We do this by choosing an observation which best matches the symptom the vehicle is exhibiting. We can also choose to select a diagnostic trouble code or a list of diagnostic trouble codes.

 The observation is the beginning part of our diagnostic process. it is critical to declare an observation, or a number of observations that closely match the vehicle behavior.

You can see from the accompanying image that number one (1) is where we would search observations to find the observation which best matches our problem description/symptom.

Number two (2) shows the list of available observations that match the vehicle that we’ve selected.

Number three (3) allows us to add an observation from the search list to the selected list.

The selected list is what we will use to progress through our diagnostic job.

When there are a number of different observations in the selected list, our next option is to organize these in a way that best matches the way we wish to proceed with our diagnosis. We can order the observations in a best matching order using the arrows on the right-hand side of the screen.

Once we have finished ordering the observations, and we are happy with our selection choice order, we can press the proceed arrow (7) to move to the next stage of the diagnosis.

If we prefer we can also choose to select single or multiple diagnostic trouble codes instead of an observation  selection.

This allows the diagnostic process to proceed on eith a single or an array of diagnostic trouble codes which are likely to be related to the root cause of the problem that we are investigating.

It is important to note that the case will remember the order in which we’ve arranged our observations prior to us proceeding to work through the next step.

The system breadcrumbs all of the menu options, selections and choices that we make during our diagnosis. This allows for a post match analysis of what went well and what didn’t go well during our diagnostic process.

The organization of the observations (and other elements) of our diagnostic process is one of the key advantages that diagnostic assistance provides to our users. A tidy mind and a tidy process will lead to a tidy diagnostic outcome.

The next stage is to select confidence factors.