I worked as a tech for approx 10 years and then ran shops for 25+ years. I had talked to and seen service writers at dealers and independent shops that were hired just to be a face in front of the customer and knew mostly nothing about repairs and diagnostics. The reasoning by the owners/managers was that a person doing that job that knew vehicles would share too much info with the customer. I called *b-u-l-l-s-h-e-e-i-t* on that and I shared as much info with the customer as it took for them to understand the diagnostic process and the reason for the needed repairs and what would be done to make that repair. Don't get me wrong, they didn't want to know ALL the details and the nuts and bolts of the process but they wanted to understand why they needed to spend the money for the proper repair process. The word got out and my shops stayed busy at all times. If a man and a woman customer team came in, I talked to both, not just the man. I always asked if they wanted to come see what I was seeing when we did the diagnostics and what was at fault. I returned parts if they wanted them unless it was a warranty part. I was always about options for them as well. I always made smart recommendations like doing the water pump when doing the timing belt, as well as cam and crank seals.....you get it.
It's just too bad, that in this day and age, that the writers cannot be more forthcoming with the correct info instead of keeping customers in the dark or just down right telling the customer a lie.
