Self diagnosis

I heard of a doctor once who insisted on telling his automotive technician what was wrong with his car. One day, the technician asked him, "Doc, when I was sick last fall and came to see you, did I tell you what I had? No sir, I gave you the symptoms and let you run a few tests. Then you studied the information, came up with a diagnosis and prescribed some medication that made me well. I'd like to ask that you extend that same professional courtesy to me."

Too often, we're tempted to self-diagnose vehicle trouble, making our case unnecessarily difficult on the service consultant and technician. The last thing he or she needs to do is try to un-convince a customer of an ill-conceived hunch.

The best idea is to go into your repair facility with all of the needed information. Take notes prior to taking the car to be repaired so you can be specific and accurate. Be able to answer questions such as, under what conditions does the problem occur and how often? If the car is making noise, be able to describe the sound and where it originates. Avoiding self-diagnosis will save everyone's time and ultimately, save your money.

For more auto maintenance tips log on www.carcarecouncil.org.