Corvette Customer Communcation Confusion [E235]

About this episode

Matt Fanslow discusses a diagnostic case involving a 1994 Corvette with communication issues between the customer and technician.

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology, Autel, and Independent Wrench Jobs Watch Full Video Episode In this episode of Diagnosing the Aftermarket A to Z, Matt Fanslow tells the story of a modified 1994 Corvette that came in with a hesitation, backfire, and cut-out concern under light-load highway driving. The vehicle had already been looked at elsewhere, and the customer believed the problem was inside the PCM. What sounded at first like a computer problem eventually turned into a lesson in secondary ignition leakage, diagnostic assumptions, customer expectations, and the danger of two people using the same words to mean very different things. The episode starts with the question, “Can you test my computer?” Matt interpreted that as a request to diagnose why the vehicle was not running correctly. The customer meant something much more literal: open the PCM, test it on a bench, and determine what had failed inside the module. That misunderstanding created real tension once Matt found evidence pointing away from the computer and toward the ignition system. Technically, the case had plenty of reasons to look complicated. The Corvette was a 1994 OBD-I vehicle with an OBD-II-style…

People in this episode

Host: Matt Fanslow

Topics covered

• customer communication
• diagnostic assumptions
• automotive repair
• ignition system
• Corvette issues
• secondary ignition leakage

Keywords

• Corvette
• PCM
• diagnostics
• ignition
• automotive
• customer expectations
• DTC 42
• secondary ignition
• spark plugs

Sponsors

Pico Technology, Autel, Independent Wrench Jobs

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Pico Technology, Autel, 1994 Corvette, PCM, OptiSpark distributor system, spark plugs

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