Intermittent Problems
Very often vehicles exhibit problems intermittently. The problem might happen once a day, once a week, once a month...maybe only a few times a year! Issues like this are understandably very difficult to track down.
If you are contacting EV-MEDICS to look at an intermittent issue, it is crucial that you keep the following points in mind to maximize the chances for a successful diagnosis:
Make specific notes of when the issue is most likely to occur. For example, I might ask the owner:
- How often does the problem occur?
- When did you first notice the problem?
- Were any repairs done prior to the start of the problem?
- Does the problem occur when...
- the engine is cold or warmed up?
- cruising on the highway or idling in town?
- accelerating or decelerating?
- turning left or right?
- it's wet or cold or hot outside?
To complete a 100% accurate diagnosis, I MUST be able to reproduce the problem.
If I cannot reproduce the problem within the first hour, I will not proceed further unless the customer requests further testing. Customer will be billed for one hour labor, with a diagnosis "no problems found at this time."
I can still provide a general recommendation based on the described symptoms, history codes stored in the vehicle computer, and available Technical Service Bulletins. However, I would strongly encourage the customer to wait until the issue gets worse, at which point it will be easier to track down at a later date (separate diagnosis fee will apply).
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Firstname Lastname
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