Fail the right way

摘要

In the first of a regular series of articles for MIM, renowned industry technician James Dillon FIMI (pictured) looks at why so many vehicles aren't' failing in the right way'... The diagnostic process can be applied equally well to engine, transmission, body control, HVAC or any other system fault. Those in-the-know will undoubtedly agree that diagnostics is mostly about a logical process, which is applied using knowledge of the system's function, and aided by data gathering 'tools' which, together with a generous application of the technician's brain power, will identify the root cause behind the system's malfunction. Vehicle manufacturers have done their best to assist their repair networks (and subsequently the independent garage as well) by requiring their system suppliers (Bosch, Delphi, Denso, Siemens etc.) to implement self-diagnosis. If the vehicle system can help by diagnosing itself (especially useful if the fault is occurring intermittently) and store trouble codes for later retrieval by the technician, time and, therefore, expenditure on warranty costs will be reduced. Everyone's a winner.