14d • General discussion
The Laws of Automotive Service
The concept of “law” has been on my mind a lot lately.
Not those laws made by governments.
I mean a “law” as something that is always true.
Like how things fall down when you drop them. Or how an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.
That’s a law.
It tells us what will happen every time when something specific happens first.
Here’s the truth about these laws: when we do something, we get a result.
It shows up in life, in nature, and in our work every single day.
I’ve spent about 8 years in the automotive service world.
Over that time, clear patterns have stood out to me.
Not guesses. Not opinions. Patterns.
I’ve narrowed it down to 3 simple laws for working on cars:
1. The Law of Recency
This law states that what has been done to the vehicle recently (prior to the current customer concern) has a very high likelihood of being related to the current concern.
If something was touched or fixed recently, there’s a strong chance it’s tied to the problem now.
2. The Law of Proximity
This law states that what is physically located close to the system and/or component of concern is very likely contributing to the current customer concern.
If it’s close to the problem area, it’s not there by accident. It’s likely part of the problem.
3. The Law of Design Intent
This law states that if the vehicle, system, or component in focus is not being operated, installed, or fastened in the manner in which it was designed to be, then problems or failure will result.
If something isn’t installed or working the way it was designed to, it will cause you problems. Every time.
Let me give you a couple of examples.
I once was tasked with an intermittent no-crank concern on a prison bus. This stumped a shop for 3 months, particularly because the issue would come and go without any rhyme or reason. What I ultimately found was a very extensive aftermarket change to the dash wiring harness to accommodate a GPS tracker. This illustrates the importance of the 'Law of Recency' -- reviewing what had recently taken place to the vehicle can steer you in the right direction long before too much time is wasted.
On another occasion, I solved an intermittent Check Engine Light due from an Auto-Stop-Start code which stumped one shop for over 4 months. The cause? Electromagnetic interference from a battery cable which was causing the transmission park valve position sensors to not match. The battery cable had been disconnected and re-routed the wrong way at some point prior to this concern starting. This story perfectly illustrates both the 'Law of Proximity' as well as the 'Law of Design intent' in action.
You can read about both of these cases on my LinkedIn Newsletter (editions 1 and 7).
Most vehicle problems trace back to one or more of these three laws.
If you keep them in mind, you’ll solve problems faster and with more confidence.
What do you think? Have you seen these same patterns in your work? Drop a comment below!
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The Laws of Automotive Service
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