Electrical Systems

The “electrical” system is extremely sophisticated, and plays a role in virtually every part of the modern vehicle. Creature comforts (infotainment systems, heated seats, power rear hatches, and more) inside the cabin area communicate on networks. Human interface with these networks usually requires specialty diagnostic tools utilized by a highly skilled technician. Having the knowledge, education, tools, and experience are all necessary for successful testing and repair.

The word diagnosis can be very confusing to the customer. Some shops advertise “free diagnosis” but we all know nothing is free. We’ve heard the term “diagnosis”, but the concept can be confusing. When modern circuits have a problem, a light often illuminates on the dash. This is the best case. Sometimes there’s no light indicating a problem, but devices are still acting strangely, and a problem indeed exists. In either case, the technician must perform testing for effective diagnosis and eventually, repair. Just as the doctor must do, the technician has to perform tests on systems, and individual components, then take the results from those tests and perform more tests in order to narrow down the possibilities until the problematic component or circuit is identified. This type of work is the most difficult work we do. Unfortunately, the technician can’t just “plug in” and have the computer tell them what’s wrong.

At Ashland Automotive, our techs perform an initial inspection, which will vary in price. This allows them to evaluate the entire vehicle’s general condition, check fluids, drive the vehicle, and plug in to retrieve any stored trouble codes. After their initial inspection is complete, and if the problem is still existing (Sometimes they find the problem very quickly during the initial inspection!) they can then recommend 2-3 tests be performed in order to eliminate the possibilities. At this point, the tech most often finds the problem and we can estimate repair costs.  Let our top techs help you today if your car or truck is experiencing strange electrical problems, or has a light on the dash telling you something is wrong.