Bring your SUV to Mid-Atlantic Domestic SUV if any of the dashboard warning lights have turned on. We will run a diagnostic test on the SUV to determine the reason why you have an illuminated warning light. As you will learn while reading this blog post, these tests save us a tremendous amount of time and, in turn, save you money on your SUV repair bills. Let’s talk more about your SUV’s warning system, how it works, and how it ties in with diagnostic testing.
How Dashboard Warning Lights Work
As you already know, your SUV is a giant computer that gets you where you need to go. Throughout the SUV there are numerous sensors in each system that keep track of how the systems are performing. In fact, you have likely noticed that all of the dashboard lights light up when you first start the SUV. This happens because the system sensors are running quick tests to make sure all systems are go.
The sensors talk directly to your SUV’s main computer chip, the engine control module or ECM. Once the ECM gets an a-okay report, it turns off that dashboard warning light. If you keep an eye on your dashboard, you will see the lights turn off one by one. If something goes wrong while you are operating your SUV, or if there is a problem with a system at start-up, the ECM will turn on or leave on that dashboard warning light. It does this because it has received a malfunction code from a system sensor.
Running the Diagnostic Test
The ECM keeps track of the error codes that it receives from the system sensors. When you bring your SUV to our shop, we will hook the ECM up to a diagnostic test machine and run a diagnostic test. The ECM will download, if you will, all of the error codes it has received from system sensors. These error codes point directly to specific problems that cause the ECM to turn on the warning lights.
Saving You Money on Your SUV Repairs
The diagnostic test generally takes less than 15 minutes, which means it takes us little time to diagnose exactly what is wrong with your SUV. Naturally, this will save you money on your SUV repairs because the labor charges will not be as expensive as they would be if we had to tear the engine apart to diagnose the problem. This is the main benefit of a diagnostic test for your SUV.
Call Mid-Atlantic Domestic SUV in Virginia Beach, VA, today if you have a dashboard warning light illuminated on your SUV’s dashboard.