Here at TTHQ, we’ve been involved with car diagnostics for over 30 years and have seen most things. We’re here to share our wisdom and learnings to help you get better, further and faster.
We’ve created a list of our top 10 tips to help you win at diagnostics, lift your knowledge and skills to a new level and help you avoid wasting time by getting it wrong on the first go.
Rule 1
Research the job before you start pulling the car to bits. Know what and where to test BEFORE being knee deep in panels. This will save you time and prevent stress.
Rule 2
Service information, fault codes, live data values and TSB’s can all help. But it’s often reading in between the lines is where the answer lies.
Rule 3
Don’t become emotionally invested in diagnostic problems. Diagnostic challenges are solved with logic. Start with a logical approach, and the fault will reveal itself.
Rule 4
Don’t simply fault find – fact find. Use a structured approach to establish the facts. Test the right thing, in the right way, at the right time. And the fault will reveal itself.
Rule 5
Planning is key, so begin with the end in mind. A great plan will adapt as the job unfolds. Don’t over promise at the beginning. There is no such thing as a quick look in diagnostics.
Rule 6
Because you’ve been ‘given’ an hour, doesn’t mean it will take an hour to find a fault. Be realistic about selling diagnostic services. Under promise and over deliver through performing ‘assessments’ rather than diagnostic plug-ins.
Rule 7
Being distracted by trying to remember everything that you’ve done is not the way to do it. Make a plan, work through it, take notes, record results. This keeps your brain power focussed on fault finding rather than remembering.
Rule 8
Selecting the right car and the right customer is key to succeeding at diagnostics. Nightmare jobs are best avoided at the diagnostic assessment stage. Unless, of course, you have unlimited time, and you want to be a hero…
Rule 9
Diagnostic descisions can be only based on test data. A descision without data is a guess. Do the right tests, in the right way, at the right time, on the right thing and you’ll WIN.
Rule 10
Make a plan. Observe the issue. Select the things to test. Gather evidence to rule in or rule out suspects. The fault will then reveal itself and the process is executed.