Our Process
As a diagnostic business I believe the diagnostic process is just as important as the repair itself and must be done with efficiency and accuracy! The old approach of "guessing and replacing parts" based on symptoms or even just a trouble code gets very expensive very quickly. I believe resources used to get a proven accurate diagnosis is a much better investment over the long run and proves to be cheaper and less frustrating for the vehicle owner and/or shop owner.
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I use OE level scan tools, test equipment and training to achieve this through a "data driven" diagnostic process that brings us to the ultimate solution and underlying cause of the issue the vehicle is having. This process limits potentially going in the wrong direction on a diagnosis. Speed and accuracy is the key.
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Verifying the complaint: First we make sure we can duplicate the customers complaint. We must be able to reproduce the complaint. If the issue is intermittent, it can be time consuming and much more difficult to solve.
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Diagnose the issue: Using both advanced level diagnostic equipment and traditional testing equipment our goal is to quickly and efficiently gather evidence and narrow in on the problem.
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The repair: The repair can sometimes be done in the field in the case of repairing a broken wire, or cleaning a component(For an additional hourly charge). However it must be understood that not all repairs can be done in the field, In this case further action is then expressed to the customer either to proceed to a third party of their choosing or arranged with Autocare to be repaired at our facility.
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Verify the repair: If Autocare completes the repair on-site verification and/or test drive will be conducted at that time to ensure a proper diagnosis was completed. If the repair was completed by a third party and the issue is still present, we will perform a follow-up diagnosis free of charge. If the repair is found to be done incorrectly, a seperate diagnostic charge will apply.
About me
My name is Tim Cooper, the owner of Autocare Diagnostics
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My journey in the automotive world began at a very young age where as a child I loved sports cars. Although I didn't know much about cars at that time, if it looked sleek and fast, I liked it! I also had an interest in large machines of every kind and loved putting together Meccano sets. Growing up I became more focused on computers and tech overall. Playing around with computers was another passion of mine! Then when I began driving, my interest in cars grew even more.
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In 2001, after finishing high school, I moved to Ontario, Canada from Newfoundland. After working at various jobs for a few years and playing around with cars a bit I soon realized cars were becoming far more technical than they were in the past. Electronics had been added and were clearly becoming more widespread; I saw this as an opportunity to apply my interest in electronics to repairing cars!
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I entered the professional automotive repair field as an apprentice in 2004 with the goal of becoming the "electrical specialist" but realized that first I would have to fully understand how a car fully works before I could accurately diagnose and repair it.
I was fortunate enough to be hired under a co-op program by a family owned general repair shop allowing me to work on various makes and models of vehicles without restricting me from more advanced work. This opportunity allowed me to learn by trial and error, ultimately becoming proficient in professionally fixing many different cars and trucks both domestic and Asian.
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Throughout my apprenticeship I attended many local training courses, taking in as much info as I could whilst slowly building my tool inventory allowing me to become more efficient on the job.
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At the completion of my apprenticeship I wrote my certificate of qualification exam and achieved my Red Seal endorsement, allowing me to work as a licensed technician anywhere in Canada. It was around this time I discovered Paul Danner(AKA Scanner Danner) a tech teacher in Pittsburgh. He had posted some training material online that I stumbled across and I became fascinated by his diagnostic methods based around speed and accuracy. I was amazed to see how efficiently a vehicle could be diagnosed if you possessed an in-depth knowledge of electronics and circuitry! Embracing this training I was able to apply this new knowledge at work everyday, refining my skills over many years. After becoming very proficient in this ability I became the "diagnostic tech"... I had attained my goal! I was now being contacted by other local shops and "back yard" mechanics for help in diagnosing some of their troublesome cars. This piqued my interest and provided the opportunity to gain even more experience. I also discovered that mobile diagnostic work was being done by some technicians I had been following online.
Ultimately, in 2022, after working primarily on domestic and Asian makes I had decided to bolster my foundation and I moved on to a shop primarily servicing European and higher end cars. This shop soon recognized my ambition and ability and gave me every opportunity to apply my fundamental testing methods to these vehicles, thus allowing me to become very familiar and more confident with the European sector.
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A few years later, I have decided to lean a little more into mobile diagnostics. Autocare Diagnostics has been born!
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