Using Technical Bulletins in Diagnostic Cases

Keep the source beside the reasoning

A technician may consult a licensed technical reference, review a previous repair, or discuss the symptoms with another specialist. The next person working on the vehicle needs to understand what that information changed.

Record the reference you consulted, the relevant finding, and how it relates to the vehicle in front of you. A source name on its own cannot explain a conclusion.

For shops using ATRA or other licensed references, access and permitted use remain subject to the provider's terms. A Locomotion subscription does not imply that those reference subscriptions are included.

What belongs in a diagnostic case

A useful record brings together:

• Vehicle identity: the VIN and decoded vehicle context.
• The complaint: what the customer reported and when it happens.
• Observed evidence: test-drive findings, scanner codes, and relevant notes or photos.
• Sources consulted: available shop knowledge, prior work, or licensed references, with enough detail to find the source again.
• The reasoning: what supports a hypothesis, what conflicts with it, and what is still missing.
• The human conclusion: the diagnostician's final decision, including edits to AI suggestions.
• The verification: what was checked after repair and whether the result passed.

The aim is a record another person can follow without reconstructing the job from memory.

Analysis A, Analysis B, and the final conclusion

In Locomotion, Analysis A is the preliminary analysis before the drive. Analysis B revises the analysis after test-drive and scanner evidence is added. Both are advisory AI outputs.

The final conclusion is a separate human decision. Analysis B does not become an authorized repair simply because it sounds confident.

The analysis should make its inputs, supporting evidence, missing evidence, and confidence rationale visible. When the technician disagrees, the record should retain the human edits and the conclusion they confirm.

See how diagnosis support works.

Licensed references are optional

Locomotion's core diagnosis flow does not require ATRA, Identifix, Mitchell, or another licensed reference provider. The available evidence can include vehicle information, the customer's complaint, technician observations, and shop knowledge.

Third-party reference material can add context when access is configured and authorized. Availability depends on the source and integration setup. Do not assume automatic access to a particular bulletin, manual, or provider's complete library.

If an answer depends on evidence that is unavailable, the useful response is to identify the gap and the next test. A confident answer with no visible support is a reason to investigate, not a reason to approve a repair.

Carry the record through verification

A diagnosis explains the intended repair. Verification records whether the work resolved the concern.

Locomotion-managed diagnosis cases require a passing verification result before invoicing, delivery, and closeout. This includes adopted Tekmetric cases. Post-repair road-test evidence and a code recheck support that decision, and a human confirms the result.

If verification fails, the work returns to the repair or rework loop. Preserving that result helps the team understand what was tried and what still needs attention.

Measure the benefit in your own shop

Start with questions your team can answer: Can another technician find the evidence? Can the service advisor explain the confirmed repair? Is the final check recorded before delivery?

Then compare your own measures over time, such as missing evidence, time spent reconstructing a case, or repeat repair concerns. We do not promise a particular reduction in comebacks, insurance costs, or disputes from using a digital record.

Request a walkthrough using the evidence and handoffs that matter in your shop.