A+ Mobile Mechanics Auto & Truck Repair

Information may not be reliable

Welcome to A+ Mobile Mechanics! My name is Dave and I have been working full time as a Mobile Mechanic in the greater Seattle/Bellevue/Tacoma area since 1989. I have personally diagnosed over 16,400 vehicles in the field and have performed every type of repair possible from general maintenance to complete engine rebuilds.
Over the last 21 years I have developed a mobile service that when used properly has the potential to save you time, money, and aggravation. I am a dependable and honest mechanic that uses quality parts and guarantees all my repairs.

I have posted three articles that will answer your most commonly asked questions. I recommend starting with my " Mobile or Shop" article. This will address many of your questions quickly and offers you my opinion of how to properly use a Mobile Mechanic.

For customers that want to save money on their repair bill. I often perform diagnosis only and or install customer supplied parts. My " Do it Yourself" article will outline my company policies in detail.
To small businesses owners and fleet managers, I know how important it is to keep your vehicles moving! My " Company Vehicles" article will introduce you to the flexibility of my mobile service. It also offers suggestions of how I am able to support any business that operates a company vehicle.

Thank you for taking the time to let me introduce my company to you. I look forward to speaking with you directly. I am available between the hours of 8am to 8pm Monday through Sunday.

I consider myself a expert in automotive diagnosis, I am primarily a "No Start Specialist" however I do perform a variety of repairs if they take under 3 hours to complete. Here are some recent symptoms, diagnosis, and repairs that I have completed. I have listed the vehicles in alphabetical order for your convenience, take a look and see if we would be a good match!

1999 BMW 540i/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: My engine overheated while I was driving home from work, I have been adding water to the coolant reservoir. I had a back yard mechanic perform a diagnosis on my vehicle, he told me I needed a new coolant reservoir. I had him install a new reservoir is it possible that he installed the hoses wrong? Diagnosis: Leaking heater control valve. I performed a visual inspection of all hoses connected to the coolant reservoir, no problems found. While inspecting the coolant reservoir I found it to be completely empty, as I started to add water I immediately noticed the heater control valve leaking. Repair: None, customer informed me he would order the part on line and call me back for the installation. Customer was charged a diagnosis fee only. This diagnosis was performed in the parking lot of the customers condominium complex.
Seattle/Bellevue/Tacoma/WA

1994 BMW 740i/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: My vehicle broke down at a car dealership in Bellevue WA. Would you be willing to come out and install a starter that I have purchased. Diagnosis: None, the customer declined the diagnosis. Repair: Remove and install customer supplied starter, after installing the starter the vehicle had the same no start problem. The starter made a grinding noise while attempting to start the engine, I was able to move the front crankshaft pulley which changed the position of the flywheel so the starter could engage and turn the engine over. Customer was able to drive the vehicle home, he will make arrangements to take the vehicle to a repair shop and have the transmission removed so a new flywheel ring gear can be installed. This is a repair that is to large to be perform in the field. Customer was charged three hours of labor. This diagnosis and repair was performed in the back parking lot of the Nissan dealership in Bellevue.
Seattle/Bellevue/Tacoma/WA
1986 Cadillac Fleetwood/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: My vehicle is broken down at my Condominium complex, could you come out and perform a diagnosis and repair the problem. Diagnosis: Defective starter, while I was removing the old starter I found the nut that attaches the battery cable to the starter solenoid was half way off. At some point in the past the starter was replaced and the mechanic neglected to tighten the nut, I am amazed it lasted so long! Repair: Remove and install customer supplied starter and solenoid. Customer was charged a diagnosis fee and one and a half hours of labor. This diagnosis and repair was performed in the parking lot of the customers condominium complex.

1995 Ford Contour/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: While driving my car home from work last night my gear shifter handle would not stay in the drive position, I held the gear shifter handle in the drive position and was able to drive my vehicle home. Diagnosis: Gear shifter assembly is broken, the assembly is mounted on the floor and unfortunately was damaged due to miscellaneous garbage that was jammed into the moving parts of the assembly. Repairs: None, this was a diagnosis only, I am not sure if the vehicle was ever repaired. Customer was charged a diagnosis fee only. This diagnosis was performed in the parking lot of the customers apartment complex.

2001 Ford Escort/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: My engine will not start and makes noises. Diagnosis: Number three and four cylinders have no compression. When I arrived on location I was informed the customer had just added oil and installed spark plugs. When I turned the engine over it made a horrible noise, I new at this point the engine was not repairable. I removed the spark plugs and found that the number one and two cylinders were dry and the number three and four cylinders were fuel fouled. I immediately performed a compression test to verify my diagnosis. Repair: None, customer will purchase a new vehicle. Customer was charged a diagnosis fee only. This diagnosis was performed on the street in front of the customer house.

1962 Ford F750/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: Can you come out and start my truck, it has been sitting for ten years. My assistant installed a new starter and could not tighten the bolts. "At this point I should inform you that the owner of this vehicle was in his 90's and had a severe lung decease and was having problems speaking". My assistant will meet you their and can help you if you need it. When I arrived on location I was very surprised to find a Korean lady not more than a hundred pounds, I am still amazed she was able to install the new starter! Diagnosis: Damaged primary and secondary ignition parts, the problem was not loose starter bolts she had installed the positive and negative battery cables backwards. Once I installed the battery cables properly the engine still would not crank over. I removed the spark plugs and shot a rust inhibitor into all eight cylinders and attempted to turn the engine over by hand, it still would not move. I then proceeded to informed the customer that this engine was probably not going to start, I made the suggestion to spray more inhibitor into the cylinders and let it set for a few day. A few days later I met my new assistant (LOL), I was surprised again when I turned the ignition key and tumbler and the engine started to crank over. When the engine started to crank over it sprayed a massive amount of water out the spark plug holes on the right side of the engine. I installed the old spark plugs and primed the carburetor, I now had a crank no start condition. When my new assistant installed the battery cables backwards the primary side of the ignition was damaged and the coil had no spark output. Repair: Remove and install new spark plugs, ignition points & condenser, distributor cap & rotor, and ignition coil. Customer was charged four hours of labor and parts. This diagnosis and repair was performed in the back parking lot of a warehouse.

1995 Ford Ranger/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: I pulled into a gas station to get some gas, when I was ready to leave my engine would crank over but would not start. I had my vehicle towed home and tried to start it again, it still would not start. When the customer called I informed him that I have seen this before, there was a possibility the fuel pump had a problem when he pumped cold gas onto the hot fuel pump. Over the last 20 plus years I have received hundreds of calls with this exact complaint. Diagnosis: Dead battery, jump start battery and engine started. Repair: I informed the customer I could not sell him a fuel pump unless I witnessed the no start condition. While jump starting the battery we noticed a problem with the battery cables, the customer authorized me to repair them. Customer was charged a diagnosis fee, half hour of labor, and parts. This is a repeat customer, I have advised him he will most likely have to replace his fuel pump soon, he will call back if it has another problem. This diagnosis and repair was performed out on the street in front of the customers house.

2000 Ford Ranger/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint : Check engine light is on, engine runs rough at idle and will smooth out when you accelerate. When I scanned the computer I found a code PO303 set in the computer memory. Diagnosis: Number 3 cylinder misfire, defective spark plug. Repair: Remove and install spark plugs and ignition cables, clear computer memory. Customer was charged a diagnosis fee, one hour of labor, and parts. This diagnosis and repair was performed at the customers work place.

1991 Geo Metro/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: I failed my emissions test because the idle was too high. Diagnosis: The engine idle was too high because someone has advanced the timing too far. I have seen this before, this vehicle has a 1.0 liter three cylinder engine that has problems with burning the edges off the exhaust valves. When this happens the engine looses power and the mechanic will advance the timing to give the vehicle more power. After I adjusted the timing back to factory specifications the engine had a rough idle. I then isolated the engine miss to the number three cylinder and performed a compression test, the cylinder had only 50 pounds of compression. Engine will not pass the emissions test unless the cylinder head is removed and the valves are repaired or replaced. Repairs: None, I have advised the customer to not repair this vehicle, this car was not worth the money it would cost to repair it. Customer was charged a diagnosis fee only. This diagnosis was performed in the parking lot of the customers apartment complex.

1998 GMC Jimmy/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: My vehicle quit running while I was driving it home from work, I towed my vehicle home and tried to repair it by replacing the fuel filter. Diagnosis: Defective fuel pump. Repairs: None, customer said he will call back and schedule the repairs at a later date. Customer was charged a diagnosis fee only. This diagnosis was performed in the driveway of the customers house.

2003 GMC Yukon/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: My vehicle will not start and it is inside my garage at home. Diagnosis: Dead battery, customer drained the battery while attempting to start the engine. Jump start battery and found no fuel pressure at the fuel rail test port. The fuel gauge was just below a quarter of a tank. I removed the fuel cap and had the customer cycle the ignition switch. I heard a bubbling noises when the fuel pump turned on, vehicle was out of gas. Defective potentiometer on fuel pump module. Repair: Installed five gallons of gas and engine started. Customer will keep gas gauge above half a tank until he decides to spend $800.00 or so on a new fuel pump module. Customer was charged a diagnosis fee. This diagnosis was performed in the garage of the customers house.
Seattle/Bellevue/Tacoma/WA

1999 Honda CRV/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: Yesterday my engine rpm's were a little higher than normal and I could hear a hissing noise, the temperature gauge was also a little higher than normal. I drove the vehicle for a while and the temperature gauge returned to normal and the hissing noise went away. Could you come out to my work and perform a diagnosis and make sure everything is OK. Diagnosis: I Scanned computer memory and found a evap code PO1456, customer had informed me his check engine light has been on for months. No engine performance problems detected at this time, idle and temperature gauge were normal. After further inspection I noticed the engine had 169k miles on it, the customer did not have the vehicle maintenance records with him so I was unable to verify if the throttle plate and idle control valve have been serviced. My best educated guess at this time is the engine probably started to miss fire and the hissing noise was the idle control valve opening, when the idle is raised it can make the engine run a little hotter than normal. I checked all the vacuum hoses and found no leaks. Repairs: None, customer will call at a later date to have me complete the required preventive maintenance at his home. Customer was charged a diagnosis fee only. This diagnosis was performed in a parking garage at the customers workplace.

1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: My daughter was driving the vehicle last night and now this morning there is something hanging down from the front of my vehicle. Diagnosis: Broken inner tie rod end. Repair: Remove and install left side inner and outer tie rod ends with new sleeve. Customer decided to use the money they would of paid for a tow truck and apply it to the repairs, knowing they would still have to drive to an auto repair shop for the front end alignment to be adjusted. Customer was charged a diagnosis fee, one hour of labor, and parts. This diagnosis and repair was performed in the drive way at the customers house.

1995 Jeep Cherokee/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: I have a vehicle that has been sitting for a while, it will crank over but will not start can you help me? Diagnosis: Dead battery and the alarm was armed. The customer had been trying to jump start the battery with a battery charger, the security light was flashing rapidly while he was attempting to crank the engine over. I asked the customer if he had the original alarm remote, he thought about it for a few seconds and then said it was upstairs. When the customer returned with the remote I installed jumper cables from my vehicle and turned the alarm off, the engine started. The customer also had an overheating problem, radiator was leaking and restricted. Repairs: None, the customer will order the parts online and call me back for the installation. Customer was charged a diagnosis fee only. This diagnosis was performed in the driveway of the customers house.

1995 Mazda B3000/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: My son was driving my truck and the engine quit running while he was going up a hill. Diagnosis: I scanned the computer memory and found two codes 116 ECT sensor out of range and 543 open battery circuit to ECA. These codes did not cause the engine to quit running, after inspecting the ignition system I found the spark plugs to be gas fouled the engine combustion chambers were completely flooded. The no start condition was caused by a broken distributor rotor. While I was diagnosing the vehicle the customer informed me that he had removed the ECA relay while attempting to diagnosis the problem, this action caused the code 543 open circuit. The code 116 was a defective engine coolant temperature sensor that had high resistance, the customer had been driving the vehicle with the check engine light on for a while. Repair: Remove and install spark plugs, distributor cap, distributor rotor, and ECT sensor. Customer was charged a diagnosis fee and one hour of labor, he purchased his own parts. This diagnosis and repair was performed in the parking lot of his Condominium complex.

1991 Mazda Navajo/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint : I pulled into the 76 station and when I put my vehicle into park everything went dead, I have no dash lights and engine will not crank over. Diagnosis: Broken battery cable eyelet at the starter relay. Repair: Solder new brass lug on battery cable and bolt to relay. Customer was charged a diagnosis fee, half hour of labor,and parts. This diagnosis and repair was performed at a 76 gas station.

1990 Oldsmobile 88/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: I had my next door neighbor who is a mechanic install a new water pump on my vehicle, the next day the serpentine belt came off. He tighten some bolts he had left loose and reinstalled the belt. Now today my vehicle will not start. Diagnosis: The engine has no spark from the ignition coil, the crankshaft sensor was damaged when the belt came off. Repair: Customer declined repairs he wanted to talk with neighbor/mechanic that installed the water pump. Customer was charged a diagnosis fee only. This diagnosis was performed at a Chevron gas station.

1993 Pontiac Grand Am/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: My daughters car is running rough and she was barely able to drive it home last night. Diagnosis: The engine was running on two cylinders, this engine has a DIS ignition system with three separate ignition coils. Two of the three ignition coils had no spark output, how she drove this vehicle home is a mystery. The customer had a friend attempt to repair this vehicle, after installing two new coils and four out of six spark plugs they surrendered their attempts and started to shop for a professional mechanic. During the diagnosis I found two new coils, one old coil, three different brands of spark plugs, and finally two different sizes of ignition cables. The original problem was a defective ignition module, on this ignition system it is crucial to keep the secondary ignition resistance levels even to all cylinders, two cylinders had 9.5mm ignition cables and the other four had 7.5mm. The four cylinders that had the lower resistance level cables were the four cylinders that quit working. Repair: Remove and install all six spark plugs , ignition cables, one ignition coil, and ignition control module. Customer was charged a diagnosis fee, two hours of labor, and parts. This diagnosis and repair was performed out on the street in front of the customers house.

1990 Toyota Celica/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: While I was driving home from work a taxi cab driver pulled up next to my car and informed me that my brake lights were not turning off. The next day my battery was dead. Diagnosis: Defective battery and starter, the battery was completely dead and measured less than one tenth of a volt. I attempted to jump start the battery and found the starter to be shorted to ground. Repair: Remove and install new battery and starter. Once the vehicle started I had the customer press and release the brake pedal several times, the brake lights worked fine. I adjusted the brake light switch and lubricated the pedal pivot. Customer will check the brake lights over the next few days when she leaves the vehicle, I told her if they stay on try to pull up on the brake pedal and see if they go off. I have advised the customer if they do come back on she will need to install a new brake light switch. Customer was charged a diagnosis fee, one hour of labor, and parts. This diagnosis and repair was performed in the parking lot of the customers apartment complex.
Seattle/Bellevue/Tacoma/ WA

1985 Toyota Corrola/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: I was driving my vehicle home from work and there was a large cloud of smoke behind me, I think I have a blown head gasket. Diagnosis: I could not find any problems with the cooling system, the cooling system was full, the cooling fans cycled on and off properly, the engine ran for over twenty minuets without overheating. While I was diagnosing the cooling system the customer informed me she had just put one quart of oil in the engine before leaving work. Diagnosis: Engine valve seals are leaking, the odometer reads over 289k miles. This is a common problem with high millage engines, when you add oil to the engine it will leak by the valve seals and travel down the valve stem and pool on top of the piston. Once the engine is started it will burn the oil off and then quit smoking. Repair: None, with the millage on this vehicle I could not recommend any repairs at this time, customer will start looking for another vehicle to purchase. Customer was charged a diagnosis fee only. This diagnosis was performed in the driveway of the customers house.

1993 Toyota Corrola/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: My car quit running would you be willing to come out and diagnose the problem, and would you be offended if I wanted to repair it myself? I have taken the dash apart so you can access the circuit opening relay, I have been trying to diagnose the problem myself all week. Diagnosis: Fuel pump is defective. The first test was to turn the key to the on position and see if the check engine light was on, it was. This told me the circuit opening relay was operational. The next step was to install a noid light to the fuel injector harness and a spark test light to a spark plug cable, I then had the customer crank the engine over, both lights tested good. This told me the timing belt was not broken because the distributor was turning it also told me the ignitor was sending a signal to the computer and the computer was sending a signal to the fuel injectors, I use this as a quick computer system performance test. I then sprayed some starting fluid into the upper plenum and had the customer attempt to start the engine, the engine started and then stalled again. I then went straight to the fuel pump and installed my test light to the fuel pump itself, the voltage and ground test good. Customer was charged a diagnosis fee only. This diagnosis was performed out on the street in front of the customers house.

1986 Toyota Landcruiser/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: I was trying to install front drive belts and could not finish the repair. Diagnosis: Customer could not install air pump belt, he could not move the air pump far enough to install the belt. This is a common problem, you need to remove the air pump hoses at the pump so the pump is able to move closer to the engine. During the belt installation we found the air pump was actually frozen and would not turn, this was the original reason the belt broke. Customer will order a new air pump and said he would call me back to complete repairs. Customer was charged one hour of labor. This diagnosis and repair was performed in the driveway at the customers house.
Seattle/Bellevue/Tacoma/ WA

2009 Winnebago/Auto Repair/Car Mechanics/Mobile Mechanic
Customer complaint: We are a national company that is working at a large home improvement store in your area. We have two RV's and one of them was leaking fuel on the catalytic converter, we would like the other one inspected to make sure it doesn't have the same problem. Diagnosis: It had the same problem, when the generator was installed they cut the fuel lines to short and had to plumb in longer fuel lines, they used the wrong parts. Repair: Tighten fuel lines and inspect for leaks, customer wanted to take the vehicle back to the manufacture. I have advised customer to not run the generator until the fuel lines are permanently repaired or replaced. Customer was charged one hour of labor. This diagnosis was performed in the Lowe's parking lot.