To assist them in diagnosis, and not dilute with extraneous info?
Specifically driveability problems. For ex: a concise description of the problem, when it occurs, etc. Such things as if prob is intermittent or steady, occurs when engine is cold, hot, or both. If prob is worse during cold or hot ambient temps, or damp weather.
If it was related to any previous repairs or changes, when it started to occur.
What else should be added to this list?
i find those things very helpful to know. a good thing to know also is the way technicians think when they look at cars. don't bother with passenger/driver sides. think right and left. that's right and left as you are sitting in the driver seat facing forward. then when you get into the engine compartment. the front of the engine is always where the belts are, whether the engine faces the grille, or the right or left wheels. thus, right and left sides of engine are as if you were standing onthe opposite of the belts.
more than once i've had a customer say, my right front tire is flat, when they really meant left front (cuz they were standing in the front of the car) obviously the flat tire was easy to spot, but try diagnosing the right rear seat belt retractor when the customer is having trouble with the left rear retractor
Hey mudpuppy, I live up in Chestertown, and have done business with your group as a accident investigator, also ASE master, nice coincidence. pS I blame the service advisor for not asking the right questions here. "MudPuppy1976
I try to give the service advisor (at my Oldsmobile/Cadillac dealership), a short description of the problem, maybe broken down into a list of bulleted points. I print this out ahead of time, so he can read the list and we can talk about it. I then watch him take the list, condense it to one unclear phrase, and enter it into his computer job system.
I also tape a copy of the list to my dashboard, so the mechanic actually working on the car can see why I brought it in.
Unfortunately, I have a low opinion (based on experience) of their ability to fix something without breaking something else. I generally avoid them, except for major factory stuff.
Ed
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