Professional Distributor - 10

COVER STORY
repair a vehicle, without all the data, the
best they can really do is make an educated guess. Many experts agree that the
better course of action is to use the scan
tool in tandem with an oscilloscope.
When Martino was taught to use a
scan tool, he learned to first read the
data, then test it. As scan tools have
become more advanced and technicians
more reliant on them, technicians have
forgotten the golden rule: test the data.
That's what the oscilloscope is for.

MAKING THE SALE
Independent mobile tool distributor Joel Simmons has been in the game
for about eight years. His route, located
in Louisville, Kentucky, is comprised
of automotive shops - both dealerships
and independents - and body shops.
The diversity in his stops means keeping the stock on his truck varied as well.
Because of this, Simmons doesn't often

Are digital multimeters
still relevant?
In a world where technicians have
equipment such as scan tools and
oscilloscopes, are digital multimeters
(DMMs) still necessary to have around the
shop? The short answer - yes.
"DMMs are valuable in vehicle diagnostics
as they allow the technician to dive deeper
into the problem presented in the repair,"
says Sean Silvey, product application
specialist for Fluke.
The basic function of a DMM is its ability
to measure voltage in numbers, explains
Chad Schnitz, national sales manager
at Autel U.S. This allows technicians to
confirm whether they're receiving the
correct amount of voltage at a component.
According to Schnitz, DMMs are also useful
in finding voltage drops or differentials.
Technicians can use that information to tell
whether a wire can carry the voltage and/or
amperage they were designed for.
Much like oscilloscopes, DMMs are best used
in unison with scan tools. Scan tools can't

carry oscilloscopes, but when he does it's
typically as a scan tool accessory.
For Simmons, the customers he
finds who are interested in oscilloscopes usually fall into two categories:
lead technicians at their shop with a
vast amount of diagnostic experience or
someone who generally works on more
high-end vehicles that include complex
electronic systems. He notes these customers are overall more familiar with
oscilloscopes due to the nature of their
repair work.
As for customers who are less familiar with oscilloscopes, demonstrations
and thorough explanations of what the
tool does and why it's important can go
a long way.
Depending on the type of oscilloscope tool distributors have in stock,
demonstrations can be a bit tricky.
"A labscope is a hard tool to demonstrate because of the hook-up time.

However, tools like the Autel MaxiSys
offer a demo mode that the customer can
try," Autel's Schnitz says. "This lets them
change the waveform amplitude, time
base, wave form, overlaps, triggers, and
more. It is all about demonstrating the
ease of use of the tool. If the salesman
tries to over complicate the process, they
will scare customers away."
Simmons notes that the scan tools
are generally easy to demo. He just hooks
them up to a vehicle and shows his customers different waveforms. Occasionally, Simmons will also allow a customer
to borrow the oscilloscope to try it out.
"Technicians are tactile. We like to
touch things, smell things, hear things.
And our tactile stimulation is why a lot
of technicians got into this. We're good
with our hands," Automotive Test Solutions' Thompson says. "When you start
to combine an electric station of a car or
the electronics of the vehicle, now

give technicians all the data they need, so
when paired with the DMM, technicians can
get enough data to figure out the next step
in the repair process.

Like a little small moment and it shows you
a value, so if you have a voltage jumping
around, it might register on a multimeter,
[but] it looks more like a glitch. It's kind of
bouncing around. An oscilloscope is more
like a microscope. You can see something
with your eye if you put it underneath a
microscope and it shows a lot more detail.
[An oscilloscope] shows you a whole pattern
versus just a moment in time."

"Scan tool information is all processed
data, meaning the computer consumes
the information, analog or digital, and
interprets what it is seeing," Schnitz
explains. "This information is always
delayed and cannot display what is
happening at the sensor. It can only
interpret what it is seeing at the computer's
connection. The DMM gives us the ability to
see what is happening directly at the sensor
or component. This raw data can help us
determine where to go in our diagnostic
process next."
Though DMMs and oscilloscopes offer
some of the same functions for diagnosing
electrical systems, the biggest difference
between the two is a DMM gives you more of
an "average" of data, while an oscilloscope
provides more "real time" data.
Independent mobile tool distributor Joel
Simmons explains the difference like this:
"A digital multimeter kind of takes a 'blip'.

10 Professional Distributor I August 2020 I VehicleServicePros.com

One way technicians can begin to close the
gap between oscilloscopes and DMMs is by
using a graphical digital multimeter. This
tool displays a graph, giving technicians a
better picture of the data, as Silvey explains.
However, a regular DMM just displays a
numerical number for the measurement.
Regardless of the fact oscilloscopes may
show technicians more data, Simmons
says he still sells a lot of multimeters.
"Basically, it seems like anyone who's in
any kind of automotive field right now
has to have a good multimeter," Simmons
concludes. "There's not really a good way
around it because there [are] so many
electronics on cars."


http://www.VehicleServicePros.com

Professional Distributor

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Professional Distributor

Editor's Note: Roll Out the Welcome Mat
The Tool of the Modern Technician
Sneak Peek: Details on Brand New Products from Cal-Van, Prevost, Oasis Scientific, Motorscan, and more
Show Me Your Truck: Perfecting the Presentation
Most Wanted
2020 PTEN Innovation Awards Winners
Go Sell Something: Would You Buy From You?
In Focus Products
Diagnostic Tech: Electronic Services, Modules, Programming, and Security
Driving Sales: Hand Tools & Consumables
Tales From the Road: A Family Affair
Essential Tools for General and Collision Repair
Welding Repairs of Today
The Importance of Asking "Why?" with ADAS Repairs
Tool Reviews
Products for Collision Repair
Professional Distributor - 1
Professional Distributor - 2
Professional Distributor - 3
Professional Distributor - Editor's Note: Roll Out the Welcome Mat
Professional Distributor - 5
Professional Distributor - The Tool of the Modern Technician
Professional Distributor - 7
Professional Distributor - 8
Professional Distributor - 9
Professional Distributor - 10
Professional Distributor - 11
Professional Distributor - 12
Professional Distributor - 13
Professional Distributor - Sneak Peek: Details on Brand New Products from Cal-Van, Prevost, Oasis Scientific, Motorscan, and more
Professional Distributor - 15
Professional Distributor - 16
Professional Distributor - 17
Professional Distributor - Show Me Your Truck: Perfecting the Presentation
Professional Distributor - 19
Professional Distributor - Most Wanted
Professional Distributor - 21
Professional Distributor - 2020 PTEN Innovation Awards Winners
Professional Distributor - 23
Professional Distributor - 24
Professional Distributor - 25
Professional Distributor - 26
Professional Distributor - 27
Professional Distributor - 28
Professional Distributor - 29
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Professional Distributor - 32
Professional Distributor - 33
Professional Distributor - 34
Professional Distributor - 35
Professional Distributor - Go Sell Something: Would You Buy From You?
Professional Distributor - 37
Professional Distributor - In Focus Products
Professional Distributor - 39
Professional Distributor - 40
Professional Distributor - 41
Professional Distributor - Diagnostic Tech: Electronic Services, Modules, Programming, and Security
Professional Distributor - 43
Professional Distributor - 44
Professional Distributor - 45
Professional Distributor - Driving Sales: Hand Tools & Consumables
Professional Distributor - 47
Professional Distributor - 48
Professional Distributor - 49
Professional Distributor - Tales From the Road: A Family Affair
Professional Distributor - 51
Professional Distributor - 52
Professional Distributor - S1
Professional Distributor - S2
Professional Distributor - S3
Professional Distributor - S4
Professional Distributor - S5
Professional Distributor - Essential Tools for General and Collision Repair
Professional Distributor - S7
Professional Distributor - Welding Repairs of Today
Professional Distributor - S9
Professional Distributor - The Importance of Asking "Why?" with ADAS Repairs
Professional Distributor - S11
Professional Distributor - S12
Professional Distributor - S13
Professional Distributor - Tool Reviews
Professional Distributor - S15
Professional Distributor - S16
Professional Distributor - Products for Collision Repair
Professional Distributor - S18
Professional Distributor - S19
Professional Distributor - S20
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