Anyone who has been around the block a few times in the service and repair industry is bound to get called at some point by a customer (or another shop) that has a problematic vehicle that nobody can figure out. Usually at this point some ridiculous amount of money and time has been spent on the problem with no solution in sight, and this has the customer talking of selling the car, or possibly burning it to the ground.

Not long ago a case such as this rolled into our hands after the vehicle in question - a 1996 Chrysler Sebring Coupe - had been to two other repair shops. The complaint was of an occasional no-start, and when the vehicle did start, it ran poorly below approximately 2,500 rpm. Above this engine speed, the vehicle smoothed out, but engine power was down.

According to the customer, the first repair shop did "the usual" tune up including replacing the plugs, wires, cap, rotor and all filters and performing an injector cleaning. This did nothing to cure the problem. The first shop recommended the customer to the second shop. The second shop specialized in driveability problems. This shop double-checked the components that were replaced and performed a timing belt replacement when they noticed that the belt was worn. After installing a new timing belt, the vehicle ran better, but still didn't seem quite right. At this point, the customer decided that he didn't want to invest any more money in the car and...