With so many clueless clients daily, mechanics actually make a tidy sum

Dear Baraza,

Great job you are doing every Wednesday; you obviously know your stuff, although half the time I read the letters and your responses I wonder: What the heck are these people talking about? What does he (it is always the men) need to know that for? But that is me....

My question is about the car repair business. How do mechanics make money? I am hoping, you know. They charge woefully little for labour, like Sh3,000 for service and replacing all sorts of things, while I pay for all the purchases/parts etc. How does the mechanic end of business work? And where can I learn more about it/the business?

Monica Wanjiru

Hi Monica,

You are one insightful person. I too ask myself, “What does he need to know that for?” whenever I am asked certain questions. These almost always involve a car with a mechanical problem or one destined for modification.

The person asking the question will not understand the answer without a lot of surrounding explanations, and they will still end up going to the garage anyway.

Speaking of garages: Mechanics make money by charging clients. It looks like little money, but that depends on what vehicle they are working on and the scope of the problem. Trust me, the servicing costs of a Landcruiser do not amount to Sh3,000 only. Also, it is not just you they chargethat amount; there could be several other customers, say five or six. So a daily return of Sh18,000 to 21,000 does not look so bad now, does it?

I really do not know the intricacies of the business end of mechanics — or is it mechanic end of business? Most people learn the trade by apprenticeship, but I would suggest that you start at the polytechnic, then do a little apprenticeship and befriend the internet to keep abreast of changing technology. It is about time someone outside of Toyota Kenya learnt how to fix a D4 engine convincingly to stop the complaints about how these engines cannot be “overhauled”.

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Hi Baraza,

This is in reference to the “silly Prius”. I really do not think it is within engineering ethics to refer to a car as silly. It has taken days, if not years, to come up with such an intelligent machine, not forgetting the number of engineers involved.

I wonder what option you can offer to the designers of this car, which is possibly better than the current Prius.

Please, on a more realistic level, could you clarify what you meant by underpowered engine? Also, please elaborate to the readers (who have little knowledge of cars) what you mean by two engines. It is absolutely out of line to compare a Prius hybrid with a diesel-powered car.

Well, it is my hope that you are not missing the actual point behind the invention of the Toyota Prius.

Ibrah

In an upcoming book I intend to discuss this matter in depth, but I will summarise it here for you.

The premise of the Prius is three-pronged, at least that is what Toyota would want us to believe.

Fuel economy: the Prius is meant to save fuel, and this it does, very well in fact.

Noxius emissions: the Prius is meant to release fewer emissions (in the form of oxides of carbon and NOx) to allow more breathable air and let us live longer. Again, it does this, also with some aplomb.

Environmental friendliness: the Prius is meant to be environmentally friendly, and on the face of it, it is. By using electricity part of the time, it has less need for fossil-based fuels which, in turn, reduces the demand for such fuel and, therefore, less mining and stripping of the earth for oil, and electricity is “clean” energy and efficient, and hippies love them as do movie stars… You get the point. (See sidebar on facing page for more on the Prius. You will love... or hate... me anew!)

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Dear Baraza,

I recently bought a VW Golf Touran 1.4 TSI.  Since it is a 1,478kg seven-seater, I am impressed how a small engine (1.4) outmanoeuvres the earlier 2.0 engine in terms of power.

It has a twin charged engine which uses both a supercharger and turbocharger. Could you expound on the pros and cons of this engine arrangement? Does this car need a turbo timer? Do turbo timers increase engine longevity?

It is also has a DSG six-drive automatic gear. Are there any challenges to be expected, as it is claimed that it gives faster gear shifts?PS: I am impressed with this car’s acceleration and fuel economy.

Jacob

The pros and cons of twin-charged engines are rather simple and straightforward. The good thing with them is that you get a lot of power from a very compact unit, so packaging is never an issue in vehicle design.

Weight is kept low (good for handling, response, and economy) and the occupancy of less space for the engine means more room for other things, like passengers.

The downside with twin-charged engines is that they are very complicated, may be prone to glitches, are a swine to fix when broken, expensive (relatively), generate a lot of heat, and in some cases are high-strung, highly-stressed units (due to the fact that a lot of horsepower is trying to escape from such a tiny package).

This car may not need a turbo timer. Read the manual, especially the chapter that talks about the turbocharger. When does it start boosting?

How much boost pressure does it generate? How is it cooled and lubricated? What rpm does it spool at? There are quite a number of factors that determine whether you actually need a turbo timer, but I will give a rule of thumb: Turbo timers are mostly ideal for turbocharged diesel engines and modified turbocharged petrol engines, especially with aftermarket turbos or increased boost. This is very generalised and cases vary from engine to engine.

Turbo timers increase the life of the turbocharger itself, not necessarily the entire engine. They are a palliative to turbo failure as a result of heat dumping and/or oil starvation.

The DSG has only two challenges: 1. Use it properly. This is not an automatic (though it can be driven as one); it is more of a clutchless, stickless manual, so remember to change gear every now and then when in S mode (the side-gate in the selector lever boot area). 2. Maintenance: If that DSG breaks, you are in trouble.