Hot take: I fixed a weird idle on a 2015 Civic by cleaning the throttle body with a toothbrush and some carb cleaner

Everyone at the shop said to just replace the whole throttle body assembly, which is a $400 part. I was sure it was just gunked up, so I pulled it, sprayed it with Berryman B-12, and scrubbed the plate with an old toothbrush. The car has been running smooth for 3 months now. When does a 'clean and inspect' actually make more sense than just throwing a new part at the problem?

3 comments

3 Comments

graydavis6d ago

My old shop would've just sold the part too.

grantmartinez6d ago

You know what my old shop would've done? We'd have sold the part, then spent 20 minutes trying to find the box it came in, only to realize we already threw it out. Then we'd tape it to a piece of cardboard and hope for the best. Professional? Not really. Did it work? Mostly.

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mason.brian15h ago

That story from grantmartinez is too real. Read a whole thread once about how shops waste more time looking for packaging than doing the actual job. Makes you wonder why they don't just keep a pile of old boxes and bubble wrap in the back, right? Seems like a simple fix for a problem everyone has. Taping it to cardboard is the universal sign you gave up looking.