When they get backed into a logics trap they just turn to insults. Thanks for all you do and I hope it pays a million a year.
You could use a Volkswagen spindle spreader tool to help with removal and reinstallation of the strut to the spindle. It works on all suspensions mounted this way. Or anything to just spread it a bit. I've seen people use chisels before as well.
Perfect example of why i tell all my customers no to 3rd party warranties, sure the repair will cost more upfront, but i bet with the deductible and the cost of non covered parts they only saved a few hundred, and had to wait a week to get the repair, instead of same day service
I had a 3rd party warranty that I needed to use to fix a rear differential on a vehicle that I was planning to use on my vacation. They eventually covered most of the cost but it took several days to get approved and the delay screwed up my holiday. That was the only repair they ever agreed to cover. There was always some excuse. I would have been better off not buying the warranty. I wish someone like you had talked me out of it.
Ive seen it all, from covering parts thats failed, but nothing else that needed to be replaced to get to that part, i.e. oil pressure switch and not the intake gasket that needed to be removed to get to said switch. Another conpany covered a fail ignition coil but wouldnt cover the valve cover gasket that was leaking into it and filling the plug tube with oil. Then some covering only junkyard parts, or we only pay for 60 an hour labor, when most shope bill over 100. And the best is a 250 deductible on a job that costs 300..... I should have opened an insurance company instead of a repair shop, but i actually like helping people instead of ripping them off
They are good for high dollar repairs but if you take care of your car they are few and far between. If a customer is super worried i just tell them take that money insurance is goinna charge u and put it aside in a savings account. When u need it its there if you dont then you still have it.
Bad experiences here with 3rd party warranties also ,Know what your buying and learn some mechanical skills, which by the way not many people want to learn and always want "somebody else" to fix their problems-sorry I've eaten a few lemons
Watching you grip that strut shaft with a pair of toothed grips made me wince! That shaft will now be scored and tear at the oil seal as the strut contracts and expands which will cause it to leak in the near future. Sorry Ray bad call!😬
I like your videos , informative n like your sense of humor. I am willing to learn from anyone that is knowledgeable cause there is always something to learn on these newer vehicles
Holding the rod with the channel locks possibly scratched the chrome surface. I would have used a doubled shop rag under a pair of vice grips which would have held better and been safer for the surface.
This whole strut retraction thing brings us back to the Oil Caddy fiasco...doesn't it? Many a good man would have given up by this point...great job Ray.
I love messing with scammers when I have the time. You know, can you imagine a Federal Officer who has a thick East Indian accent who is legit and when he calls people or she, immediately we assume it's a scammer, lol I suppose the higher ups would tell them no phone duty for you bub! Don't get me wrong, not being mean, a bit funny yes, but just pointing out how hard phone service is for legit people who sound like scammers. But yes lol, there would be no warning, heaven would rain down upon you. Thumbs up Ray and yes never give them personal info they should first ID you if it's of the minds of the Law.
"Sir, my name is Bubba (No, he didn't actually say that, it was like Bob or Bill) and I am pleased much for to be telling you that we are ready to send your Viagra without a prescription; all we need is your credit card information." (I'd love to tell how I messed with him, but it's XXX rated.) 5 identical voicemails in one day: "This is our FINAL attempt to contact you about your car's warranty." (If only 🙏) "I am a Microsoft engineer and your PC has a virus." I have a Mac! "I mean your Mac has a virus." But I only run Linux! " 'We can fix Linus'." On my abacus! Click! "I am a Microsoft engineer and your PC has a virus." But I was vaccinated. "No sir, your computer." Dr. Fauci said I was safe. "I am talking about your machine." No, just a hypodermic needle, no machines. Click! Often when I get a "Steve" call, I cooperate and give my name as Doncha Makinameupt. (Don't ya makey name up) I live in Jammalamadugu ( a real Indian city) and I run Daada's House of Steak and Ham (Grandpa's + Hindu and Islam forbidden foods). Click! (I get more clicks than a Rainman Ray Video.) Wait until you hit your 70s, and you start getting 10-15 calls a day about Medicare Advantage Plans. One batch, ID number starts with V then about 10 numbers, then a spoofed regular phone number. Good thing I'm on the DO NOT CALL list.
I used to work in a call center for GM. Our team handled the dealer reps for the entire US, and was a small team. We got to know the reps after awhile. We hired a new rep, who had a thick Russian accent. On her first call, the dealer refused to talk to her until we verified she was a legit rep for the team. He thought we had been outsourced.
I have a couple of tips you may want to try the next time if you are struggling to get this type of strut removed from the car. After you have removed the pinch bolt from the knuckle, use a small flat chisel or flat screwdriver if you don't have a chisel handy and drive it between the bolt "ears" slightly wedging the clamping force apart. Next using a short length of chain and a suitable bolt, loop the chain around the lower control arm near the ball joint. Bolt the chain together. Using a somewhat longer pry bar, slip it through the chain loop far enough till it reaches the point where the control arm pivots. This will give you more than enough downward force to slip the knuckle off the strut. This chisel/chain trick also works great for separating the ball joint stud from the knuckle as well. Give it a shot and let me know if it works for you. I worked as a tech for over 20 years and found that there is always something new to be learned when it comes to automotive repairs. Great video once again, and remember, Ray, you have yourself a great day!!🙂
Clearly you put the dent in the gas door. At 4:32 the door shows no sign of damage. After you " tweaked" it a blemish appeared. Probably only needed a hinge up to that point. At 5:24 the ding appears.
hmmm.. that was my thought too. When I saw you pushing the lid as a way to tweek the hinge my thought was no no that will mess up the lid in some likely way. It would better to put a long slim bar like a long screwdriver shank thru the hinge assembly and apply force to both ends of the shank towards the latch till the hinge slightly yeilds. Or if the hinge wouldn't allow a shank thru perhaps a heavy duty cordage or wire could be passed thru then pull that cord or wire towards the latch till the hinge yeilds.
You are completely correct. Out of curiosity I ran the video through my editing software and its clear that dent doesn’t show up until after he went bending on the door. Also it’s not like he has a good track record of damaging people’s cars. I listened to a couple videos after getting the “RUclips recommends”for him. My biggest takeaway is the contempt he holds against the customers. He would starve to death if he opened his own shop
29:50, it appears the strut mount holes on the body are slotted for adjustment. Ideally, you should try and match the existing marks if they're not getting an alignment.
Glad someone else caught this. At times Ray comes off as a literal single-handed hero - without the cape - and I kinda understand since he has to film and do the work.. :) I like to line them up to go back where they came from just to ease tasks when performing steering geometry alignment.
You partially uncompressed the spring to add friction to top plate to allow nut removal with the impact. Shouldn't you have compressed it back again with the spring compressor to make getting the assembly back together easier?
It wasn't the spring that was the issue. It was that the shock itself did a pp, felt the cold air and shrunk to a tiny length. The spring can only extend the shock after he has got the nut in place.
You are correct he needed and should have compressed the spring. It is very apparent he is not comfortable using the strut compressor. What is more unbelievable is did he seriously used pliers and grab the polished strut shaft. I have to believe it was an optical illusion, Just like the dent that he did unintentionally put in the fuel door well bending the bent hinge… Ooops Still great content, good ethical mechanic and 98% of his jobs are well done.
General rule: when Apu calls, claiming he's an agent for any of the 3-letter agencies, your name and address is ALWAYS Homer Simpson, 123 Evergreen Tr, Springfield. The State/Zip is "confidential"
Whenever they go "hello, thank you for calling. My name is... *pause while they scan their script for a name* Paul. How may I help you?" You know that you get to have fun with him
Just found your video. Informative and entertaining. While most of this I will never tackle myself,I now have better understanding of "labor charges ".
I was thinking of replacing one front strut bearing that is noisy in summer heat. After seeing this video I realized how short our summer really is up here on the wet coast of Canada.😄
I wasn't even there, and my nerves was on edge watching you take apart the strut. I had a spring come out once doing a strut job, it flew past my head and tore through the metal wall behind me, that scared the ever-loving dodo out of me and was the start of my hate of doing struts.
@@carmo9693 This happened in 1995 when I was young very dumb and convinced of my immortality plus the spring compressor was close to the same age as I was then, but after that happened I took every precaution I could come up with, good news was a month later the shop bought a brand new spring compressor that was 10x better than the old one.
@@maxmcarnage7642 I use to do them on the floor and would run a chain thru the rim and run thru one link so if it did go I was out of harms way. Never happened to me but I did see one having springs go flying no one got hurt. This was back when they had those portable scissor style compressors Back in the early 80ies and hose clamp was used to keep strut piston furthest out for reassembling.
@@carmo9693 That sounds about as dangerous as airing up a split rim outside of a cage, it's amazing how much things has changed from then till now, I know I took more chances back when I was turning wrenches than they do today
@@maxmcarnage7642 That is where I got the idea from, the old timers telling me about doing the chain around the tire. Fortunate for me I was either very careful or had luck on my side. BTW I still have the scissor type compressor and have not used it in 15 years. I buy preloaded struts now. The cost is just cheaper in the end and I do not have to fight with spring or alignment of said spring.
@@ghostlegz . No the strut is not garbage. This is the way it is designed . Its the opposite of a normal strut. Nissan has been using this type of strut since 2004 on the Maxima & Altima. However it is a stupid design . I used to replace those struts at the nissan shop on a weekly basis & i have come up with a way to make the strut installation easy.
Vise grips with masking tape on the jaws. That was some good mechanicing 😂. I’m just surprised that the first time you pulled the strut up with your pliers and holding it in place with your channel locks that when you went to reach for the upper bearing plate that it wasn’t just out of reach without having to almost let go of everything. Mechanics Law. Everything you ever need is just out of reach.
Or just as you are about to slip the nut on, the part moves and the nut falls to the ground in the only patch of sand with 200 miles. Just out of reach, or course.
Love the in-depth tour of the entire repair end-to-end. Those scammers -- look up Jim Browning or Art and Ashton's channels; they give these people so much grief.
is somebody useing art and my first name for scams! *TRIGERD* if only i could DCMA that scamer bescue my ashman TM comics if i would make a bissnus from them that scamer with my futre protecnal compony name gots to go away and f**** them selfs!
I hated doing struts! I used to use a digging bar to pry down on the lower control arm. If it has a hole, and isn't one solid piece, you can use the weight of the bar to hold the lower control arm down. It frees up a hand to manhandle the other parts together.
on the phone scam call, i was really hopping you'd let him hear the air chisel/hammer operate. everyone should hear that over the phone unexpectedly. :)
I've got an air horn that I keep in my top drawer for exactly that kind of call... I first tell them that I think we're about to have a fire drill and if we do they may hear the beeping... Then... HOOOOOOOOOOOOONK. Remember these clowns have on headsets that take a moment to remove.
@@donmac5424 unfortunately the phone systems automatically limit the level of audio into the system so although it's loud to you it not bad enough to remove their eardrums which is the desired effect. But it gives you the satisfaction. Just like me and my train whistle.
A friend of mine blows a whistle down the phone at the scammer. I've had those calls at work too. Nailing on shingles while holding the phone 6" from the nail gun, is also very satisfying. Surely that gives them the shits!
I love watching your videos and you usually do a wonderful job. This wasn't one of those instances, however. I'm sure you don't normally do many strut installs. Impact is a no-no on a strut. Pliers, also a no-no. Strut retracting on its own? Yea, that's the opposite of what it should be doing. Not a known good part. And lastly, if they aren't getting an alignment immediately, you really should try to get everything as close as possible. It was easy to see that it was pretty far off.
Can't disagree with your comments here & I am not even a mechanic (my dad was, so I know a thing or 1.5). Putting that dead strut back in was painful to see - a bit like replacing a rotor & putting the old pads back in.
So know it all. How would you have done it. He was doing what the customer wanted which is a sign of a good honest mechanic. You sound like one who would try and weasel every dollar you could put of people. I would never trust you to fix my wheelbarrow let alone my vehicle. I trust Raymond long before I would even let you touch my rig.
When I had struts replaced on my Acadia I only found one guy who would do it this way. And he said that I didn't want him to do it. LABOR. Everybody wanted to do the entire assembly.
@@ConeMakerDude2020 I'd use a spreader tool to release the hub from the strut and drop it down before undoing the top mount bolt. Get the strut compressed, then ideally remove the top nut with a ring spanner while holding the strut from spinning with a hex key, doesn't always happen, sometimes you have to use the impact gun.... but I'm not a mechanic. To be fair though, I'd probably drop the shock absorber on the floor too.
Yes it would, though it would be sketchy (as is basically everything involving coilovers). Doesn't seem to bother Ray though, so IDK why he didn't. Source: changed my own struts mounts a few months ago. Only lost two fingers and 3 toes lol
As a Nissan tech who has to change these all the time because they suck. You compress that thing like a pancake and it’s the scariest thing ever but it makes life easier.
@@Preceptor-lf1ht I wanted to say this too but felt like it shouldn't have to be said lol. Another thing he could have done was use a rubber lined hose clamp to hold the shaft up for him.
As an older fellow with tinnitis, make sure to wear hearing protection. Constant ringing in the ears will drive you crazy. That pneumatic hammer makes alot of racket. Great video.
@@tsmith235 I have a feeling he is referring to a 'reverse' white noise in the hearing aids. I have one under my pillow. You tweak the noise output and it cancels out. Opposite sine waves. That's the simple version of how it works. Didn't know they had got it down small enough.
@@tsmith235 yeah they have a specific frequency the hearings aids will produce that will reduce or eliminate the ringing. I've been wearing hearing aids for 52 years.
Did this myself at home and made a tool to help me lowering the suspension. Basically strong steel flat In the shape of a capital F to go above and below the lower arm and allow you to press down with a lot less chance of slipping. Could even keep pressure on with my leg to free both hands.
Got my strut compressor in a rotating vice. Sometimes fitting the top mount with the strut inverted is easier, work with gravity. The strut spindle has a hex or torx in the centre so you can use a ring wrench and a hex/ torx to take off the top nut with the spring fully compressed. Much easier.
These strut mounts are components that one just assumes will last the life of the strut. So, how many Nissan Rogue owners end up buying new struts because of the premature failure of the strut mount? The more I see Ray work on the new Nissans, the less interested I am in owning one.
@@Fjord_Driver it was right at the body of the shock and clearly not beneath the bump stop which is there to prevent excessive travel, so I’d suggest it’s right in the area where the shaft travels through the seal-hence the clarification.
when the fuel door solenoid sticks spray it with silicone dash cleaner and it frees them up and gets them moving again. they usually lock and unlock on the remote keyfob.
Love the little incognito tip of the hat to South Main Auto @ 34m9sec lol... for those that don't know what I'm talking about...its a long running thing on Eric O's channel regarding his love of brake clean and sound effects....thanks for the great content Ray..much appreciated..cheers from Canada :)
Completely different time zone. Watch enough of Rays videos you'll work out where he works at. Surely the po po 50 can do the same god dang pigs these days.
@@valvemonky4734 Bit like last name Smith common as muck. And makes a con so much easier to pull off with the simple folk these days. But becareful as these days you'll be called right winged. As if thats a problem.
I enjoy your videos, but there is one procedure that concerns me ... in holding the strut shaft in its fully extended position with Channellock pliers, unless you placed a soft jaw pad the teeth will gouge the shaft's polished chrome layer, invariably causing a seal failure and fluid leakage. Am I out of line here? Other than that keep up the good work.
That number was most likely spoofed. It might actually be a legit phone number, so all you'll be doing is "wreck shop" (whatever that means) on someone who was just as much a victim as Ray was. That's why the scammer hung up.
That sounded like an outbound call. Most of the time on the outbound they spoof the number. You can't call back. The robodialer calls about 10 numbers / vacant scammer. When a call picks up it drops the other 9 calls that are still ringing. So if you have 5 scammers doing nothing it will ring 50 numbers at once (adjustable). Scammers headset is always plugged in and the call auto connects. Known information appears on the screen (phone number, name, address, suburb, state, zip code, notes from previous calls, etc.
I like watching Ray work! I've learned a few things from him; however, have you ever watched someone work and think "WTF?" Where the strut goes into the spindle, there is a slot in the back of the spindle (to clamp the strut). Just drive a wedge (a.k.a. screwdriver) into that slot and the strut will slide right into the hole without the need for violence. LOL The other one was when Ray was installing the strut into the spring. I was thinking , "Forget the jack and pliers and all that hoopla. Just compress the spring more."
Just an old hands trick for doing strut tops, before compressing the spring pull a zip tie around the base of the piston close to the top of the strut canister, thus preventing the piston from slipping back into the canister, making the rebuild far easier. I hope that all made sense to you, and anyone else out there who replace parts on the McPherson strut type suspension systems
That SCAM is so world wide, I cannot believe that so many people still fall for this. Nice to see you on your toes. Great tactics. Thanks for sharing.
That and the computer virus fix. They wanted $300 to fix a non existent virus the Indian man swore I had a couple things of days ago.
That is why I only answer calls that are in my directory. Don't even have the ringer on unless I am expecting a call. They can leave a message and maybe I'll get back. After all it's my phone.
@@kenore4003 but it's fun taking to them. I'm still waiting for them to extend my warranty for my Studebaker and my Honda Ninja. And I don't know how many warrants are out for my arrest. I think 10 are from the Texas Rangers, not sure if it's the baseball team or the state police.
But don't you know your car warranty is about to expire? Anyway...I do not answer my phone unless the number is in my address book. Unless it's something like, my doctor (caller ID will notify me for things like that). Otherwise I just ignore my phone. If it actually is someone I know and it's important, they can leave a voicemail and I'll call them back.
Lol true but they some how make bank. God forbid they get acting lessons and hide their accents.
Hi Ray, I'm in Australia and I get a call from someone like Steve every 3 or 4 months. Last time it was from the taxation Office and I'd imported a container of assault rifle and about 100 kilograms of cocaine. When I asked how much it would cost me to receive all of the assault rifles and only half of the cocaine, "federal tax officer" hung up on me. I was very disappointed not to be receiving anything.😄😄 You handled the thieving bastards well mate. Keep up the good content.
maybe next time!
@@mikep6726 I live in hope 😂🤣
Yeah know..............IF you were to go out into the "outback" and catch a big bunch of "roos", then take them to Mexico close to the US/Mexico border, then you could fill all their pouches with drugs and let them loose!
I bet they could jump over that southern border wall with ease.
Then, just have someone on the other side (miles away of course) with a receiver for the radio control locating collars that you installed on them while still in Mexico to put out their favorite food and then start collecting them and the drugs.
"EASY...........PEEZY!
'They pretty well all claim to have 'western' names but speak English with an Indian accent. How did this come about? Were they kidnapped as children to be raised in India? I tell them they've already lied to me so why should I believe anything they say. Simples.
🤣🤣🤣
Nothing like a scam call to top off a repair video, keep up the good work!
WHAT NO! That call is 110% legit.. Steve Jackson is a real person and is definitely not a person living in india!
As retired senior I get far too many scam calls. I once got the "grandpa" call. I played the part of a senior who just didn't quite "get it". I drove those people nuts.
@@2pugman You can always tell right off by the accent, then drive them nuts.
@@romancastro3253 IKR? When they can't even pronounce my first name right (it's Dean), let alone my last name. I start laughing. Most of them hang up. The rest I mess with.
I had the same guys call me. I was in trouble with the Canadian Border Services Agency. I told them that I was deaf, and they had to send braille texts to talk to me. I kept them on the phone for 25 minutes before they hung up! Another great video Ray. I am always impressed with your craftsmanship.
nice braille for the deaf. If they didn't catch that obviously not too sharp.
Could you say they warrant to smart.
James, I don't read braille so I couldn't read your above message.
I rarely comment on youtube, but as a 15+ year shade tree mechanic, I love watching your videos. You are a true professional and I sincerely appreciate your efforts in producing these videos. I watched another of your videos in which you spoke about the hate you got, and while I can't do anything to reduce the hate, I can increase the love to combat it. You are an awesome dude doing awesome work. Please keep at it! Thank you!
Wow, that's really positive and encouraging- pat on the back for being a good youtber.
I just realized something. Ray is the Bob Ross of auto repair. I mean that as a complement of course.
Just paint happy little clouds of bearing grease into your CV joint....
I happen to live at 9999 99th St., and those feds were at my door recently. Thanks, Ray!
😂
Anytown, USA & was addressed to a "John Doe" too right? 😂
Did they bring the package?
Was Steve with them?
Because of Ray I said "Nice and shiny!" after doing a brake job on my beach truck!
Thanks a lot Ray! 🤣
Hahaha me too!! I also say “starting see engine” when I start up any motor. I think Ray should put that on shirts!
Because of Ray now I keep saying “ gravity “ when I drop something 😂😂
SAME! haha. Last night did my first brake job and after some die grinder abrasive wheel action on the wheel hub, you better believe it was 'Nice and Shiny'!
When I drop cutlery in the kitchen, I say "gravity". Then I comment to the wife that I dropped cutlery, and that was bad.
Auto parts all look nice and shiny when new or repaired it is a shame they rust.
Ray, you have a great sense of humor. Thanks for sharing your repairs, I learned a lot watching you.
Quick tip before removing wiper arms is to apply masking tape to the windshield up to where the wiper makes contact with the glass it makes it so much easier to align the wiper arms when refitting 👍
Been there, done that, learnt the hard way lol
Or just pay attention when you take them off.... A cell phone pic works also
Was dreaming of mufflers last night. I got up rather, exhausted, this morning.
Well done!
I was dreaming of radiators and was quite flushed this morning. You get the icing though for starting what might be a fun thread.
Ohhhhh that's SO much worse than most of mine. I'm gonna steal it.
I dreamt that I was rotating and spinning. It tires me out.
Good one Leo ! Anything that puts a smile on your face today is “ GOLDEN “ I even chuckled !
I got a phone call like that just a few years ago. They said they were from my state DMV and that my payment did not go thru for my car registration. I laughed at her and told her to go ***. Well, Within a week I got a letter in the mail from the DMV :( . I called them and got to talk to the same lady. I apologized and explained and she totally understood. lol..
Which is odd because they are actually support to send you a letter and not really call, since calling is commonly used for scamming. Unless your DMV just has a different policy compared to mine.
How does that work? We pay in person. You don't get a gd thing until you pay.
How does that work? We pay in person. You don't get a gd thing until you pay.
@@TheGuruStud I don't, I pay mine online.
🤣
Whenever "Steve" calls me, I ask him if his mother is ashamed of herself for raising her son to be a thief. That really bothers some of them and they get really mad. I've tried messing with them in other ways but none work as well as this.
A lot of the time the parents don't know. They live a double life.
I'll try that one on the next call I get.
I once got the call from "Microsoft" that my PC had reported a virus infection. I told the woman that I work with a difference engine. I set the dials on the front panel and then turn the big crank to generate the answer. She kept right on with her script, totally ignoring anything I said. I finally told her to get another job, that she wasn't really good at what she was doing. She hung up on me. So rude.
@@josepherhardt164 😂😂
If I get a call like that (and I'm sure it's a scammer) I swear at them in Afrikaans, my second language. You can tell someone to go to hell in that language so well that they look forward to the trip 😳😆
Love the videos. Its enjoyable to watch a tech/mechanic actually knowing and doing a great job in both the work and also customer relation. I would caution anyone dealing with struts to be wary of the springs. They are very powerful and can cause bodily harm. One broke on me once and trapped my finger between the spring and bottom plate. Long story and I was able to release myself short of cutting off my finger. Just a word of caution to all those that deal with them.
I get those calls alot and you handled that the way I do!!
For those guys who dont have air impact tools the top of the strut has an allen key slot so you can use a ring spanner and allen key to remove and tighten the top nut.
You still need spring compressors though.
Just a tip for DIY home maintainence.
Sometimes you can get lucky and your pre-compressed springs will be aligned.
With a little white touch up paint….. and a bigger hammer !
Who doesn't own an impact gun 🤷♂️
@@willsrestorations 😂🤣😂🤣
You ever get one of these Mexican guys ringing you about a package? I did once, I told him, but we don't have a federal government mate. Where are you calling from? I think you have the wrong number mate. You think someone would check the dialing code.
Watching these videos reminds me why I pay someone to work on my cars. The trick is to find a mechanic I trust. Thanks Ray.
See the solution to this is cause minor trouble or errors any honest mechanic would tell you right away, others will try and charge you an exspensive item when its really not needed
Watching this video reminds me why I don't own a Nissan 😂
@@benjaminking9738 you think thats bad? Ford RIVETS thier stuff in trucks and window regulator rivits. Seat rivets. Have fun drilling everything. bmw use plastic oil pans but metal drain plugs. Yup no one will ever over torque them then hide the fact they ruined a 200 dollar oil pan. every car has terrible things to deal with.
I love messing with scammers too😂
Just so everyone knows, NO Government Entity (especially Federal) will contact you; via phone, email or text message. If any Government Agency needs to contact you, they will do it by mail or in person. No ifs, and or buts!
Yup the irs had to write this on there website
I have been called by the Canadian government.
@@rickmossop3733 I'm sorry to hear that. My comment was pertaining to the US Government. I do not know the laws and legislation of Canada. in the US it even pertains to State, County and Local government.
@@charlietate5514 Much the same here in Canada. They do not call. If there is a warrant they are not going to call and warn you so you can disappear, they are going to showup and arrest you.
Correction: If any Government Agency needs to contact you, it will be at 5 am and involve a battering ram.
I had that same call about two weeks ago. Have A Great Day!!!!
When removing a strut from the bottom knuckle, I have used a wedge, chisel, or flat blade screwdriver to open the diameter a small amount putting the chisel/wedge where the clamp bolt "ear" gap. It does not take much. On some struts, there is a locator depression for the bolt that also has to align.
Best thing I’ve used is threading the bolt in backwards thru the threaded side and slipping a quarter inbetween the gap then using the bolt to spread the knuckle
Watching from the UK, love how you pre-empt the comments with your commentary saying things like "oh my god, you hit a bolt with a hammer, you've ruined it...."
I was worried at first about that suspicious package and then I burst out laughing when I heard "Officer Steve's" accent.
When you called them back, I imagined "Officer Steve" going Do de do do do but in an Indian accent.
That's not Indian, their in Kansas.
Someone called me the other day said he was from publisher clearing house and I won 10 million dollars I just had to Pay the processing fee. He sounded like on of them the guys from the show swap people. Call came from Louisiana too. I laughed and told him I was Ed McMann
A fancy new mount on a worn out shock. Gotta love warranty work
Think he said it was a 2018, would not expect the strut to be toast.
At 90,000 miles, the strut is definitely worn out.
@@marksmallman4572 It would be extending on it's own not retracting, that strut lost it's gas pressure long time ago, it's no good.
Brake clean sound effects.
Knocking cap off with one swing!
Perfect!
i personally get more satisfaction out of channels that actually hack and put viruses into the scammers call centers and forcing their operations to shut down than someone smartassing them.
but the repair video from end to end is way more satisfying altogether, because KNOWLEDGE! 😃😃
It's great to see some pain in the process. It shows that we mechanics dont always have an easy time of it. And we are not just ripping off the customer...... as some customers think!
All he had to do was use that spring compressor to compress the spring more until the piston fit through better. No need to use pliers and shit pulling the piston out and holding it with another pair. All he die was scuff up the piston w the pliers and its goin to wear the seal out faster. Idk why he made that so hard
I wasnt referring to that part of the video. Yep! I just compress the spring more.
It wont damage the seal,as that portion of the shaft will never compress that far into it under normal conditions. (not condoning the use of pliers)
I thought thats the part of the vid you meant cause thats where it seemed he struggled the most. Pulling the strut and putting it in, had he jus spread the back of the knuckle, it would have went so much easier. Also, he could/should have used a wrench for the nut and held the piston in place with an allen/hex. Or they make through sockets that allow you to do the same thing. I usually love his vids and think hes a pretty good tech, but this job he made way harder than it needed to be and kinda hacked it.
what are you talking about clearly our scan tools tell us where to find any issue right? lol
That replacement is soooooo complicated. You have a lot of patience. Thanks for sharing it all with us.
It’s funny to see you’re not excluded from those leeches. I love it when I receive their calls when driving home, it’s very amusing.
You need to watch scammer payback he eats scammers for lunch, Kitboga too.
@@lechatbotte. YEAH THEY DO...EVEN MAKES CASH OFF OF SOME...HA!!! IN YOUR FACE PRIK...GIVE ME MONEY...BUDDAY!!!...SEND ME 20 FOR SHIPPING AND HANDLING...HAHAHAHAHA!!!!
@Ben Avery MY BANK ACCOUNT GOT HIT W/MICROSOFT HACKER...$163.36 to the penny...MY BANK CAUGHT IT AND CAUSED MY BANK CARD TO BE FROZEN...UH HUH!!! BANKER SAID SEVERAL ACCOUNTS HAD BEEN HACKED USING THE "MICROSOFT" NAME...WELL I NEVER DEAL WITH MICROSOFT...PERIOD!!! KIND OF A HASSLE TO GET ANOTHER CARD AND TELL ALL AUTO PAY ACCOUNTS NEW CARD NUMBERS...GRRRRR...B-TARDS...MOTHERLESS PSYCHOPATHS...
And by him answering, confirming the number is good, he just got himself on a bunch of other scammer's lists.
@@mdamaged His medicare supplements will be due next week.
I've had those scam calls what a joke they are , the sad thing is some people fall for it !!!! I always report the number using my T-mobile shield app !
Thank you for sharing your work with me I learned why I don't want to mess with the struts
I LOVE those scam phone calls.
I drive 400 miles monthly when I go to Maine which takes 7 hours. Getting them on long drives helps break up the monotony of the drive.
I went back and forth with a guy for 18 minutes. That made me happy.
I would have told "Steve" that the package had drugs[or dildoes] in it, and I had more coming in, so he could keep the drugs [dildoes] and use them himself.
I would have said narcotics or adult toys
Hell yeah Stan!
Please Stan, I only deal in WMD...
Watching this makes me appreciate always replacing the entire strut assembly.
Former Nissan Tech here... Don't you just love how you have to disassemble just to do struts? Watching you struggle brings back horrible memories.
I believe warranty time for these was 1.4 hours. Don't remember what customer pay time was. That Branick 7600 is about the least sketch spring compressor. I love using it.
Much respect to you. You must have the patience of Jobe. I despise working on those things.
never buy a nissan.. same shite as chevy and fords
crap...
Ray has knowledge..
thanks for videos
but Ray can send BUTCHER
ans STEALERSHIP
signals as well
i wish HOOVIE's mechanic was not 5 states away..
seems that guy is good and honest BUT clean and thoughtful and thorough
brake clean outer side BUT the inner ???
an oopsies??? me thinks Ray does that habitually..
AND CLICK
How about replacing a blower motor, having to remove the brake and gas pedals. Nightmares and day pains
Nissan : the Chrysler of Japan
I am usually impressed with your problem solving skills. However, I would be concerned about using channel lock pliers to hold the strut rod, which could mare the shaft and damage the seal, creating a leak later. Couldn't you just have compressed the spring more to achieve your goal?
I had the same thoughts.
My thoughts exactly. If I had to do that I would try to grab it as close to the top at I could.
I thrice that
I feel like maybe he forgot to re-compress the spring. He released the spring pressure the day before to help remove the top nut.
@@isuzudave exactly
I have a similar strut on my ford escape. 1st put a jack under the lower knuckle and put pressure on it to get it up on the strut, 2nd ,dont tighten the upper mount bolts untill the car is on the ground, it lets the mount seat correctly. of course i dont have a lift so mine was lower to the ground. as always keep up the good work!
Love that you "accidentally " shared the number. Were going to have a calling party,lol. I think their car warranty is about to expire
The numbers are rarely accurate. They spoof their number to look like someone else's. It's allowed because a lot of business are allowed to do so in order to serve multiple people on one line
The federal government number has been disconnected 😂😂
I've had those call centers spoof their number to look like mine and then I get a bunch of angry texts and calls to my number complaining about me scamming them and I'm like 'Who TF are YOU?!'
@@LilOleTinyMe They are always faked yes. I recently changed my number as I had 5-6 calls a week and same with text messages. 99% called from "UK" but of course they're in room 320 or close by. (ref: Pirogi). Last time it was a new scam for me. I had a great sum of money from the US and I needed to use a computer or a smartphone. I asked the lady where she was calling from, she said the US. Funny I said, it says your calling from the UK. She hung up.
@@jonbeargenx Just to show they are not giving you preferential treatment we in the UK get lots of similar calls from the US ! ;-)
Third-party warranties are always a pain in the butt. It’s a good thing there are so many companies contacting people on a regular basis about their cars extended warranty that is about to expire. 😂🤣😂
then you have me wasting there time "i have a 2014 LADA its a fancy import" a "2016 toyota camry i don't rightly know the miles on it as its on its 2nd engine" a "1998 geo metro with 300k miles on it" and one of them asked me if i had any other cars after listing off these random ish cars
I usually go with my fav on those calls, a 1979 Schwinn Valedictorian.
When I get junk mail saying that my car’s warranty is about to expire or has already expired on a vehicle that I have sold 10 years ago, I trash it. I do not nor will I ever buy extended warranties on anything, it’s a waste of money. Put that money that they charge in a savings account and pay for the repair. Fortunately I have the knowledge to do my own repair, y’all have a good one
They're scams. They don't actually cover anything.
In the countries where these scammers live, working as a "thief" or "scammer" is a common and highly respected job.
As long as they steal from strangers, not their own, of course.
Hello Ray, good job with the mount and with the scammer.
New subscriber here, I'm binge watching your videos.
You're binge-watching Ray's vids? See you in August! :)
@@josepherhardt164 HAHA.. For sure.
Got to love that pry bar Gravity, it always happens even to the best of us.
After watching quite a few of your videos I wish I had guys like you where I live - in GUA.
- Meaning, if I had your kind of mechanics at my retailers shop I would trust them way more than I do. You’re a F:ing role model.
When I do these struts, I use a support fork device which fits on the top of my gearbox jack, and goes under the bottom spring pan. With this you can compress the spring on the car and do not need to disassemble any of the hub assembly, to slide it of the bottom of the strut. this saves lots of time.
You put the dent in it when you bent the door bro. Lol
You caught that too! Can’t fix broke, tin can junk !
I enjoy watching these. I'm currently refurbishing a 2005 Ford Courier Crewcab 'hi-lift' 2x4 v6 SOHC 4.0l . As a mechanic, I know enough to be dangerous, as my diesel fitter/mechanic father used to tell me. Thankfully, I learned a bit through osmosis from him. I've replaced all the top end seals (not the heads or top sump), as in the cam covers and plenum, replaced the water pump, replaced the leaky thermostat housing with an aluminum/aluminium one, replaced all the cooling hoses etc, and I'm in the process of replacing the old clutch driven cooling fan with an electric one. Then it's tie-rod ends etc. I look at engines and cars like a jigsaw puzzle. Pull it apart and put it back together the reverse way. Hot tip for amateur mechanics like me, buy some ziplock baggies and a Nikko-type pen and bag and label your nuts and bolts. It'll save a lot of heartache when you're reassembling it weeks later.
Oh, also, if you're going to home mechanic, expect to spend a LOT of money on tools. Buy decent quality tools, especially when it comes to torque wrenches.
This is a great, great site Ray. Know that there are tons of people that just like to argue and insult. When they get backed into a logics trap they just turn to insults. Thanks for all you do and I hope it pays a million a year.
You could use a Volkswagen spindle spreader tool to help with removal and reinstallation of the strut to the spindle. It works on all suspensions mounted this way. Or anything to just spread it a bit. I've seen people use chisels before as well.
I have a slim chisel for this. It takes very little to make it a smooth easy fit both off and on.
I used a flag head screwdriver on my Passat, worked well
Yeah. The only reason it was hard was because he was doing it the hard way.
Perfect example of why i tell all my customers no to 3rd party warranties, sure the repair will cost more upfront, but i bet with the deductible and the cost of non covered parts they only saved a few hundred, and had to wait a week to get the repair, instead of same day service
Warranty plans
...selling the fear factor daily to unsuspecting victims.😎
I had a 3rd party warranty that I needed to use to fix a rear differential on a vehicle that I was planning to use on my vacation. They eventually covered most of the cost but it took several days to get approved and the delay screwed up my holiday. That was the only repair they ever agreed to cover. There was always some excuse. I would have been better off not buying the warranty. I wish someone like you had talked me out of it.
Ive seen it all, from covering parts thats failed, but nothing else that needed to be replaced to get to that part, i.e. oil pressure switch and not the intake gasket that needed to be removed to get to said switch. Another conpany covered a fail ignition coil but wouldnt cover the valve cover gasket that was leaking into it and filling the plug tube with oil. Then some covering only junkyard parts, or we only pay for 60 an hour labor, when most shope bill over 100. And the best is a 250 deductible on a job that costs 300..... I should have opened an insurance company instead of a repair shop, but i actually like helping people instead of ripping them off
They are good for high dollar repairs but if you take care of your car they are few and far between. If a customer is super worried i just tell them take that money insurance is goinna charge u and put it aside in a savings account. When u need it its there if you dont then you still have it.
Bad experiences here with 3rd party warranties also ,Know what your buying and learn some mechanical skills, which by the way not many people want to learn and always want "somebody else" to fix their problems-sorry I've eaten a few lemons
Watching you grip that strut shaft with a pair of toothed grips made me wince! That shaft will now be scored and tear at the oil seal as the strut contracts and expands which will cause it to leak in the near future. Sorry Ray bad call!😬
It's lost its oil pressure is why it's collapsing, it's a busted shock, he can't break it further
Did he grip the shaft or did he grip the shaft through the rubber?.......
..
.......
Giggidy
Working on that strut looked painfull. Credit to you. You persevered! Not bad for your first day on the job.
I like your videos , informative n like your sense of humor. I am willing to learn from anyone that is knowledgeable cause there is always something to learn on these newer vehicles
Holding the rod with the channel locks possibly scratched the chrome surface. I would have used a doubled shop rag under a pair of vice grips which would have held better and been safer for the surface.
I can see the seals on those struts leaking out fast, if the nicks from the pliers were low enough to travel past them.
This whole strut retraction thing brings us back to the Oil Caddy fiasco...doesn't it? Many a good man would have given up by this point...great job Ray.
When the strut retracts like that doesn’t that mean the strut is going bad?
@@taggmagnuson9103 Yep, it's busted.
You are a bad teck if you give up that easy!!!!
I love messing with scammers when I have the time. You know, can you imagine a Federal Officer who has a thick East Indian accent who is legit and when he calls people or she, immediately we assume it's a scammer, lol I suppose the higher ups would tell them no phone duty for you bub! Don't get me wrong, not being mean, a bit funny yes, but just pointing out how hard phone service is for legit people who sound like scammers. But yes lol, there would be no warning, heaven would rain down upon you. Thumbs up Ray and yes never give them personal info they should first ID you if it's of the minds of the Law.
"Sir, my name is Bubba (No, he didn't actually say that, it was like Bob or Bill) and I am pleased much for to be telling you that we are ready to send your Viagra without a prescription; all we need is your credit card information." (I'd love to tell how I messed with him, but it's XXX rated.)
5 identical voicemails in one day: "This is our FINAL attempt to contact you about your car's warranty." (If only 🙏)
"I am a Microsoft engineer and your PC has a virus." I have a Mac! "I mean your Mac has a virus." But I only run Linux! " 'We can fix Linus'." On my abacus! Click!
"I am a Microsoft engineer and your PC has a virus." But I was vaccinated. "No sir, your computer." Dr. Fauci said I was safe. "I am talking about your machine." No, just a hypodermic needle, no machines. Click!
Often when I get a "Steve" call, I cooperate and give my name as Doncha Makinameupt. (Don't ya makey name up) I live in Jammalamadugu ( a real Indian city) and I run Daada's House of Steak and Ham (Grandpa's + Hindu and Islam forbidden foods). Click! (I get more clicks than a Rainman Ray Video.)
Wait until you hit your 70s, and you start getting 10-15 calls a day about Medicare Advantage Plans. One batch, ID number starts with V then about 10 numbers, then a spoofed regular phone number. Good thing I'm on the DO NOT CALL list.
feds dont normally call...they show up or invite you to come see them by certified summons, lol
I used to work in a call center for GM. Our team handled the dealer reps for the entire US, and was a small team. We got to know the reps after awhile. We hired a new rep, who had a thick Russian accent. On her first call, the dealer refused to talk to her until we verified she was a legit rep for the team. He thought we had been outsourced.
I have a couple of tips you may want to try the next time if you are struggling to get this type of strut removed from the car.
After you have removed the pinch bolt from the knuckle, use a small flat chisel or flat screwdriver if you don't have a chisel handy and drive it between the bolt "ears" slightly wedging the clamping force apart.
Next using a short length of chain and a suitable bolt, loop the chain around the lower control arm near the ball joint. Bolt the chain together. Using a somewhat longer pry bar, slip it through the chain loop far enough till it reaches the point where the control arm pivots. This will give you more than enough downward force to slip the knuckle off the strut. This chisel/chain trick also works great for separating the ball joint stud from the knuckle as well. Give it a shot and let me know if it works for you. I worked as a tech for over 20 years and found that there is always something new to be learned when it comes to automotive repairs. Great video once again, and remember, Ray, you have yourself a great day!!🙂
Love your handling of the call.
And this is why i always just buy quick struts because its way less labor to replace them.
Same here
Clearly you put the dent in the gas door. At 4:32 the door shows no sign of damage. After you " tweaked" it a blemish appeared. Probably only needed a hinge up to that point. At 5:24 the ding appears.
I thought the same thing. After looking at the video on slow motion a few times you can see it was there beforehand
hmmm.. that was my thought too. When I saw you pushing the lid as a way to tweek the hinge my thought was no no that will mess up the lid in some likely way. It would better to put a long slim bar like a long screwdriver shank thru the hinge assembly and apply force to both ends of the shank towards the latch till the hinge slightly yeilds. Or if the hinge wouldn't allow a shank thru perhaps a heavy duty cordage or wire could be passed thru then pull that cord or wire towards the latch till the hinge yeilds.
The ding is clearly there at 4:34
You are completely correct. Out of curiosity I ran the video through my editing software and its clear that dent doesn’t show up until after he went bending on the door. Also it’s not like he has a good track record of damaging people’s cars. I listened to a couple videos after getting the “RUclips recommends”for him. My biggest takeaway is the contempt he holds against the customers. He would starve to death if he opened his own shop
I always start my day with Rainman Ray. You had me laughing with "I'm at 9999....9 99th street".
It should have been "999 Letsby Avenue". LOL
Love your method on diagnosing how components go on and come off well done
The Federal Officer at the end was fanfunkingtastic!
29:50, it appears the strut mount holes on the body are slotted for adjustment. Ideally, you should try and match the existing marks if they're not getting an alignment.
Glad someone else caught this. At times Ray comes off as a literal single-handed hero - without the cape - and I kinda understand since he has to film and do the work.. :)
I like to line them up to go back where they came from just to ease tasks when performing steering geometry alignment.
You partially uncompressed the spring to add friction to top plate to allow nut removal with the impact. Shouldn't you have compressed it back again with the spring compressor to make getting the assembly back together easier?
It wasn't the spring that was the issue. It was that the shock itself did a pp, felt the cold air and shrunk to a tiny length. The spring can only extend the shock after he has got the nut in place.
You are correct he needed and should have compressed the spring. It is very apparent he is not comfortable using the strut compressor. What is more unbelievable is did he seriously used pliers and grab the polished strut shaft. I have to believe it was an optical illusion, Just like the dent that he did unintentionally put in the fuel door well bending the bent hinge… Ooops Still great content, good ethical mechanic and 98% of his jobs are well done.
General rule: when Apu calls, claiming he's an agent for any of the 3-letter agencies, your name and address is ALWAYS Homer Simpson, 123 Evergreen Tr, Springfield. The State/Zip is "confidential"
Name? Address? What is that? ....a telephone....what is this thing I'm talking into??? Ermerger!!!! (Hang phone up) 😂😆😂
One rule, never give personal information over the phone.
Whenever they go "hello, thank you for calling. My name is... *pause while they scan their script for a name* Paul. How may I help you?" You know that you get to have fun with him
I tell them my name is Donald Draper (Mad Men).
USA Prime Credit, this Peggy!
Just found your video. Informative and entertaining. While most of this I will never tackle myself,I now have better understanding of "labor charges ".
I was thinking of replacing one front strut bearing that is noisy in summer heat. After seeing this video I realized how short our summer really is up here on the wet coast of Canada.😄
Loved the way you handled the scammer. Too funny! 😀
"Steve Jackson, Federal Officer..." ROTFLMAO...
I wasn't even there, and my nerves was on edge watching you take apart the strut. I had a spring come out once doing a strut job, it flew past my head and tore through the metal wall behind me, that scared the ever-loving dodo out of me and was the start of my hate of doing struts.
Vise grip lower link to strut sill plate, and safety chain spring is a mandatory thing. I like my head and teeth.
@@carmo9693 This happened in 1995 when I was young very dumb and convinced of my immortality plus the spring compressor was close to the same age as I was then, but after that happened I took every precaution I could come up with, good news was a month later the shop bought a brand new spring compressor that was 10x better than the old one.
@@maxmcarnage7642 I use to do them on the floor and would run a chain thru the rim and run thru one link so if it did go I was out of harms way. Never happened to me but I did see one having springs go flying no one got hurt. This was back when they had those portable scissor style compressors Back in the early 80ies and hose clamp was used to keep strut piston furthest out for reassembling.
@@carmo9693 That sounds about as dangerous as airing up a split rim outside of a cage, it's amazing how much things has changed from then till now, I know I took more chances back when I was turning wrenches than they do today
@@maxmcarnage7642 That is where I got the idea from, the old timers telling me about doing the chain around the tire. Fortunate for me I was either very careful or had luck on my side. BTW I still have the scissor type compressor and have not used it in 15 years. I buy preloaded struts now.
The cost is just cheaper in the end and I do not have to fight with spring or alignment of said spring.
I’ve never seen a shock/strut that compressed itself without a load, except for when the valve was stuck open, which means it needs a new shock/strut.
yes ray this strut is garbage and should have been replaced strut rods don`t go in unless compressed when pressure is released they expand again.
Not a warranty covered part, so customer likely says no.
@@ghostlegz .
No the strut is not garbage. This is the way it is designed . Its the opposite of a normal strut. Nissan has been using this type of strut since 2004 on the Maxima & Altima.
However it is a stupid design . I used to replace those struts at the nissan shop on a weekly basis & i have come up with a way to make the strut installation easy.
@@33ad1 Ah Yes , the excellence of Nissan engineering................
Chrysler of Japan
when you were trying to get the bolt into position my butt was clenched so hard when it kept retracting. 😂
That’s why I love quick struts
.
Compressing the spring further would have been the best way to go.
I was going to say...
but you beat me to it :)
Vise grips with masking tape on the jaws. That was some good mechanicing 😂. I’m just surprised that the first time you pulled the strut up with your pliers and holding it in place with your channel locks that when you went to reach for the upper bearing plate that it wasn’t just out of reach without having to almost let go of everything. Mechanics Law. Everything you ever need is just out of reach.
Or just as you are about to slip the nut on, the part moves and the nut falls to the ground in the only patch of sand with 200 miles. Just out of reach, or course.
@@jeanmeslier9491 A dropped object will travel to the exact geographic center of the car. Murphy was an optimist!
Love the in-depth tour of the entire repair end-to-end.
Those scammers -- look up Jim Browning or Art and Ashton's channels; they give these people so much grief.
is somebody useing art and my first name for scams! *TRIGERD* if only i could DCMA that scamer bescue my ashman TM comics if i would make a bissnus from them that scamer with my futre protecnal compony name gots to go away and f**** them selfs!
The velcro on the fuel door lmao. That's great.
I hated doing struts! I used to use a digging bar to pry down on the lower control arm. If it has a hole, and isn't one solid piece, you can use the weight of the bar to hold the lower control arm down. It frees up a hand to manhandle the other parts together.
on the phone scam call, i was really hopping you'd let him hear the air chisel/hammer operate. everyone should hear that over the phone unexpectedly. :)
"I'm sorry BRRRRP I'm at the dentist BRRRRRRRP."
I have a wooden train whistle. Gives me pleasure to use it when I remember.
I've got an air horn that I keep in my top drawer for exactly that kind of call... I first tell them that I think we're about to have a fire drill and if we do they may hear the beeping... Then... HOOOOOOOOOOOOONK. Remember these clowns have on headsets that take a moment to remove.
@@donmac5424 unfortunately the phone systems automatically limit the level of audio into the system so although it's loud to you it not bad enough to remove their eardrums which is the desired effect. But it gives you the satisfaction. Just like me and my train whistle.
A friend of mine blows a whistle down the phone at the scammer. I've had those calls at work too. Nailing on shingles while holding the phone 6" from the nail gun, is also very satisfying. Surely that gives them the shits!
I love watching your videos and you usually do a wonderful job. This wasn't one of those instances, however. I'm sure you don't normally do many strut installs. Impact is a no-no on a strut. Pliers, also a no-no. Strut retracting on its own? Yea, that's the opposite of what it should be doing. Not a known good part. And lastly, if they aren't getting an alignment immediately, you really should try to get everything as close as possible. It was easy to see that it was pretty far off.
Can't disagree with your comments here & I am not even a mechanic (my dad was, so I know a thing or 1.5).
Putting that dead strut back in was painful to see - a bit like replacing a rotor & putting the old pads back in.
So know it all. How would you have done it. He was doing what the customer wanted which is a sign of a good honest mechanic. You sound like one who would try and weasel every dollar you could put of people. I would never trust you to fix my wheelbarrow let alone my vehicle. I trust Raymond long before I would even let you touch my rig.
When I had struts replaced on my Acadia I only found one guy who would do it this way. And he said that I didn't want him to do it. LABOR. Everybody wanted to do the entire assembly.
He said that the warrenty wont cover a new strut even though he suggested it and the customer went without 8:12
@@ConeMakerDude2020 I'd use a spreader tool to release the hub from the strut and drop it down before undoing the top mount bolt. Get the strut compressed, then ideally remove the top nut with a ring spanner while holding the strut from spinning with a hex key, doesn't always happen, sometimes you have to use the impact gun.... but I'm not a mechanic. To be fair though, I'd probably drop the shock absorber on the floor too.
Would compressing the spring more help when it comes to reassembly?
Yes it would, though it would be sketchy (as is basically everything involving coilovers). Doesn't seem to bother Ray though, so IDK why he didn't.
Source: changed my own struts mounts a few months ago. Only lost two fingers and 3 toes lol
As a Nissan tech who has to change these all the time because they suck. You compress that thing like a pancake and it’s the scariest thing ever but it makes life easier.
Yeah it would have, he barely had it compressed.
AND DON’T GRAB THAT POLISHED SHAFT WITH PLIERS!
@@Preceptor-lf1ht I wanted to say this too but felt like it shouldn't have to be said lol. Another thing he could have done was use a rubber lined hose clamp to hold the shaft up for him.
Never give up Ray, that should of been a Peter 🗯️👐 moment.
I can’t stop watching your videos!
As an older fellow with tinnitis, make sure to wear hearing protection. Constant ringing in the ears will drive you crazy. That pneumatic hammer makes alot of racket. Great video.
Hey Guy, if you are a Vet they will give you free hearing aids that will fix that hearing noise.
Do you know anything about tinnitus it's not in your ears ..hearing aids won't help it a bit you might be able to drown it out with a louder sound.
What !
@@tsmith235 I have a feeling he is referring to a 'reverse' white noise in the hearing aids. I have one under my pillow. You tweak the noise output and it cancels out. Opposite sine waves. That's the simple version of how it works. Didn't know they had got it down small enough.
@@tsmith235 yeah they have a specific frequency the hearings aids will produce that will reduce or eliminate the ringing. I've been wearing hearing aids for 52 years.
is there going to be a follow up vid on yellow oil mess
Ray I get those calls all the time. Love how your scaming the scamer.
Did this myself at home and made a tool to help me lowering the suspension. Basically strong steel flat In the shape of a capital F to go above and below the lower arm and allow you to press down with a lot less chance of slipping. Could even keep pressure on with my leg to free both hands.
Got my strut compressor in a rotating vice. Sometimes fitting the top mount with the strut inverted is easier, work with gravity. The strut spindle has a hex or torx in the centre so you can use a ring wrench and a hex/ torx to take off the top nut with the spring fully compressed. Much easier.
These strut mounts are components that one just assumes will last the life of the strut. So, how many Nissan Rogue owners end up buying new struts because of the premature failure of the strut mount? The more I see Ray work on the new Nissans, the less interested I am in owning one.
we love our 2018 rogue ..all cars can wear out the top mounts ,,,were you live has a lot to do with them
If it has a constant velocity belt drive transmission, I wouldn’t buy it anyway.
MY WIFE BOUGHT A NEW NISSAN QUEST...LESS THAN 3 YEARS BOTH FRONT STRUTS FAILED...BOOO HISSSSS...KYB MAKES GREAT STRUTS...NO TO MONROE...BOOOO
Today’s roads can take out the “bogies “ on a Sherman tank, not Alone a “ pisscutter ! LOL
Nissan cars were very good, until Renault bought Nissan, ive a nissan xtrail (Rogue) but wont be having another, im going back to Honda.
Who else says, "Yeah, that would be my luck" when things go wrong when Ray is fixing things.
Aren’t you concerned about damage to the shock shaft with the pliers ?
I was concerned about that too. He must have those new Newklear Fizzacist Surgeon pliers made for non marring shock shafts
@@MrTonyPiscatelle we definitely require some clarification. If the surface of that shaft is damaged it will rip the shock seal and the oil will leak.
@@Fjord_Driver it was right at the body of the shock and clearly not beneath the bump stop which is there to prevent excessive travel, so I’d suggest it’s right in the area where the shaft travels through the seal-hence the clarification.
And copperhead road in the background love it!
I agree with you about the after market warranties, not worth the angst.
Be interesting how long the seals last in the struts after the slip joint plier treatment on the shafts.
He was not doing any treatment on the shaft... watch the video again and put more attention to the fact how wide the jaws of the pliers were set...
This is just a question. You decompressed the spring to help get the nut off, would recompressing the spring make it easier to put the nut back on?
Probably but decompression is mostly so it doesn't spring into your face killing you
@@AgentOffice I think you wrote that wrong, you compress the spring so that it doesn't fly apart.
The compression
Spring compressors are scary. Better to deal with a hard-to-turn nut than a spring compressor.
@@beaverc2884 in a way you decompress against the top
your large pliers might have damaged the finish on the strut tube whilst holding it which could result in a leaking shock !!
when the fuel door solenoid sticks spray it with silicone dash cleaner and it frees them up and gets them moving again. they usually lock and unlock on the remote keyfob.
Love the little incognito tip of the hat to South Main Auto @ 34m9sec lol... for those that don't know what I'm talking about...its a long running thing on Eric O's channel regarding his love of brake clean and sound effects....thanks for the great content Ray..much appreciated..cheers from Canada :)
The scammers are everywhere, I guess officer Steve was not interested in meeting you
when they ask my name i tell them my name is Tug Magroin
Completely different time zone. Watch enough of Rays videos you'll work out where he works at. Surely the po po 50 can do the same god dang pigs these days.
such a fine Indian name is steve
@@valvemonky4734 Bit like last name Smith common as muck. And makes a con so much easier to pull off with the simple folk these days. But becareful as these days you'll be called right winged. As if thats a problem.
I enjoy your videos, but there is one procedure that concerns me ... in holding the strut shaft in its fully extended position with Channellock pliers, unless you placed a soft jaw pad the teeth will gouge the shaft's polished chrome layer, invariably causing a seal failure and fluid leakage. Am I out of line here?
Other than that keep up the good work.
Agree completely.
@@damnusename Cringeworthy indeed.
I did wonder myself
no one ever knows how to install struts... never supposed to impact that fastener either... Oof. My jaw was on my keyboard.
Nope not out of line at all. You are right on the money. Most people doesn’t know how to properly change out struts.
Ray, Send that phone number to Scammer Payback.
Let him wreck shop on them..
Yessssss :D
"Steve Jackson" must be the most Indian Name i've ever heard.
We get about 20 of the calls a week they are absolutely a scam
That number was most likely spoofed. It might actually be a legit phone number, so all you'll be doing is "wreck shop" (whatever that means) on someone who was just as much a victim as Ray was. That's why the scammer hung up.
That sounded like an outbound call. Most of the time on the outbound they spoof the number. You can't call back. The robodialer calls about 10 numbers / vacant scammer. When a call picks up it drops the other 9 calls that are still ringing. So if you have 5 scammers doing nothing it will ring 50 numbers at once (adjustable). Scammers headset is always plugged in and the call auto connects. Known information appears on the screen (phone number, name, address, suburb, state, zip code, notes from previous calls, etc.
I like watching Ray work! I've learned a few things from him; however, have you ever watched someone work and think "WTF?"
Where the strut goes into the spindle, there is a slot in the back of the spindle (to clamp the strut). Just drive a wedge (a.k.a. screwdriver) into that slot and the strut will slide right into the hole without the need for violence. LOL
The other one was when Ray was installing the strut into the spring. I was thinking , "Forget the jack and pliers and all that hoopla. Just compress the spring more."
100%. My thoughts exactly. Still enjoyed the video none-the-less.
Just an old hands trick for doing strut tops, before compressing the spring pull a zip tie around the base of the piston close to the top of the strut canister, thus preventing the piston from slipping back into the canister, making the rebuild far easier.
I hope that all made sense to you, and anyone else out there who replace parts on the McPherson strut type suspension systems
I think everybody who watched this video has their own way of holding the shaft.
Please, let's keep this G-rated.😀
@@boilermaker1337 Grip rated