Playbooks

Beginner · short stepsExpert · spec · code · mm

Pick the situation. Read the left column. Say that at the window.

Twelve owner scenarios. Beginner script + genius measurements. SaferCar patterns — not a pirated TSB book.

WhoAudience: Owners in a named jam — brakes, noise, a light, a quote.Anyone who wants both altitudes on one card.
ClickControl: A playbook card. Then the beginner script.Playbook → steps. TSB desk and counter card live next door.
SayCounter: The left-column sentence. Then ask for the number on the right.Measurement first. Campaign lookup second. Parts last.

Playbooks · Pre-shop · Daily owner

Beginner script + genius measurements

Pre-shop visit

Walk in with one sentence, one code if the light is on, and a list of numbers you will ask for. “They’re due” is not a reading.

You have a noise, a light, or a quote sitting on the kitchen table. You are about to stand at the writer’s window. This card is what you finish before you leave the driveway.

Beginner steps

What you do

0 / 6 beginner steps

01Write the VIN17 characters from the windshield or the driver’s door sticker. Photo both if they disagree. Put it in your notes app.Say: This is the VIN on the car I drove in. Please put it on the RO header.
02One sentence for the writerWhen it happens, speed, weather, how long, what you already tried. “Check brakes” is how you buy a full MPI you did not ask for.Say: Squeal in the last two seconds of a stop, city speeds, dry pavement, two weeks. No pull. Pedal still firm.
03If the light is on, write the code firstAny $20 scanner. Translate it on /obd or /jobs/obd before you authorize a part. Pending and permanent matter — not just the light.Say: I already have the code. I want the freeze-frame and a test, not a parts catalog.
04Decide which millimeters you will ask forPads, rotor discard, tread 32nds, cold PSI, battery volts. Pick the ones that match the concern. Write them on this card.Say: Please write the measured number next to the line. I will not authorize on the word due.
05Ask for out-the-door before they startLabor + parts + shop supplies + tax. A range is fine. Silence is not a price. Diagnosis can be a separate authorization.Say: What is the not-to-exceed if you only diagnose? Call me before any extra line.
06Old parts ride home or get a photoCores and hazardous waste get a photo. Everything else can go in the trunk. If they say they tossed it, that is a problem.Say: I want the old part in a bag or a photo of the core tag.

Do not

Do not say “do whatever it needs.” That is a blank check.
Do not authorize from a voicemail that only says “they’re due.”
Do not skip the code because the writer already “knows what it is.”

Expert notes

What the number means

Pad lining · mm
New friction material is often 10–12 mm. Many shops start the replace talk at 3–4 mm. Wear indicators usually squeal around 2–3 mm remaining. Metal-on-metal means the lining is gone — that is a different ticket than a squeal.
Rotor discard · mm
The hat is stamped MIN TH or a discard thickness. A tech with a mic writes the measured face vs that stamp. “They have grooves” is not a thickness. Pedal pulse is often thickness variation (DTV), measured, not felt with a fingernail.
Tread depth · 32nds
New all-seasons are often 10/32–11/32. Wet stopping falls off hard around 4/32. Wear bars are 2/32 — legal in many states, not a rain tire. Date code on the sidewall is week/year; age matters even with tread left.
Cold PSI · PSI
Door sticker, not the sidewall max. Check cold. TPMS often wakes around 25% under placard. “I filled them” without the number is how you buy an alignment you did not need.
Freeze-frame · DTC snapshot
The PCM stores RPM, load, mph, coolant temp, and fuel trims when the code set. A P0420 at 210 °F and 65 mph is a different story than the same code at 90 °F in the driveway. Ask them to print it.

Open a live desk

SaferCar buckets this card answers: fuel · brakes · tires · steering · suspension · electrical · visibility · lighting · stability · hvac · exhaust · not CR

Related patterns

Common failures by symptom. SaferCar pointers — not pirated TSB PDFs.

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