You need an estimate from a live mechanic. This is like asking how much the surgery is going to cost at the hospital. That could be $500.00 for stitches or $100,000.00 for a heart bypass.
Tires out of alignment do not cause shaking. If you're feeling that in the steering wheel, it could be caused by a tire with a broken belt, a tire that's badly out-of-balance, which you'd only feel at highway speeds, worn struts or shock absorbers, or other worn steering and suspension parts. It's important to understand that worn steering and suspension parts like ball joints and tie rod ends also do not cause shaking on their own, but they can allow shaking due to other causes to become worse.
Intermittent electrical problems are completely impossible to estimate, even when being reimbursed by the manufacturer for repairs under warranty. Without a thorough diagnosis, you have no way of knowing if the sliding door needs a three-dollar switch that takes two minutes to plug in, or an $800.00 computer. Problems like this can not be diagnosed while they're working because at that time, everything is okay. If this acts up once a week, you can't expect the mechanic to drive the van around until the problem occurs, and then hope it keeps acting up until he gets back to the shop and his test equipment. Electrical problems can be some of the hardest to figure out, and intermittent ones can be extremely frustrating for mechanics and for car owners. These jump to a whole new level of complexity when you look at all the computers and electronics that have been added where moisture, dust, and vibration create the worst possible environment for those things to live in.
The place where your mechanic can start is by reading and recording any diagnostic fault codes in the Engine Computer, but be aware those codes never say to replace a part or that one is bad. They only indicate the circuit or system that needs further diagnosis, or the unacceptable operating condition. For those fault codes that mention a sensor or other part, that part is actually the cause of that code about half of the time. Still, they do provide clues for where to start looking.
Diagnostic fault codes can also be set in the computer that runs the sliding doors. Most independent repair shops have scanners that can access those computers. The computer senses when it takes too much power to close the door. It assumes there's a body in the way, but it can't tell that apart from mud or dirt the rollers have run over. A fault code could list a break in a switch circuit, but that circuit includes the wires in the flexible harness. Too many people see the word, "switch", and assume it needs to be replaced. Any time you have a wire harness that flexes, broken wires are a much better suspect than the part listed in the fault code. That includes wires between door hinges and going to lift gates. Whatever is defective has to be acting up when testing is done, otherwise that testing will show all the parts of the circuit are okay.
Often with intermittent electrical problems, we have to tell you to live with it until it becomes a permanent failure, or at least acts up often enough that we have something defective to find. We had to manually pull sliding doors open and closed since 1984, and now with the electrically-operated doors, for safety reasons, they have to be able to be opened manually when the electric feature doesn't work. Today we consider that a major inconvenience, but if you can live with that until it acts up more often, it will save you dollars in the long run when it takes much less time for your mechanic to diagnose the problem.
If you go to the top right of this page and click on "Repair Guides", you'll find a list of articles that can shed more light on these topics even if you don't plan on doing the repairs yourself. Of particular interest, take a look at these:
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/vibration-noise
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-misfires-or-runs-rough
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-surges
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/steering-wheel-shakes-when-accelerating-or-braking
Please post any follow-up questions and I'll be happy to share my wondrous wisdom with you!
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Thursday, March 14th, 2019 AT 4:40 PM
