Chapter Sixteen
The un" diagnosable car problem!
One of the worst things about having car problems is when you have a problem that no one can fix. So, let’s hear about your unsolvable car problems.
Having been in the auto repair industry my entire life, I have to admit that there have been times I have lost sleep and pulled out my hair trying to figure out an issue on a car. I have been so taken by the problem that it dominated my life and every thought. There comes a time it is a personal thing and I’m not going to let the issue win. If I had gotten paid for the time I had spent on these problems I could have had a new truck every year. When I started Automotive Diagnostic Inc. years ago, we were the dumping ground for cars no one else could fix.This taught us the importance of right diagnostic equipment and training.
The first thing is to duplicate the problem. Often times I have had to send a customer away (which I hate)
telling them to stop by when it happens and I will drop everything to check it out. My phrase has always been "If you can make it do it for me I will tell you what it is." In 33 years, I can only remember 6 that I never was able to fix (one we found out years later was because it got hit by lightning which no one knew about at the time we were diagnosing it), but neither could any other shop or dealership. The only problem with that is that I have always taken pride in solving the issue. Besides, when you do it makes you a better technician.
In today’s cars, there are up to 100 million lines of computer code, more than in some jet fighters. Today’s modern car has 30 or more computers that communicate together to provide your amenities and performance; some luxury cars have as many as 100 of these "black" boxes. So when you have car problems, think about how infuriating it is when your laptop or desktop doesn’t do what you want and multiply that by 30 " 100 times. These computers control hundreds of functions in a split second, from brakes to entertainment to performance. Your car includes miles of wires that are hard to get to. Cars are so refined that every available space is used for something and, trust me, whatever you're trying to get to will have something in its way. There are times I have had to pull an entire dash just to get to a wire harness.
It is extremely important that, if your car has an intermittent problem, you seek out a professional repair shop that is equipped to check and repair these kinds of problems. A lot of mechanics think they can find and fix these issues, but lack the proper tools and equipment to do so, costing you more money.
“The sole purpose of my middle name is so I could tell when I was really in trouble with my mom.”