Dealer says ScanGauge ruined my PCM and I can't use ScanGauge anymore

[aerohead]

A friend with a Rav-4 "developed" a check engine light WITHOUT a scangauge.No dealer or independent shop could ever isolate the problem.My friend ended up sticking some electrical tape over the idiot light as it was a constant distraction.The vehicle was later sold and the second owner continues to drive it.I like the "grasping at straws" analogy,as local certified technicians appear impotent without their "codes." The scangauge could easily have absolutely nothing to do with your cars problem,as I understand they merely interrogate the system.

[Markmysite]

Well, I called the dealer today and big surprise it's not fixed yet. I guess it wasn't the PCM afterall ... ahhh yeah ... I told them that already. I also emailed them a bunch of tips/posts that people on this and other forums put up (a couple from GM service techs with ideas). I hate to tell them how to do their jobs, but at this point someone has to right?

Hopefully, I will get my car back sometime this month ... sigh. If not, I guess I start down the fun lemon law road.

[RacerX]

I know the car is pretty new but this may help the dealer.......iATN - International Automotive Technicians' Network

[Formula413]

Wow, blaming a simple scanner and a PCM for a lean code? Jeebus, what a bunch of hacks. The FIRST thing you check for with a lean code is a vacuum leak, always.

[Will]

I try not to use any kind of dealership anymore. I had a 96 Camaro Police Service version I bought from the Indiana State Police. I had it service at a dealership. When I got in to leave the RPM on start up would jump from normal to WOT and back over and over again. I went back in and told them about it. They asked me if the "idiot" light was on, and when I told the no they said there was nothing they could do. I asked them if they had any REAL mechanics there, and how they worked on cars before the idiot light was added.

I went outside and opened the hood, bound and determined to fix the problem in their own lot. It took about 5 seconds to see they had left the air duct unhooked from the intake plenum. I hooked it back up and it worked great. It had been messing with the sensor in the duct.

Yes, I went back in and made fun of them. They asked me not to come back and I assured them I would not.

[Formula413]

Since I started working on my own cars I have found several things that mechanics either did wrong or did half-assed. Including failing to tighten the hose clamp on the intake tubing. That must be a popular one.

[cfg83]

Will and Formula413 -

Yeah, I wouldn't use a normal service department anymore for my car. Too much stuff to explain. When I had my racing disks on my 1997 Saturn SC2, I had to explain that because of the way I drove (pre-hypermiler style was still mild), my brakes weren't going to overheat.

Since I'm not good at car maintenance, I use saturnfans.com to predect problems and drive 26 miles to my trusty mechanic.

If I had a new car, I would keep it almost bone-stock until the warranty ran out.

CarloSW2

[klrv6]

I did have a problem with my SG2 and my 03 regal. If the key was off and the unit was plugged in, it would reset my factory radio to all default settings. This really sucked as the first default station was a local country music channel. If it does reset the radio, it is sending something somewhere or at least causing a problem. If I plug the unit in after the engine is started, all is good.

[dcb]

Huh, I would definitely contact scangauge about the radio thing, let us know what the deal is if they figure anything out.

[Markmysite]

Originally Posted by RacerX

I know the car is pretty new but this may help the dealer.......iATN - International Automotive Technicians' Network

Thanks... I will pass this on to them. They keep mentioning that they are talking to a technician and have to follow what they say in replacing items. I assumed it was a GM thing though.

I called again today, and they still have no clue what is causing it. They confirmed replacing the PCM and no good of course. They looked into some of the tips I forwarded about the vacuum lines ... nada

I'm stuck in a rental 2008 Chevy Cobalt. Personally, I hate this car. My head is hitting the roof, the seat belt is tight and pulling on my shoulder, and the seats are hard as hell. My bum is sore from the 415 miles I drove today. Oh well, at least the dealer is paying for this thing ... and it does get good mileage. I was running late when I left at 4am this morning, and I got 33mpg going 75-80mph today.