Friday, April 6, 2012

The Relative Effectiveness of Computer Diagnostics in Auto Repair

At AAMCO Transmissions?Poway, CA, where Alex Sessums heads up a stalwart crew of car mechanics, there?s been a running debate about how much the crew can rely on computer diagnostics when working on a car. In the age of technology, cars have certainly followed suit in terms of digitization. As many drivers can attest, the newer the models become, the more automated many of their features are, including what?s going on under the hood. When customers come to Sessums for auto repair in Poway, therefore, Sessums has to make some important calls about how much to rely on computer diagnostics and how much to rely on good old dependable mechanical know-how.

What usually first brings a customer in for Poway auto repair is their check-engine light. This is certainly an easy way for most drivers to know something?s up with their car. For a mechanic like Sessums, that check-engine light is a clue as to what?s wrong, but it?s not the answer. It simply starts the mechanics off on an investigative journey to diagnose mechanical trouble and prescribe certain repairs. The Poway auto repair mechanics will hook the car up to a diagnostic testing machine. It will help them understand if the problem is an engine misfire, for example. But even the computer?s answer isn?t always cut and dry. While diagnostics are increasingly important in car check-ups and auto repair, they are not the whole story. Poway auto repair still requires hands-on research to figure out the heart of mechanical trouble?or research to back up what the computer was finding. The Poway auto repair outfit wants to be sure of the diagnostics, computer or no computer.

Sessums reports that if mechanics rely solely on the diagnostic machines, they could be led astray, since one system could cause glitches in another, but the diagnostic machine would only find that consequential glitch, not the cause in another system of the car. To find the cause, mechanics often have to get under the hood or jack up the car. For example, say the driver has a misfire in the engine. Before even using the diagnostics assessment, the Poway auto repair crew could open the hood and pull the spark plugs to check them out. If they find carbon buildup, excess fuel residue, and extensive wear and tear, it?s pretty obvious without the help of a computer that the plugs need replacement.

Indeed, diagnostics provide a quick first step in automobile repair, but complete reliance on the digital technology won?t serve the customer the best. A mechanic still has to know his stuff, and know it well.

Tagged as: poway auto repair, Poway brake repair, Poway transmission repair

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