Understanding what your car needs and when it needs those specific repairs can feel very mysterious to the average car owner. Couple that with dashboard warning lights that maybe don’t describe the actual problem, and Young Automotive understands if you feel overwhelmed. Computer diagnostic testing for your car helps to determine exactly what’s going on and what repairs are necessary.
Car Diagnostic Testing Explained
Diagnostic testing for your car sounds more complicated than it is. Equipment in the shop connects to your car’s onboard computer, or ECM, and reads the information stored in the onboard computer. If there’s anything that isn’t quite right or that is causing dashboard warning lights to come on, the ECM will give the repair technician the necessary codes to correct the problem.
Why Have Diagnostic Testing Done?
So, if you’ve got dashboard lights, why do you need diagnostic testing? The dashboard warning lights tell you only so much, and the codes your mechanic retrieves from the ECM offer a smaller part of the whole as well. There’s more that needs to be investigated, too, but diagnostic testing offers a bit more of a roadmap for finding out what is wrong with the car.
How Often Does Diagnostic Testing Need to Be Done?
Your car’s owner’s manual might include a recommendation for how often you should get diagnostic testing done, but it’s not part of every manual. Generally speaking, you might want to have diagnostics run every year or two, just to catch issues that aren’t big enough to trigger a warning light. If the car “just doesn’t feel right,” diagnostic testing can help find something that needs fixed. Also, if you’re considering buying a used car, diagnostic testing can give you an overview of the car’s general state.
When the ECM Is the Problem
Believe it or not, your car’s ECM can be wrong or can malfunction at times. When that happens, you might have some odd information on your gauges or have some odd dashboard lights turning on. Diagnostic testing can help to narrow down when that onboard computer is the actual issue so that you can get it replaced.
Feeling like something is off with your car? Don’t let it be a mystery! Contact us at Young Automotive in Sturgeon Bay, WI and we can do comprehensive diagnostic testing on your car for you. From there, we can map out the necessary repairs and get you back in the driver’s seat.
