Your Neighborhood Full Service Repair Facility
50% OFF TOWING WITH ALL MAJOR REPAIRS
Shuttle Service Available
Open All Day on Saturdays!
No Credit Check Payment Plans!
August 3, 2022
Some Grand Rapids vehicle owners wonder why Tuffy Grand Rapids and other Grand Rapids auto repair shops charge a fee for vehicle diagnostics.
Receiving a diagnostic charge at Tuffy Grand Rapids for a tricky automotive problem shouldn't be a surprise. In the Grand Rapids area, automotive diagnostics can cover quite a range. If you hear a noise in your vehicle brakes when you slow down in rush-hour traffic on a busy Michigan road, you pull off at the next off-ramp and take a quick visual check. That is usually enough to know what needs to be done. If you're having an intermittent problem with your vehicle engine, however, a Tuffy Grand Rapids diagnosis may be much more involved.
Much of the Grand Rapids driver's confusion comes when the problem involves the Check Engine light. The Check Engine light comes on when the engine management computer has sensed a problem.
There's a common misconception among Michigan drivers that the trouble code tells the Tuffy Grand Rapids technician exactly what's wrong. They wonder why there is a diagnostic charge because the scanner quickly gave the diagnosis.
In reality, it is not that easy and straightforward. The computer monitors many sensors throughout the vehicle. When one of these sensors has a reading that's out of parameters, the computer will record a trouble code and turn on the Check Engine light.
The vehicle computer's trouble code just tells the Tuffy Grand Rapids technician what engine parameter is out of range, not what's causing it. The technician needs to determine the underlying problem that's causing the malfunction.
There are many problems that could cause a troublesome sensor reading for Tuffy Grand Rapids customers. The service advisor makes a list of the most likely causes and begins tracking down the source of the problem. This takes time.
Grand Rapids service centers subscribe to databases that document possible causes for all the possible trouble codes. The databases outline procedures for confirming a diagnosis and provide the documented repair. These databases are specific to each vehicle and engine combination.
Some diagnoses are quick and easy. Others are more involved, time-consuming and difficult. Of course Tuffy Grand Rapids wants to figure out what's wrong with your vehicle and get you back on the road as quickly as possible.
Tuffy Grand Rapids
610 28th St. SE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49548
616.452.4425
March 9, 2025
The internal combustion engine in your vehicle counts on two things that mix together to be burned in the engine for power: fuel and air. Both are important, of course. If you run out of fuel, your engine wont run at all. Since theres plenty of air around, you wont run out of air, but you coul... More
March 2, 2025
In warm weather, you want to be in a cool vehicle. When we're talking cool, we don't mean stylish or trendy, but cool as in not sweltering inside. And if your vehicle's air conditioner stops working correctly, it seems to always break at the worst timeduring a heat wave. Automotive air conditio... More
February 23, 2025
It's bad enough in cold weather when ice and snow block your visibility. Add to that fog on the inside of your windows and you could be driving blind. So here are a few tips on how to keep your windows from fogging up when there's a chill in the air. You probably know fog is really condensation... More
