What happens when you forget to check basic things like fuses and lights before diving into a repair diagnosis? As Austin Brown, contributor to ShopOwner’s sister publication TechShop finds out, it can lead to lost time and potentially failed diagnosis.

“Whether this should be chalked up as a rookie mistake or not is up to you to determine,” says Brown. “The automotive field is always about learning from your mistakes. Since I have only been in the automotive field for approximately six years, I still have a lot of learning to do, and I’m sure a lot more mistakes like this one. I have always been told, in this job, you will never stop learning. There is still a lesson to be taught, whether from a more experienced technician or learning from your own experiences. Hopefully, this article will help a technician save some time and keep them from having to waste time on an easy fix. I have taken away from this experience to make sure that checking the lights and fuses should always be a part of my diagnostic checklist.”