Some garages now offer a service named, ‘Vehicle Diagnostics’ but what exactly is this service and how do you know if you need it?
What Exactly is Vehicle Diagnostics?
Vehicle diagnostics is a method of using diagnostic tools and experienced vehicle technicians to find the root cause of a problem within your vehicle.
Modern vehicles are complex. Unlike older vehicles which are mostly mechanical, newer vehicles are packed with electronic components, sensors and computers. The computer or ECU (engine control unit) in your car does many things including managing the engine systems to ensure your vehicle operates optimally. It also stores information about errors that are reported by the sensors and components.
A garage offering vehicle diagnostics may carry out several steps.
Firstly, they will plug in their computer which will read the car’s ECU to find out if there are any error codes. Occasionally, this code could result in a simple fix such as extended road testing and clearing historical codes.
However, in most cases, this is just the starting point for carrying out full diagnostics. Once the technician has the code, they will have an idea where the problem lies but it may not tell them the root cause. For instance, the code could point to a particular sensor error but the technician then needs to work out the problem. Is the sensor broken or has some wiring got damaged or broken which means the sensor is not getting the correct information? In this case, it would be a waste of time replacing the sensor as it wouldn’t fix the root cause of the problem, and would simply be a trial and error method which we do not do at Lawson AutoTech.
The technician may need to monitor your engine’s performance in the garage before they can work out the root cause, this can involve live data reading while on road test.
Using diagnostic tools to help find the root cause of a vehicle’s problem, saves time and money in the long run. Otherwise, a garage could replace a part, charge you for the part and labour and then a week later you could be back at the garage with the same problem as it was never fixed properly.
When Do You Need Vehicle Diagnostics?
There are many car issues that don’t need vehicle diagnostics as the problem will be obvious to you and a mechanic. These could include a broken exhaust that has physically broken or is making a terrible noise, a flat tyre or an oil leak. This would be a mechanical investigation.
The type of issues that do need diagnostics include:
- An engine warning light is showing on your dashboard. This could be due to many different issues.
- Intermittent issues such as your car losing power and going into limp mode.
- Ad Blue warning that does not reset when refill is done.
Where Should I Go For Vehicle Diagnostics?
As vehicle diagnostics needs more than just expensive diagnostic tools, you should choose a garage that has experienced and highly trained technicians.
At Lawson AutoTech, our team wants to find the root cause of all vehicle issues so that we can fix your vehicle’s issue first time. We do want repeat customers but not for the same problem. We want you to trust us with your vehicles, so we make sure our technicians have continuous training so that they are always up to date with the latest technologies and vehicles.
For more information about our diagnostics service or to book your vehicle, please get in touch or complete our online booking form.
