Troubleshooter: When the mechanics can’t find anything wrong

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Nothing is more aggravating to vehicle consumers than finding a problem with their new or newish, expensive-to-them ride, making an appointment for dealer service, rearranging their workday, and taking it in only to hear at the end of the day that the shop either didn’t look at it, or that they couldn’t find anything wrong. Experienced drivers know (and neophytes will soon learn) that it often takes a lot of time and resources to get to the bottom of these situations. It can be made more aggravating when you consider, as most customers do, that it’s no fault of their own, but rather the carmaker or their representatives at the dealership are to blame. Then there are the questions left unanswered at the end of one of these sessions; will my car break down if the problem isn’t found? What if my warranty expires before the fix is made?

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Let me answer the last question first. Any record of an undiagnosed problem will not automatically extend the warranty on your vehicle to cover the repair. Yes, all of those receipts and repair-order copies might come in useful in an arbitration hearing or small claims court (if you’re forced to go that far), but no warranty contract is going to leave wiggle room for an extension.

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Troubleshooter: When the mechanics can’t find anything wrong Back to video

If you’re faced with this dreaded ‘No Fault Found’ or ‘Normal Product Characteristic’ results from your troubles, you need to ask some questions. If you’re dealing with a noise or symptom that can only be replicated while driving, arrange for a road-test with a service department employee to demonstrate what you’re concerned with. If your dealership rep hears (or experiences) the concern and tells you it’s normal for the product, ask for a chance to drive a duplicate model they have in stock to confirm.

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If you’re faced with a dreaded hide-and-seek dash warning light that appears one day and vanishes the day of your service appointment, ask for any historic or archived codes to be recorded on your repair order copy. Yes, just about anything built since the mid-90s can keep track of non-active codes, but the problem is, unless the fault that caused it is active, it’s almost impossible to trace. Ask if there were any bulletins issued by the carmaker on the problem you’re reporting, especially those related to any codes in your vehicle’s archives.

Be flexible. Ask if leaving the vehicle for another day or so, might be worthwhile in letting staff have multiple chances to check things out. This can be especially helpful for intermittent symptoms or ones that occur at specific times, such as cold starts or during warm-ups. Inquire about customer diagnostic sheets. Most carmakers have them and they allow you to help pinpoint the operating conditions of your vehicle when the concern pops up.

Stay tuned for more help on dealing with intermittent issues.