Programming can brick an ECM coding cannot. Most German cars after 6 volt systems and generators used neg grounds, the English cars still had some pos ground until I believe 1971 on one Austin model.
Call for help
- Thread starter tiger862
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When my BMW was new (2007) I turned someone down. I literally did not want to fool around jumping an old car, so I said sorry my battery is in the trunk and walked away.So maybe a decade ago I pulled in to a gas station on one of my long drives along I-95. I was on a schedule and a young many asked me for a jump. He had cables. I told him I really didn't have time (was sort of true) and continued to pump my gas.
He convinced an elderly gentleman in a big, black, new Mercedes - E-class I presume. Battery in the trunk. So the kid is waving this guy to keep backing up - his cables were very short. Back, back back- STOP. Too late - black bumper cover hits the old truck he is trying to boost. Big scrape on the bumper cover -not structural but ugly. Kid immediately tries to rub it off with his hand.
Anyway I felt bad for not doing the jump since the elderly gentleman caused himself an issue. No good deed goes unpunished. I since have purchased a jump pack for this purpose.
Yes, there are terminals under the hood. I just didn’t want to risk damage to my new, precious, vehicle. It was a shopping mall so I’m sure someone nicer than me would have helped them. Hey we don’t always have to help everyone…
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We’re seeming to be at polar opposites
Example on my 335i. It had a 70ah lead acid battery.
The battery is replaced.
If it’s a like for like, then the car has to be programmed. It is simply told the battery has been replaced so the IBS begins charging the battery more aggressively as it would when the car was new.
2nd case, battery is replaced with an AGM battery. Now, it requires coding, to tell the car the battery type is now AGM, and the aH needs to also be specified. This can brick the DME, but not the first case….
Well it's great that I didn't go. Instinct saved me as I talked to a mechanic this morning who got same call. He talked to the customer and he stated AAA put a battery in and key fob won't unlock doors, however it does run. He sent pop a lock out to them as he didn't want to be in the middle of situation. People wonder why it's so expensive to repair vehicles and technicians are quitting the field.
My wife and I actually stopped on the side of the road yesterday to offer help to a guy with a flat. He said he didn't have the rods to crank the spare down, but he had someone coming. Dunno what that meant but I had no desire to hack/cut anything to lower his spare.
The problem is that most people are so ill-prepared they're virtually beyond help. No proprietary rods to lower spare. Trailers with blowouts that don't carry spare tires. As mentioned above, dollar store jumper cables that are too short to be useful.
I'm willing to help, but you gotta meet me halfway.
The problem is that most people are so ill-prepared they're virtually beyond help. No proprietary rods to lower spare. Trailers with blowouts that don't carry spare tires. As mentioned above, dollar store jumper cables that are too short to be useful.
I'm willing to help, but you gotta meet me halfway.
I understand the willingness to help, especially nowadays when any kind of support or service call can be very expensive for even a simple issue. But people need to be a little more knowledgeable and willing to put in some effort and open their wallets to get themselves out of a jam and not rely on the kindness of strangers.
I would have kindly yet firmly reminded my daughter to not offer my services to anyone. I'm sure she wanted to help (which is a great trait to have of course) and even you may have also, but it puts you on the hook to get involved in something you may not want to have anything to do with.
I would have kindly yet firmly reminded my daughter to not offer my services to anyone. I'm sure she wanted to help (which is a great trait to have of course) and even you may have also, but it puts you on the hook to get involved in something you may not want to have anything to do with.
Sounds like the couple is completely unaware of what they own and how to use the designed features. If the car runs, they obviously got inside the car by unlocking the door(s) to start the engine. Did they use the emergency metal key stored in the key fob to manually unlock the Chrysler 200? If so, why would they need the Pop-A-Lock service? Maybe to install a new CR-2032 coin battery in the remote key fob? If they are unable to perform such a rudimentary task, then you are very wise to stay away from the situation.
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I jumped a car full of day laborers at the local recycle center because they were obviously stuck and everyone else was ignoring them. But I made darn sure I was the one who made the cable connections. It was fast and easy and they were very thankful. But anything other than a quick jump I would have avoided. I might let someone borrow my jump box but that's it.
Yeah, I know the feeling. Two years ago I got stuck in a snow storm when traveling to Canada for Christmas. There was a guy in a Jeep that was stuck in front of me.
I managed to back out, turned around and left him instead of helping him out. I felt pretty bad about my selfishness and still feel bad when I think about it, but what can you do? What’s done is done.
I managed to back out, turned around and left him instead of helping him out. I felt pretty bad about my selfishness and still feel bad when I think about it, but what can you do? What’s done is done.
Strange coincidence.
Yes, now imagine a technician / mechanic who was in the bridge generation of modern and older cars (think of someone whom has had to work both on ECU / fuel injected cars, and some that may have points ignition and carburetors. This would be a super rare occurence mind you, but still is possible. Most techs today have no idea how to seet points or what mixture screws are.......I know I am dating myself.....LOL.
Don't fault you in the slightest, many of us have witnessed the phrase no good deed goes unpunished in action.
I know this elderly couple from church, known them for a long time but nothing more than hey, hello, just neighbor talk more than anything. Well the husband passed away a few years back and women was complaining how her computer had been acting up, I offered to help her with it, I think I was called weekly for the next 6 months over the computer, rarely was anything wrong with it.
A few times something was wrong, and I was happy to help but I started to think she just wanted company which was fine, however any problem eventually became my problem, and one day the 20+ year old PC's hard drive crashed. Nothing could be done, so I brought the PC to my place to further look into it before confirming nothing else could be done. Decided to order a replacement drive, reinstalled windows on the PC, made sure everything was functional.
Informed her of what happened, didn't ask for compensation for the part, or time never did however she didn't understand the data on the drive was gone. I politely told her the drive was old, it failed, it happens without a backup of the data it can't be recovered by someone like me. She would have to ship it off to a data recovery firm if she must have the data. She still didn't understand, than one day at church she made a comment to the group how I basically destroyed her PC. It's never worked since the day she let me touch it, regrets ever letting me doing anything ... etc.
She told me in front of the group she got's a real pro on it now ... which lasted all of 2 weeks before she called me again. For years I did what ever I could to help this couple from replacing parts on their old truck, to taking her to her doctors appointment if she needed a driver. Never asked for a cent, just trying to be a good person in a position to help.
Told myself after all this I wasn't helping anyone who wasn't close family or friends again, been burned more than a few times and no good deed goes unpunished.
(Sorry for the wall of text, but we have all been there, get burned one too many times and you learn the lesson.)
I know this elderly couple from church, known them for a long time but nothing more than hey, hello, just neighbor talk more than anything. Well the husband passed away a few years back and women was complaining how her computer had been acting up, I offered to help her with it, I think I was called weekly for the next 6 months over the computer, rarely was anything wrong with it.
A few times something was wrong, and I was happy to help but I started to think she just wanted company which was fine, however any problem eventually became my problem, and one day the 20+ year old PC's hard drive crashed. Nothing could be done, so I brought the PC to my place to further look into it before confirming nothing else could be done. Decided to order a replacement drive, reinstalled windows on the PC, made sure everything was functional.
Informed her of what happened, didn't ask for compensation for the part, or time never did however she didn't understand the data on the drive was gone. I politely told her the drive was old, it failed, it happens without a backup of the data it can't be recovered by someone like me. She would have to ship it off to a data recovery firm if she must have the data. She still didn't understand, than one day at church she made a comment to the group how I basically destroyed her PC. It's never worked since the day she let me touch it, regrets ever letting me doing anything ... etc.
She told me in front of the group she got's a real pro on it now ... which lasted all of 2 weeks before she called me again. For years I did what ever I could to help this couple from replacing parts on their old truck, to taking her to her doctors appointment if she needed a driver. Never asked for a cent, just trying to be a good person in a position to help.
Told myself after all this I wasn't helping anyone who wasn't close family or friends again, been burned more than a few times and no good deed goes unpunished.
(Sorry for the wall of text, but we have all been there, get burned one too many times and you learn the lesson.)
