october2021 - 38

DIAGNOSTIC TECH
Find out what
shop owners are
reading about in this
month's pages of
Leveraging service
information resources
Both aftermarket and OEM service information systems have their advantages and
disadvantages. Find out when to use one over the other.
By Scott Brown, PTEN Technical Editor
S
ervice information is a valuable
commodity and can
come in a variety of flavors.
Specifications, component locations,
wiring diagrams, description and
operation, training literature, TSBs,
recalls, and service history are just
a few examples of information that
can assist a technician in achieving
a positive outcome. Without it, one
doesn't have a chance at properly
addressing most challenges presented
on today's sophisticated vehicles.
To deliver proper service, one needs
access to accurate and timely information.
Now,
more than ever, one really
needs to explicitly pay attention to
the fine print, which is not always
an easy discipline to follow. I know
first-hand how challenging and
expensive it is to fail to read the fine
print when you find yourself under
time-pressure. It is extremely easy
to get an hour or so into a problem
without a resolution only to find out
that the fine print had everything
you needed to get you headed in the
right direction.
With the increasing layers of technology
being applied to the vehicle,
service providers need to be able to
access crucial information where and
when it makes sense. Oftentimes we
find ourselves digging into two to
three different resources to find the
information we need to continue with a
particular task.
Today's modern shop management
systems are integrating some of
the service information that we commonly
need right within the work
order so that the service technician can
seamlessly work through their tasks
without having to jump through those
other information resources. However,
there may be times where service information
may be incomplete and having
access to multiple providers is essential
so that the service technician can
assemble the eclectic information needed
to continue the repair processes in a
timely manner.
FINDING THE INFORMATION
Thinking back to the early '80s when
I first started working in this industry,
service information was printed and
each year we would receive updated
books for our various libraries. These
books would often migrate throughout
the shop and sometimes pages would
suffer damage or end up missing.
38 Professional Distributor I October 2021 I VehicleServicePros.com
Figure 1 - Toyota TIS
When there was an update to that
printed material, the update was at risk
of never being seen which of course
could introduce several challenges. Fast
forward to today and we're living in
a new dimension of service information.
This is absolutely a wonderful
thing that I embrace. However, some
may find it extremely overwhelming
because there is so much information
that you might feel as if you're drowning
in it.
I often use numerous methods to
surface information because of the different
ways this information is categorized
within various service platforms.
In my shop we subscribe to multiple
sources of service information, including
from the OEMs and the aftermarket.
Each of those applications have
their pluses and minuses. Some
http://www.VehicleServicePros.com
october2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of october2021
