Does that make Sense?

By Dave Trux

It’s a question I often ask at the service desk. Why? Because today’s cars are complex pieces of machinery that have hundreds of sensors, computer systems and are engineered beyond belief. For example, you may visit your repair facility because you have a check engine light. Your shop performs a diagnosis on the vehicle and informs you that you need to replace the fuel tank vent valve as that is the root of your check engine light.

I challenge you. Do you actually know what a fuel tank vent valve is? Do you know what function it performs? Chances are high that you answered no to both of those questions.

So, at this point, you know what caused the check engine light. Most likely, you also know how much it will cost for the check engine light to go away and how long the repair will take. But you still have no earthly clue as to what this valve is and what it does.

At our shop, we feel it’s important to explain to our customers what is wrong with their vehicle. If even on an elementary level, it’s important that you have an understanding what is wrong with your car. In this instance, we would explain to you that the fuel tank vent valve is part of the vehicle emission system, that its function is to capture gasoline vapors and to contain them in the fuel system. Otherwise, those fuel vapors could escape into the environment, which would cause you to lose engine performance and on some level, increase emissions output. Lastly, we would simply ask you, “Does that make sense?”

Hopefully, your repair facility takes the time to explain things to you in a way you understand. If not, perhaps it’s time to look for a new service provider. There’s no worse feeling than leaving a shop and asking yourself what you just paid for.

Does that make sense?