Some Kalispell motorists are confused by Loren's Auto Repair charges for diagnostic services for a vehicle repair. Many services at Loren's Auto Repair and other Kalispell automotive repair shops include diagnostic fees.

When you take your laptop into a Kalispell computer repair shop for a problem you’ll likely have to leave a deposit for diagnostics. When we visit our Whitefish doctor for a medical problem, we’re paying him to diagnose our ailment and of course for the tests that go along with it.

So receiving a diagnostic charge at Loren's Auto Repair for a tricky automotive problem shouldn’t be a surprise. In the Kalispell area, automotive diagnostics can cover quite a range. If you hear a noise in your Subaru brakes when you slow down in rush-hour traffic on a busy MT expressway, you pull off 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 Subaru engine, Loren's Auto Repair diagnosis may be much more involved.

Much of the Kalispell public’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 Whitefish, Columbia Falls, and Big Fork drivers that the trouble code tells the Loren's Auto Repair technician exactly what’s wrong. Why then is there a diagnostic charge, the scanner just gave the diagnosis?

Reality is more involved than that. 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 Subaru computer's trouble code just tells the Loren's Auto Repair 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 symptom.

There are many problems that could cause a troublesome sensor reading for Loren's Auto Repair Kalispell customers. The Loren's Auto Repair technician makes a list of the most likely causes and begins tracking down the source of the problem.

Kalispell service centers subscribe to databases that document possible causes for a given trouble code. They outline procedures for confirming a diagnosis and provide the documented fix. These databases are specific to each vehicle and engine combination.

Some diagnoses are quick and easy. Others are more involved and difficult. Of course Loren's Auto Repair wants to figure out what’s wrong with your Subaru and get you back on the road as quickly as possible.