Scanning Codes vs. Running a Diagnostic

The two terms are related, but different. Scanning relates to the process of connecting a scanner to the vehicle and reading (or scanning) codes and/or data. Scanning for the code that caused your check engine light to come on may reveal a numerical code which indicates which system that a fault.

Running a diagnostic relates to the process of finding the actual problem with the on board system through visual inspection, testing of wiring ,or function testing components. Scanning usually takes a few minutes – but running a diagnostic can take anywhere from an hour to several hours, depending on the system being tested. For the above reasons, we normally don’t charge anything to perform a basic code scan. We do however have to charge for the actual diagnosis, which sometimes irks the customer.

The reason we do have to charge is the time it takes to do the diagnostic and the equipment and tools we need to run the diagnostic – a typical diagnostic for an evaporative emission system fault requires the use of over $15000.00 worth of equipment – our scanner alone recently cost us over $11000.00 to buy a new unit, capable of scanning and communicating with the on board systems that get more complex every with every new car model.

While we do our best as a shop to be efficient and provide value added services, diagnostics are one of the things we simply have to charge a fee to do – you don’t go to the dentist for a check-up and not have to pay for it (assuming you don’t have dental benefits); and we aren’t any different in that respect – if you have any questions about code scanning or system diagnostics, shoot me an e-mail or give me a call at the shop.

Thanks for reading.