In a car, vehicle diagnostics is a very elaborate and necessary process. It may also become quite complex at times.
The state of the motion or rest of the car becomes primarily important. Also, the diagnostics parameters change when the vehicle is moving and when it is at rest in a garage. In order to cover both these scenarios, off-board and on-board vehicle diagnostics have been introduced.
The typical vehicle diagnostics feature checks the state of functions performed by the subsystems, sensors and other such components. The errors reported by all these components are recorded in the error memory in the form of DTCs (Diagnostic Trouble Codes).
When car warning lights illuminate on your dashboard, an engine diagnostics check can help identify the problem before more serious damage occurs.
Most modern vehicles today contain an on-board computer known as an Engine Control Unit (ECU) which continually monitors the performance of the vehicle. Sensors all around the vehicle report back to the ECU if there are problems such as low fluid levels or increased engine temperature. When an issue is identified the ECU generates an error code. The relevant dashboard warning lights will then be displayed.
There are literally hundreds of potential error codes that can only be read by specialist vehicle diagnostic equipment. While a warning light may display on the dashboard alerting you to an issue, a diagnostics check is required to understand the full extent and cause of the problem.
At Townparks we use state of the art Bosch equipment for vehicle diagnostics which can read the engine fault codes in your ECU’s memory. Our fully-trained technicians can then suggest any necessary repairs to get you back on the road and rectify the error so there’s no need to pay vehicle dealership prices for your diagnostics check next time a dashboard warning light appears in your car.
