Case study: VW Polo

Steve Smith's Case Study this month (supported by felow Pico Automotive Specialist Phil Rutt, and Kevin Ives of Ives Garage) covers a VW Polo, where not all is as it seems and misdiagnosis awaits around every turn!

When it comes to diagnosis a cool head must be maintained when all around appears to be crumbling. Our relationship with the customer pays dividends during diagnosis where rapport is essential when things appear to go from bad to worse.

It is very easy to jump to conclusions when the evidence gathered during diagnosis points to a particular component. It is at this stage we should take stock and step away to ponder before we commit to our diagnosis.

James Dillon shares a very good comment surrounding commitment to a diagnosis:

"When replacing a component and you discover the fault is still apparent you then ask yourself, what else could it be? Why not ask yourself this same question before replacing the suspect component?"

Asking yourself this question before committing to your diagnosis could potentially lead you to the actual cause and avoid embarrassment. The case study below is one such example where taking a step back at the correct point in time saved the day.

The vehicle in question is a 1.2 3-cylinder VW Polo. The vehicle's owner complained of power loss and intermittent cutting out at junctions (the customer had also requested a long overdue service).

To read this twisting case study, and understand the need for a PicoScope and accessories to help you diagnose the fault please view the VW Polo | Misleading error codes case study on our website.

Latest software: New Beta release

Latest release

As soon as we release new software, it is made available in a free download to all PicoScope Automotive owners from our website. To check which version you are using, start the PicoScope Automotive software and select Help | About.

The current stable version is: PicoScope 6 Automotive R6.10.18.

New Beta release

The latest beta release is: PicoScope 6 Automotive R6.11.7. Don't forget, the beta software installs alongside your standard PicoScope installation so as not to disturb your stable software.

New features:

New Guided Tests and formatting adjustments (with improved links to online help)
Improvements to NVH testing within the PicoDiagnostics software. All 3-axis can now be measured individually rather than as a vector sum. Allowing you to identify the direction of vibration.

Important note: If you have a version of PicoScope earlier than R6.10.16, you must update to R6.10.16 or later before installing this new beta. To update automatically, use the 'Help > Check for Updates' menu command in PicoScope.