We hope you never need diagnostic services, but the truth is that many vehicles in Western New York experience rough terrain, corrosive winter weather, and heat/cold cycles that rival even the most strenuous of vehicle developmental tests.
Diagnosing any vehicle problem the proper way includes pinpointing the root of what causes the symptoms you notice. Often this is easy because it’s a common failure or our experience will quickly lead us to test a certain component. Sometimes however, a vehicle may have multiple problems or a difficult problem to identify.
STEM always recommends a root-cause analysis to ensure the problem and the symptoms are resolved. For example if you have only one brake pad that is worn down, if we replace the brake pads there is a very good chance that same pad location will wear down prematurely again because the root cause may be a sticking brake caliper. Rather than just focus on the symptom that you notice, we dig in farther to ensure any underlying issue is addressed at the same time. This may cost more initially, but will save you money and from a headache in the future.
Some specific diagnosing and programming services that STEM can provide include:
- Diagnosing noises, vibrations, and drivability concerns
- Diagnose Check Engine lights, ABS lights, Airbag lights, and every other trouble light. These lights indicate a trouble code is stored, and we though the code rarely tells us exactly what part is bad, we use that code to then determine the diagnostic direction.
- Electrical issues. There are miles of wiring and dozens of computer modules on every modern vehicle, and they are all intertwined. We use a variety of electrical tools to diagnose and determine the failure, whether its a wire that was crushed during a small accident or a module that failed due to a corroded ground wire.
STEM is literally a small shop that comes to you, so that means we have our own power, internet, and all the electronic equipment we may need that connect us to resources around the world. This allows us access to use the same resources dealerships, seeing manufacturer wiring schematics, diagrams, connector pinouts, codes, etc. The only advantage the dealership has is that they can perform services at no cost for vehicles under warranty.
If you’d like to schedule your diagnosis with STEM, visit our “Schedule Service” page below. Our “Initial consultation” is the first step to determine the correct repair and includes all the diagnostic fee that most concerns require. If you’d like to discuss your specific concern first, please contact us.