Diagnostic Testing for Your Car Explained

Modern cars are pretty complicated and they can’t just tell you what’s wrong. Or can they? It turns out that diagnostic testing can tell you a whole lot about what’s going on within your car. HRS AutoCare has this information about diagnostic testing that can help you to feel more comfortable with the process.

What Is Diagnostic Testing?

Diagnostic testing sounds like something that might take days of waiting for results. In actuality, it’s fast and easy. There’s a port under your car’s dashboard that is designed for diagnostic testing tools. These tools connect to your car’s computer, called the ECM or engine control module. The ECM is your car’s brain and it’s the piece that lights up dash warnings and controls other functions in the car’s engine. The ECM relays codes to the testing device that your mechanic can use to investigate what’s causing issues with your car’s engine.

Is Diagnostic Testing Useful?

Diagnostic testing is tremendously helpful for you and for your mechanic. There are times when your car may be acting strange, possibly with intermittent issues, and a diagnostic test can narrow down the possible cause. Dashboard warning lights only tell you that there is a problem. When the service technician decodes the information from the diagnostic test, there’s more data to work with to figure out the problem. There could be problems with the ECM or with other systems and sensors in the car. Diagnostic testing narrows those problems down.

Should You Do Diagnostic Testing Often?

You might be wondering how often you should have diagnostic testing done on your car. Most people usually wait until there’s something wrong with the car before they try any sort of diagnostic test. That might mean you wait until there’s a dashboard warning light or some other symptom of trouble. But you can have diagnostic testing done a couple of times a year if you want. This can help you to be proactive about your car’s overall health. Often there are smaller issues that don’t trigger a dashboard warning light that you might not notice. Finding those issues through testing allows you to fix them before they do start to affect your car’s performance.

If you’re ready for some diagnostic testing, HRS AutoCare in Nicholasville, KY can help. Just give us a call and we can set up a time for you to bring your car in for testing. We can let you know what we find and what your car needs.