Sean Tipping
374 episodes listed below
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A space to explore the diagnostic & technology side of automotive repair. We discuss tools, techniques, & ideas to sharpen your skills. We'll also interview experts in the automotive field.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Automotive Diagnostic Podcast turns real repair complications into clear lessons about tooling, evidence and technical judgment.
Sean Tipping treats vehicle diagnosis as a chain of decisions, where a wrong key, mismatched part or missing software driver can send an otherwise sensible repair sideways.
The unlock button opens the trunk; you're already wondering whether the key was wrong all along.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A grounded AI episode that puts setup and context ahead of novelty.
Sean Tipping treats AI like a tool for getting work done, not a magic fix. The episode lands best when it gets specific: invoice documentation, database notes, and the plain reality that prompts only work when the instructions and context are set up first.
A practical Ford timing lesson wrapped in a stubborn idle-surge case.
This episode is at its best when it treats diagnosis like a working habit, not a clean theory exercise. A vehicle comes in with an idle surge already sitting in its repair history, the obvious fixes have not helped, and the episode keeps narrowing the problem by comparing what…
A practical reminder that AI can help read the markings, but the final diagnosis still belongs to the technician.
This episode focuses on a practical diagnostic problem: how to narrow down a used control module or a small board component when the markings are unclear and the first answer is not enough.
A radar calibration can look fine in the bay and still fail if the sensor is physically misaligned.
This episode keeps its attention on blind spot module work and sensor calibration, especially the rear corner and front radar sensors. Sean Tipping makes a useful point: if the calibration is off, the code may point to misalignment or an angle problem, and a radar job can look…
A clear guide to tracing a GM MOST network communication fault.
GM MOST Diagnostic turns a network communication fault into a clear walk through the problem. It begins with the headache of sourcing, installing, and programming used control modules, then moves into how GM MOST systems behave when communication fails.
A stubborn key-programming problem becomes a clear lesson in reading immobilizer data and a key-in switch that never changes states.
This episode stays in the practical weeds of a stubborn key-programming problem: immobilizer data, a Toyota that keeps dinging when it should stop, and a key-in switch that never changes states.
A practical reminder that scan-tool access is not the same as understanding the network.
Sean Tipping frames module-to-module communication faults in practical terms, keeping the attention on shop-floor diagnosis rather than theory.
A practical look at diagnostics, early-career advice, and the value of shop culture.
This episode follows Matthew Elder, a technician from Texas fresh out of tech school, in a grounded conversation with Sean Dipping and Tommy about diagnostics, learning resources, and what to look for in an employer when starting out.
Cars, explained from the garage outward.
Driverless mobility, argued from the road up.
EV arguments from the performance garage.
Engineering breakthroughs, translated without the lecture.
Shop-floor talk for serious engine people.
Future shock, made practical.
Sean Tipping discusses the pervasive issue of wrong parts in automotive repair, focusing on control modules and keys.
Sean Tipping uses a Lincoln MKX case to argue that many modern parasitic draws are network problems, not just battery-current problems.
Sean Tipping spends this Automotive Diagnostic Podcast episode on rodent damage, starting with a Ford F-150 that would not start because a mouse chewed a single purple wire under the under-hood fuse box.
Sean Tipping focuses on Nissan and Infiniti ignition coils that melt repeatedly, blow the fuse, and leave the vehicle with no ECM communication.
Sean Tipping uses Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury programming as the backdrop for a warning about incorrect as-built data on Ford’s server.
Sean Tipping uses the Automotive Diagnostic Podcast to explain nitrogen air suspension service on Stellantis, GM, Jeep, Volvo, and GMC applications.
Host Sean interviews Australian technicians Clayton Olive and Vasko Serovski about their careers, training experiences, and industry challenges.
It starts with used control modules.
Sean Tipping starts with an apology for the late release and welcomes Brendan Sorensen from Brisbane, Australia.
The episode opens with a practical note on used control modules.
Sean Tipping spends this episode on blind spot module and sensor calibration.
Sean Tipping takes another pass at the key-programming headache.
It opens with a sponsor read and some rough shop banter.
Sean opens by welcoming Matthew Elder, a Texas technician who has just finished tech school and is trying to move into diagnostics.
Sean spends the episode thinking through opportunity cost, part replacement, and how long it makes sense to stay buried in the weeds.
Sean Tipping opens the episode still getting over a cold.
Sean Tipping spends the episode on a shop question that comes up all the time: does this module actually need programming?
The episode opens with a sponsor read for Auto Rescue Tools and Isaac Rodel, centered on programming laptops and other diagnostic gear.
This episode of the Automotive Diagnostic Podcast, hosted by Sean Tipping, focuses on General Motors' Global B VIP architecture, discussing its impact on automotive networks and diagnostic tools.
Sean Tipping opens with a case study about a vehicle that still has an idle surge after transmission work.
Sean Tipping uses Automotive Diagnostic Podcast 333 to reflect on 2025 goal setting and planning for 2026, after taking the last week off for the holidays.
Sean Tipping covers a 2018 Acura RDX keyless access control module replacement that refused to register with Autel, Topdon, and Honda HDS.
Sean Tipping argues that a technician does not need coding experience to build software if the pain point is clear and the workflow is repetitive.
Sean Tipping says simple battery disconnects and module unplugging can clear stubborn faults, warning lights, and codes on modern cars.
Sean Tipping revisits a 2020 case study from episode 28 and compares it with a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu 1.5 turbo that starts, idles with a surge, and shows no codes despite losing power steering, proper charging, rear defrost, and heated seats.
Sean Tipping walks through how he is using AI tools in his work right now.
Sean Tipping uses Automotive Diagnostic Podcast 340: Skill Agility to argue that the newest AI tools are moving fast enough to matter for technicians, shop owners, and mobile diagnostics.
Sean Tipping works through a 2017 BMW X1 parasitic draw that kills the battery overnight and bounces between about 4.5 amps and 6 amps in a 20-second-on, 5-second-off cycle.
Sean Tipping opens Automotive Diagnostic Podcast 323 by arguing that a $5.95 incandescent test light can produce far more value than its price when used in electrical diagnostics.
Sean Tipping uses Jeep and Chrysler 9-speed ZF transmissions to walk through the programming steps that matter after replacement: VIN write, software flashing, valve body learn, proxy alignment, and quick learn.
This episode discusses sourcing, installing, and programming used control modules in vehicles, featuring a cloning service from SJ Auto Solutions.
This episode discusses automotive diagnostic tools and techniques, including setting up a programming laptop for multiple vehicle brands.
This episode discusses sourcing, installing, and programming used control modules in vehicles, featuring a cloning service from SJ Auto Solutions.
Host Sean Tipping interviews Mario Rojas about his journey and decisions in the automotive diagnostic field.
Host Sean Tipping discusses CAN bus communication issues and diagnostic techniques for automotive repair.
This episode discusses the right to repair act and its impact on independent automotive technicians, featuring an interview with Lisa Fauchet from the Auto Care Association.
Host Sean Tipping interviews Harish Gobind from Launch USA about automotive diagnostic tools and techniques.
Host Sean Tipping interviews mobile technician Shane Bentz about starting a mobile diagnostics and programming business.