Check engine light intake that asks what your techs need to know
Ask whether the light is steady or flashing, capture drivability and stalling symptoms, and collect scan report photos before the vehicle rolls into a bay.
Preview your check engine light intake
Explore 5 questions from the Check Engine Light template. This interactive preview uses illustrative scoring and sample attachments. Open the full survey to try the complete intake.
What a qualified check engine light lead should tell you
Diagnostic intake for vehicles showing an illuminated check engine light, distinguishing a steady warning from a flashing one and flagging drivability symptoms that determine how urgently the vehicle needs a bay.
- Check Engine Light Steady
- Noticing Symptoms Like Loss
- Vehicle Unsafe Drive Or
- Long Has Check Engine
- Diagnostic Scan Already Been
The questions your team needs answered
Every check engine light intake asks these — and why each one matters.
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Is the check engine light steady or flashing? | A flashing light signals an active misfire that can damage the catalytic converter, so it scores well above a steady, constant warning. |
| Are you noticing symptoms like loss of power, stalling, or unusual noises? | Stalling, loss of power, or unusual noises alongside the light point to a drivability fault rather than a minor sensor issue, raising the lead's priority. |
| Is your vehicle currently unsafe to drive or unable to start? | A vehicle that's unsafe to drive or won't start needs to be flagged for tow-in coordination instead of a standard walk-in appointment slot. |
| How long has the check engine light been on? | How long the light has been on helps separate a sudden new fault from a long-ignored one that the customer may be deprioritizing. |
| Has a diagnostic scan already been performed on this vehicle? | Knowing whether a scan and code already exist lets the shop skip redundant diagnostic time and quote the repair directly. |
How Cliont scores check engine light leads
Configured answer weights help your team prioritize follow-up. Your team reviews each submission and decides the next step.
Value signals
- Steady (constant)
- Flashing
- Not sure
- Noticing Symptoms Like Loss: yes
- Vehicle Unsafe Drive Or: yes
Urgency signals
- Vehicle Unsafe Drive Or
See an example lead handoff
Illustrative lead details and score show how a submission can reach your team.
Check Engine Light Lead
From first click to qualified lead
Follow vehicle owners through one smooth, guided flow.
They land & meet you
Your video greeting plays instantly — a real face instead of a blank form.
They explain the job
Smart questions adapt to their job and capture the full scope.
They add photos
Photos of the vehicle and damage come attached, so you quote before it rolls in.
You get a ready lead
Scored and qualified — waiting for you to win it.
Built for check engine light workflows
| Cliont capability | Check Engine Light application |
|---|---|
| Automated lead scoring | Combines flashing light, active symptoms, and unsafe-to-drive answers to push high-risk misfire jobs above routine steady-light check-ins. |
| Conditional question branching | When a customer confirms they already have a diagnostic code, the intake can skip further diagnostic-history questions and move straight to scheduling. |
| Required photo/document capture | Prompts for a scan tool photo or printout so the service writer has the code before the customer checks in, rather than discovering it at the counter. |
| CRM routing | Sends leads with known codes and confirmed drivability straight into the service writer's queue as repair-ready, separate from undiagnosed check-ins. |
Example check engine light lead scenarios
Illustrative situations explain the intake questions and possible follow-up.
Flashing light with stalling
A flashing light combined with loss of power or stalling scores as high priority, since a misfire left unaddressed can damage the catalytic converter.
Steady light, no symptoms
A steady light with no stalling, noises, or drivability issues scores lower urgency and can be scheduled into a normal service slot rather than an emergency bay.
Code already pulled elsewhere
When the customer reports they already have diagnostic code(s), the intake flags the job as repair-ready rather than needing a full diagnostic workup.
Unsure how long, no scan
A customer who isn't sure how long the light has been on and hasn't had a scan signals a job that needs full diagnostic time budgeted into the bay schedule.
Car won't start
A vehicle flagged as unsafe to drive or unable to start routes differently than a drivable check-in, since it may need tow-in coordination instead of a walk-in slot.
Connect Cliont to your workflow
Connect your CRM
HubSpot, HighLevel, monday.com
Connect your legal software
Lawmatics, MyCase, Clio Manage and Clio Grow
Notify your team
Email, SMS, Slack
Configure other destinations
Google Sheets, configured webhooks, Zapier and API workflows
Simple, transparent pricing
Choose the plan that works for your business.
Professional
Unlimited intake forms and leads for your growing business.
- Unlimited intake forms
- Custom video greetings
- AI-powered voice bot
- English + Spanish support
- Automatic lead scoring
- Digital estimates & e-signatures
- Photo, video & file upload
- Advanced analytics dashboard
Pay Per Lead
Only pay when you receive a qualified lead.
- Unlimited intake forms
- Custom video greetings
- AI-powered voice bot
- English + Spanish support
- Automatic lead scoring
- Digital estimates & e-signatures
- Photo, video & file upload
- Charged only for submitted leads
More general auto repair intake templates
Check Engine Light lead-intake FAQs
How does the intake tell a real emergency apart from a light that's just on?
It combines whether the light is steady or flashing with whether the customer is seeing symptoms like stalling or loss of power, and whether the vehicle is currently safe to drive, so a flashing light with stalling scores very differently than a steady light with none of those.
What if the customer already had a scan done somewhere else?
The intake asks whether a diagnostic scan has already been performed and whether they have the code, so a lead arriving with codes in hand can be flagged as repair-ready instead of needing another diagnostic session.
Can the intake actually collect the diagnostic code itself, not just whether one exists?
Yes, uploads can include a photo of the scan tool screen or a printed report, so your service writer sees the code before the customer arrives.
Does this replace an in-bay diagnostic?
No. It triages which appointment slot and how much time to reserve, but a technician still runs the actual diagnostic once the vehicle is on the lift.
How is this different from your Vehicle Diagnostic intake?
This intake is anchored to a lit warning light and asks specifically about light behavior and symptom severity, while the general Vehicle Diagnostic intake covers vehicles without a triggering warning light.
What happens with a vehicle that can't be driven in?
The unsafe-to-drive/won't-start question flags those leads separately, so your team can plan for a tow-in rather than assuming a walk-in appointment.
Turn check engine light visitors into qualified jobs
Give every check engine light visitor a guided intake instead of a dead contact form — and get a scored, qualified lead before you tie up a bay.