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Why I'm not sold on the all-digital diagnostic trend
I've caught errors that screens missed just by listening to the unit's hum and feeling for vibrations.
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the_jessica7mo ago
Give an example of an error you caught by listening or feeling. Why did the digital tool miss it?
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karenw907mo ago
Ever had a weird grinding noise a vibration sensor just called 'normal'? I caught a bearing going bad because it sounded gritty, not just shaky. The digital tool missed it because its thresholds were too broad for that specific nasty sound, lol. Good question @the_jessica, sometimes you just gotta trust your ears over the dashboard.
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emery_wright77mo ago
My ears are practically decorative, but I still nailed a failing fan clutch by its whine. The scanner showed rpm within range, but it had a desperate pitch that data couldn't capture. Digital tools average everything out, so unique bad sounds get lost in the numbers. Why would a program flag a sound it's never been told is wrong? Machines only know what we program, and we can't program every odd noise a part makes before it dies. Sometimes you just have to listen, even if your hearing is as useful as a chocolate teapot.
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