Navigating The Information Highway for Vehicle Repair Help, from Motor Age.
It’s much easier today to find answers to your tough diagnostic questions, but how do you know that answer is accurate?
If you came across a new troubleshooting or repair problem when I first started in this business, you asked the guys you worked with their opinions. If you had a decent relationship with other area shops, you might even give one of them a call. With the birth of the Internet, all that has changed. “Google it” is now a part of our every day vernacular, and many of you report that you do just that when faced with a challenge today. There is only one problem that existed way back when that is still true now: How do you know the information you are getting is good information?
As the technical editor for this magazine, I know the importance of verifying my sources before reporting to you. The same is true when you are seeking answers online to the challenges that face you on a daily basis. You have to be able to verify the validity of the resource you are relying on, or else you’ll just be “shotgunning” parts in the hope that the problem will go away. Many so-called repair recommendations I’ve seen posted on popular social networks (Facebook, Google+) are actually scary and go against every professional standard for repair we have. These “fixes” could actually place you or your customer in danger and/or open you to criminal and civil liability.
To help you navigate the information highway, here are some proven Internet resources you can rely on. This list is not all-inclusive but I’m sure it will give you a good start.
