Did AI diagnose your vehicle fault?

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes ever more ubiquitous in every day life, it is tempting to turn to AI for answers to our every day problems. Increasingly we find that motorists are using AI to diagnose vehicle faults.

However, there are some good reasons to be cautious about using AI to diagnose car faults, even though AI can be useful for understanding symptoms and suggesting things to investigate.

The main problem is that a car fault is often not as straightforward as the symptoms suggest.

One symptom, many causes

For example, let's take the case of an engine which is difficult to start. This symptom could be caused by any one or more of several causes, such as:

• a weak battery

• a failing starter motor

• a fuel delivery problem

• an ignition fault

• a faulty sensor

• an electrical connection

• an immobiliser issue

• or something mechanical.

We can tell an AI what the symptom is and it can suggest possible faults that might be responsible. The big problem is that AI cannot physically inspect and examine the vehicle or run the kind of diagnostic tests that will help determine which potential fault is actually responsible for the difficulty in starting the engine.

Context: AI doesn't have the full picture

Following on from this first point, a mechanic can see the vehicle and the problem in context, to listen to the engine, inspect wiring and components, check fluid levels, look for leaks, connect diagnostic equipment and carry out physical tests. They can ask the driver for background information and methodically narrow down the root cause of the fault.

AI is typically responding to the user's input from what you tell it. If an important detail is missing or misunderstood, the resulting diagnosis can be completely different. As AI learns it may be able to ask questions to clarify your enquiry and make a better and more useful prompt, but it still relies on the need for the user to provide a context for the query.

Diagnostic fault codes aren't necessarily the fault

This is a particularly important one as it is a typical use-case for AI enquiries.

For example, if a mechanic carries out a test and a diagnostic scanner reports a sensor-related fault, this does not necessarily mean the sensor itself needs replacing. The underlying problem could be wiring, a connector, power supply, another component or a condition elsewhere in the system. A colleague had a persistent problem of this type which constantly put his Honda HR-V into limp mode. Only patient and methodical investigation by mechanics resolved the issue which had a number of interrelated causes.

Meanwhile, if a driver is to simply enter an OBD fault code into an AI and asking "What's wrong with my car?", the resulting information may therefore lead someone down the wrong path. It can explain what the fault code means but to properly investigate the actual fault, physical inspection is essential.

It can encourage unnecessary parts replacement

It may seem counter-intuitive to suggest spending money to save money, but the reality is that a professional diagnosis may cost less than a succession of unnecessary parts.

Replacing parts based on a suspected diagnosis rather than testing the system properly can lead to potentially costly mistakes. You might spend £100–£300 replacing a component that wasn't actually faulty, only to discover that the original problem remains.

At Dowleys we always strive to offer our customers the best possible advice, listening to your thoughts on the problem and ensuring we only propose work that is truly necessary.

Some faults are safety-critical

As most AI models clearly state, their answers can contain mistakes. With that in mind, while many do so, relying on AI answers about serious health matters rather than seeing a doctor is a risky course of action. Similarly, when considering vehicle problems involving brakes, steering, suspension, tyres or other safety-critical systems, taking a guess based and hoping for the best, bsed on potentially erroneous information, simply is not worth the risk.

A vehicle may appear to drive normally while having a fault that requires immediate attention. AI cannot measure tread depth on worn tyres or inspect brakes. Therefore it should not be treated as a replacement for a physical inspection by a properly qualified mechanic where detailed assessment of the the vehicle can be made.

Modern cars are complicated

Modern vehicles are extremely complicated machines and will only become more so as automotive technology advances. A typical modern car will contain many interconnected electronic systems on top of the mechanical components of the vehicle. A problem in one system may well produce symptoms somewhere else.

This interconnection means that a warning light or unusual behaviour doesn't necessarily identify the component that has failed. Proper diagnosis is likely to need, as mentioned previously, proper physical inspection, running diagnostics, looking at live data, testing circuits and understanding how the vehicle's systems interact.

So is AI useless for car problems?

No; used with caution and with the caveats we have listed here in mind, AI can be very useful as a first source of information. Typical uses might be for explaining what a warning light means, helping you understand a diagnostic code, suggesting questions to ask a garage, or explaining what a mechanic has told you. With that said, AI is not necessary for this purpose as traditional search engines have been a source of information about specific topics, like fault codes. Where AI comes in is to offer a conversational approach to searching for this information.

As we have stressed, the important distinction is: use AI to help your understanding of a car problem, not to replace proper diagnosis of the car or to second-guess expert advice.

For something like a strange noise or warning light, AI might help you identify whether it sounds potentially serious and what information to give a garage. However, the ultimate diagnosis should come from proper testing and inspection of the actual vehicle.

In that regard, that is where we are most happy to offer all our customers the best of expert advice, testing, servicing and repairs. If you are searching AI for an answer to your vehicle fault, why not speak to our experts or book a service online today