We will not run the diagnostic test on your car unless it needs it. We must say, however, that the diagnostic test does an excellent job of finding things that are wrong with automobiles that would otherwise go unnoticed. The diagnostic test downloads the data that is received by the engine control unit from the system sensors. Let’s talk more about this below.
How Diagnostics Work
The engine control unit is your automobile’s main computer chip, and it is also called the engine control module. This chip not only receives information from system sensors but also helps your vehicle operate. For example, the engine control unit fires the spark plugs in the correct order in the combustion chamber. This is just one of the things that it does.
All of your vehicle’s systems have sensors to monitor their activity while your engine is running. These sensors send data to the engine control unit during your vehicle’s operation. This allows the unit to make changes such as adjusting the air and fuel in the combustion chamber for maximum engine efficiency. If something goes wrong, a system sensor will alert the unit.
Each malfunction is assigned a specific error code. When a system sensor lets the unit know that something is malfunctioning in its system, it reports the error code to the unit. When we run a diagnostic test, we get that error code. This allows us to pinpoint the problem in your automobile with accuracy in a very short time.
The Time for a Test
The time for a diagnostic test is if there is some question as to what is wrong with your vehicle. For example, if you bring your automobile to our shop because the check engine light is illuminated, we will not know right away what the problem is. This is because the check engine light covers a wide array of problems in the engine and other vehicle systems.
Continuing with this example, in this case, we would run a diagnostic test because we need to find out the error code that caused the engine control unit to turn on the check engine light. This will tell us what is wrong with your automobile. For example, the error code may point to a malfunctioning oxygen sensor. We will then know that we need to replace your oxygen sensor.
As you can see, a diagnostic test comes in handy in diagnosing what is wrong with your car. This also saves you money on your auto repair bill because we do not spend as much time diagnosing the problem.
