I had gotten a P0456 code (“minor evap leak”) and took it to a shop. No more than 5 or 10 minutes after the mechanic started looking at it, I was told it needed a new cannister purge valve.
So they replaced the cannister purge valve, and I paid them for the part and labor, along with a $125 diagnostic fee. They also replaced the gas cap.
Then, about a week later, the P0456 code came back.
So now I’m wondering if the mechanic even did a smoke test, or if he just figured that it’s usually the cannister purge valve or the gas cap when there’s a minor evap leak, so just went with that, and charged me for the diagnostic.
What do you think? Is it possible that he did a smoke test and diagnosed the problem in 10 minutes?
Does your invoice say ’ smoke test ’ ? A diagnostic is just that and does not mean an automatic smoke test .
You need another garage as you are getting nowhere with this vehicle .
Oh absolutely I need another garage!! I swear I will never be going back to this place again! But, since they already charged me $125 for the diagnostic; and since the diagnostic was not accurate or complete; I’d rather have them correct the problem and rediagnose it, rather than pay another $125 to another garage to diagnose it from scratch.
And I understand that a diagnostic does not mean an automatic smoke test. But, correct me if I’m wrong, but if there’s a minor evap leak, wouldn’t a smoke test be the proper procedure to detect the leak, rather than just assuming it’s the cannister purge valve? I mean, just assumed that was standard procedure for a minor evap leak.
Still, a shop I spoke with before I went to this one, when I told them I had a “minor evap leak” code, said right off the bat, “We’ll need to do a smoke test, and it’ll be $120.” That seems fair and reasonable (a lot more than charging $125 to just say “replace the purge valve”).
Ironically, the only reason I went to the place I went to is because in order to get an emissions waiver to pass inspection (which I suspected I might need) you have to go to “recognized emissions repair facility” and this place was one of only two in my area (the other one was Firestone).
So this “recognized emissions repair facility” didn’t even bother to do a smoke test for an evap leak. Not sure how they got that qualification, but they certainly don’t seem like the best choice for dealing with evap leaks.
Again, as I noted in my previous reply, the reason I went to the other facility is because they were a “recognized emissions repair facility,” which is a requirement to use one of those, in order to get the emissions waiver.
So, I was about to have the first place do the smoke test, and then I asked them if they were a “recognized emissions repair facility,” and they said no. So I realized that if I had them do the work, and there was STILL a problem, I’d be SOL.
However, if I went to a “recognized emissions repair facility” and there was still a problem, then I could get an emissions waiver as a last resort. So that’s why I went to the second place.
Note that I was not trying to save money. The first place said it would be $120, and the second place, where I went, said it would be $125. So there was no issue with the money. It was that the first place was not a “recognized emissions repair facility.”
And I just assumed (wrongly) that the second place, being a “recognized emissions repair facility” would know what they were doing and would do the same kind of test. But they didn’t.
So my choice to not use the first place was a valid one. I had no way of knowing the second place would do such an awful job, especially since they were a “recognized emissions repair facility” – one of only two in my area.
If a shop’s experience is that replacing the purge valve fixed small evap system leaks on Caravan’s 90% of the time, I think it’s reasonable to do that first.
