Some motorists are confused by ProTech Automotive charges for diagnostic services for a vehicle repair. Many services at ProTech Automotive and other Lakeville automotive repair shops include diagnostic fees.
When you take your laptop into a Minneapolis computer repair shop for a problem you’ll likely have to leave a deposit for diagnostics. When we visit our Farmington doctor for a medical problem, we’re paying him to diagnose our ailment and of course for the tests that go along with it.
So receiving a diagnostic charge at ProTech Automotive for a tricky automotive problem shouldn’t be a surprise. In the Minneapolis area, automotive diagnostics can cover quite a range. If you hear a noise in your minivan brakes when you slow down in rush-hour traffic on a busy Minnesota expressway, you pull off the next off-ramp and take a quick visual check. That is usually enough to know what needs to be done. If you’re having an intermittent problem with your minivan engine, ProTech Automotive diagnosis may be much more involved.
Much of the Minneapolis public’s confusion comes when the problem involves the check engine light. The check engine light comes on when the engine management computer has sensed a problem.
There’s a common misconception among Farmington, Rosemount, and Apple Valley drivers that the trouble code tells the ProTech Automotive technician exactly what’s wrong. Why then is there a diagnostic charge, the scanner just gave the diagnosis?
Reality is more involved than that. The computer monitors many sensors throughout the vehicle. When one of these sensors has a reading that’s out of parameters, the computer will record a trouble code and turn on the check engine light.
The minivan computer's trouble code just tells the ProTech Automotive technician what engine parameter is out of range – not what’s causing it. The technician needs to determine the underlying problem that’s causing the symptom.
There are many problems that could cause a troublesome sensor reading for ProTech Automotive Lakeville customers. The ProTech Automotive technician makes a list of the most likely causes and begins tracking down the source of the problem.
Minneapolis service centers subscribe to databases that document possible causes for a given trouble code. They outline procedures for confirming a diagnosis and provide the documented fix. These databases are specific to each vehicle and engine combination.
Some diagnoses are quick and easy. Others are more involved and difficult. Of course ProTech Automotive wants to figure out what’s wrong with your minivan and get you back on the road as quickly as possible.
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