It’s becoming increasingly apparent that getting a straightforward, preliminary Car Fault Diagnosis from main dealers or large independent garages is a near-impossible task these days. The common experience now involves a mandatory booking and leaving your car for an entire day, even for what seems like a simple check. The days of a mechanic quickly assessing a vehicle in the carpark to offer an initial “best guess” diagnosis seem to be long gone.
Consider this personal experience with an approved used BMW, still under warranty, exhibiting a clear battery fault. The symptoms were unmistakable: low voltage when the engine was off, plummeting further overnight. Despite the obvious signs, the dealership explicitly warned of a diagnostic charge if they couldn’t find a fault. Reluctantly, the car was booked in and left with them for the day to undergo car fault diagnosis.
Astonishingly, the dealership’s initial diagnosis shifted blame to a satnav device, which was plugged into the car’s 12v socket. They attempted to levy the diagnostic fee based on this claim. However, it was explained that the satnav was connected to the factory-fitted 12v socket located under the dashboard, which deactivates after 15 minutes when the car enters sleep mode. This logical explanation was met with resistance and disbelief. After some firm insistence, they waived the diagnostic charge but then declared that the battery itself was not covered under the warranty. This was challenged by referencing the clearly stated terms online, which explicitly included battery coverage for 12 months under the approved used warranty. Faced with this irrefutable evidence, they conceded and agreed to re-examine the vehicle. The car was taken back in for two days, where they observed the voltage drop, confirmed the absence of parasitic drain, and finally, fitted a new battery as a solution to the car fault diagnosis.
Another example of this cumbersome diagnostic process involves a Citroen C3 Aircross, brand new, with a persistent climate control issue. Every time the car started, the climate control would default to 21 degrees Celsius and the fan would operate at high speed, disregarding any previous settings. This was a known, common fault, widely reported in online forums. For over a year, forum posts detailed the issue, and eventually, solutions emerged indicating a replacement infotainment screen under warranty as the fix.
When the car was taken in for its first service, a request was made to rectify this climate control problem. The service desk’s response was dismissive, stating, “nothing we can do. What do you expect, it’s a Citroen?”. This unhelpful attitude contrasted sharply with the information circulating online. Weeks later, a forum post confirmed that Citroen had released a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) detailing the fix – indeed, a replacement screen. Armed with the TSB number, a visit was made to a different dealership. Even with concrete evidence of the known issue and the official fix, the response was still to book the car in for diagnostics. They refused to simply check the VIN against the TSB externally; a full day booking was mandatory for car fault diagnosis.
Ultimately, the issue was resolved, and a new screen is scheduled to be fitted. However, this was achieved only after considerable hassle and a significant amount of wasted workshop time, highlighting the often inefficient and frustrating process of car fault diagnosis at modern dealerships. This experience underscores the need for more customer-centric and efficient approaches to identifying and resolving car problems.
