Automotive Field Theory

byMatt Fanslow

BusinessManagementLeisureAutomotiveTechnology

Automotive Field Theory explores the forces that shape automotive repair, including the ones measured with a meter or oscilloscope and the ones that cannot be found on a wiring diagram. Hosted by automotive diagnostic specialist, shop manager, and instructor Matt Fanslow, the podcast begins in the automotive aftermarket but rarely stays inside its traditional boundaries. Diagnostics, electricity, technology, leadership, psychology, economics, game theory, history, music, movies, family, and human behavior may appear unrelated. Look closely enough, however, and connections begin to emerge. A vehicle may arrive with a technical fault, but the work surrounding it is rarely technical alone. Information...

Episodes(40 episodes)

Mailbag: Principles and Practices of Oscilloscope Diagnostics [E255]

Watch Full Video EpisodeOscilloscopes are becoming more powerful, accessible, and common in repair shops—but choosing the right scope is only part of the equation. You also need to understand how your particular scope captures, stores, and displays its data.Matt Fanslow answers listener questions about automotive oscilloscopes, including the new eight-channel PicoScope, how many channels a shop actually needs, and whether beginners should start with an inexpensive scope or jump directly into a more capable platform.He also explains the distinctly different way Snap-on scopes handle their sample buffer, and why mi...

Published: Sep 23, 2026Duration: 33m 18s

Technician Pay, Profit Sharing, and Trust [E254]

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology and AutelWatch Full Video EpisodePercentages Don’t Pay BillsA prospective hire wants a meaningful increase in income. Riverside Automotive’s base wage would already beat what he currently earns, and the shop’s profit-sharing program could take him beyond his stated goal. Still, he struggles to trust the opportunity.Is the problem the compensation plan, the way it is being explained, or the uncertainty created by years of disappointing pay systems?In this episode of Automotive Field Theory, Matt explains how Ri...

Published: Sep 16, 2026Duration: 36m 58s

How to Start a Career in Auto Repair [E253]

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology and AutelWatch Full Video EpisodeA high school student considering a career in the skilled trades recently asked Matt for advice about entering the automotive repair profession. Should someone begin with a college or technical program, or find a shop willing to train them?In this episode, Matt explains why the answer depends partly on the experience a person already brings with them. Many newcomers have had little exposure to tools, machinery, or basic repair work. Knowledge that experienced specialists consider “common sense” is often the prod...

Published: Sep 9, 2026Duration: 28m 27s

It’s Never Too Late to Do the Right Thing: Lessons from YouTube, Jelly Roll and Physics [E252]

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology, and AutelWatch Full Video EpisodeA monologue from Jelly Roll prompted a simple but powerful idea: It is never too late to do the right thing.That does not mean “the right thing” is always obvious. People can look at the same situation from different perspectives, reach different conclusions, and each possess part of the truth. The challenge is remembering that the client, employee, employer, or competitor across from us is a human being before they are a problem to solve or a category to assign.<p...

Published: Sep 2, 2026Duration: 29m 41s

Reflecting on STX 2026 [E251]

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology, and AutelWatch Full Video EpisodeMatt Fanslow returns from WORLDPAC’s STX 2026 with a greater appreciation for everything required to make a major training event happen, especially the hands-on classes. Vehicles, tools, simulators, soldering stations, ventilation systems, safety requirements, instructors, support personnel, and countless late nights all have to come together before an attendee ever walks into the room.He also challenges a persistent myth about oscilloscopes: that you must become an expert at interpreting tiny waveform anomalies before a scope becomes useful. Most failures are no...

Published: Aug 26, 2026Duration: 27m 40s

The Ethics of a Diagnosis: Navigating System Pressures and Best Practices with Danielle Fanslow[E250]

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology, and AutelWatch Full Video EpisodeFor episode 250, Matt is joined by his wife, Danielle Fanslow, MSW, LGSW, LADCS, for a conversation about diagnostics...just not entirely the automotive kind.Danielle works in behavioral health, mental health, and substance use treatment. Matt diagnoses cars. On the surface, those worlds seem pretty far apart, but both require professionals to gather incomplete information, recognize patterns, separate symptoms from causes, make recommendations, and earn enough trust for someone to act on those recommendations.The conversation explores what happens...

Published: Aug 19, 2026Duration: 47m 8s

Does Experience Give You Permission to Ignore Service Information? [E249]

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology, and AutelWatch Full Video EpisodeHow much freedom should an automotive professional have to deviate from published service information?In this episode of Automotive Field Theory, Matt Fanslow digs into that question after a recent discussion involving ADAS procedures and Ford brake caliper fasteners that service information specifically instructs technicians to remove and discard.The debate isn't really about one set of bolts.It's about the level of confidence we sometimes have in deciding that a procedure isn't necessary when we don't...

Published: Aug 12, 2026Duration: 20m 40s

Automotive Field Theory: Rebranding the Podcast [E248]

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology and AutelWatch Full Video EpisodeDiagnosing the Aftermarket Becomes Automotive Field TheoryThings have changed.After years as Diagnosing the Aftermarket A to Z, the podcast has a new name: Automotive Field Theory.In this episode, Matt explains why the original title was chosen, why it eventually became a problem, and how the new name better represents both the podcast and the range of subjects explored on it.The original name was intended to leave the show wide open. Automotive...

Published: Aug 5, 2026Duration: 18m 37s

Why You Can't Motivate Someone Into Training [E247]

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology, and AutelWatch Full Video EpisodeWhy are some automotive repair specialists resistant to attending training, particularly when it takes place after work or on weekends?The easy explanation is that they are lazy, unmotivated, or unwilling to invest in themselves. Matt argues that this explanation may also be incomplete.In this episode, Matt examines training through the lens of incentives, career development, and systems thinking. A specialist who spends personal time and money developing new skills is often told that the investment will eventually...

Published: Jul 29, 2026Duration: 25m 34s

The Power of Inspiration: From the Mat to the Shop [E246]

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology, and AutelWatch Full Video EpisodeAre We Paying Attention to Inspiration?Ben Askren was already known for an accomplished wrestling career, MMA championships, and one of the most replayed knockouts in UFC history. After a life-threatening illness, severe physical decline, and a double-lung transplant, simply surviving would have been remarkable.Instead, Askren worked his way back onto a wrestling mat.In this episode, Matt reflects on Askren’s return to competition and the difficult position faced by the opponent standing across from hi...

Published: Jul 22, 2026Duration: 20m 58s

The Most Controversial Tool in Automotive Electrical Diagnostics [E245]

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology, and AutelWatch Full Video EpisodePowered circuit testers tend to produce strong opinions. Some specialists consider them indispensable time-savers. Others see them as dangerous tools that make it far too easy to damage a circuit.In this episode, Matt examines where tools such as the Power Probe, Autel powered circuit tester, and metered test lights fit into an automotive diagnostic process. The ability to apply power or ground can be dangerous without an understanding of the circuit, but the same can be said of jumper wires...

Published: Jul 15, 2026Duration: 22m 46s

Who Should Pay for Auto Repair Tools? Shop Owner or Employee? [E244]

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology, and AutelWatch Full Video EpisodeIn this episode, Matt digs into a question that sits underneath a lot of shop economics, technician frustration, and industry culture: who should be responsible for buying the tools and equipment required to do the work a shop advertises?The discussion starts with a real-world example involving a dealership service department that did not have a connector depinning tool available, leaving a mechanical or technical specialist considering buying the tool personally. From there, Matt explores where the line should be drawn...

Published: Jul 8, 2026Duration: 36m 36s

The Danger of Tunnel Vision in Automotive Diagnostics: Anchoring, Confirmation Bias, and Premature Closure [E243]

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology, and AutelWatch Full Video EpisodeA Dodge Durango came into the shop for a second opinion after being suspected of needing a transmission. The symptoms sounded convincing at first: harsh shifts, apparent slipping, no diagnostic trouble codes, and a vehicle that felt completely wrong on the road. But the actual problem was much simpler. The Durango was stuck in four-low. Once shifted properly through neutral, the harsh shifting, driveline bind, and “slipping” behavior disappeared.Matt uses the case as a springboard into a broader discussion about diag...

Published: Jul 1, 2026Duration: 30m 33s

7.3L Power Stroke ICP Sensor Failure and the AI Skill Atrophy Debate [E242]

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology, and AutelWatch Full Video EpisodeIn this episode of Diagnosing the Aftermarket A to Z, Matt Fanslow starts with a case study on a 2000 Ford Excursion with a 7.3L Power Stroke that came in with a severe lack of power. What began as a fuel delivery problem turned into a more interesting diagnostic puzzle involving a P1280 injection control pressure sensor code, an aftermarket ICP sensor, and a fault that appeared to happen not during cranking or running, but after key-off.The case becomes a practical...

Published: Jun 24, 2026Duration: 31m 16s

The Hidden Game Running Your Auto Repair Shop: When Systems Undermine Values [E241]

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology, and AutelWatch Full Video EpisodeMatt Fanslow continues his exploration of game theory by examining the difference between a shop’s official game and its shadow game.The official game is what ownership and management say the shop values: quality work, safety, fairness, employee support, customer care, and doing things the right way.The shadow game is what the shop’s systems, incentives, habits, exceptions, and unwritten rules actually reward.Those two games are not always completely opposed, and the gap between them...

Published: Jun 17, 2026Duration: 28m 53s

Why Customers Struggle to Trust Auto Repair [E240]

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology, and AutelWatch Full Video EpisodeIn this episode, Matt Fanslow continues the conversation around game theory and economics in the automotive repair industry, focusing on one of the biggest invisible forces affecting customer trust: information asymmetry.Auto repair is a credence good service, meaning most customers cannot fully judge the quality of the work before, during, or even after the repair. A grinding brake noise may disappear after a $200 backyard brake job or a $500 professional repair, but the customer may not be able to tell whether...

Published: Jun 10, 2026Duration: 22m 15s

From Bogeys to Blown Fuses: Navigating Self-Doubt [E239]

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology, and AutelWatch Full Video EpisodeIn this episode, Matt starts on the golf course and ends up right back in the service bay, because apparently, even a decent round of golf can turn into a cognitive psychology lesson.After shooting a personally strong nine-hole score, Matt catches himself doing what many technical and mechanical specialists do every day: ignoring the accomplishment and obsessing over the shots, tests, tools, or decisions that could have been better. That leads into a discussion of discounting the positive, upward counterfactual...

Published: Jun 3, 2026Duration: 26m 29s

Game Theory for Auto Repair Shops: Pricing, Competition, and Strategy [E238]

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology, and AutelWatch Full Video EpisodeIn this episode, Matt begins laying the groundwork for a larger discussion on game theory and how it applies far beyond poker tables, chessboards, casinos, or movie references. What starts with John von Neumann, poker strategy, bluffing, and imperfect information quickly becomes a broader conversation about how people, businesses, customers, competitors, and coworkers interact.Matt explains that “games,” in the game theory sense, are not just games. They are interactions where people make choices, respond to incentives, interpret incomplete information, and try...

Published: May 27, 2026Duration: 43m 11s

The Targaryen Technician: When Shop Owners Become What They Once Despised [E237]

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology and AutelWatch Full Video EpisodeIn this episode, Matt Fanslow uses Game of Thrones, specifically the arc of Daenerys Targaryen, as a metaphor for what can happen when a mechanical or technical specialist moves from employee to shop owner. The comparison is not that former technicians suddenly “burn everything to the ground,” but that people can start with strong ideals, endure pressure, accumulate responsibility, and slowly rationalize decisions they once hated from the other side of the counter.Matt draws a parallel between Daenerys’ journey, from abused...

Published: May 20, 2026Duration: 22m 56s

Normalization of Deviance: The Challenger Disaster and How Shop Standards Drift [E236]

Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology, Autel, and Independent Wrench JobsWatch Full Video EpisodeMatt Fanslow revisits the Challenger disaster, not just as a historical tragedy, but as a case study in how standards, tolerances, and risk perception can shift over time. The common simplified story is that management ignored engineers, pushed the launch forward, and disaster followed. While that is part of the story, Matt looks at the deeper concept sociologist Diane Vaughan identified: normalization of deviance.The Challenger disaster happened 73 seconds after launch in 1986, killing all seven astronauts onboard. The...

Published: May 13, 2026Duration: 27m 57s