MINI Understanding Diagnostics
Trial and error creates inconvenience for the Customer and the Service Department when misdiagnosis or longer waits occur as the technician tries different repair attempts. This is against MIMI's promise to the customer to "Fix it right the first time, on time, every time".
If the vehicle is not repaired efficiently the productivity of the technician suffers. Taking some time at the beginning to plan a diagnostic course of action can help give structure to what may appear in the beginning to be a chaotic situation.
As future systems increase in complexity so does their dependency on the Diagnosis Program as the principle tool for troubleshooting. However, the importance of understanding the calculated steps of a basic troubleshooting plan is just as important as before.
There will always be instances where the Test Modules provided by the DISplus need to be supplemented by a thoughtful diagnostic plan that is created by the skilled technician. A parallel diagnostic plan that includes proper recording of test data along with the Diagnosis Program is a good habit to follow every time that troubleshooting is required.
A successful diagnostic plan will
- Save repair time.
- Satisfy the customer by reducing vehicle down time.
- Increase Center profitability.
- Increase technician pride and earnings.
Diagnostic Plan
The Diagnostic Plan consists of 5 steps
- Verify the Customer Complaint -"Experience the Symptom!"
- Analyze the Problem.
- Isolate the Problem.
- Repair the Problem.
- Verify the Repair.
Verify the Customer Complaint: Experience the symptom!
Most troubleshooting starts the moment you receive a written description of the customer complaint. The complaint is the customer's description of a symptom that they are experiencing with the vehicle.
Symptom
A symptom is any circumstance, event or condition that accompanies something and indicates its existence or occurrence.
There may be multiple symptoms that are created with one problem.
An example is a defective thermostat: If the thermostat is stuck open the heater output will be insufficient, also, if the engine can never reach operating temperature then fuel mileage and performance will suffer. Which one of these complaints (symptoms) would lead you to the problem faster?
What is important to remember is that the customer may only complain about one symptom. It is the job of the technician to be a detective and carefully observe. There may be another symptom not complained of that directly points to the root cause of the problem.