The ability to accurately diagnose car and truck problems separates the men from the boys. Whether it’s a suspension noise, misfire, late transmission shift-point, or a complex electrical failure—dealership technicians typically have the upper hand. Their manufacturer training, extensive experience with the specific brand, special tools, and unlimited sources of information make the difference.
That’s the reason owners and general repair shops often use the brand’s service department as a last resort following extensive time and expensive “parts swapping” trying to troubleshoot an atypical failure.
Now don’t get us wrong—top dealership technicians can get stumped too, often due to intermittent, hard-to-duplicate conditions. And new car buybacks do occur on rare occasions, where the vehicles get shipped to engineers in a final attempt to correct the problem.