Services · Diagnostics

I find out what's wrong before anyone buys parts

A warning light, a noise that wasn't there last week, a truck that just doesn't feel right. Before you start replacing things on a guess, get it looked at properly. I bring the scan tool and sixteen years of doing this to your driveway, and I tell you what it is, what it'll cost, and whether it's worth doing.

The diagnostic is a flat $150. If I can't find what's wrong, you don't pay it.

Text (512) 980-4368 Call for emergencies

Texting is best — I'm usually mid-job and can't pick up. Stranded or an emergency? Call.

No fix, no fee diagnostics
Quoted price is the final price
12 mo / 12,000 mi parts & labor
I come to you

What it's doing, and what it usually is

The most common cause first. It's a guide, not a diagnosis. That's what the visit is for.

Check engine light, steady: A stored fault code, most often an emissions or sensor fault. Not an emergency, but don't ignore it. The code tells me which circuit, not which part, and that's where the real work starts.
Check engine light, flashing: An active misfire. Unburnt fuel is going into the exhaust and cooking the catalytic converter. Pull over and call.
A noise that changes with road speed: Wheel bearing, tire, driveline, or brakes. Which one depends on whether it changes when you turn, brake, or coast.
A noise that changes with engine speed: Belt, pulley, an engine accessory, or an exhaust leak. Usually cheaper than it sounds.
A smell: Sweet is coolant. Burning oil is a leak dripping on the exhaust. Rotten eggs is the catalytic converter. Hot brakes is a sticking caliper.
Hesitation, rough idle, or stalling: Fuel delivery, ignition, or a vacuum leak. This one needs live data, not just a code.

What I do in your driveway

Read the fault codes and, more importantly, work out what caused them. A code points at a circuit. I find the part.
Watch live sensor data while the engine runs, and road test it where that's the only way to make the fault show.
Test the battery, charging system, fuel pressure, and compression where the symptoms point that way.
Explain it in plain language, and give you a written price for the repair before anything comes apart.
Tell you straight when it's a shop job, or when the vehicle isn't worth what it would cost.

How the money works

$150: Flat, to diagnose it. It's separate from the repair. If I can't find what's wrong, you don't pay it.
Quote: Before anything comes apart. The price I give you is the price you pay. If I find something else, I stop and ask you first.
12 / 12k: Months and miles, parts and labor. If the repair doesn't hold, I come back and fix it free.

Travel is free within 30 miles of Bastrop. Further out, there's a flat travel fee. The full warranty terms spell out what's covered.

Questions I get asked

What does the $150 cover?

My time and equipment to find out what's actually wrong, and a price to fix it. It's separate from the repair, and it doesn't come off the bill if you go ahead. It's real work, and it's the part that saves you from buying parts you didn't need.

The parts store already read the code for me. Do I still need a diagnostic?

The parts store reader tells you the code. It doesn't tell you why. A P0171 lean code can be a vacuum leak, a dirty air meter, a weak fuel pump, or an exhaust leak, and only one of those is the part the counter will sell you. The diagnostic is the bit between the code and the right part.

Do I need to be there?

For the diagnostic, yes, or at least reachable by phone. I'll want to hear what it does and when, and I'll want to tell you what I found and what it costs before I do anything else.

Can you just tell me over the phone?

Sometimes. If you describe it and I'm fairly sure it's something simple, I'll say so, and that call is free. If it needs looking at, it needs looking at.

Will you clear the light?

Once it's fixed, yes. Clearing it without fixing the cause just turns it back on in a day or two, and takes the evidence with it.

Often goes with this

All services

Let's look at the diagnostics

Flat $150 to diagnose it, and you get a price before anything gets taken apart. Mon–Fri 9am – 6pm.

Text (512) 980-4368 Book a diagnostic

Stranded or an emergency? Call (512) 980-4368 — for anything else, a text gets to me faster.