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What’s So Great About Automobile Diagnostic Tests?

If you are wondering what is so great about automobile diagnostic tests, Buellton Garage is going to discuss these tests below. Today’s automobiles are moving computers. Nearly everything is automated and it’s all controlled by a main computer chip called the engine control unit or the engine control module. Also known as the ECU or ECM, respectively. The ECU controls many things including the dashboard warning lights, when the spark plugs fire, and various vehicle safety systems. Let’s talk more about the ECU below and its role in automobile diagnostic tests.

How Diagnostic Tests Work

Your car, truck, or utility vehicle has sensors in all of the systems that communicate directly with the ECU. In fact, this is the reason why all of the lights on your dashboard turn on when you first fire up your automobile. The system sensors are reporting that everything is okay in each system to the ECU. Once the ECU it’s the okay message, it turns off that dashboard warning light.

The system sensors also report malfunctions to the ECU. They do this in the form of an error code. Once the ECU receives the code, it will try to resolve the problem itself. In some cases, it is able to do so by making adjustments. If this is the case where it is not able to resolve the problem, it will report the error to you by turning on the associated dashboard warning light.

The Benefit of Error Codes

For example, assume for the moment that you have a problem with your anti-lock brake system. If the ECU cannot correct the malfunction, it will turn on the ABS light on the dashboard and leave it on until the problem is repaired. When you bring your vehicle to our shop, we run a diagnostic test to find out why the ABS light has turned on.

As the test is running, it causes the system sensors to report to the ECU. When the test is complete, we download the data from the ECU to see if any system has returned an error code. In the case of our example, we will see an error code that applies to the anti-lock brake system. This error code tells us exactly what is wrong. It diagnoses the problem for us.

Saves You Time and Money

Naturally, this saves you time and money. The diagnostic test does not take that long to run, and it points us in the exact direction in which we need to go to repair your automobile. This saves you time waiting for your vehicle and labor expense.

Buellton Garage in Buellton, CA, thinks this is pretty great, and we hope you do too. Bring your vehicle to our shop for a diagnostic test if you have received the dashboard warning.

Photo by RossHelen via Canva Pro
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