Diagnostics
When to Get It Diagnosed
Take the Next Step
Book Your Diagnostic Appointment
What We Diagnose
Diagnostics We Carry Out
Why a Code Read Is Not a Diagnosis
A fault code tells you which control unit saw a problem and what it saw. It does not tell you why. A misfire code can be a coil, a plug, an injector, a carbon-fouled valve or a wiring fault. Fit the wrong one and the light comes back.
Sometimes the code points somewhere else entirely. An Audi A3 40 TFSI e came in unable to charge, with a scan full of DC-DC converter faults pointing at thousands of pounds of high-voltage parts. The actual cause was a broken 12-volt wire in the boot.
Generic code readers and most all-makes scan tools stop at the code. ODIS goes further. It runs guided fault finding, the manufacturer’s own test plans, using live data, actuator tests and measured values to narrow the fault down step by step. Put that together with technicians who see these cars every day and the answer usually turns up inside the first hour.
What a Diagnostic Session Includes
The Equipment
We run ODIS, the Offboard Diagnostic Information System used by Volkswagen Group main dealers. It connects to Volkswagen’s servers for guided fault finding, software updates, coding and component protection. Alongside it we use VCDS for fast access to every module and adaptation channel.
Diagnosis does not stop at the laptop. Cooling systems get pressure tested, wiring gets measured, and the car gets road tested to reproduce the fault where it only shows on the move. [CONFIRM: any other kit you want named here, for example oscilloscope or smoke tester]
Who Does the Work
Diagnostics here is carried out by two IMI Master Technicians who work on nothing but Volkswagen Group vehicles, both qualified to IMI Level 4 in electric and hybrid vehicles. On a modern car a single fault can involve the engine, gearbox, battery management and several control units at once. Knowing how these cars are wired together, and how they tend to fail, is what turns a list of codes into an answer.
What It Costs
Diagnostics, £100 per hour
Most faults are identified inside the first hour. The diagnostic charge is separate and is not credited against any repair that follows. You are paying for the time and the equipment it takes to find the fault properly, which is the part that stops you buying parts you did not need.
Intermittent faults
Some faults only show up on a cold morning or after forty minutes on the A19. These can take longer than an hour. If we need to go past the first hour, we ring you first and nothing carries on without your say-so.
Repairs
Quoted in writing once we know what is wrong. Nothing is replaced on a guess.
What Happens When You Book
1. You tell us the symptoms
Registration, mileage, which warning lights are on, when the fault shows up and anything that has already been done. A photo of the dashboard helps.
2. We scan and test
A full scan of every control unit first, then guided fault finding, live data and physical checks on the systems involved.
3. You get a written answer
The fault codes, what they mean in plain terms, the actual cause and what it will cost to put right.
4. Nothing happens without your say-so
No work beyond what was agreed goes ahead without a phone call first.
Faults We Have Tracked Down
Audi A3 40 TFSI e that would not charge. Codes pointed at the DC-DC converter and other high-voltage components. The fault was a broken wire on the 12-volt battery monitoring circuit.
Audi A6 3.0 TDI losing coolant. No obvious source on a visual check. A pressure test and an engine mount out of the way found a failed one-way valve tucked behind it.
Audi Q5 S Tronic with a vibration. No warning lights and no fault codes. Picked up on the road test and confirmed as a failed dual mass flywheel.
Diagnostics: Common Questions
How much does car diagnostics cost?
£100 per hour. Most faults are identified within the first hour. Intermittent faults can take longer, and we ring you before going past the first hour.
Is the diagnostic charge taken off the repair?
No. The diagnostic charge is separate from any repair cost and is not credited against it. It pays for the time and equipment needed to find the actual fault.
Is your diagnostic equipment the same as the main dealer’s?
Yes. We use ODIS, the official Volkswagen Group diagnostic platform, with guided fault finding and online access to Volkswagen for software updates and coding. We also use VCDS.
Can you find a fault another garage could not?
Often, yes. Bring details of what has already been checked or replaced. It saves time and it often points straight at what was missed.
Do you diagnose hybrid and electric VW Group cars?
Yes. Both our Master Technicians hold IMI Level 4 in electric and hybrid vehicles, and ODIS covers the high-voltage systems on GTE, TFSI e, iV, e-Hybrid and ID models.
Will you replace parts without asking?
No. You get a written answer and a price first. Nothing beyond what was agreed goes ahead without a phone call.
Which makes do you diagnose?
Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, Škoda and CUPRA, including Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles such as the Transporter. We do not work on other makes.
Where to Find Us
High Volt Garage
16 Pease Road, Northwest Industrial Estate, Peterlee, County Durham, SR8 2RD
0191 586 4148
Monday to Thursday, 08:30 to 18:30
We are a VAG specialist workshop on the Northwest Industrial Estate in Peterlee, with two IMI Master Technicians and dealer-level diagnostic equipment.
Customers travel to us from across County Durham, Tyne and Wear and Teesside, including Easington, Horden, Blackhall, Seaham, Murton, Wingate, Trimdon, Shotton Colliery, Durham City, Hartlepool, Sunderland, Houghton-le-Spring, Chester-le-Street, Washington, Stockton-on-Tees and Billingham.
Call: 01915864148