Steve Scott Founder of Simply Diagnostics Network UK

What began as a simple idea – to live stream the work he was undertaking in his workshop – has led to a global fan base of professional motor mechanics eager to learn from him, keen to raise standards in the automotive industry.

Welcome to the world of Steve Scott; a super talented technician who has been in the motor trade for 30+ years. (By the way Steve was so popular at Automechanika Birmingham in 2019 that he couldn’t even leave his stand for a coffee. He shared this on social media and was inundated with refreshments from the many visitors that had made the journey to see him in person).

Tell us about your journey to YouTube superstar!

I started Simply Diagnostics as a mobile diagnostics specialist in late 2017, providing a cost-effective troubleshooting service for local workshops and the general public. In 2018 I made the decision to turn on the camera and film snippets of what I was doing live on Facebook. I saw a complete lack of understanding of what we as diagnosticians actually do.

This prompted me to follow in the footsteps of a now friend, Paul – ‘ScannerDanner’ from YouTube and set up my own YouTube channel “Simply Diagnostics”, the goal being to engage with technicians and the public, bringing them on a journey of discovery into the Dark Art of diagnostics.

I did not want to fill the internet with free information but rather to “go fishing” - throwing morsels of bait tempting people to engage with us and ultimately leading them to invest in training and equipment that would enable them to #BeTheBestYouCanBe. All the while, raising the public’s perception of what we do as professional, invested technicians.

How big is your fan base now?

I have nearly 9,000 subscribers to my channel with 201 videos (click here). It serves its purpose well; motivating people to train, ask questions and engage with our community. Earlier this year I was given the opportunity, through connections made on YouTube to travel to the USA for a training event in New York (TST) where I met with most of the primary automotive content creators and influential figures in the training profession.

I did live streams with Eric from South Main Auto (333,000 subscribers) and Carm Capriotto from Remarkable Results Radio Podcast as well as meeting the Trained By Techs team (TBT). This really gave my channel a boost and opened doors that were previously closed. It also hit home that the problems we face as technicians are universal.

Tell us about The SimplyDiag Network

I started a Facebook group open to all, called SimplyDiag YT with the goal of providing a space for my YouTube subscribers and the public to come together discussing testing methods, tools and information systems. This has grown beyond my expectations with currently 3.5k members worldwide. However, many technicians were not engaging because they didn’t want to be under scrutiny. I was and still am, determined to leave this group open and transparent for all to see and so The SimplyDiag Network was born. This gives technicians a safe space to grow, ask questions and learn together. It is subscription based and vetted as trade only to ensure the quality of the members involved. Skill level is irrelevant. The desire to learn, build on our skills and behave professionally is though. It’s supported by industry leading sponsors such as Hella, Technical Topics, Autoinform, The Garage Inspector, Diagnostic Connections, The DPF Doctor and now JLM Lubricants.

We’re about to move The SimplyDiag Network (SDN) to a web based community portal at www.simplydiag.net which will give us more space to grow, with more control and security than Facebook allows.

Collaboration with sponsors and partners will give members access to some of the best training, information systems and equipment available worldwide. It is the start of an epic journey with standards protected by a minimal subscription to keep the Google searchers and keyboard warriors away.

We have two mantras #StrongerTogether and #BeTheBestYouCanBe. Any person wanting to join our community will be encouraged and inspired to accomplish this.

What is your long term vision for SDN?

Our community goal is to develop SDN into the de-facto community for invested automotive professionals globally; to become a centre of excellence and to raise the public view of us to such an extent that the cost of using one of our members becomes secondary to their skills and expertise. The feedback from members, many saying SimplyDiag has changed their lives and given them a new found love for the trade is all the motivation I need. Our target is 100,000 subscribers worldwide within 5 years.

Tell us about your recent partnership with The JLM Academy.

SDN is working with the JLM Lubricants Academy providing grass-roots training for technicians of all levels. This includes troubleshooting, oscilloscope use, Networks and Diesel systems. We are also IMI accredited assessors for Lvl3 EV (Electric Vehicle) repair in Partnership with www. ourvirtualacademy.com.

You are also a big fan of JLM Lubricants’ products...

As a member of The DPF Doctor Network, I use many of JLM’s products including The Professional DPF Cleaning Tool Kit, The Extreme Air Intake Toolkit, Turbo Clean and Petrol Extreme Clean. I use these products because they work, not because I have to. No mess, no fuss with guaranteed results every time. They do what they say they’ll do very well. Just like Gilbert!