Paying for Diagnosis

Think that the money you spent on car repair was only for the actual part and for the time it took the mechanic to fix the problem? Not in all cases. In many instances, part of the work that you pay for is vehicle diagnosis. In fact, in some situations, a great part of the number of hours that you pay for is spent on checking your vehicle in order to find just what the problem is. Sometimes, depending on the problem, it may take a long time for your mechanic to do the correct diagnosis, so you pay more.

When it is right: Paying for diagnostics is but fair. After all, your mechanic spends a lot of time determining what the exact problem is, something that is necessary to find the right solution and bring your vehicle back to life. It is only right that mechanics be paid for doing a good job. After all, if they do not take diagnostics seriously, they may simply resort to guessing and trial and error, the result of which could be more problems for you.

When it is wrong: Paying for vehicle diagnosis becomes unfair if you find out later on that the mechanic actually failed to pinpoint, and solve, the problem. Consider this: the mechanic tells you that the problem has to do with the spark plugs and persuades you to have the plugs replaced, only for the problem to recur when you’re back on the road. When you bring in your car the second time, you find that it’s actually the coil and not the plugs, so that means you paid for nothing during the first time.

If the latter situation happens, you can ask for a refund from the mechanic or shop, or you can ask that they perform the correct repair free of charge, depending on what your arrangement is. 

Friday’s Advice: How to Help Your Mechanic in Making a Diagnosis

When you bring your vehicle to an auto repair shop because of a problem, the first step to solving that problem would be to determine its cause. And, this is where diagnosis comes in. The mechanic will have to look at all the symptoms of the problem until it can pinpoint its origin. After this, only then can a solution be arrived at.

Diagnosis can be time-consuming. But, as a vehicle owner, you can often help your mechanic during this stage of the repair. By doing so, you reduce the time it will take before you can arrive at a solution.

Now, how can you help your mechanic in diagnosing the problem of your vehicle?

1. If you notice the problem, pay attention to the symptoms. Use your senses to do this. Try to hear any abnormal sound originating from the area where the problem seems to be. Pay attention to weird smells such as burning. Feel any vibrations coming from your vehicle systems. Plus, do some visual inspection to see if there’s any leak somewhere. By telling your mechanic any of your observations, he’ll be able to correlate that fact to his knowledge about automotive problems.
2. If the problem is hard to explain, you can show the problem to your mechanic instead. This is what mechanics called as recreating the problem. You can go on a drive and recreate what you’ve done when the problem occurs (you were navigating a sharp turn, for instance).

Helping your mechanic in the diagnosis of a problem will also be like helping yourself. You will not only shorten the time it will take for the problem to be solved but you will also reduce chances of a misdiagnosis. Besides, participating in the diagnostic process will help you know more about your vehicle.