Three years ago I taught a local auto shop about AI diagnostics and now they swear by it, but my buddy says it's just a gimmick for old cars like his 98 Civic.

Last week at Joe's Garage in Portland the owner showed me how their AI tool caught a failing alternator three days before it died, saving them a comeback, but my friend argues those systems just throw codes at you that a seasoned mechanic would already know from listening to the engine - so who's really winning here, the tech or the experience?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_olivia1mo ago

and honestly angelaellis nailed it, that's exactly what I've seen too. My local shop has two older guys who can diagnose a misfire by smell alone, but they're both pushing 65 and talking about fishing full time. The AI tool lets the younger mechanics catch the subtle stuff like a vacuum leak that sounds fine under load but screams on cold starts, and they've been fixing those issues way faster without waiting for the old timers to come over and listen for five seconds. So the tech isn't replacing the experience, it's spreading it out so the shop doesn't fall apart when those guys finally hang up their wrenches.

angelaellis1mo ago

Yo but nobody's talking about how the AI is basically a second set of ears for the new guys, so the shop doesn't have to rely on just one old timer who might retire next year.