A mechanic working on a 2019 Honda CR-V ran into an unusual problem after a software update. The customer returned with concerns about unexpected braking and a lengthy diagnostic request that appeared to be written by artificial intelligence.
The mechanic shared the experience on Reddit’s r/Justrolledintotheshop, where other technicians discussed the growing number of customers arriving with AI-generated repair instructions.
The vehicle owner was concerned about unintended automatic braking, a potentially serious safety issue. However, the technician said they couldn’t reproduce the problem during testing, making it hard to determine what was causing the behavior.
The mechanic titled the post “My fault for doing an update that pays .3,” referring to a job that paid three-tenths of a labor hour. What initially seemed like a straightforward software update turned into a dispute over additional diagnostics and responsibility for the vehicle’s behavior.
An AI Diagnosis
My fault for doing an update that pays .3
by
u/sugarfryz1 in
Justrolledintotheshop
The technician acknowledged that the customer’s braking complaint appeared genuine but expressed frustration with the lengthy written instructions.
In a follow-up comment, the mechanic explained that the customer had also raised the possibility of liability for both the dealership and Honda. The technician said there had been no complaints about the braking problem before the recall-related software update.
Another commenter suggested that the customer might be following vehicles too closely, potentially triggering the collision avoidance system. The mechanic acknowledged the possibility but did not establish it as the cause.
Other users questioned the feasibility of the requested testing, including checking for intermittent electrical faults inside the vehicle’s stability control system.
The mechanic responded that there was no straightforward procedure for investigating some of those possibilities while driving.
Mechanics Push Back
Several commenters described similar encounters with customers bringing AI-generated diagnostic instructions into repair shops.
One technician said customers increasingly request extensive testing based on online recommendations rather than describing what their vehicles are actually doing.
Another commenter in the automotive parts business described customers ordering components recommended by AI without confirming compatibility through the vehicle identification number.
Others suggested that shops should charge customers for additional testing rather than automatically performing every requested procedure. However, the discussion also criticized how manufacturers and dealerships handle intermittent vehicle problems.
One commenter argued that customers should not have to accept unpredictable braking simply because a mechanic cannot reproduce the malfunction during a short test drive.
The Unresolved Problem
Some commenters recommended asking the Honda owner to document the exact circumstances surrounding the braking incidents, including road conditions, location, and time of day.
Those details could help a technician reproduce an intermittent malfunction and distinguish an actual system defect from normal collision avoidance behavior.
The discussion highlighted a difficult situation for both sides. The customer reported a potentially dangerous problem, while the mechanic had no confirmed failure to diagnose.
The technician was willing to investigate the braking complaint but wanted a clearer description of the symptoms rather than an extensive list of AI-generated tests.