Anyone does mobile auto repair diagnostics?

[qqzj]

Which tools do you have and how do you charge people?

I don’t have what it takes to repair a random car from the beginning to the end. But I think I can help others who stuck in their driveway a good idea on what their problem is.

I have an oscilloscope and a tpms tool now. Need a fancier odb2 tool like MS906BT. Multimeter test light of course. What else to buy?

But more importantly, is there a market for that? Are there enough people who can benefit from such relatively simple services?

 

[CJM8515]

you need an advanced diagnostic snap on type scanner to do much these days. maybe you could help people with older vehicles but there arent many left.

the mobile diag guys by me make their coin by going to body shops and resetting the computer after an accident and calibrations for things like blind spot sensors and such

 

[Wrench97]

Mobile guys have access to OEM scan tools and subs to all the OEM sites needed.
Most also to work for body shops doing the ADAS system calibrations, SRS system programing of replacement modules.
Quite a few I know work in groups who split OEM tooling and subs using mobile access points for connectivity to keep costs down.
Usually $175 gets them to your shop and gives you anywhere from .5 to 1 hr diag time, they prefer you have more then 1 vehicle for them to work on while they are there.

 

[nbpt100]

I know with VW you need VAGCOM software. No other will do everything on a VW. Although some are saying good things about OBD11 for VW. I do not really know.
I was looking for sometime in my area for a knowledgeable VAGCOM guy and could not find one outside of Dealers or 1 or 2 German motor shops that charge $125 and hour. My issues are not pressing but more minor nuanced things i want to either change, diagnose or understand better.

 

[qqzj]

I know with VW you need VAGCOM software. No other will do everything on a VW. Although some are saying good things about OBD11 for VW. I do not really know.
I was looking for sometime in my area for a knowledgeable VAGCOM guy and could not find one outside of Dealers or 1 or 2 German motor shops that charge $125 and hour. My issues are not pressing but more minor nuanced things i want to either change, diagnose or understand better.

Why don’t you buy VAGCOM and become that guy?

 

[nbpt100]

Why don’t you buy VAGCOM and become that guy?

I am busy enough. Plus it would take me a long time to become proficient enough to put myself out there. I am not that guy that buys some tools and thinks they are an expert. Integrity is important to me. It cost $400+ last I looked. Maybe it is for others to do. It is a good question. Thanks

 

[M635_Guy]

the mobile diag guys by me make their coin by going to body shops and resetting the computer after an accident and calibrations for things like blind spot sensors and such

I think it's a little more than that, at least it is for a good friend of mine who is doing exactly that kind of thing. He's also a Master Mechanic, so he can get a little deeper for what they need to do to clear a code and get things moving forward (and sometimes wrenches for them, but not often. Mainly he's solving the puzzle of why a code won't clear, etc.).

He's making fantastic money - like paid for all his business equipment (truck, diag computers, etc.), his house, all cars, his 8-yo kid's college fund is fully up to date, he just put a pool and patio on the back of his house, etc.

He's fantastic at relationships, a great mechanic and busts his ***, so he's not falling into the money, but he's definitely doing well.

But I don't think that's what the OP is talking about.

 

[M635_Guy]

Which tools do you have and how do you charge people?

I don’t have what it takes to repair a random car from the beginning to the end. But I think I can help others who stuck in their driveway a good idea on what their problem is.

I have an oscilloscope and a tpms tool now. Need a fancier odb2 tool like MS906BT. Multimeter test light of course. What else to buy?

But more importantly, is there a market for that? Are there enough people who can benefit from such relatively simple services?

I think there's a market, but you'd need to be a pretty good mechanic to do enough diagnosis correctly to charge for it.

Here's NT's Auto Diagnostic Tools category.

Fuel and coolant pressure kits would be obvious additions to your list, maybe a compression tester (a service of its own maybe).

The biggest thing you'd need is a very good business insurance policy.

 

[qqzj]

I am busy enough. Plus it would take me a long time to become proficient enough to put myself out there. I am not that guy that buys some tools and thinks they are an expert. Integrity is important to me. It cost $400+ last I looked. Maybe it is for others to do. It is a good question. Thanks

I would have bought instantly. Once I satisfy my needs, I’ll try to make money out of it. Charge by how much you help others, not by hours. Win win.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Service info is going to be required. Costs more than you think to have. Programing and keys, and the credentials to do so, are also a big expense. Plus the cash flow to eat a module or whatever of you make the wrong call.

I have considered doing work for local indy shops. I wouldn't even consider work for the public. Time/energy vs my day job fixing them - I decided against it.


The "cheap" option would be a j2534 pass thru and partitioned laptop to run it, a couple aftermarket scantools, lab scope, meter and leads, transducer and clamps, and 1-2 service info sources. If running a snap on windows tool I believe you can get a discount on Mitchell if your software is current. IDK, 20k or so without keys or adas stuff?

 

[richfinn]

Forget doing retail work for the general public. They have zero to little idea of what's involved, and even less interest in paying your hourly rate after spending $$$$ at the dealer.

The only people that "mobile diagnostics" have any value to are established independent garages/bodyshops/fleet customers (who can more easily pass on the cost to customers or don't care about cost).

75% of this type of work is tracking down broken/corroded wires and modules that other shops have either failed to find or don't have the skill and information to fix, for this reason you will spend 90% of your time dealing with vehicles that have already had everything thrown at them or require factory level tooling for programming.

All aftermarket scantools have limitations, there is no perfect tool and you need to subscribe to information providers to get good wiring diagrams/methods of operation.

Here's what I would advise, pick a couple of brands and gradually equip yourself with tools, information and training and become the "specialist" guy. When your short of work buy non runners at auction and figure out how to fix them and resell for a small profit. When you get really good at it quit your day job and open a shop for those brands.

VCDS would be a good tool if you see a lot of VW/Audi cars in your area, not least because there are a lot of experienced guys using it and willing to share on various platforms.

FORscan is great on Ford/Mazda

I would also recommend Picoscope for the exact same reason, the learning curve is less steep as more experienced guys use it and chat about it, and crucially fileshare/document waveforms and case studies.

Alldata is popular amongst the independent guys I know for access to VM diagrams (they have a European version).

 

[Wrench97]

I am busy enough. Plus it would take me a long time to become proficient enough to put myself out there. I am not that guy that buys some tools and thinks they are an expert. Integrity is important to me. It cost $400+ last I looked. Maybe it is for others to do. It is a good question. Thanks

But it's not worth $125 an hour to you for a guy who is proficient and bought all the equipment, software, and access to OEM downloads?
Probably why you can't find anyone.

 

[Zewnten]

Nothing nice to say. From your posts it's clear you're not at the level needed to be going out and charging people for your work . Soon the good mechanics in your area will become very familair with you, ie local garages and that will spread very quickly and they will very much dislike you. The only business you're going to have is rando's from facebook who are going to stiff you every chance they can because they don't care.

 

[unslow1]

I know of a few guys that do the mobile diagnostics for problem cars at shops. They charge like $275 per and have tens of thousands in equipment. They aren't right then they don't get paid and eat the parts. They do the cars that even the dealer master techs can't figure out.

I think the OP is talking about going out to help the general public which I would never do. The idea of explaining how drive cycles haven't been run and the check engine light might come back on for something different would be tough to explain.

 

[nbpt100]

But it's not worth $125 an hour to you for a guy who is proficient and bought all the equipment, software, and access to OEM downloads?
Probably why you can't find anyone.

Generally it would be. I did not want to get into it. The issues are complicated to explain. I'll just say this. Pre Pandemic i went to the German car mechanic some in my area rave about and spoke with him in detail about my electrical issues that need a VAGCOM at a minimum to chase down. Bottom line, He said he can try but was not confident he could solve any of the issues. I do most of my own work (As most GJ'ers do) and he could see that from my answers to his questions to me. He then went on to try to sell me on a timing belt job. He knows he can do that. He probably has done so many he does it at half the book time. He is busy and he would rather work on other problems. Like $100k BMWs. He can pick and choose what he works on.

There is one other German shop that has a good rep which is about 25 miles from here and i just dont have time to go up there and pursue it. So far. As I said, nothing pressing. IF there was an experienced Mobile VagCom guy who could come to me and give valuable guidance, it would be more compelling.

 

[dchawk81]

Which tools do you have and how do you charge people?

I don’t have what it takes to repair a random car from the beginning to the end. But I think I can help others who stuck in their driveway a good idea on what their problem is.

I have an oscilloscope and a tpms tool now. Need a fancier odb2 tool like MS906BT. Multimeter test light of course. What else to buy?

But more importantly, is there a market for that? Are there enough people who can benefit from such relatively simple services?

Wouldn't this depend on what fits in your fanny pack?

 

[qqzj]

Wouldn't this depend on what fits in your fanny pack?

Hey I thought this part of the website is a bit more about taking care of business. Jokes can be forwarded to the fanny pack thread.

 

[richfinn]

Generally it would be. I did not want to get into it. The issues are complicated to explain. I'll just say this. Pre Pandemic i went to the German car mechanic some in my area rave about and spoke with him in detail about my electrical issues that need a VAGCOM at a minimum to chase down. Bottom line, He said he can try but was not confident he could solve any of the issues. I do most of my own work (As most GJ'ers do) and he could see that from my answers to his questions to me. He then went on to try to sell me on a timing belt job. He knows he can do that. He probably has done so many he does it at half the book time. He is busy and he would rather work on other problems. Like $100k BMWs. He can pick and choose what he works on.

There is one other German shop that has a good rep which is about 25 miles from here and i just dont have time to go up there and pursue it. So far. As I said, nothing pressing. IF there was an experienced Mobile VagCom guy who could come to me and give valuable guidance, it would be more compelling.

VAGcom doesn’t actually exist anymore (it changed it's name more than a decade ago), it's called VCDS. It's basically just a really well designed scantool that emulates the VAG system (currently ODIS) and it's predecessors to a very high level.

The only things that are really different than a regular scantool are within live data VAG use measuring blocks which group certain data PIDs together to save you endlessly searching through lists. And coding where you can copy an I.D and write it to a new module to ensure the correct options are activated (most scan tools do this but VCDS makes it easy by letting you see the actual coding). VW/Audi also like to use I.D numbers for sensors and actuators instead of component names to save any confusion (Germans are like this, it's logical and makes sense, they also tend to use the German words/abbreviations for wire colors on wiring diagrams).

The best thing for you about this tool is that if you buy a genuine license/VCI from Ross Tech, you can then use their website for support/training material/technical advice on coding and measuring block ID numbers.

You can ignore these features and use it like a regular scantool if you prefer, but seasoned VW/Audi techs know exactly which measuring blocks to select to get the relevant data stream for graphing/analysis

It's an absolute no brainer if you own a VW/Audi vehicle, do the scan copy and post it to the forum and somebody will help you diag/fix your car (they might ask you to do some pinpoint tests).

They even have a YouTube channel with tutorials etc.

https://youtube.com/@RossTechVCDS

 

[Meursault74]

Hey I thought this part of the website is a bit more about taking care of business. Jokes can be forwarded to the fanny pack thread.

These can answer your original questions. I'll joke about anything, anywhere.

 

[Walkers]

Why don’t you buy VAGCOM and become that guy?

Have you ever worked on VWs? They ****! to work on! I would hate being the go to VW guy in town.

 

[richfinn]

Have you ever worked on VWs? They ****! to work on! I would hate being the go to VW guy in town.

Yeah, but that's where the money is, fixing the stuff nobody else wants to tackle

 

[unslow1]

Yeah, but that's where the money is, fixing the stuff nobody else wants to tackle

I know a guy that specializes in British cars. His waiting line is months and people bring him cars from hundreds of miles away. I asked him what he charges and he said whatever he wants. If they ask for an estimate up front they can go elsewhere.

 

[nbpt100]

VAGcom doesn’t actually exist anymore (it changed it's name more than a decade ago), it's called VCDS. It's basically just a really well designed scantool that emulates the VAG system (currently ODIS) and it's predecessors to a very high level.

The only things that are really different than a regular scantool are within live data VAG use measuring blocks which group certain data PIDs together to save you endlessly searching through lists. And coding where you can copy an I.D and write it to a new module to ensure the correct options are activated (most scan tools do this but VCDS makes it easy by letting you see the actual coding). VW/Audi also like to use I.D numbers for sensors and actuators instead of component names to save any confusion (Germans are like this, it's logical and makes sense, they also tend to use the German words/abbreviations for wire colors on wiring diagrams).

The best thing for you about this tool is that if you buy a genuine license/VCI from Ross Tech, you can then use their website for support/training material/technical advice on coding and measuring block ID numbers.

You can ignore these features and use it like a regular scantool if you prefer, but seasoned VW/Audi techs know exactly which measuring blocks to select to get the relevant data stream for graphing/analysis

It's an absolute no brainer if you own a VW/Audi vehicle, do the scan copy and post it to the forum and somebody will help you diag/fix your car (they might ask you to do some pinpoint tests).

They even have a YouTube channel with tutorials etc.

https://youtube.com/@RossTechVCDS

OK, I see a lot of people suggesting OBDEleven on the VW forums. They say it does the same thing with your phone. IDK??? It is more affordable though.

Have you ever worked on VWs? They ****! to work on! I would hate being the go to VW guy in town.

That is how VW designed thier cars. The owners manual is full of "take it to the dealer" notations for things that are historically considered basic owner tasks. Like checking and adding the brake fluid. When I first got this car I swore up and down at it. After I got a bit use to how they do things I find it better to work on. But it was a learning curve. They have a handful of specialty VW tools. There are often work arounds. It is my first and last German Car. They have a high cost of ownership.

They are popular cars with younger folks. The few Indy mechanics that specialize in them do very well for themselves. At least from what I can see. It may vary region to region.

 

[Shoreline_]

If someone had to ask a carpentry forum what they needed to start a remodeling company, I wouldn't have a lot of trust in their ability to actually remodel anything at that moment. I think you should work at a shop or something first for a long time before you decide to take on the liability of solving electro mechanical/ electronic issues on vehicles.

 

[Odd-job]

Diagnostics can be pretty niche despite Scanner Danner seemingly working on everything and anything. Although I feel like he might shy away from the Euro stuff more often than not based on his Youtube videos. VAG (Volkswagen), SDS (Mercedes), OSS? (BMW) might have something to do with it. Diesel vs Gas, etc.

Like anything in business it is identifying the supply and demand (the niche), often time specializing, investing in the equipment, and getting the requisite learning and experience, sometimes through trial and error experience which can be expensive in both time and money.

Personally I don't think you want the customer base that would otherwise go for the free code lookup at the local auto parts store to try troubleshooting the check engine light. On the other hand would have had a family member pay good money to troubleshoot a recurring bizarre issue on a diva Mercedes V12 that only seemed to want to work right on warm days that their local indy SDS equipped Mercedes mechanic wasn't able to troubleshoot. It was so bizarre I can't even remember what the issue turned out being other than the parts cannon strategy eventually worked...

 

[qqzj]

If someone had to ask a carpentry forum what they needed to start a remodeling company, I wouldn't have a lot of trust in their ability to actually remodel anything at that moment. I think you should work at a shop or something first for a long time before you decide to take on the liability of solving electro mechanical/ electronic issues on vehicles.

That won’t happen. I am just a hobbyist who wants to make some money to justify purchasing some fancy tools that makes no sense for home use.

Believe it or not, there’s a huge group of men who knows about engine codes, even oxygen sensors and even fuel trims. But they don’t have a decent tool to really analyze their problems. For example, to diag a wheel speed sensor, just hook the tool to the car and drive, if the signal drops to zero once per revolution, it’s clear that the magnetic ring failed, not the sensor. So what I am thinking is like renting the tool to them and we can figure out together.

 

[Odd-job]

Maybe the key is more trustworthy friends to loan out expensive tools to? To justify buying them in the first place? I might be in the same boat, but would have issues charging or trying to make money off of that, but am all for justifying buying more tools.

 

[qqzj]

Maybe the key is more trustworthy friends to loan out expensive tools to? To justify buying them in the first place? I might be in the same boat, but would have issues charging or trying to make money off of that, but am all for justifying buying more tools.

I am not in the mechanic trade and my own friends are not handy. Look at here

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/shocking-prices-for-oil-changes.488430/

My own stable has Toyota Honda and Subaru. These cars are too easy to repair. I have 49 years on them combined and I never needed a scanner to fix them. It looks I don’t need one before they get junked. Hopefully you can see my problem

 

[richfinn]

OK, I see a lot of people suggesting OBDEleven on the VW forums. They say it does the same thing with your phone. IDK??? It is more affordable though.



That is how VW designed thier cars. The owners manual is full of "take it to the dealer" notations for things that are historically considered basic owner tasks. Like checking and adding the brake fluid. When I first got this car I swore up and down at it. After I got a bit use to how they do things I find it better to work on. But it was a learning curve. They have a handful of specialty VW tools. There are often work arounds. It is my first and last German Car. They have a high cost of ownership.

They are popular cars with younger folks. The few Indy mechanics that specialize in them do very well for themselves. At least from what I can see. It may vary region to region.

I'm not familiar with OBDEleven, but I do know Rosstech VCDS has been around for 25 years or more (many VAG dealer techs even utilise it over ODIS) and they are a USA based company that speaks my language and offers a proven product with support. That's enough persuasion from me

As an aside, everybody has got to start somewhere on any skillset based journey and there is always room for more, so do your research and don't get caught up in the scantool marketing trap (you are going to have to invest to learn enough to make $$$$)

Read as much as you can and buy what is going to give you the best bang for the buck.

I would highly recommend Paul Danners book on engine performance diagnostics as a starting point, it contains test procedures (like bypass tests) no classroom is ever going to teach you.

Good luck, as Eric O states in every video "If I can do it, you can do it"

 

[qqzj]

I'm not familiar with OBDEleven, but I do know Rosstech VCDS has been around for 25 years or more (many VAG dealer techs even utilise it over ODIS) and they are a USA based company that speaks my language and offers a proven product with support. That's enough persuasion from me

As an aside, everybody has got to start somewhere on any skillset based journey and there is always room for more, so do your research and don't get caught up in the scantool marketing trap (you are going to have to invest to learn enough to make $$$$)

Read as much as you can and buy what is going to give you the best bang for the buck.

I would highly recommend Paul Danners book on engine performance diagnostics as a starting point, it contains test procedures (like bypass tests) no classroom is ever going to teach you.

Good luck, as Eric O states in every video "If I can do it, you can do it"

That’s only true if you have all his tools, right? Sounds a bit disingenuous.

I like diagnostics dan’s punch line better. Let’s fix it, together! The only problem is that we have fixed a lot of cars together and I never get paid anything

 

[richfinn]

I am not in the mechanic trade and my own friends are not handy. Look at here

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/shocking-prices-for-oil-changes.488430/

My own stable has Toyota Honda and Subaru. These cars are too easy to repair. I have 49 years on them combined and I never needed a scanner to fix them. It looks I don’t need one before they get junked. Hopefully you can see my problem

Yes, theoretically anything is fixable using a scope/diagrams and unlimited time/testing.

But in a commercial environment it's all about maximising your diag time, what might take you 2 hours to figure out currently, really needs to be a 15 minute job to make a living.

You need tools that narrow the field quickly to arrive at an accurate diagnosis, you simply don't have time to start from scratch with zero direction in which way to proceed.

 

[richfinn]

I like diagnostics dan’s punch line better. Let’s fix it, together! The only problem is that we have fixed a lot of cars together and I never get paid anything

That's the difficult part, it's like getting blood out of stones

 

[richfinn]

I know a guy that specializes in British cars. His waiting line is months and people bring him cars from hundreds of miles away. I asked him what he charges and he said whatever he wants. If they ask for an estimate up front they can go elsewhere.

It's crazy, because mechanically/electrically old British cars/bikes are the epitome of simplicity really. I suspect it's more of a trust thing with the owners and maybe a little bit of fear/trepidation on behalf of the mechanics.

 

[Odd-job]

I am not in the mechanic trade and my own friends are not handy. Look at here

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/shocking-prices-for-oil-changes.488430/

My own stable has Toyota Honda and Subaru. These cars are too easy to repair. I have 49 years on them combined and I never needed a scanner to fix them. It looks I don’t need one before they get junked. Hopefully you can see my problem

Have a Toyota as well. Bought a scan tool for it and have never used it. Don't even think I ever had a check engine light come on ever in 14 years of ownership. Window switch caught on fire once which was pretty easy to diagnose to say the least.

Mercedes on the other hand has single handedly caused me to up my diagnostic game. Haven't gone as far as buying the factory software system, but have come close to pulling the trigger.

 

[unslow1]

It's crazy, because mechanically/electrically old British cars/bikes are the epitome of simplicity really. I suspect it's more of a trust thing with the owners and maybe a little bit of fear/trepidation on behalf of the mechanics.

This is also the the middle of the USA. I grew up with an Austin-Healey in my household and a couple of high school friends with MGs but I still don't like to work on them.

 

[richfinn]

This is also the the middle of the USA. I grew up with an Austin-Healey in my household and a couple of high school friends with MGs but I still don't like to work on them.

Why?, I grew up fettling MGBs, my old boss Bernard (when I was an apprentice) was the go to guy for the GKN overdrive units (nobody else would touch them). He was a proper old school REME guy, took part in the D Day landings in Normandy, slightly mad and super strict, but could fix just about anything out of an old cantilever toolbox, without his knowledge and skill level I would have lost interest in this trade to be honest.

I've still got a few of the tools he made somewhere!!

 

[dchawk81]

That won’t happen. I am just a hobbyist who wants to make some money to justify purchasing some fancy tools that makes no sense for home use.

Believe it or not, there’s a huge group of men who knows about engine codes, even oxygen sensors and even fuel trims. But they don’t have a decent tool to really analyze their problems. For example, to diag a wheel speed sensor, just hook the tool to the car and drive, if the signal drops to zero once per revolution, it’s clear that the magnetic ring failed, not the sensor. So what I am thinking is like renting the tool to them and we can figure out together.

Been watching Eric O, have ya?

 

[2ndGearRubber]

That won’t happen. I am just a hobbyist who wants to make some money to justify purchasing some fancy tools that makes no sense for home use.

Believe it or not, there’s a huge group of men who knows about engine codes, even oxygen sensors and even fuel trims. But they don’t have a decent tool to really analyze their problems. For example, to diag a wheel speed sensor, just hook the tool to the car and drive, if the signal drops to zero once per revolution, it’s clear that the magnetic ring failed, not the sensor. So what I am thinking is like renting the tool to them and we can figure out together.

Just because it's dropping to zero doesn't decide the part fault. Unless you're talking a lab scope, with a traditional passive magnetic systen. Active wheel speed sensors you'll need to convert to frequency to make heads or tails of. Your scan tool refresh rate isn't going to be fast enough to make a once per revolution trigger wheel damage call, unless you're talking active sensors, which then is still a mixed bag vs. Refresh rate. Usually chop in the data is your smoking gun for tone wheel damage.

I would recommend doing this basically for free as a community service for basic stuff to get an idea of what you will face. Same deal as the roofers who build habitat for humanity houses on the weekend for free.


A 906 and no service info is going to get you stomped into the ground. I too, am regularly stomped into the ground. I would question the % of people who know what fueltrim is, let alone can decide a vacuum leak vs MAF problem sitting in the parking lot. You could do basic part faults, but without service info you're going to get thrashed.


Edit- I mean this nicely BTW. Not trying to be an ******* about it. But things get very deep very fast more often than you want to admit.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Yes, theoretically anything is fixable using a scope/diagrams and unlimited time/testing.

But in a commercial environment it's all about maximising your diag time, what might take you 2 hours to figure out currently, really needs to be a 15 minute job to make a living.

You need tools that narrow the field quickly to arrive at an accurate diagnosis, you simply don't have time to start from scratch with zero direction in which way to proceed.

THANK YOU.

I can fix anything, I am confident to say that. I need factory tooling, factory diagrams and aftermarket repair analytics, lab scope, training budget, and a blank check for time and $$$.


I have a few cars right now with several hours in, I'll get paid $25/pre tax for. One needs to be able to crush other jobs to even out. So if you're doing diagnostic which is the highest skill and most expensive tooling required work, the labor rate goes up and up to cover the costs.

I have a bargain basement setup of tooling. I have a single source of service info from my employer. 15k would replicate what I have. And as I said previously, these cars still stomp on me from time to time. Multiple problems, multiple layers of failures, no parts availability, no service info or diagnostic plans in the tools, etc.


I joked with a dealer tech I know, all faults are simple at the dealer level. Component doesn't fix the fault? Replace module. Module and part don't fix fault, replace harness. CAN network pulled to ground? Replace every module in order of cost, program them and retest. Then sell a chassis harness 15 modules later. LMAO

Yeah, one -can- fix things with unlimited $$$ and time. Thats not how you want to do it, especially when you get paid by the job.

 

[unslow1]

This reminds me of when I used to work on computers for family and friends. I could fix things people like the Geek Squad couldn't. It wasn't because I was better at it was because I could take hours to figure it out. They didn't have that luxury. An hour in if they couldn't find it they had to wipe it and start over. The clock is ticking and when the the bill is over $100 an hour the service manager is going to tell you to either ship it or take your best guess. The parts cannon is often the cheaper route and usually works. It really ***** to have to go that route but often it isn't up to the tech.