Said It Here

Mechanic changed battery CCA specification on test report

Mechanics sometimes manually input incorrect cold cranking amps (CCA) during a battery test, such as entering 800 CCA for a 640 CCA battery, which makes it impossible to trust the diagnostic results. Compounded by poor communication from the service department, vehicle owners are left unable to verify whether a component actually needs replacement or if the test data has been manipulated.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    getting a second opinion from another mechanic
  2. 2
    Asking online forums for second opinions on mechanic photos and diagnostic codes

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/MechanicAdvice3 people · September 2026 – October 2026

“I looked up the Autool BT860 it mentions manually inputted CCA. And the input was 800CCA (by the mechanic). But I found the battery online and it is 640CCA.”source ↗

NeverJustaDream · r/MechanicAdvice · 3 upvotes

“communication with the service rep has been abismal at best so I don't trust what they're telling me.”source ↗

GINJAWHO · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

“I agree that picture looks like a camshaft globe. I’m not sure what they’re trying to show you.”source ↗

Mikey3800 · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

Where this came up

People with this problem also raised