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MarkTVS

Vehicle Diagnostic Training?

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Just wondering if anywhere that offers diagnostic training for mechanics?

One of my workshop mechanics is really good with diagnostic and very eager to learn, I’d like to be able to put him on a course to train him on stuff we don’t yet have like scopes etc? Was thinking of somewhere did a 2/3 week course, anyone know anywhere that offers this?

 

thanks

Mark

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He could visit @Dave2302 for a couple of weeks and stay in one of his cabins. Tell him to decline any hot tub invitations though :lol:

He does seem to know his onions that man.

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3 hours ago, Mark101 said:

He could visit @Dave2302 for a couple of weeks and stay in one of his cabins. Tell him to decline any hot tub invitations though :lol:

He does seem to know his onions that man.

He is the man. Y

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My guy done the snap on one euro did one but he commented it was more how the machine worked rather than how interfaced with the car. 

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Frank Massey is the best man in the business to learn from,he often does articles in the trade magazine aftermarket too,

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James Dillon’s courses are excellent - I’ve done a few. Technical Topics in Bridgwater. 

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Thank you for your kind words.

Best advice I can give anyone is learn how a Cars CAN Bus(es work) and learn WHY one module talks with another.

I personally wouldn't bother with the Motor Trade now, the business to be in is IT , trouble is this, Cars use Computers BUT ........................

We had a lad who was brilliant with computers, micro electronics, binary, hexadecimal, programming etc, he wanted to apply this to Cars, because he loved Cars ......................

Problem was he did not know how an Engine, Gearbox, ABS / ESP etc etc actually worked mechanically.

Whoever comes along these days need to understand and be fluent in BOTH.

Most who can do this are older gits like me, who grew up with Carbs, Points and Condenser, spent all their life in this trade and also moved with the times, and are still moving with them.

And on that note, the reason I am AWOL right now is because I am now training myself to do EEPROMMING here in house, have just bought a load of SMD kit, tools, programming hardware and software, and have so far sucessfully cloned a Mercedes V8 ECU to allow "Drive Auth" on a V6 Car .................... Yeah, my SLK R170.

Nothing got bricked, V6 ECU put back on Car, Car running fine, and I now have a V8 ECU to plug and play when I fit the V8 over the winter.

This all came about after talking to a guy who I regard highly in the EEPROMMING game, and have used for standard module cloning etc, but he didn't have a clue what I wanted him to do when we spoke. 

The thing is this, you can't just Virgin a V8 ECU, or Clone the V6 one, because either way, it won't work, if you clone it with the Cars ECU will then have V6 Programming, wrong firing order, wrong fuelling etc etc, and if you just alter the V8 ECU Immo, it will not work with things like the V6 Cars ESP, Auto Box, Electric Fans etc etc ......................

So you also need to be very selective about which lines of Code in which of the 3 main files you alter, and that takes some real skills.

So, that's why I'm AWOL, no time for forums at the minute, customer work, sales and this self teaching project. I'm enjoying and doing very well with it at this stage, in actual fact I don't know why I didn't get into this years ago !! 

Cheers 

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10 minutes ago, Dave2302 said:

 

 I don't know why I didn't get into this years ago !! 

Cheers 

because just like now nobody likes paying for knowledge they just expect you to do it so it was never going to pay properly unless you got a job in r@d

i always use the adage it isnt the use of the hammer its knowing where to hit with it

good luck on your eep rommin

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Cheers and agreed :)

Ahhhh, yes I agree, but on the current crop of vehicles more and more their is no viable alternative, so i will charge what I like, and it's my way or highway ...............

At least I can do my own stuff, I hate anything other than what I affectinately call "vehicular self sufficiency", in other words whatever happens to one of my personal or sales cars, I can sort it out in my own workshop :D

What I really need is someone who want's to do the same as me but on a much bigger scale, so they invest in a huge repair facility and take on staff to do the menial shit, perhaps in a larger target area, and row out all the yee ha's .................

In an ideal world lol :lol:  

Edited by Dave2302
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To add to this, Learning the hard way is probably the best way.

Investing in wiring diagrams and learning how to read them and understand them.

We have just been schooled this week in CAN BUS.

MK4 Mondeo with no comms to any module on the High speed, however would communicate fine on the Medium Speed.

It turned out the Power steering control module had a sort circuit internally that was disturbing the High Speed CAN BUS.

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/\ /\ /\ LIKE

Yup, that's um shit we have to deal with on a daily basis.

I can tell you the easiest way to diagnose that :ph34r:

Most late Cars have at least 3 CAN Buses now, and you'd need shares in a Paper Mill to print all the Wiring Diagrams for the latest S Classes :rolleyes: 

Edited by Dave2302

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14 minutes ago, Dave2302 said:

I can tell you the easiest way to diagnose that :ph34r:

Unplugging stuff until it communicates? :ph34r:

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Yes, sort of, first find the location of all the affected CAN Plugs and make a list of what modules are communicating on the duff CAN.

Put scope on the CAN and watch the flat-line / interference, separate front rear left right if you can, that gets you to an area :)

Once in the right Ball Park, now one at a time un plug until ya get good pattern. If you suspect water damage remember there may well be more than one module causing the drop out.

As you well know it takes longer to research all the Wiring and Location info on an un familiar Car than actually find the Fault.

I start the "Invoicing Clock" as soon as I start the research and stop the clock when the faults fixed, so yeah, I'm charging for the documentation research too ;) 

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Eldest son is doing electronics at uni. He’s less driven than his younger brother who’s doing law but I suspect he’ll have more career options if he can make it to the end of the course.

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20 hours ago, CCC said:

Eldest son is doing electronics at uni. He’s less driven than his younger brother who’s doing law but I suspect he’ll have more career options if he can make it to the end of the course.

I think, qualified, and with experience its a absolute licence to print money, customers AND garages can see the tread on a tyre, but they can't fathom electrics, wish I had done it years ago :unsure:

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