Vehicle Diagnostic Services
Diagnosing your vehicles exact issues correctly before repairing can save you time and money. Before taking your vehicle in, take a look at our self-diagnosis checklist below to understand the possible issues your vehicle may face.
To ensure your vehicle is properly diagnosed, schedule an appointment with our mechanics today.
Accurate Vehicle Diagnostic Service:
- Consultation about your vehicle's issues.
- Visual inspection of related components.
- Electronic System Analysis
- Research into analysis findings.
- Pin Point Testing.
- Component Diagnosis.
- Consultation about all issues found and warranty company coverage.
- Discussion of all available solutions and cost associated with each.
- Schedule of Repair Services.
Mechanic Diagnostic Checklist:
Is Your Vehicle Leaking Fluid?
Clear Water:
A puddle of clear water is usually no problem. It is most likely normal condensation from your vehicle’s air conditioner system.
Dark Brown or Black & Oil:
This typically means the engine is leaking oil. A bad seal or gasket could cause the leak. If you usually change your own oil, this may be something you can fix on your own.
Yellowish Green, Pastel Blue or Florescent Orange:
These can be an indication of an overheated engine or an antifreeze leak caused by a bad hose, water pump or leaking radiator. If you are not experienced with these issues, it is best to get your vehicle into a mechanic.
Red Oil Like Liquid:
This typically indicated a transmission or power-steering fluid leak. Your transmission should never leak fluid and is a sure sign to get into a mechanic as soon as possible to avoid major damages.
Do you smell something coming from your vehicle?
Thick, Acrid Odor:
This smell is an indicator of burning oil. Look for signs of a leak and be sure to check your oil dip stick.
Burned Toast, a Light but Sharp odor:
This often signals an electrical short and burning insulation. To be safe, try not to drive the vehicle until the problem is diagnosed and repaired.
Gasoline Vapor Odor:
If you smell this after a failed start, it usually means the engine is flooded. Wait a few minutes before trying again. If the gasoline small is still prevalent, chance are there’s a leak in the fuel system- a potential dangerous problem that needs immediate attention.
Burning, Chemical Odor:
This can signal overheated brakes or clutch. Check the parking brake. Stop. Allow the brakes to cool after repeated hard braking. Light smoke coming from a wheel indicates a stuck brake. The vehicle should be towed to a mechanic for repair.
Sweet, Steamy Odor:
This usually points to a coolant leak. If the temperture gauge or warning light does not indicate overheating, drive carefully until you can pull over while keeping an eye on your gauges. If the odor is accompanied by a hot, metallic scent and steam from under the hood, your engine has overheated. Pull over immediately. Continued driving could cause severe engine damage. Your vehicle should be towed for repair to avoid further damage and for safety.
Rotten Egg Odor:
This continuous burning-sulfur smell can indicate a problem in the catalytic converter or other emission control devices. Don’t delay diagnosis and repair.
Is Your Vehicle Making an Unusual Noise?
Squeal:
A shrill, sharp noise, usually related to engine speed. This could indicate a loose or worn power steering component, fan or air conditioning belt.
Click:
A slight, Sharp noise, related to either engine speed or vehicle speed. This could indicate a loose wheel cover, a loose or bent fan blade, a stuck valve lifter, low engine oil or many other issues. Be sure to check your oil dipstick before driving.
Screech:
A high-pitched, piercing metallic sound; usually occurs while the vehicle is in motion. This could be caused by brake wear indicators to let you know it’s time for maintenance.
Rumble:
A low-pitched rhythmic sound. This could point to a defective exhaust pipe, converter or muffler. Or a worn universal joint or other drive-line component.
Ping:
A high-pitched metallic tapping sound, related to engine speed. Can be caused by using gas with a lower octane rating than recommended. Check your owner’s manual for the proper octane rating. If the problem persists, engine ignition timing could be at fault.
Heavy Knock:
A rhythmic pounding sound that could mean a worn crankshaft or connecting rod bearings or a loose transmission torque converter. This is not a sound to wait on, have us run a diagnostic immediately.
Clunk:
A random thumping sound. This could point to a loose shock absorber or other suspension component or a loose exhaust pipe or muffler. Physically check your exhaust system to see if it is loose.
Does Your Vehicle Feel Off?
Steering:
Misaligned front wheels and/or worn steering components, like the idler or ball joint, can cause wandering or difficulty steering in a straight line. Pulling, the vehicle’s tendency to steer to the left or right, can be caused by something as routine as under-inflated tires, or as serious as a damaged or misaligned front end.
Ride and Handling:
Worn shock absorbers or other suspension components — or improperly inflated tire — can contribute to a poor ride experience. Use a gauge to test your tire’s air pressure. While there is no exact rule about when to replace shock absorbers or struts, try this test: bounce the vehicle up and down hard at each wheel and then let go to see how many times the vehicle bounces. Weak shocks will allow the vehicle to bounce twice or more. Springs do not normally wear out and do not need replacement unless one corner of the vehicle is lower than the others although overloading your vehicle can damage the springs. Ensure tires are balanced properly. An unbalanced or improperly balanced tire causes a vehicle to vibrate and may wear steering and suspension components prematurely.
Brakes:
Brake problems have several symptoms. Schedule diagnosis with a trusted mechanic if:
•The vehicle pulls to one side when brakes are applied.
• The brake pedal sinks to the floor when pressure is applied.
• You hear or feel scraping or grinding during braking.
• The “brake” light on the instrument panel is lit.
Engine:
The following symptoms indicated engine trouble. Schedule to have a mechanic diagnose your vehicle if:
• You have difficulty starting the engine.
• The “check engine” light on the instrument panel is lit and you cannot fix the issue using our check engine checklist.
•Rough Idling or stalling.
• Poor acceleration.
• Poor gas milage.
• Excessive oil use (more than one quart between changes.)
• Engine continues running even after the key is removed.
Transmission:
Poor transmission performance may come from actual component failure or a simple disconnected hose or plugged filter. Some of the most common symptoms of transmission problems are:
• Abrupt or hard shifts between gears.
• Delayed or no response when shifting from neutral to drive or reverse.
• Failure to shift during normal acceleration.
• Slippage during acceleration. The engine speeds up, but the vehicle does not respond.
We work with your warranty company to ensure your out-of-pocket expense is a minimal as possible. Schedule your vehicle’s diagnostic appointment with Global today by calling (540) 439-9090.
