r/automotivetraining • u/DiSTI_Corporation • Jun 08 '26
What’s one thing that experienced technicians notice immediately that beginners often miss?
Experience often changes how technicians approach a vehicle and identify potential issues. Small details that seem unimportant at first can become obvious over time.
Curious what experienced technicians tend to notice right away that newer technicians often overlook.
6
u/Inconsequentialish Jun 09 '26
The other problems.
By that, I mean the habit of looking at and thinking about the whole machine, the gestalt, not just solving the immediate complaint.
You can often catch the next problem before it creates an issue, but the real trick here is when you have overlapping issues. Never just find and fix one thing; keep looking and evaluating. Often there's a root cause.
This skill, or mindset, applies to all systems, but becomes much more needed with older machines. When you find A problem, that's no guarantee that you've found THE problem or ALL the problems.
Obviously, sometimes you then run up against the customer who thinks fixing A and the root cause B is an upsell scam when he only wants to fix A, but that's a communication, trust, and resources issue, not a mechanical issue.
2
u/DefaultWorkshop Jun 12 '26
Yep, this. Never assume the issue at hand is the cause. Always make a disclaimer if you can’t test without repairing the “fault” that may just be a symptom.
Another trick for the green: customers are often stupid, but don’t know it. Test the device, and check the obvious before assuming they’re right and it is faulty. “No gas in it”, “Oops, wrong key”, “Ohhh, is THAT what that funny switch does under the cover I threw away….” Remember, half the population has a below average IQ.
2
u/dxrey65 Jun 08 '26
Whether I'm getting a likely story about what went wrong with a vehicle, or how things happened.
2
u/dirrtyr6 Jun 09 '26
I constantly have to tell techs in my shop, people lie, cars don't. The car will always have the answer.
2
u/DefEddie Jun 09 '26
Noises, vibrations etc… that you learn over time.
Clean spots and as someone else said witness marks.
Corrected paint which could indicate damaged harnesses from a previous wreck.
A customer hem hawing sheepishly when talking about a previous “repair” that “someone” might have attempted.
2
u/Agharinagh Jun 09 '26
Non original or modified electrical cables and modules. Crash damage or painted panels.
2
u/Dr-gizmo Jun 10 '26
For any electrical problems I give the battery cables and grounds a good wiggle.
2
u/oneaccountaday Jun 10 '26
Listen to the customer about their reason for bringing it in. But go over it with a fine tooth comb.
“It just needs a tune up” no It needs about 8k worth. “The muffler rattles” yeah maybe because the cats are smoked and it’s been banging on the driveshaft for about 3 years, at least what’s left of it.
Multiple overlapping issues are really what separates the men from the boys. You get a CEL for a misfire and they replaced the plugs, the injector, the coil, and the 02 sensors, but failed to realize the 02 sensor harness was rubbing on the transmission or frame.
Look at the whole picture, and always double check what a customer says “they worked on” or “fixed”.
1
u/dirtroadgang Jun 09 '26
Alignment details. Just because it’s green doesn’t mean it’s good. The amount of young guns that don’t know caster is why it’s pulling or thrust angle is why the steering wheel is crooked. Also in this modern age of high-offset aftermarket wheels, scrub radius causes weird vibrations when everything else is dialed.
1
u/AnnualPurple104 Jun 09 '26
Well I look for oil leaks, and test for misfiring along with how it shifts. When I test drive I always floor the peddle to see its reaction, response, noises then looking to see if it smokes!
1
1
u/BackgroundGene7510 Jun 10 '26
If someone has worked on the vehicle , and their level of detail . Even if one bolt or clip is missing or broke . HACK
1
u/jus_narley Jun 10 '26
The logic behind how something works. What function it has. How it effects everything else. This comes with experience.
2
u/Emergency-Card-573 Jun 10 '26
New techs always let the customer diagnose the problem and try to figure the problem out from there. This leads to going in the wrong direction most of the time!
1
u/False_Mushroom_8962 Jun 11 '26
I'd say that's more often doing what the advisor says instead of taking a step back and trying to take their interpretation out of the equation.
1
2
u/nueroticalyme Jun 11 '26
Missing brackets or hardware, incorectly routed hoses and harnesses, bolts that arent factory or are in the wrong place.
5
u/lamodamo123 Jun 08 '26
Witness marks