Diagnostics

Diagnosing your vehicle’s warning lights or faults

How We Diagnose Your Warning Lights

At Cedar Garage we have the latest technology to successfully carry out car diagnostics in Worthing. We first of all have to gather as much information from you about the fault, then we get the vehicle in for an assessment and carry out the basic checks required to identify the area that the fault is on the vehicle.

Our technicians are passionate about diagnostics and there is no fault we can’t get to the bottom of on the brands we specialise in. We have heavily invested in our diagnostic equipment and training, meaning our technicians can perform accurate car diagnostics in Worthing, to the same, if not, a higher level than main dealerships. This means we can save you money and provide you with the best results.

Select Your Car

Can’t see your car? Give us a call: 01903 248967

What Do We Do During Your Diagnostic Appointment? 

Within our initial diagnostic assessment we will give you an answer as to what is causing the fault on your vehicle or an accurate estimate of the test plan we need to carry out.

The technician working on your vehicle will be chosen for the training they have had to suit your vehicle and fault.

Initially we will spend time gathering as much information about the fault from yourself. This is a crucial part of the fault finding process. The more information we can gather, generally the quicker and cheaper the fault finding process. Therefore saving you time and money.

What You Should Know Before Your Diagnostics Appointment

Some diagnostic assessments will find the fault within the initial appointment. Whereas others allow us to create a test plan once we have isolated the area of the vehicle which may have the fault. This is usually for more complex issues which would require wiring checks using a specific equipment and technicians which is charged at an additional cost.

After your diagnostic appointment, the technician will provide one of our award winning front of house team members with a a report. They will then explain the results to you in a way you will understand. We also have access to videos which can help make it clearer as to exactly what it is you need to pay for. Some additional or further checks may require a data charge for information from the manufacturer. However, all of this will be made clear and explained before any work is carried out.

Diagnose

Program

Adapt

Update Modules and Other Parts

See The Difference: Car Diagnostics in Worthing

The training our technicians have undergone to be able to carry out high quality car diagnostics in Worthing is unrivalled. The equipment we have invested in allows us to communicate with the vehicle and extract accurate DTCs (Diagnostics Trouble Codes). Furthermore, on the makes we specialise in, we have actually invested in the exact same equipment the main dealers. As a result, there is nothing that we can’t help you with. So you never need to go back there and pay higher prices.

How does this benefit you? We can diagnose a problem that other independant garages may struggle to find and we can do it quickly. This also keeps your costs down as we don’t have to spend time guessing and replacing parts that are not required.

Diagnose

Program

Adapt

Update Modules and Other Parts

Diagnose

Program

Adapt

Update Modules and Other Parts

See The Difference: Car Diagnostics in Worthing

The training our technicians have undergone to be able to carry out high quality car diagnostics in Worthing is unrivalled. The equipment we have invested in allows us to communicate with the vehicle and extract accurate DTCs (Diagnostics Trouble Codes). Furthermore, on the makes we specialise in, we have actually invested in the exact same equipment the main dealers. As a result, there is nothing that we can’t help you with. So you never need to go back there and pay higher prices.

How does this benefit you? We can diagnose a problem that other independant garages may struggle to find and we can do it quickly. This also keeps your costs down as we don’t have to spend time guessing and replacing parts that are not required.

%

of vehicles diagnosed in less than 2 hours

%

Diagnosed between 2-4 hours

%

Took over 4 hours to diagnose

%

Not able to be diagnosed

Questions Customers Ask About Our Car Diagnostics in Worthing

Can I stay and wait during my diagnostic appointment?
Unfortunately we do not offer a waiting appointments for diagnostics as some may take longer than others and technical data from the manufacture is sometimes needed to accurately diagnose the problem and we are not in control of their response time. Ask us about one of our hire vehicles to minimise the inconvenience
Isn't diagnostics just plugging in a machine?

Put simply: No it is not just plugging in a machine.

Our diagnostic investigations include a 16-step process, one of which includes using various pieces of diagnostic equipment to scan the vehicle for any DTCs (diagnostic trouble codes). These fault codes do not tell us what is wrong with the vehicle. The codes simply refer to an area or system on the car that is showing an error. The fault codes can be generated for multiple reasons. For example, if the fault code for a Lambda Sensor shows, we would need to determine a couple of things. Firstly, if the fault is either with the wiring that goes to the sensor, the sensor itself or the module. The module is the vehicle computer that reads data from the sensor.

Alternatively, it may even be that another faulty item on the vehicle is causing the sensor to display a fault code. At Cedar Garage, we have the latest equipment and our technicians are regularly trained to a higher level. This allows us to determine what is causing the fault code. Other garage may need to start replacing parts in a process of elimination to cure the vehicle’s faults. This can be a very expensive and timely approach. We prefer the ‘Test not Guess’ method.

Does your diagnostic include the repair?

No, the charge for our diagnostic appointments covers the time we initially need to spend on the vehicle in order to determine the cause of the issue. Take a loud knocking noise or a brake judder for example. When looking into the symptoms, we would charge for the time it takes to find the fault. Then we would discuss the cost of any parts and further labour that is required to rectify or replace the faulty parts.

Do you still charge a diagnostic fee if you do the repair?

Yes, because your vehicle needs the time spent on it in order to find the root cause of the faults, therefore we do need to charge for this time. The subsequent time required to rectify the faults is separate to the time already spent on the car. However, if we find the fault and can rectify it within the initial diagnostic assessment, the initial charge will include the repair within the cost of the diagnostic. i.e If we were looking into why an electrical item was not working and found a blown fuse or a small damaged wire, we can repair this during the hour. Therefore, there would be no additional charge for any further labour.

My engine warning light is on, can I have a rough price to fix it?

Unfortunately, an engine warning light can come on for many different reasons. We would have to book the vehicle in for an initial diagnostic assessment to narrow down the cause of the warning light and then we can provide a quote for the required repair. The cost for a diagnostic assessment is £75 plus VAT.

How long does it take to diagnose a warning light?

Unfortunately, a warning light can be triggered by many components. We book vehicles for an initial diagnostic assesment first which should take roughly an hour, depending on how complicated the fault is and whether we need to send off for any technical data. 

Will my Engine management light fail an MOT?
That depends on the age and fuel type of your vehicle but yes it will. Your vehicle will Fail the MOT if;
It is a Petrol vehicle first used (registered) on or after 1st July 2003
It is a Diesel vehicle first used (Registered) on or after 1st July 2008

Questions Customers Ask About Our Car Diagnostics in Worthing

Can I stay and wait during my diagnostic appointment?
Of course you can! We can even treat you to a cup of tea, coffee or a soft drink. If you let us know in advance we can even have a bacon sandwich waiting for you. (Vegetarian options also available)
Isn't diagnostics just plugging in a machine?

Put simply: No it is not just plugging in a machine.

Our diagnostic investigations include a 16-step process, one of which includes using various pieces of diagnostic equipment to scan the vehicle for any DTCs (diagnostic trouble codes). These fault codes do not tell us what is wrong with the vehicle. The codes simply refer to an area or system on the car that is showing an error. The fault codes can be generated for multiple reasons. For example, if the fault code for a Lambda Sensor shows, we would need to determine a couple of things. Firstly, if the fault is either with the wiring that goes to the sensor, the sensor itself or the module. The module is the vehicle computer that reads data from the sensor.

Alternatively, it may even be that another faulty item on the vehicle is causing the sensor to display a fault code. At Cedar Garage, we have the latest equipment and our technicians are regularly trained to a higher level. This allows us to determine what is causing the fault code. Other garage may need to start replacing parts in a process of elimination to cure the vehicle’s faults. This can be a very expensive and timely approach. We prefer the ‘Test not Guess’ method.

Does your diagnostic include the repair?

No, the charge for our diagnostic appointments covers the time we initially need to spend on the vehicle in order to determine the cause of the issue. Take a loud knocking noise or a brake judder for example. When looking into the symptoms, we would charge for the time it takes to find the fault. Then we would discuss the cost of any parts and further labour that is required to rectify or replace the faulty parts.

Do you still charge a diagnostic fee if you do the repair?

Yes, because your vehicle needs the time spent on it in order to find the root cause of the faults, therefore we do need to charge for this time. The subsequent time required to rectify the faults is separate to the time already spent on the car. However, if we find the fault and can rectify it within the initial diagnostic assessment, the initial charge will include the repair within the cost of the diagnostic. i.e If we were looking into why an electrical item was not working and found a blown fuse or a small damaged wire, we can repair this during the hour. Therefore, there would be no additional charge for any further labour.

My engine warning light it on, can I have a rough price to fix it?

Unfortunately, an engine warning light can come on for many different reasons. We would have to book the vehicle in for an initial diagnostic assessment to narrow down the cause of the warning light and then we can provide a quote for the required repair. The cost for a diagnostic assessment is £75 plus VAT.

How long does it take to diagnose a warning light?

Unfortunately, a warning light can be triggered by many components. We book vehicles for an initial diagnostic assesment first which should take roughly an hour, depending on how complicated the fault is and whether we need to send off for any technical data. 

Will my Engine management light fail an MOT?
That depends on the age and fuel type of your vehicle but yes it will. Your vehicle will Fail the MOT if;
It is a Petrol vehicle first used (registered) on or after 1st July 2003
It is a Diesel vehicle first used (Registered) on or after 1st July 2008

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