Is this the right choice, career change car diagnositcs

[desilv0708]

mADE REDUNDANT FROM WORK A WEEK BEFORE PATERNITY LEAVE AGED 36 its been three months and countless job aplications and still no joy. cut short some expereince in diagnostics and mechanics looking to invest ?3000 in laptop base diagnostic software, 70% is dealer based software. Just sold Volvo to raise the cash will now use multipla and convert back into big space. Not hard really as all three rear seats easily remove. Limo tint already tinted windows, with a bit of joinery and a few swear words i belive the perfect vehicle for the job or only paid ?800 for it lol. So is there much call for this work and old friend was into this but sadly passed away, he was just starting out in diagnostics and loved it I can really see why, I want this so bad. But is it the right thing to do, dont want to waste my Daughters inheritence. Any advice would be greatly appriciated. The supplier is recognised so no probs with that suppose the question is can you make a living from doing this, with full time commitment and dedication. Thanks in advance

[Music73]

Personally I would say no... I started out thinking that I would be doing this but in real terms it doesn't turn out that way... You usually end up spending more time than you cab charge for trying to find the cause... ( fault codes dont tell the whole story and sometimes ly) then also customers usually want you to fix it too ( customers think.. why have mobile tech look at it to then take it to a garage for repair).. another issue is how much call is there for it in your area... If there are lots of garages around you with diag equipment then i'd not bother but if not then maybe... Also I find that I end up with all the problem cars that have been round all the other garages and then land on my doorstep to rectify... I have to say I do quite enjoy it when it goes to plan but that's not that often..

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[m3vuv]

I would say a big no unless you have a good background knowlege of electronics as well as the mechanical side of cars,i could see you having a nightmare!,just my thoughts.m3vuv

[Meat-Head]

i agree with the above two posters..

modern cars are crap

1) Stack shelves in Asda - noting harder than pointing polish to the reduced
to clear isel and old people that smell

2) if you want to be in the motor trade, then suggest start working with thick people
suggest kwick-fit - they do all sorts not just tires

3) sadly in a rush simular thread before

[Plutoe]

Things are very different on this side of the pond, never the less, I would follow your dreams and go for it.

However while doing so I would talk to numerous hiring authorities to get an understanding of what they are looking for experience and schooling wise. Good luck with the job hunt

[RobinGill]

I'm in similar shoes - was made redundant from my last IT role about 18 months ago. A relative offered me a job in a garage which I declined a few times but took up in the end.

I've always been messing around with electrics and cars (even rebuilt engines before) so I thought it would come naturally to me but I have to admit it is a little harder than I thought.

I can't say of your level of knowledge of cars but I've found fault codes are only half the story - unless you will have a rough idea what they all mean ( I mean once you've deciphered the actual meaning of a code) then it's not even worth getting involved.

I am looking seriously at purchasing a Snap on Vantage Pro - this is a dedicated component tester which you can use to test components. Unless you can get one of these or ACCURATE* technical data, get used to purchasing parts, finding out they don't do the trick and finding your suppliers won't let you return them.

* I'm getting sick and tired of spending time trying to diagnose faults to realise in the end the wiring diagram I have is incorrect and useless.

To echo thoughts above, if I was a customer, I doubt I would call on one person to diagnose than another to repair - unless you are counting on garages without the required diagnostic kit being your customers in which case you would do well to investigate well before taking any plunges.

If you feel your skills would be well suited to plugging computers into cars, why not also consider coding / key programming?

The money I'm on now is an absolute joke - would actually be illegally low if it wasn't due to some clever accounting and I can accept this as no one else would give me a job doing what I'm doing, or I would have to spend a very long time proving to be able to do an oil and filter change before seeing any progress - I'm lucky in that I'm a single man who has no family to support.

Also ?3000 won't get you very far with diagnostic kit - at this end of the price scale you will probably be looking at chinese clones / gray market / second hand. Problem is second hand kit often doesn't cover newer cars, chinese often can't be updated and sometimes has issues, grey market will often have problems with updates.

Assuming you already have a suitable laptop (relatively recent with a proper serial port), my suggestion to get you going if you are determined is to look into the vantage pro to see if that's the kind of thing you need, and spend the rest on cloned dealer tools (or cloned equivalents like vcds), and try to find a couple of general devices that do everything - I'm thinking along the lines of the Launch, Maxidas or Autocom although to be honest the only machine of this type I have experience with is the Snap On Solus Pro - I couldn't recommend this for the price - it's nice to have a machine that can plug into most cars and pull codes but stuff like coding is limited, it sometimes can't get into all ecu's, no option to autoscan a whole vehicle, endless headaches with mercs......

Edit: Forgot to add - I'm assuming you've got a decent set of tools, I'm sure you are aware of how quickly costs of normal non computerised tools can add up.

[BRAVO6]

the question is can you make a leaving from doing this, with full time commitment and dedication. Thanks in advance


Not with the level of experience that you say you have. There's very few people going to pay you just to give them a fault code. It would take time and a second income source before you could build up experience and reputation. I make a reasonable living providing a mobile auto elec and diagnostic service, but I 'm at it 30 years and still struggle with some jobs. I need 5 or 6 different diag interfaces and documentation and wiring diagrams are even more important.

Saying that, I know a bloke living out west in a rural area and he calls to small garages, back street mechanics who cant afford to pay for the gear, but he's only getting 20=30 Euro per call and has to cover a large area.
Whatever you do, best of luck:ciao:

[obd.tech]

Don't do it........the most underpaid continual learning profession you could get........if we were doctors or surgeons with 30yrs of learning/hardwork we'd be earning 10 times the amount......without customers saying 'can't you do half the transplant?......guy round the corner in his shed is cheaper!'
Do doctors/dentists do 'no fix, no fee'.......no chance!! but your customers will expect it!
Things will only be getting worse as things are getting more specialised/expensive to repair.
Best of luck !!!!

[ominimicu]

be a drug dealer but dont consume yourself.

meaning:

sell diag tools, but dont try to make a living using them.

[smokey08]

Being mobile will make the job 100x harder. I do a little bit of mobile diagnostics and it is always for other garages. By the time they call me out they have already deleted most of the fault codes with there solus pro before deciding the fault is too complex for them to fix. I nearly always do the whole job of diagnosing and repairing these cars and charge accordingly :rock:

If you still wish to go ahead and give it a try I think you should be looking at tools like this (http://www.abritus72.com/avdi.html). This will run a quite few of the main dealer softwares. You will also need a picoscope and very good technical data/wiring diagrams. Advertising will also be quite an expense if you do it correctly. Dont cheap out on this as it wont help your business image.

This is a very hard business to be in and you have to make you name known for diagnosing the fault correctly first time. Test, Test, Test and test again.

Dont forget the AA men have code reader so no one will want your services just to tell the code is p0130.

[koziolek]

its all depend how much money You expecting to make

[autotrans]

I think it is a shame there is a guy here who is willing to work & have a go, and all we can offer him is doom & gloom. But i must agree without experience and a lot more than 3k he would be hard pushed to make it pay

[ninja123]

Ive been the motortrade for 26 years, and have always steered towards the electronics side of things (point & condensers were all i had to deal with at first!!).

I will give you an 'for instance' from today.

Called out to do a diag on a 2001 berlingo, non start after flat battery with key light on and hazards flashing when ign turned on.

Loads of faults in ecu-none relevant to immo system, so just cleared faults, bsi had no faults.
Reprogrammed key and all working fine.

1 hour later, called back, drove van 100 mtrs and cut out and back to the same as before.

All fault codes re appeared, pedal track 1 and 2 circuit faults, injector power faults, but still no immo related faults.

After a lot of digging around with a wiring diagram and a multimeter, found multi function relay was a fault, only passing 2 volts to components and ecu, but only when under load, so fault was not apparent during static testing.

DO YOU REALY WANT TO PUT YOURSELF THROUGH THIS?

These are the only type of jobs that you will get, the ones after all friends, and local garages have failed.

And, have a guess at what money I managed to get out of the customer after spending 3 hours in the rain??

I a little embarrased to tell, I wont be going back to him, and I am now considering not even doing diag work at all, its become a joke.

ninja

[obdmaster]

I agree with ninja diag work is a joke for how much youve spent on equipment and the years learning it.

Dont do it m8, cars are very complex and no one wants to pay you, your time diagnosing correctly any fault.

Being a mobile diagnostic guy nowadays all you will get from mechanical shops is either absolute nightmares of faults or vehicle that aint worth fixing.

Mechanical shops never turn any job away, they take all the good jobs that pay well for themselves, then farm out all the shit.

Most garages have there own diagnostic machine, so all the nice easy jobs , they fix all the shit you will get.

And they wont pay you a bean unless you fix the car or van, and these days wont pay you till there customer pays them.

So this will mean a minimum of 2 journeys to garage.


Sorry but dont do it.

[Meat-Head]

And, have a guess at what money I managed to get out of the customer after spending 3 hours in the rain??

I a little embarrased to tell, I wont be going back to him, and I am now considering not even doing diag work at all, its become a joke.

ninja


Like to add to that.

Had a Reno come in the other day, no side lights, bastard of a job to get to the fuse box, no power on the fuse - had to google it from some INFERIOR website.

99% sure was the under hood fuse box, but unable to test - no access and digital signal.

just so happened we have one with a known fault - had to FULLY fit it just to test it, yup faulty.

Sorts it out la la la.

When it came (AA truck - no rear lights no drive in dark), he mentioned the rattle.

On the phone to the costomer, la la fusebox, la la, rattle, DEPAHSER DEPAHSER.

Bloke says "I'm not bothered about the rattle mate or the fact it stalls, just the lights"

Guy rings up end of next day

"SINCE YOU" i have to rev it more

Oh i was hasen to add managed to get the word DEPASHER THREE times on the invoice.

He brings it back, plugs in NO FAULTS - says, guess throttle body shitty, nothing to do with us, pal.

Yes all shitty, no money changes hands, not heard from him since.

:help:

[Azzx]

Everything depends, if you got a "deals" with local garages,
worth a try but... there are always second thoughts.

I know by me, the easy job is done on the garage when there is a problem
which is above their competence I got a phone call.
I arrive and sometimes the fix is quick and simple - good money,
but sometimes I work out my ass all day long end up with nothing.
Who is going to pay you if you haven't done anything?
If customer (garage call you) came for tune or ECU/Module related issues it's
a different story - you know what are you doing, you got paid fine.

[ninja123]

one garage that i go to asked me to make a key for a 2009 leon, after i told him price, he say his mate from iran will come over and do it for ?50 !! :)

ninja

[Meat-Head]

his mate from iran will come over and do it for ?50 !! :)

ninja


shame you can't spike to car - DK members only able to do the job

[rideon]

Is this the right choice, career change car diagnositcs
First of all ...NOT MOBILE!!... Tools are expensive,Knowledge even more..this is what tow trucks are for....unless you're in the key business.
Second,you will soon realize that is much easier to make money from oil/brakes and filter change...NOT from diagnostics,from this job,done right,all you can get is 'Happy customers' that might come back for an oil change,:rolleyes:
Since

i agree with the above two posters..

modern cars are crap

is not that you can call this a boring job :banghead:

[koziolek]

easier money for sure changing oil and doing tire rotation

[Music73]

Have been having a think about this and reckon that I was to be in your situation. I think I would look at buying a couple of cheap clone tools like vcds , opcom, ford scanner (careful how you use these coz you can make various adjustments with these tools that if you don't know what your doing could kill a car. Just use them for reading codes and analyzing live data until you know what your doing) , these are really cheap but excellent tools for the money and give it a bash and see how you get on, at least that way you won't have spent ? 000's on equipment just a couple of hundred and if it takes off you can buy some more expensive gear... At least that way you can say you gave it a go and if it doesn't work your not so far in that you can't walk away. To be honest though I do stick by my guns and say if you ain't got a load of experience ( coz you need to analyse live data and not just read codes) you are gonna struggle and you will end up with all the s*** nobody else wants... I have been sort of lucky and have found a dealership workshop that don't have a tool for anything else other than there franchise so I get quite a bit of easy work from them and about 90% of the work i get from them is on newer cars... But I own a snap-on verus which cost about ?8000 and ?1000 a year in updates plus various other equipment and I would say I am still under equipped for some jobs... Tech data / wiring diagrams / component specs. is the hardest thing I always seem to struggle with dealers won't give you the steam of their p***.

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[obdmaster]

I wouldnt advise buying a few cheap tools like music73 says.

Because a garage will only, try you once and if they phone you, and you say " cant do that" then they will never phone you again.

Id say you need experience in this trade before going on your own.

Lots more to it than just buying tools from china, pluging into cars and reading codes.

If it was that easy everyone would be doin it.

[genius76]

I had calls from Ipswich today
The old client of mine asked me to help, Renault scenic 2 no starts. Flashing immobilizer
Owner yesterday drag it to the Renault centre. Diagnosed new key 180 + diag45 + work + vat
He took the car back, but agreed as the times when it will come to them.
I arrive, connected AUTOCOM, fault codes bad contact short circuit, etc bla bla bla.
Faults vague and unconnected with anything.
as always have opened the hood and started the inspected fuses / alternator / battery
Burned down the STOP / START FUSE
Replacing - car starts Everyone is happy - the owner and my pocket

Moral

diagnostics showed nothing!
This is just a fuse, but what are you do with no experience with the diagnostic cable when they show a short?open-circuit co2 sensor, but do not rotate the starter motor?

[Meat-Head]

Id say you need experience in this trade before going on your own.

Lots more to it than just buying tools from china, pluging into cars and reading codes.

If it was that easy everyone would be doin it.

Z786 WHERE ARE YOU?



FUSE
Replacing - car starts

This is just a fuse,?

ON TOPIC:-

Cn't say too much but in short looking through the crystal ball (Genius76 - yes i do own TWO REAL cystal balls lady owner from new, no chips or dinks)

A fuse blows for a reason not because it wants to.

we say "high resistancse postive connection in the fusebox area"

So the cystalball was saying next MONTH we are getting a car in, that has been towed to another garage there going to phone us asking for advise, as there thick cononnots that don't use us i'm going to plead ignranse

then the car is going to come on a truck, i'm going to say to the young boy, it sounds like from what their are saying it has a rotten custard strainer.

turns out the bleed screw for the custard stainer is loose!

so it's running and all happy in 10 mins of arriving.

the parking attendant says "That's my sons naybours car - it went to that other garage first"

so what do we charge for the job?

[genius76]

40 pound dizel + In the front and back, 2.5 hours = 50 + 10 minute job 10 pound
In any case, I do not have prices the more that at the two ends of the road about 100 miles.
But this is an old customer otherwise I would not have driven all the way

[genius76]

The fuse has blown it because the battery conectorsS was loose so bad contacts and the like, etc.

[genius76]

over short distances. I immediately tell. that only the arrival of at least 30 pounds. otherwise, sorry will not come

[Meat-Head]

The fuse has blown it because the battery conectorsS was loose so bad contacts and the like, etc.


I have just dropped my plate of chips on the floor, but the plate didn't break and NONE of the chips came off the plate. Is it unhygenice to eat them still?

Would be inclinded to blame one of Justy's cousins - loose terminals - no start jumpleads wrong place FIZZ FIZZ

[genius76]

I am more relaxed about all the newer Renault have the same problem
The battery contact cap with a plastic insert
In the long term, they become loose and start trouble
Every time immediately pull out the plastic insert

[Music73]

I had trouble with one of these scenics but wasn't the battery it was the starter soleniod sucked bit to much power from the starter circuit and popped the fuse.. took a bit to find in that fusebox that's half buried near the battery... God I hate renaults.... Lol

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[garryreed]

problem in this job is that in every garage they got some one who is or thinks he is an expert ... mostly the latter and selling diagnostics to those that think there are gods grandchild and can solve everything by plugging in and clearing a code is near impossible. the only way really is to get work is by referral which means completing the jobs that have been from a to z garage already ... that takes time and experience and alot of patience !!!!

+ always remember no one knows it all and everyday is a school day .... if you like a challenge and prepared to learn and may be not earn much while learning have a go ... but dont think ?3000 is very realistic unless you are goin to specialise in a make ... which then narrows down your market.

i wish you if you decide to have a go ... and if its what you want to do then try it !!! but keep it real ... this time next year you most probrably wont be a millionaire ... unless you win the lottery!!!! there is more to life than just money altho we all need it to live

i can honestly say that i do enjoy my job and the daily challenges along with the good feeling of success knowing when you fix one thats been everwhere else its another feather in your cap ... and dont forget there are plenty out there that charge and dont fix so if you fix it it can be very rewarding financially a motor is no good no running lol

[desilv0708]

Thanks to all this is still work in progress, ?3000 full diag lots of cars that i am sure includes plans pics and advice. mechanic on hand for work i cant do all in hand thanks to your advice. iM sure over time we will become good friends speak soon

[smirnoff_rules]

best of luck m8 you will need it . anyone can get a code reader these days for 30 notes and lots will thanks to ebay , but u your starting in a trade thats on its arse m8 ,

[koziolek]

good luck desilv0708 (http://www.digital-kaos.co.uk/forums/members/354994-desilv0708/)

[genius76]

I know what you're thinking, everyone is doing it, all earned, and all is well
I have been working for three years on the streets and believe me I am very seriously looking for work in the garage
Really wish you good luck and tell how things are going after one year

[Meat-Head]

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