Vehicle Diagnostics

noreply • July 29, 2019

Some Riverton vehicle owners wonder why Riverton Tunex and other Riverton auto repair shops charge a fee for vehicle diagnostics. Receiving a diagnostic charge at Riverton Tunex for a tricky automotive problem shouldn't be a surprise. In the Riverton area, automotive diagnostics can cover quite a range. If you hear a noise in your vehicle brakes when you slow down in rush-hour traffic on a busy Utah road, you pull off at 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 vehicle engine, however, a Riverton Tunex diagnosis may be much more involved.

Much of the Riverton driver's confusion comes when the problem involves the Check Engine light. The Check Engine light comes on when the engine management computer has sensed a problem. There's a common misconception among Utah drivers that the trouble code tells the Riverton Tunex technician exactly what's wrong. They wonder why there is a diagnostic charge because the scanner quickly gave the diagnosis. In reality, it is not that easy and straightforward. The computer monitors many sensors throughout the vehicle. When one of these sensors has a reading that's out of parameters, the computer will record a trouble code and turn on the Check Engine light.

The vehicle computer's trouble code just tells the Riverton Tunex 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 Riverton Tunex customers. The service advisor makes a list of the most likely causes and begins tracking down the source of the problem. This takes time.

Riverton service centers subscribe to databases that document possible causes for all the possible trouble codes. The databases outline procedures for confirming a diagnosis and provide the documented repair. These databases are specific to each vehicle and engine combination. Some diagnoses are quick and easy. Others are more involved, time-consuming and difficult. Of course Riverton Tunex wants to figure out what's wrong with your vehicle and get you back on the road as quickly as possible.

Riverton Tunex
3901 W Innovation Dr
Riverton, Utah 84065
801-446-4465
http://www.rivertontunex.com

By noreply January 11, 2021
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Get you vehicle inspected for the holidays for a safer trip. 
A close up of a car dashboard with a battery warning light on.
By noreply November 1, 2019
Hello, welcome to Riverton Tunex. Today's focus is batteries. It seems like everything in Riverton runs on batteries. Of course, the batteries we're most concerned with here at Riverton Tunex are those in our customer's vehicles. Just like the batteries in our smoke detectors or TV remote, they wear out and need to be replaced . This can be thought of as the power output used to start a cold vehicle engine. The number of cold cranking amps you need depends on your vehicle and where you live in Utah, specifically how cold it is. (Many Riverton drivers have first-hand experience trying to start their car on a cold winter morning.) The two factors are that the colder your vehicle's engine is, the more power it takes to turn the engine over to get it started. It has all that cold, sluggish oil to contend with.The other factor is that the chemical reaction in the battery that creates electrical energy is less efficient when the temperature dips. Let's say it's 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees C) in Riverton. At that temperature, 100% of the battery's power is available. At freezing, only 65% of battery power is available, but it requires 155% as much power to start the engine as it did at 80 degrees F (27 degrees C).As you can see, the colder it gets, more power is needed, but the available power drops.So if you live where it's cold in Utah, you need a battery with more cold cranking amps than you do where it's moderate or hot. The battery that originally came with your vehicle was based on averages. At Riverton Tunex, we like to remind Riverton drivers that they should always get at least as many cold cranking amps as their vehicle manufacturer recommends but may want to upgrade if they live where it gets real cold.Riverton Tunex3901 W Innovation DrRiverton, Utah 84065801-446-4465http://www.rivertontunex.com
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