Is It Ok To Guess And Not Test!?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ต.ค. 2024
- In this video I bring you along as I "take a guess" at a customer car to fix their intermittent ABS light. I explain the why in the beginning and again at the end of the video.
-Enjoy!
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I just want to make sure I am clear when I say that as a general rule I DO NOT condone "guessing," if you will. There are rare instances when there is an intermittent problem in front of me that I can not duplicate I may elect to use an educated guess providing it is cost effective and most importantly understood by the customer as nothing more than an educated guess. Was I clear in the video and is there any questions when I think it may be appropriate or inappropriate for that matter?
-Eric O.
You were very clear - I guess 😂
Comes under "sometimes it better to be lucky than good".
Crystal clear!
Eh. Im fine with this type of guess, based off of experience. I do the same for clients when their computer is malfunctioning in some way. Its better for both of us when I do. Its easy to spend hours and hours on a computer problem. Its not feasible to bill $700+ for shop time on a computer that is more than a few years old and barely cost them that when new.
I call it "green crusties" all the time(before opening the hood)...90% right(yes I live in salt country)
Spock : [to Dr. McCoy] I don't think he understands. McCoy : No, Spock. He means that he feels safer about your guesses than most other people's facts. - From Star Trek IV The Voyage Home.
Exactly how I feel about Eric O's guesses because it's called experience.
It is ok to "take a guess" when your guess is educated and not just blind guessing. You never blind guess.
Going back a long time ago and I'm not google driven... isn't a hypothesis an 'educated guess'?
Parts cannons truly suck.
@@defresurrection Actually no. A hypothesis is an assumption, an idea that is proposed for the sake of argument so that it can be tested to see if it might be true. The hypothesis may have some grounding in fact but that's not part of what defines a hypothesis.
@darkerbinding6933 thanks for the clarification, it's been a while. For some reason it stuck with me.
Edit: You made me google, lol. There is support for my memory and your reply. Go figure.
@@defresurrection Its why reasonable dialog is always good. have a great day.
You're a goddamn hero my man. Wish more mechanics were as conscientious about making a repair to outlast the car
I think most of us who watch this channel know that you don't normally just guess and throw parts. However, the benefit of your experience is what makes this an option, particularly if you've been transparent with the customer.
I second that. You're a good operator. Anyone thinking of criticizing you needs to watch any of a multitude of your previous videos to verify your diagnostic skills, skills that many, many others don't have. You have also taught me heaps. Retired 72 yr old mechanic/machinist in Land Down Under.
@@bobhudson6659thirded
Plus we've all seen the, "We've confirmed it, it really is the speed sensor. Fortunately I already went ahead and ordered the speed sensor, because of course it was the speed sensor."
"i don't want to translate it all, it says genuine Gm on it". That explains why i watch you right there.
That young man is going to learn a lot.... The right way.
Who is he? Evidently I missed the introductory video.
My teacher in auto shop used to call it the SWAG method, Scientific Wild Ass Guess.
Gotta remember this one lol
In the military, we used EWAG. Educated wild ass guess.
The problem is when it becomes the norm. You could mistake not having the right tools to do proper diag with not worth my time to chase this and take a guess.
SWAG, love it, I’m stealing that 😊😉🤭🤭👍🏼
79 year old mechanic still learning . Love the small socket wrapped in insulation tape for winding around in tight spaces . you are not guilty of shortcutting .. you ARE guilty of calling in the years of experience you have amassed .Priceless.
I am a factory trained person and you are a field trained professional and I would take your best guess anytime over a lot of so called dealer trained persons any day Eric. Thank you for sharing all of your talents.
On the original Star Trek, the captain's nickname for Dr. McCoy was "Bones". Hope that clears it up for you ! 😂😂
Old nick name for a doctor is a Sawbones
In The Doomsday Machine episode, Dr McCoy says "I'm a Doctor, not a mechanic!"
We didn’t have 400 channels of satellite TV back in the 60’s, so no, you don’t have to be a nerd to have watched Star Trek back in the day.
McCoy's wife took everything but his bones when she left, according to him. Thus Bones. Now somebody more into it than me will correct me 🤣🤣
Needs one more intern named Scotty, then we can hear " she can't take much more of this Captain!".
There's a monumental difference between a parts-cannon, shotgun guess and a professional experience *educated* guess. Heck, if anything, the exception proves the rule. Awesome job as always, Eric.
Somebody beat me to it, but the key is "educated guess" and not just 'guess'. It's what separates a great tech from a parts changer. Knowing how the part is supposed to operate and what's involved in it doing its job, past experience, etc are critical. And of course, you being who you are, the other part which is just as important is being crystal clear with the customer about the process.
Wish the world had more honest mechanics like you. Good to see Mrs O back
An honest mechanic would of told this customer to get rid of this pos asap. Buick Encores or one of the biggest rolling catastrophic failures you could possibly own 😂
I guess you could tell most customers that walk though your door the same thing. Most of todays cars are over-engineered junk. Probably will not have any customers soon.
@@rolandthethompsongunner64 An honest mechanic always helps the customer with proper diagnosis, repairs and information. Most people cant afford to just throw away a car and get a new one because the mechanic says its bad. Saying "get rid of the car and get a new one" is not an honest or good mechanic.
Dear sir. You don't need to make light of your issues with your fingers anymore. We all have medical issues and we totally understand. Fortunately, a lot of people have that type of situation and I'm sure it's difficult situation but. No need to mention it. We understand. Love your channel and watch it forever. Been watching it forever. Take care sir
I hope McCoy is keeping a notebook with all of your educated guesses. You guesses are based upon years of experience. You just can't have enough experience. Great job guys.
Wait a second. Did i just see Eric, the best Diag mechanic in the USA take a GUESS at a repair???? Good lord above Eric you actually are human. Makes absolute sense in terms of time and dollars. Keep em coming
It's always great to see the beautiful smile of Mrs O
What!!!!! Eric pushes the button on the parts cannon?!?!?!? I'm telling Ivan at Pine Hollow!!!
no farts required but i dont think eric gives two schlitzif you do tell lol
I'm telling Paul "Scanner" Danner!!!
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Ivan would have cleaned the connector and sent it on it's way then changed the sensor and connector when it came back.
Scottie already told them.
Once again Eric, you're keeping it real! McCoy is getting some real world experience from the real doctor!
The Real Doctor? Is that another SciFi reference? Doctor Who? No, Doctor 'O'
You’re an honest broker for the customer.
Poor McCoy being asked about “…his rubbers.”😂😂
He said he thinks his rubber still attached😂
@@nguyennt99 That's funny 😂
@@nguyennt99I could barely hear what he said
One of the reasons this channel is good..the editing out of dead time, seamlessly.
“I see, said the Blind man, to his Deaf Daughter”…..Love your videos, you have skills!
Eric, I love the new improved way you’ve shown us how to lose a 10mm socket!! I would drop that bad boy sooooo fast. Thank you, though seriously, we all enjoy your craft and I learn so much from you! McCoy is truly blessed to have you for his Yoda!!
Your educated guesstimate was based on years and years of experience. It’s something you learn how to do and trust when you spend many years in the dealership. No harm no foul. Again you were right on the money.
You’re freaking me out I’ve never seen you do that granted I haven’t been watching forever and you did have a pretty strong argument
I try to do the same thing you were mentioning at the end of the video. Be up front with the customer and tell them that the issue cant be duplicated at the moment and I think that X could fix it but because I can't prove it I can't recommend it. I wish there were more people like this in the industry but unfortunately shops or even mobile "mechanics" are all too eager to just take the payday and continue about their day. I obviously do all my own work for that reason and bc im not going to pay somebody else labor to do my job but that kind of dishonesty is part of the reason I got into being a mechanic. Appreciate your video's and I watch all of them even the simple stuff like brake jobs and wheel bearings because I like what you do.
Sometimes a guess is the best repair as you have shown. What great content on diagnosing
Makes perfect sense. The DTC indicated a problem with the left front ABS. The most likely part to fail there is the sensor. Or if your customer wants, you can drive it around for 8 hours, charge 8 hours labor for that, find out without a doubt that it is the ABS sensor and then still pay for the sensor and the labor to install it. Diagnostic time isn't free.
I know years ago when I first started following you, Eric, your motto was, "test, don't guess." However, I've seen you from time to time not able to duplicate an issue the customer describes and if the parts aren't expensive you go ahead with your hypothesis. I would say all of your guesses are based on years of experience and likely you have seen symptoms before. GREAT VIDEO!
Experience gives you the ability to guess , I have been fixing cars for 30+ years and yes when its super intermittent . I will give the customer the option to replace the best guess or wait until it breaks . This is reality!
I have more confidence in your guesses' than I have in other people's opinions. Great job on the wheel speed senor.
I had a similar situation where I just took a guess and threw a sensor at my VW. Christmas tree dash, no power steering, no cruise control, no traction control. All the modules were complaining about the ABS and the ABS module only had one DTC for the front right wheel speed being non plausible. New wheel speed sensor fixed the car.
Eric, since you're parts cannon shy I wish you were in my hood to guess what's wrong with my car and pickup! An educated guess by you is worth way more than 3 hours with a scanner! Great video!
Give McCoy a SMA hoodie.
Eric great video as always you are a honest and great mechanic that’s why I love this channel and I’ve been a viewer for a very long time since the beginning is that young man your son he will learn a lot from you
I was happy to find out where the connection was!
Makes sense too me... Just wish you were closer...! Good job Eric..Kudos
When you’ve done the same job with the same problem over and over on multiple different cars and the same repairs fixes it then it’s not guessing, it’s experience. At 67 years old, 50 as a auto tech, I wish I could be that young man working with you. I hope he realizes how lucky he is to have you as a mentor.
Unbelievably awesome tips! I love the idea of wrapping electrical tape around a socket to get into small spaces. Also, I had no idea that the part of the crimper was for non-insulated connectors. Great info, as always!
I'm glad you made this video. This kind of educated guess on a less expensive and fairly easy to get to part is totally appropriate.
It says that it's genuine GM... I love it! Eric your content is great!
I think its funny that while trying to show a situation where a guess might work out better than the standard diagnostic process, you once again proved that the standard diagnostic process is the better direction. Even if it wasn't intended to work out that way.
"Yeah we are just gonna wing a sensor into this thing and see if that fixes it - oh look, the connector is full of water and green crusties.."
That said, you have a point where in cases where an issue is not repeatable or persistent and experience says "it is very likely this part which isn't very expensive - shall we give it a try and see?" an educated guess has a place. Thanks for the video!
And to add to your explainatIon, your customers are paying for your EXPERIENCE which allows you to take very educated "guesses", which in this case really isn't a guess. It is years of hand on experience combined with hard data in the form of the scan performed which lead you directly to the problem. Don't apologize for professionalism. You are a master knuckle buster!
Hello Erick & Mrs O. Experience is a wonderful teacher. Customer satisfaction is primary in running a successful busisness. When both are used to improve the issue resolution the customer benefits. This case a very good example. Keep the interesting & informative videos coming. Good job.
I owned a marine repair shop for years. A typical no spark issue was usually a failed power pac (brain box) capacitors cooked open.
So I gave the customer the option of “my 25$ hunch” or the 100$ system analysis. 90% of the time it was a cooked pac.
Thanks for the video Eric, McCoy and the Lovely Mrs.O.
Eric, car maintenance is always an " educated guess" but most of the time you feel much more confident after some testing that your guess is correct. Kind of like taking an open book test, just because you have the book in front of you doesn't mean you looked up the correct answer. IE: Car won't start and the battery tests at 9vdc and you determine at least one bad cell, your "guess" is you have a bad battery. But after replacing the batter the car still will not start, only to find the starter is weak.
As a car owner I would feel much more confident that Eric is making his "best guess" than if I asked the 15 year old down the street what he thought about the issue.
Great channel Eric. I've learned so much from watching your channel and the skills I've gained from that knowledge is not restricted to automobiles. They can be transferred to other life topics as well.
Thanks for teaching McCoy!
The "educated guess" from experience is completely different from the "wag" aka "wild assed guess" and is an important part of every "good" mechanic's tool kit. Well done video and explanation.
Dear Eric and Vanessa: A wonderful video, a true measure of mechanical genius. Thanks ever so much. Greetings from the warm Caribbean !
Who’s the new guy? What happened to Josh? I love how you send him looking for the wheel lock. I’ve lost so much “time” looking for those. Thankful for shops that have sets.
Glad to see a youngster learning for Eric..Congratulations Bones, You are learning from the master
Eric. Please don't be so apologetic. You are simply the best...hands down. Kind Regards. Craig. BTW so you have psoriatic arthritis and it affects your nails. No big deal
Knowledge made your guess. Nothing wrong with it. Don't apologize for it.I've watched this channel for years .you are truly knowledgeable it your testing and troubleshooting. Great video Eric as always the best from SMA!
As a home meddler, I mean mechanic, I have enough knowledge to narrow it down pretty close, but I don't have a lot of knowledge when it comes to testing (or a decent scanner). That's why I appreciate you, SMA. Good teacher.
Glad to see Mrs.O and you have a great video.
Your years of experience makes this "guess" an educated guess. That is miles different than using a parts cannon after using an ODB2 scanner. As a guy about the same age as you I have a lot of respect for the application of your skillset. I'm in the IT industry but it works the same for me. Great video!
I make sure and hit the "like" button once Mrs. O shows up. That hard working girl deserves some of the credit.
Yes Eric I have seen many Green connectors with Holes in them from someone using the wrong uninsulated crimper- hole pokers causing bad wiring in the Rust belt Cen Wis 🇺🇸👍.
Informed decision-making comes from a long tradition of guessing and then blaming others for inadequate results. you the man, Eric..you the man
If this was my car.. since it was so intermittent.. I would have been super happy to find that wet connector and just cleaned it up with contact cleaner, dried it out and taped it over like you did. Might have gotten a couple more years out of it. I wouldn't want a shop to do that though-- if I was paying to fix it.
Especially since the problem was intermittent, and your experience of seeing these sensors fail in the past, this was a perfect educated guess Eric. Good idea on covering the whole connection with tape to prevent this from happening again.
You can try using “self bonding silicone tape” .. it’s an excellent waterproofing tape .. we ham operators use it for antenna cable connectors.
Nice connector demo for diyers like myself- I’ve wondered about that issue! Thanks!
You use intuition guided by past experience. Great job. ❤❤
Great video, it is nice to get luck on your side for a change..
I have a tip I used to share among my fellow technicians is to order some Plasti-Dip spray and coat the connectors and seal them right up. It may not be better protection than liquid black tape but it's easily sprayed on and easier to peel off for repairs and you can get it in a variety of colors. I guess it would be similar to the newer Flex Seal spray they have nowadays that only comes in black or maybe white now too as some of their other stuff I know comes in white. Anyways, you can pick a color that blends well with your project or maybe even contrasts it to easily locate in the future. Really great for coating connections on trailers. Any time I'm wiring a trailer I automatically put in GM Weatherpacks at each tailight and coat them to prevent hassles in future lamp replacements.
Your educated guess based on experience is invaluable, thanks for being awesome!
Explanation very good. You saved the customer three times less money.
I agree Eric. These intermittent issues are the worst. See my comment regarding my grand-daughter's 2017 Buick Encore. A steelership would never have found the cause, I'm sure. You always impress me with your ability to trace down electrical problems, and, your educated guess at times when required.
Because it set different circuit codes , you would assume it was the speed sensor that was faulty, if it kept setting the same code you would focus on the ABS module .Well done as usual.....! 👍
As always you nailed. I would do business with you because if your years of experience. I also know if you think that testing would yield the outcome of being 100% correct. I would trust your experience in this area.
Nice place for the connector. Good thing it showed on service data.
Agree 100%, and you still are the best.. Enjoy the videos, especially when you have Mrs. O in the script.
Scotty approved! Great job Eric O! I’d take your guess more than anyone else’s facts! Experience pays!
No explanation needed, I would say that you have the right to make the educated guess, your experience, and sometimes just having a feeling of what the problem is ,will save you time and the customer money, at the end of the day you get it done with the tools of knowledge that you have obtained through years of experience with positive results.
Genius! That is why you could move forward down the path to a proper repair. Great video
Bought a new bow. Well last year’s model close out phase 4 -29 . After I got it I looked on line everyone says replace the strings and cables they suck - I mean everyone on TH-cam saying replace them. I am like spend another $160 bucks on a new bow . 🤷♂️ apparently Mathews new 2024 version has better strings 🤦🏼♂️ and I always say pay more buy American. This tangent brought to you by your hat 😂
I had a 2015 Lexus in here not long ago with a wheel speed sensor wire that was broken. The harness was built onto the sensor, otherwise it was just a plain old wheel speed sensor. It was just under $500 with shipping. Aftermarket. o.0 Needless to say, I took a hint from Ivan's book and soldered the wires on the old one.
McCoy was a crusty ship’s doctor who cared very much about his patients. Being called McCoy is a compliment.
I been working on machines for forty years and I agree on taking a guess especially on "known" concerns. I also agree on letting the client know what is going on befor the guess so they have a complete understanding. As far as wiring concerns especially on data circuits I try my best to solder them and heat strink. I also use a dab of RTV or hot glue for extra protection. Love your channel for sure.
As always, thank you for this video. Also, as many years as I've been in this industry, I see a teachable moment along with a training point.
Also, no matter how much experience I may have. Every video I've watched has taught me something. Young Sir having you as a trainer and guide to this industry. He will make an amazing technician!
Great video. Not a guess, just common sense.
Under the conditions that you noted, taking an EDUCATED guess is just fine. Well done.
Eric, would we ever question your judgment? With your depth of experience, making a guess like this IS the correct action. Also shows you're putting your customer's best interest in mind as opposed to making another TH-cam video using the full-blown diag route.
We all need more shops like yours
It’s not an everyday thing, so I trust your guess. I believe it’s better to test and find out what’s wrong, but in this case your experience pays off. So guess and trust your gut. Love all your videos and wish you were here in Iowa.
Hi Eric, McCoy and the lovely Mrs.O., Anybody that watches your channel would trust your (Guess) over some others Diagnosis! You have a loyal following Eric ,forget a bout it!!!
It is not a guess when backed up with years of experience. Great to See Mrs. O again. Great job.
I don't have much as far as testing equipment so usually I start guessing and try to use what I have to test the theory.
I think that’s a very valid approach. I do this with my car and super cheap parts. If I have an educated guess and it’s say $20 I’ll just put that in rather than pay a mechanic an hour time to properly diagnose. Sometimes I’m wrong but seems more reasonable to me.
Yes... In my profession certain problems come across a lot more than others and usually it's the same fix... so an educated guess has a high chance of success and it's saves everybody time and/or money. In this case for example... that sensor costs maybe 50 bucks when an hour of your time diagnosing it will probably cost double that.
The secret of flate rate is, guess your best and charge 1 hour of diagnosis.
Another amazing video by TH-cam's Best Mechanic/Technician!! Thanks for sharing, great job as always!!
Mr. O I have watched your videos for years now, and I would take your guess over 99.9% of all the other mechanics I have seen on here. That being said I dont think you were "guessing." What you are showing your viewers is what I call a hypothesis "a proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation" or as I think of it as a scientific starting place based on past experiences . Thank you for all your great work!
I learn more from this channel than any other I watch. TY!
Eric,
Great video - thank you!
Its OK to guess. Jim Lovell guessed that his oxgen tank blew up - he was correct.
Paul (in MA)
There's guessing and there's seasoned, experienced intuition, which you have passed along to us...and we thank you!!!! NJ. I trust all of you with my only child.
I wish I had a decent mechanic like you down here in Maryland.