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NASTF 2012 Spring Meeting Highlights Vehicle Security, Tool Matrix and Industry Education

2012-04-29T05:00:00Z

MEETING NOTES
NASTF SPRING 2012 GENERAL MEETING
Vehicle Security, Tool Matrix and Industry Education Highlighted

Palm Springs, Calif. (April 17, 2012) — The National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) held its annual Spring General Meeting today. The meeting agenda included board and committee reports, updates on several NASTF initiatives and a panel discussion on new education and vehicle inspection initiatives. Details follow below.

Automotive Diagnostics Requires ... Information, Resources and a Fair Return

2012-04-05T05:00:00Z

MULTIMEDIA
AUTOMOTIVE DIAGNOSTICS REQUIRES ... INFORMATION, RESOURCES AND A FAIR RETURN
Have you bought into today's reality? Have your customers?

Diagnostic competency enables the complete and safe repair of automobiles at the lowest expense to consumers. While too many consumers erroneously believe that diagnostics simply requires a cheap code-reading tool at their neighborhood parts store, the reality is that the full diagnosis and complete repair of modern electronically-complex vehicles requires much more. The service advisors, technicians and other staff at professional automotive facilities staff and technicians know different, and part of their responsibility is to educate customers so that their vehicles a repaired to original, full functionality. This requires subscriptions to genuine and current automaker service information, scan tools capable of complete rather than partial diagnosis and reprogramming, training to retain currency is skills and techniques, and other resources. Investing in the infrastructure to be service-ready is expensive and warrants a fair return for automotive professionals. Check out some of the resources that can help achieve this.

Diagnostic Telematics and the Aftermarket

2012-04-05T05:00:00Z

IGNITION POINT
DIAGNOSTIC TELEMATICS AND THE AFTERMARKET
What Does the Aftermarket Actually Need in Order to Make This Work?

One of the interesting aspects of the Massachusetts "Right to Repair" (R2R) referendum, set to be balloted this November, is that it contains a requirement for automakers to provide diagnostic and repair information wirelessly. Specifically:

“Each manufacturer [automaker] shall make available for purchase by owners and independent repair facilities all diagnostic repair tools incorporating the same diagnostic, repair and wireless capabilities that the manufacturer makes available to its dealers and authorized motor vehicle repair facilities. These tools shall incorporate the same functional repair capabilities that the manufacturer makes available to dealers and authorized repair facilities.”

What does this mean?

Selling Diagnostics

2012-04-05T05:00:00Z

EDUCATION & TRAINING
SELLING DIAGNOSTICS
Modern vehicles require systematic, strategy-based diagnostic approach

“Imagine taking a different approach to diagnostics, one in which everyone from the shop to the customer benefits,” suggests Donny Seyfer, a well-known industry trainer and co-owner of Seyfer Automotive Inc. in Wheat Ridge, Colo. “What if we could make more money? Reduce diagnostic inaccuracy? Train younger technicians in lower risk situations? Reward our greatest technicians without losing our margins? Oh yes ... and make customers happy?”

"Just in Time" Diagnostics

2012-04-04T05:00:00Z

EQUIPMENT, TOOLS & PARTS
"Just in Time" Diagnostics
Could emerging on-demand remote access diagnostic solutions benefit you?

We are at a critical point in our industry. Technology, tools, and equipment have all but outpaced the best and the brightest automotive technicians. Even our most sophisticated technicians are finding it difficult to diagnose and repair today's complex vehicle systems. Many of us thrive on the challenge, but need to keep our business sense in check, or else we suffer. Just a few problem cars can quickly turn profitable into unprofitable. So how do we address this threat?

Auto Industry Gears Up For R-134a Contamination

2012-04-05T05:00:00Z

TOOLS, EQUIPMENT & PARTS
AUTO INDUSTRY GEARS UP FOR R-134a CONTAMINATION
Automotive R-134A a/c systems contaminated with R-40 are currently unrepairable

Refrigerant contamination has been a long-standing concern, but recently the stakes have been raised. “Virgin” R-134a cylinders as well as R-134a air conditioning (a/c) systems have been found to be contaminated with dangerous levels of R-40 or R-40/R-22 blends. At first, the problem was isolated outside the automobile industry. But that’s changed.

Living Inside Your Head

2012-04-05T05:00:00Z

VOICES
LIVING INSIDE YOUR OWN HEAD
Explain diagnostics to customers to promote better understanding and buy-in from them

I spend a lot of time thinking and writing about our industry. I've been doing it a long time. Long enough so I can't remember not doing it. For years, it was just one column flowing from the office and the shop floor. Then, it was a second column written to distribution and manufacturing. Now, it's two columns, this blog, the bi-monthly webcasts I've been presenting for the past year and a monthly newsletter produced for our customers and clients. That's a lot of time lost in thought, analyzing what you and I go through every day; a lot of time spent trying to capture the most important elements of our experience well enough to share them in a host of different venues. Something has to drive the kind of extreme commitment that draws you to your home office every night and every weekend. There has to be a pretty powerful "Why?"

Ethernet Rising

2012-04-05T05:00:00Z

CARCHITECTURE
ETHERNET RISING
Ethernet-Based Communication Networks to Include Both Emissions and Nonemission OBD

Whether it’s on-board diagnostics or fast-downloading software interfaces for central gateways, telematic modules, navigation systems, radio head units or other connectivity devices, today’s vehicle electrical communication systems are yielding to new Ethernet-based networks. Controller Area Network (CAN) architecture was originally mandated as the only diagnostic link for on-board diagnostics (OBD), but it is clear that it is not the best system available today. Ethernet-based architecture is coming, and sooner than many think.

New Automobile Technology ... Sells, Connects, and it Has an Return on Investment

2012-02-03T05:00:00Z

MULTIMEDIA
NEW AUTOMOBILE TECHNOLOGY ... INNOVATES, REFINES & AMAZES
Embrace it or hate it, new technology impacts all of us and our customers

New technology means innovation; it prompts changes in how we manufacture, service and interact with vehicles. and it can empower progress and opportunity. Performance, connectivity, safety, the environment and more depend on it. Check out the following three videos for insights you can use.