The beauty of modern automotive technology is the diagnostic test. Your vehicle is a computer on wheels and this computer helps us diagnose problems quickly and easily. This saves you money on your repair bill and also gets you out of our auto repair shop more quickly. Let’s talk more about this below.
The Computer System
The engine control module is the main computer chip in your vehicle’s computer system. This module performs tasks such as firing the spark plugs and balancing the air and fuel in the combustion chamber. This keeps your vehicle running efficiently and effectively.
The engine control module also talks with the sensors that are located throughout your vehicle. You have sensors in every vehicle system. These sensors report to the module that the system is working as it should be or that there is a problem. If there is a problem, the sensor will assign an error code to it.
Once the engine control module receives the error code, it will try to repair the problem itself. In many cases, it can make adjustments throughout the engine that resolve the issue. If this is the case with your automobile, you will never know that it had a problem.
If the engine control module cannot repair the problem, it will alert you of the issue by turning on a dashboard warning light. For example, if your oil pressure is too low, it will turn on the oil light. It will turn on the check engine light to cover all miscellaneous problems.
The Diagnostic Test
When you bring your vehicle to our auto service shop because you have an illuminated warning light, we will run a diagnostic test to download the error code or codes that were received by the engine control module. These codes tell us precisely what is wrong with your automobile.
As we mentioned above, this reduces your auto repair bill because it takes us very little time to diagnose the specific problem. That gives us the opportunity to fix the problem right away. This is one reason why we love automotive diagnostic tests.
Another advantage to these tests is that they report error codes that report invisible problems. In other words, you may not realize that your automobile has something wrong with it because it is running just fine and you don’t hear or smell something strange.
As you can see, diagnostic tests are an excellent tool to keep your vehicle running as it should be. Call us today to schedule a diagnostic test for your car, truck, or utility vehicle.