Good car mechanic near Makati/Pasig - & Hello!

[Zee]

Greetings everyone, this be my first post, and I couldn't find an introduction section, so I'll say hi here!

 

Second, we are having issues with our Diesel 2011 Santa Fe, and finding a capable mechanic seem to be... challenging! Hyundai themselves seem rather hopeless, and charge as if they were Rolls Royce. They also fixed something completely different costing about 30k pesos, despite the diagnostic test we got showing a faulty mass airflow sensor - and the fault (and engine light) remain. Been through 3 or 4 mechanics now, ssssooo...

 

Does anyone know of a good mechanic, knowledge of modern vehicles and systems, reasonable pricing, and actually knows how to diagnose and repair the correct thing?

 

We are in Mandaluyong, so Pagig/Makati areas would be ideal, but really, any suggestion of a capable mechanic is welcome. 

 

Thanks for any advice!

Cheers,

 

Z...

[robert k]

If you were my neighbor I could help you.

First thing to do is check that the wire plugs have good clean contacts going to the MAF sensor. A spray can of electrical contact cleaner will clean the plug and socket just fine. The spray will be extremely flammable though, use caution! Needle nosed pliers may make the job of disconnecting the plug easier so you can spray the cleaner in liberally washing dirt and corrosion out.

If your MAF sensor is dirty, you are going to have a problem. There is a little hot wire that is thinner than a human hair and so fragile that it should be protected from direct contact with the air going past it. They can be cleaned with electrical contact cleaner, they are so delicate you want to spray it on from a distance of about half a meter or if closer just let the cleaner dribble out of the can on it. They are really fragile. If your previous mechanics tried this, they may have broken it and you are in the limp home mode. If that is the case, a new sensor is the only option. Most cars it isn't hard to reach and usually all it take to replace it is disconnecting wires and two hose clamps and loosen a third hose clamp so you can rotate the hose. I would do that before I took it to anyone else. The MAF sensor is plug and play, the ECM computer should calibrate within a few minutes. Rarely you need to disconnect the battery for a few minutes so the ECM computer can recalibrate from scratch. Sorry I can't recommend anyone. I believe most people could replace the MAF sensor, a new one doesn't need to be cleaned, usually they have a directional arrow on them which points towards the engine and as long as you don't stick your fingers inside, you won't break anything. Part in hand it would take me less time than it did to type this. Price for this part could be anywhere between 5k php and 10k php. I suppose I should give a disclaimer. I am not telling you to do this, I'm merely telling you what I would do with a decent but not all encompassing description. You might locate the part and decide if you want to replace it yourself or take it to someone to be replaced and watch while they do it. Flat head screwdriver 5/16" or 8mm along with needle nose pliers should be all that is necessary to accomplish this task. You have my sympathy, good mechanics are hard to find. I have a theory that they don't want to fix your vehicle because the money stops when they do.

Edited November 9, 2016 by robert k

[Zee]

Thanks for the tip - I may just give it a go - I'm reasonably mechanically minded (I work on my own motorbikes) though none of them have ever needed any sort of sensor replaced, and it's more a case of wanting to confirm the diagnosis is accurate. The part is ordered, and I do have plenty of tools floating around (I'm into home automation/smart homes as my work, so plenty of tools!!!), so will give it a shot, worst case, I can always get someone else to put it in if I feel I may screw it up.

 

Thanks for the tip. I really should get to grips with the TCDI engines, seeing s good mechanics re so hard to find (the one that gave me the error code with his computer actually told me to look the code up on Google!!!).

 

Z...