Like a full body exam, a full vehicle diagnostic sounds like an in depth scan that will detect any problems with your vehicle. Unfortunately, a full diagnostic—like an annual checkup—is confined to checking a few key systems.
So what is a full diagnostic?
Luckily, we’ve got experts on tap to explain the situation. Royalty Auto Service (@royaltyautoservice) is an auto shop that has cultivated a large following on TikTok for straight forward and honest discussions on car maintenance and repairs. The auto shop garnered over 54,000 views as of publication on this latest video.
What does a diagnostic entail?
In this video, Royalty Auto Service tackles the diagnostic. Sherwood begins his explanation by doing away with the myth that a mechanic can magically know every issue.
“Let’s say someone comes in with an [antilock brake system] light and we figure out what happens with the ABS light, and then they say what did you find out about the volume of the radio? You ran a full diagnostic,” he says.
According to Sherwood, lots of customers imagine a full diagnostic as a mechanic plugging in a “magic box” to get a list of all the problems a car is having. He explains a full diagnostic will only catch certain issues and that it doesn’t flag issues that may occur in the near future.
“You have to understand that these systems are constantly being tested and things break, things go bad,” Sherwood says.
There’s no ‘magic box’
J.D. Power describes a car diagnostic as “a digital analysis of your car’s various computer systems and components.” Modern cars have specialized software that works whenever your engine is powered on.
This software monitors various systems and creates data reports that can be collected and analyzed during a car diagnostic test. These tests specifically search for problems with a car’s engine or individual components, issues with a car’s transmission, problems with brakes, potential contamination or faults with a car’s exhaust system and signs of wear and tear on major components.
What the viewers said
The video has amassed 57,000 views as of Thursday afternoon. In the comments, viewers agreed with Sherwood’s explanation.
“The point is, quit calling it a full diagnostic,” one user said.
“The good old magic box, been looking for one of those for about 20 years now,” another joked.
“I call it the flat tire syndrome. Last week you changed my spark plugs and now I have a burnt tail light,” a third shared.
Some argued that diagnostic tests were a way to get overcharge customers.
“A lot of shops use it to upsell you!” a user said.
Others explained how a diagnostic prioritizes issues.
“You get a vehicle in for one issue but actually has several and the secondary issues don’t show until after the primary issue is resolved. See that sometimes as a diesel mechanic,” one said.
@royaltyautoservice This is an important thing for clients and shops to keep in mind! #mechaniclife #mechanicsoftiktok #autorepair #automotive #cartok #repair #viral #fyp #foryou #stitch ♬ Pop beat BGM / long version(1283324) – nightbird_bgm
The Daily Dot reached out to Royalty Auto Service via TikTok Comments and contact form.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
