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The diagnostics game


Barry

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So, just for a bit of fun...

Here is a scan I done on a Range Rover sport a few days ago. Most of the fault codes where relating to invalid data being sent to the ecu. 

Anyone want to take a guess what the problem was?

It was something so simple you wouldn't believe it. 

IMG_0014.JPG

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Anything is possible with Range Rovers simply because their electronics is so ridiculously complex. However, I often get that faults like the one you are showing are caused by loose or corroded battery terminals, and I would guess that something similar was the problem on your Range Rover

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Good one @Barry.

I already know the fix as @Gaurav already showed it to me, so I am not going to spoil anyone's fun here. It is not only with Range River, any cars packed with computers nowadays can throw up a bunch of codes and faults for a simple problem. That is why I believe in less computers, a good ECU and PCM is all you need.

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I initially thought it was a battery issue. I've seen things like this happen before when terminals were loose or earth points were corroded. Even a battery of the wrong type and ampage can cause things like this. The vehicle recently had a new battery fitted so the first thing I had to do was rule it out. 

It turned out to be an fault in the brake light switch. The ECU, TCM etc were receiving intermittent data and were getting confused as to what the vehicle was actually doing. 110 dhs for a new switch and everything was as good as new. 

So many people tell me they hate modern cars because there are so many electrical systems all communicating through computers and it's too complicated. My answer is always, it's not complicated, you just don't understand it. With a little bit of time and logical thinking, it's easy to fault find in modern cars when you have some  understanding of how the systems operate and how they can affect each other. Personally, I much prefer working on stuff with modern injection and electronic ignition systems. It's so much easier than stripping down carburetors and distributors etc to see what's going on. 

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Very well said and explained @Barry. Thanks for changing my way of thinking, but hope all mechanic and workshop are being honest, educated and patient to find out the actual and report the actual problem and charge reasonable.

In similar situation with so long list of fault codes majority of LR workshop in Dubai wouldn't settle for less than 5000 - 6000 dhs easily. And that's what hamper the brand reputation of Land Rover in Dubai.

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Let's root for each other & watch each other grow.

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I agree with @Gaurav bhai. Most garages not only for Land Rover but for any modern machine that throws up such errors tries to take advantage and charge an arm and a leg for resolving the issues without any guarantee of no more errors will pop up. Honest mechanics like @Barry are in short supply. I have a similar issue with my Jeep Commander and paid through my nose and the errors still continued to haunt me, finally I had to sell my ride. With someone like @Barry I would have liked to continue to own the 5.7 Hemi, but alas I did not find him earlier.

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I agree with @Barry. Control module failure is rare no matter the vehicle, so the next thing to consider is the quality of the input data sent to the various control modules. Then again, with some experience, a good mechanic learns what sensor, switch, or circuit fails most often on any given application, which makes fixing the problem even easier.

The other thing people forget is that a list of codes like the one @Barry posted is almost always misleading. In most cases, only the first, or sometimes the first two codes are the real problem- all the others are usually a reaction to the first one or two codes on the list. So if you fix those, all the others go away too, although in some cases, it may take a drive cycle or two before some codes will clear, depending on the nature of the problem and the application.

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In 16 years I could probably count the number of computer fails on one hand. The one I will always remember is a Peugeot ECU that failed and sent a spike to my nice new scanner and fried it. The supplier said 'user error' and wouldn't replace it so I had to go buy a new one. How do you charge a repair job accordingly when something like that happens?

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@Barry that's a bummer. You can't help it but buy the new scanner and try to cover the loss by charging extra to the customers over time, it will pay itself off within no time.

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