Auto Diagnosis & vehicle data
Known answers first. Then the test plan.
Pick the vehicle and describe the concern. You see what’s already known before anyone picks up a wrench: recalls that may cover it, what other owners of the same model report to NHTSA, what fixed it at your shop before, and what the codes mean. An optional AI test plan is built from the same data.
The concern
Start from the concern
Tap what the customer described. Auto Diagnosis pulls the same five sources for every concern, then ranks what it finds against it.
The concern
Check engine light
The concern
Misfire / runs rough
The concern
No start / no crank
The concern
Stalls / shuts off
The concern
Overheating / coolant loss
The concern
Oil leak / burning oil
The concern
Shifting / transmission
The concern
Brakes: noise, pedal, ABS
The concern
Steering / pulling
The concern
Clunk / suspension noise
The concern
Vibration / shake
The concern
Battery drain / electrical
The concern
A/C or heat
The concern
Airbag / SRS light
The concern
Fuel smell / leak / mileage
The concern
Driver-assist warnings
What Auto Diagnosis pulls for this
- Recalls for the model year
- Owner complaints for one model year either side, ranked, with common phrases and typical failure mileage
- Your shop’s matching ROs
- Code meanings with causes ordered most likely first
- General first checks, labelled “confirm with the OEM procedure”
Pick the vehicle from the shop, a customer or plate, a scanned or typed VIN, or year/make/model. P, B, C and U codes are picked out of what you type, and opening it from an RO brings in the concern and codes.
Sources
Where the answers come from
Every lead says where it came from, so the tech knows how much weight to give it.
Recalls
NHTSA recalls for the model year. One that may relate to the concern goes to the top of the quick answer.
Owner complaints
What owners reported to NHTSA for one model year either side, ranked against the concern, with common phrases and typical failure mileage.
Fixed here before
Your own ROs on the same make and model, then the same make, with a matching concern, code or cause.
Code meanings
Generic SAE meanings, with causes ordered most likely first. Manufacturer-specific codes are flagged to look up in OEM information.
First checks
General first checks for each concern, labelled “confirm with the OEM procedure.”
AI test plan Optional
Claude builds a test plan from the same data. When you open Auto Diagnosis from an RO, you can save the plan to that RO’s notes. Needs Shop Cloud and your Anthropic key.
Nothing is invented
Vehicle-specific facts come only from NHTSA data or your own repair orders. These are leads to verify, not a diagnosis, and the AI test plan always needs staff review.
- Recalls and owner reports: NHTSA data
- Fixed here before: your own repair orders
- Opened from an RO, the findings go into its notes for the tech to verify
VIN decoder
A VIN decoder that runs on the device
Type or scan a VIN and it decodes from NHTSA data that ships with the app. There’s no outside VIN service.
- Check digit (ISO 3779), model year and country always work offline, and so does the maker for common manufacturers.
- The detailed decode for a maker, including six-character WMIs for small manufacturers, downloads once from the app and is kept for offline use.
- Scan VIN barcodes with the camera.
A public sample VIN, decoded with no internet connection.
Vehicle database
435 makes and 4,073 models, built in
Look up a configuration without leaving WPI Driveline Shop Management System. Model-year pages, system diagrams, parts lists and repair guides are generated from the data.
From NHTSA’s vPIC database (public domain): passenger cars, SUVs, trucks and incomplete chassis. Vehicle data is saved on the device as you use it.
Firing order 1342
Model-year pages
Engines, drive types, bodies, transmissions, trims and plants, each tied to the VIN codes that select it (including the 8th-digit engine code), plus a VIN pattern table.
Generated system diagrams
Engine layout with cylinder numbering and firing order, engine-control inputs and outputs, starting & charging, drivetrain, cooling or EV thermal loops, brake hydraulics, network topology, OBD-II pins in use, and the high-voltage system on hybrids and EVs.
Parts lists and repair guides
A service parts list per configuration, matched to your inventory, and up to 17 general repair guides chosen for the configuration, with tools, steps and cautions.
Search from the page or the command palette: ⌘K, or Ctrl K on Windows.
Vehicle database in the sample shopReference shelf
The service library
Factory portals, free documents, wiring references, trouble codes and shop calculators, under Technical in the app or from the command palette.
Service library in the sample shopOEM service information
22 OEM service-information portals for factory manuals, wiring diagrams, TSBs and programming. They’re links; the subscriptions are yours.
Free documents
33 free official documents, such as body-builder guides and emergency-response guides, plus 15 industry & safety resources.
Wiring & pinouts
An interactive SAE J1962 OBD-II pinout with CAN tests, a relay schematic, fuse colors, OEM wire-color abbreviations, trailer connectors and an AWG table.
Codes & calculators
725 generic OBD-II codes, with causes and checks for the 65 most common. Calculators for voltage drop and wire sizing, Ohm’s law, tire size and unit conversions.
Questions
Diagnosis questions
Is it a diagnosis?
No. It gives ranked leads to verify, each with its source. The tech still tests the car.
Does it need AI?
No. Recalls, owner reports, your shop’s history, code meanings and first checks all work without it. The AI test plan is optional.
Does the VIN decoder need internet?
It doesn’t use an outside service. Check digit, year and country work offline, and so does the maker for common manufacturers. Once a maker’s detailed data is on the device, that works offline too.
Does it include factory wiring diagrams?
No. The service library links to the OEM service-information portals, and the subscriptions are yours.