Does Experience Give You Permission to Ignore Service Information? [E249]

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology, and Autel

Watch Full Video Episode

How much freedom should an automotive professional have to deviate from published service information?

In this episode of Automotive Field Theory, Matt Fanslow digs into that question after a recent discussion involving ADAS procedures and Ford brake caliper fasteners that service information specifically instructs technicians to remove and discard.

The debate isn't really about one set of bolts.

It's about the level of confidence we sometimes have in deciding that a procedure isn't necessary when we don't actually know why the manufacturer specified it in the first place.

Matt compares following service information to insurance and personal protective equipment. Most days, neither appears necessary. You don't buy insurance because you expect to crash every day, and you don't wear PPE because something goes wrong every time you use it. They're there for the rare day when something does go badly wrong.

That same idea applies to automotive repair.

Millions of repairs may survive a shortcut without consequence. A rope-style tire plug may last the remaining life of the tire. A reused fastener may never loosen. A skipped calibration may never produce an obvious complaint.

But is a history of getting away with something the same as evidence that the procedure wasn't necessary?

Topics Discussed

Ford service information calling for certain brake fasteners to be removed and discardedThe difficulty of finding documentation explaining why Ford requires replacementWhether thread locker, bolt coatings, fastener design, or another factor could be behind the requirementWhy the absence of an explanation doesn't automatically justify ignoring the procedureRisk management in automotive repairThe difference between something working and something being an approved repairRope-style tire plugs versus manufacturer-approved tire repair proceduresLegal exposure when a repair deviates from accepted or published proceduresOE versus aftermarket ADAS calibration equipment and proceduresWhy following the OE procedure provides an inherently defensible positionWhen departing from an OEM diagnostic trouble tree may be reasonableThe difference between deviating from a diagnostic process and deviating from a safety-related assembly procedureAdding something such as thread locker to improve robustness versus eliminating a required stepThe criticism sometimes directed toward specialists who follow service informationWhy experience alone doesn't necessarily demonstrate that a specified procedure is unnecessaryPPE, insurance, and service procedures as protection against the exceptionally bad day