Wrench Tales #11: Corey Bruggeman

Dec. 16, 2024

Regarding efficiency, diagnostic skill is everything (but it's not the only thing)!

He’s back! Motor Age Technical Editor Brandon Steckler and good friend Corey Bruggeman (of S&A Automotive). Listen in as he and Corey discuss a diagnostic case study regarding a 3.6L Jeep Wrangler that Corey was called in to address as a mobile solutions provider. This Jeep came to him with the complaint of a single-cylinder misfire. It was Corey’s implementation of the beloved relative compression test that called for addressing an entire bank of faulted cylinders.

In this episode, Brandon and Corey walk us through the diagnostic approach. This included the significance of the initial tests chosen, why they were important to perform first, what the results of those tests revealed, and (most importantly), what had to be done to repair the issue. The key to this case’s successful diagnosis was Corey’s cunning approach to the preliminary data gathered. However, his experience (although great) was just a piece of the diagnostic puzzle.

By leveraging a combination of the test results, and a sufficient service information database with his decades’ of experience, that winning combination yielded him all he needed to know, to instruct the shop to disassemble the engine for visual inspection.

Want to see what was found? Join us on this episode of Wrench Tales and find out!

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About the Author

Brandon Steckler | Technical Editor | Motor Age

Brandon began his career in Northampton County Community College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he was a student of GM’s Automotive Service Educational program. In 2001, he graduated top of his class and earned the GM Leadership award for his efforts. He later began working as a technician at a Saturn dealership in Reading, Pennsylvania, where he quickly attained Master Technician status. He later transitioned to working with Hondas, where he aggressively worked to attain another Master Technician status.

Always having a passion for a full understanding of system/component functionality, he rapidly earned a reputation for deciphering strange failures at an efficient pace and became known as an information specialist among the staff and peers at the dealership. In search of new challenges, he transitioned away from the dealership and to the independent world, where he specialized in diagnostics and driveability.

Today, he is an instructor with both Carquest Technical Institute and Worldpac Training Institute. Along with beta testing for Automotive Test Solutions, he develops curriculum/submits case studies for educational purposes. Through Steckler Automotive Technical Services, LLC., Brandon also provides telephone and live technical support, as well as private training, for technicians all across the world.

Brandon holds ASE certifications A1-A9 as well as C1 (Service Consultant). He is certified as an Advanced Level Specialist in L1 (Advanced Engine Performance), L2 (Advanced Diesel Engine Performance), L3 (Hybrid/EV Specialist), L4 (ADAS) and xEV-Level 2 (Technician electrical safety).

He contributes weekly to Facebook automotive chat groups, has authored several books and classes, and truly enjoys traveling across the globe to help other technicians attain a level of understanding that will serve them well throughout their careers.