Some Albuquerque car owners wonder why Jim’s Automotive and other Albuquerque auto repair shops charge a fee for diagnostic services.

Think about it: When you hire a local Bernalillo HVAC technician to check out a problem with your air conditioner you’ll probably pay a diagnostic fee. When you visit your Cedar Crest doctor for a health problem, you pay the physician to diagnose the ailment and of course for the tests that go along with it.

On Board Diagnostics

So receiving a diagnostic charge at Jim’s Automotive for a tricky automotive problem shouldn’t be a surprise. In the Bernalillo area, automotive diagnostics can cover quite a range. If you hear a noise in your sedan brakes when you slow down in rush-hour traffic on a busy New Mexico highway, you pull off the next off-ramp and take a quick visual check. That is usually enough to know what needs to be done. If you’re having an intermittent problem with your sedan engine, however, Jim’s Automotive diagnosis may be much more involved.


There’s a common misconception among Cedar Crest, Isleta, and Peralta drivers that the trouble code tells the Jim’s Automotive technician exactly what’s wrong. They wonder why there is a diagnostic charge – because the scanner quickly gave the diagnosis.


The sedan computer’s trouble code just tells the Jim’s Automotive technician what engine parameter is out of range – not what’s causing it. The technician needs to determine the underlying problem that’s causing the malfunction.

There are many problems that could cause a troublesome sensor reading for Jim’s Automotive customers. The Jim’s Automotive service advisor makes a list of the most likely causes and begins tracking down the source of the problem. This takes time.


Some diagnoses are quick and easy. Others are more involved, time-consuming, and difficult. Of course Jim’s Automotive wants to figure out what’s wrong with your sedan and get you back on the road as quickly as possible.

