Asking the right diagnostic questions

- by Jeff Smit

Just when you thought vehicle technology had gone as far as it could go, the car makers surprise us with another innovation. For those of us in the repair and maintenance business, it means that the challenges of diagnostic work only get bigger and become more complex. So how to cope?

A few years ago, I devised my APPROACH diagnostic process, which is worth repeating now, more than ever.

A – Attitude The starting point for all challenging jobs. Diagnostics demand clear thinking and the right mindset for plotting the best way forward. P – Patience In diagnostics, patience is a virtue. A rushed diagnosis generally leads to unnecessary parts replacement.

P – Preparation Time must be set aside for preparation, which must include the next step.

"If possible, go for a drive to experience the symptoms for yourself, but let the owner drive."

R – Research Technicians MUST be given time to research the symptoms and analyse the findings of any initial evaluation of the problem they are trying to solve.

O – Organised More to do with the mind, although organising tools and parts is just as important. Being organised applies mainly to testing and system evaluation – what and how is the testing being done, and what results are expected.

A – Ask questions Nobody is expected to know everything about every car on the road, so take the time to ask questions of those who may be more experienced in a particular area or vehicle model. It is no shame to ask, and in fact many experienced technicians like being asked for their opinion.

C – Confirmation and validation This applies to the workshop’s relationship with the owner of the vehicle and therefore will help consolidate the bond that ensures long-term loyalty to the workshop. Confirm repairs if possible with some form of validation that might be some corrected live data, an oscilloscope image, a photo or some sort of proof that a noted issue has been rectified.

H – Habit Diagnostic jobs become less difficult and time consuming if you turn new approaches to specific problems into a habit. Adopting good habits can often help to avoid potential headaches.

The most important of the above steps are Preparation and Research.

This is where time must be spent asking the right questions and compiling a detailed history of how and why the vehicle has ended up in your workshop.

Some workshops treat these stages so seriously that they have compiled a customer questionnaire that is filled out before the customer leaves the workshop.

The questions cover History, Symptoms, Frequency and Conditions.

History: How long have you owned the vehicle? When was it last serviced? How long have the symptoms been present? Have any other technicians investigated the issue? Has the vehicle been in an accident or been to a panel shop recently? Have any remapping or programming changes been made to the vehicle? Has the battery been replaced recently?

Symptoms: When did the symptoms start? Did any warning lights come on and if so, how long have they been on? How does the vehicle drive? Have you noticed any changes in fuel economy? Is the vehicle blowing smoke, and if so, what colour?

Frequency: When did you first notice this problem? How often do the symptoms appear? Can you replicate the issues and, if so, how?

Conditions: Does the fault occur at any particular time? What temperature is the engine when the fault occurs? Do you notice any particular speed or engine load when the symptom appears? Do any particular conditions make the problem worse, for example, rain, cornering, or night-time?

There can be no end to the questions. Like a good detective at the murder scene, the more questions that are asked, the clearer the insight into the issue and the customer's concerns.

If possible, go for a drive to experience the symptoms for yourself, but let the owner drive. Perhaps there is a driving technique that could be contributing to the problem. Keep asking questions while taking this drive. The vast majority of customers will not tell you everything. Their mindset is to keep it simple, and that way it should be simple to fix, so therefore not a big invoice at the end.

In this whole relationship, remind yourself that you are the professional, and that asking the questions will help to diagnose the symptoms in the most effective and efficient way.

A customer diagnostic questionnaire sample accompanies this article, you can download it by visiting this article on cap.coop/caphub.

Classifieds Advertising Guidelines

Do you have a business for sale, have equipment that you need to get rid of, or are you just looking for a part that you haven’t been able to find? If the answer is yes, then you should advertise in the Capricorn Classifieds; it’s FREE to do so. See below for details.

• The Capricorn Classifieds are for Capricorn Members only to advertise. Payment is to be organised between advertiser and purchaser. • Parts or equipment that relate to your business only may be advertised. • Businesses for sale may be advertised. • Cars for sale cannot be advertised. • Classifieds are on a first come, first served basis.

Depending on the number received, your classified may

not appear immediately. • No positions vacant. • No pictures to be submitted. • By submitting the Online Capricorn Classifieds Ad Form, you acknowledge that the price of any goods or services shown is inclusive of GST.

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Automotive Workshop in WA for Sale

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Large well established business of 11 years, Large customer base, long lease. Large workshop with good off street parking for many cars, 3 hoists, tyre machine, wheel balancer, wheel aligner, brake lathe and much more. Very Well equipt. Looking for WIWO sale $300,000. Call Gavin 02 9487 7346

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Expressions of Interest, long established busy panel shop in a prime location. Turn key operation. Wheel Aligner and Hoist. Potential to grow. Price $97K. Call Trevor 0272464108 all reasonable offers considered.

How to Advertise in the Capricorn Classifieds

1. Send an email to ignition@capricorn.coop with the following details: your Member number, business name, contact details and details of your advert (no more than 30 words). 2. Capricorn must receive your classified advert by the 16th of the month preceding the publication month. If we have not received your classified advert by this date it will be published in the following month depending on the number of adverts received. 3.Check out your advert and fellow Members’ classifieds in the next edition of Ignition.

Email: ignition@capricorn.coop

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