"Those Wonderful Magic Machines"

One of the most common misconceptions facing the automotive repair industry is that we have these remarkable computers that we just plug onto the vehicle and it tells the technician what is wrong with the vehicle within a matter of minutes. This incorrect assumption leads to many heartaches for both automotive repair facilities and consumers alike.

A very common concern expressed by the public is the cost of electronic and electrical system testing and diagnostics. With the equipment and technician training costs reaching into the tens of thousands of dollars annually, it is the single most expensive area for any repair facility to maintain. For this reason alone, the cost of electrical and electronic diagnostics are the most expensive types of diagnosis and repair performed on a vehicle.

When the electronic testing equipment is hooked up to the vehicle the technician utilizes the equipment to turn electrical and electronic data into a readable format. The data the technician extracts from these processes then allows he/she to follow a prescribed course of test procedures in order to arrive at a conclusion as to the fault or cause of a failed component or system.

The test procedure is known as a flow chart which one could describe as being similar to a family tree. Most of us have seen a family tree with an ancestor at the top and then branching downward are all the various offspring and spouses. This is similar to a test tree wherein a test is run and then the test procedure branches out one direction or another based upon the results of the test procedure. By following prescribed procedures the correct diagnostic solution should be reached.

There are frequently many pages of test procedures that must be followed precisely or an incorrect conclusion will be reached. If any step of the diagnostic procedure is skipped the technician will most likely arrive at an incorrect conclusion which means the customer will be sold an unnecessary part. With parts costs of $60 to $250 for common electronic components this can be a very costly mistake indeed. It is for this reason we are firm believers in paying for technicians time to do a thorough and complete diagnosis each and every time.

Let’s do a "Magic Machine" scenario. The car’s engine cranks over but will not start. The "Magic Machine" tells us the fuel pump is receiving power, it’s running and there is no fuel pressure. $XX worth of diagnosis tells us it is a defective fuel pump. The customer says OK, replace the $XXX fuel pump please. Now what if the car was just plain out of gas because the gauge was defective indicating there was fuel in the tank?! That "Magic Machine" would soon be headed for the scrap pile!

There is no substitute for human thought and ingenuity when it comes to the correct diagnosis and repair of your vehicle. The cost of a good solid diagnosis far outweighs guesswork, or plain old parts replacing, mostly because it eliminates the higher cost of unnecessary repair(s).