Appreciation post: A customer's comment about my diagnostic process actually helped

Had a regular come in with a rough idle on his 2012 F-150. I was deep into the scanner data, looking for a vacuum leak. He just said, 'My old mechanic always started by checking the plugs, said they tell a story.' I felt a bit defensive, but I pulled a plug anyway. It was fouled, pointing right to a bad coil. Changed my approach. Now I do a quick visual on plugs first, even if the codes point elsewhere. Anyone else have a simple check they added because of a suggestion?

3 comments

3 Comments

bettyl379d ago

My buddy Mike at his own shop had a customer suggest checking the battery ground on a weird electrical gremlin. He told me he rolled his eyes, but @theaallen, it was totally corroded and fixed the whole thing. Sometimes the old school stuff still finds what the scanner misses.

theaallen9d ago

My shop's process is built on the scanner data for a reason, it saves time on most modern stuff. I mean, checking plugs on every rough idle seems like a step back.

patricia_rodriguez9d ago

Okay, but is it really a "step back" to look at a plug for thirty seconds? The scanner is great, but it's just reading codes, not the actual part. If a visual check catches something obvious now and then, what's the big deal?

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