The Magic Box
August 26, 2008 by admin
The most frustrating question I get almost daily is
"Do you got one if those machines that can tell you what is wrong with my car?"
It's usually all I can do to not be a smart-aleck and say, "I don't need no machine to tell me there's a loose not behind the wheel."
SnapOn eems300g12
Somewhere out there Joe-Sixpack and his wife have surmised that there is some magical box that just prints out what is wrong with their car and then I go over and turn a screw and fix it. I guess the aftermarket parts stores like AutoZone has drill that notion home.
First its called a scan tool. And no It does not tell us what's wrong with the car, per se. It reads the data stream that the vehicle's onboard computer is looking at. It reads trouble codes that the computer has stored. Many times these codes are set by circumstances not directly related to the code itself, resulting in hundreds of dollars sometimes being thrown at a car's symptoms to no avail.
Once the codes and data is obtained, the tech must then apply his training and detective skills to determine what it all means and what must be done to make it all right again. Sometimes many hours of testing has to done to verify that the data is even correct and that the code is valid. Usually this testing isn't even figured into the bill.
If the magic machine did exist to just tell us what was wrong with the car, it would be horribly expensive and probably your garden variety tech would not be able to used it, and you wouldn't be able to afford to have it turned on, anyway. Oh well, best stick to the voodoo we have.
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MODIS Making The Most of Your MODIS DVD Manual 82B |  |
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US $150.00 | 4d 16h 10m |
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Snap On Modis scan tool | |
16 Bids | US $1,300.00 | 48m |
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SNAP ON MODIS 122 CF UPDATE | |
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US $850.00 | 1d 4h 22m |
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Snap On Modis Scanner 114 With Extras | |
1 Bid | US $2,000.00 | 23h 28m |
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Snap On Modis scan tool with Euro Software | |
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US $3,000.00 | 1d 4h 11m |
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Snap On Modis EEMS300 Auto Diagnostic Scanner | |
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US $1,450.00 | 6d 21h 21m |
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[...] point for diagnosis, not a conclusion and a part to be replaced. Contrary to popular belief, a scan tool (code reader), is not a crystal ball. You must understand the system that you are diagnosing, as well as the operating principles of [...]
In the past, I have spent a ton of money by letting the parts store clerk scan my car and then buy whatever part the scanner said was wrong. Usually not taking care of the problem. I now realize there is way more to consider than just the part. If I am not sure myself, it’s off to my mechanic for me.
I did an article about investing in knowledge for your own growth. You guys seem to have it doubly tough. You have to have the knowledge and then all this mega-expensive equipment to apply the knowledge with. Then find a way to make it all work out financially.