A fault code is not a diagnosis.
It tells you which system reported a problem. It does not tell you which part failed. That distinction is worth thousands of rand, and it is the reason this part of the business exists.
P0171 tells you the engine is running lean. That could be a split intake pipe, a tired mass airflow sensor, a leaking manifold gasket or a fuel delivery problem — four very different repairs, one code. A workshop that quotes you for a specific part off that code alone has skipped the step that decides the answer.
What a scan does is narrow it from "something is wrong somewhere" to "the fault is in this system." The testing that comes after is what tells you which.
Where we are right now
We are being straight with you rather than taking a booking we cannot honour.
We do not yet offer a paid diagnostic scanning service. We are not prepared to sell a scan until we own equipment we would put our name to, and we are not there yet. When we are, it will be listed here with exactly which systems it reads and on which vehicles — not a vague claim about scanning everything.
Two things we can do in the meantime, both free:
Send us a photo of your dashboard
With your make, model and year, we will tell you what the light means, what it does not mean, and how urgent it is. No charge and nothing to sign up for.
Send us a scan somebody else has run
If a workshop has already scanned the car, send us the codes. We will tell you what each one actually indicates, what test should have been done to confirm it, and whether the quote you have been given makes sense.
Reading codes properly is the valuable part. Plugging in is the cheap part.
What we will not do, now or later
We will not name a broken part from a code alone. If the testing does not confirm it, we will tell you what should be tested next rather than guess.
We will not clear codes without asking. Clearing a code deletes the evidence. After a repair that is sometimes right. Before one, it almost never is.
We will not carry out the repair. We do not fix cars and we take no commission from any workshop, so there is nothing in it for us to find a fault that is not there.
And if a car should not be driven, we will say so plainly, even when that is not what you were hoping to hear.
Questions we answer for free, today
- What does this warning light mean?
- Is this quote fair for what they say is wrong?
- What test should they have done before quoting me for that part?
- Can I drive it, or should I stop?
WhatsApp: +27 69 696 1070
Buying a car rather than fixing one?
Our pre-purchase inspection is available now — a full physical inspection and road test at the seller's address, with a written report the same day.