Professional Distributor - 30

DIAGNOSTIC DISCOURSE

Find out what
shop owners are
reading about in this
month's pages of

Automotive intel

Translating repair information to
the diagnostic tools available.

nformation is a key topic of discussion at just
about any roundtable regarding automotive
repair. Sure, there is always the usual "can't find
enough qualified technicians," but all in all, what
makes a qualified technician qualified? It's the ability to utilize important information.
As with many different skilled trades, becoming good at your profession requires dedication and
BY SCOTT "GONZO" WEAVER training in every aspect of the job, as well as a lot of
AND PTEN STAFF
After owning an automotive electri- practice, refresher courses, an abundance of refercal repair shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma, ence materials, good observational skills, and the
for more than three decades, ASE right tools.
Master Tech Scott "Gonzo" Weaver
When it comes to tools in our industry, there
now writes and teaches about the
latest automotive technology. As a seems to be some disconnect between reference
storyteller, Weaver has hundreds of materials and the tools we use every day. Don't get
published humorous and anecdotal
me wrong, when it comes to good vehicle repair
stories that can be found on his website, gonzostoolbox.com. He is the information, there are many sources available. For
author of the book, "Hey Look! the most part, with very little practice most techniI Found the Loose Nut."
cians are good at obtaining the correct information to
Email Gonzo at gonzosae@aol.com.
diagnose and repair vehicles properly and efficiently.
However, when it comes to operating instructions on our tools, information seems to be somewhat
thin, especially on one of our most used pieces of
equipment, our scan tools. If you utilize factory (OE)
scan tools, most manufacturers have built the tools
for the dealership network where technicians that
use them have been trained specifically on their use.
If you are an independent aftermarket shop or
a technician that does not have a dealership background, you may find there are limited reference
manuals for the operation of those scan tools. This
lack of information can sometimes make it difficult
to diagnose and repair vehicles efficiently. In some
cases, it may be worth considering an OE scan tool
in addition to the more universal aftermarket ones,
if for example, a specific vehicle make comprises 20
percent or more of the vehicles that come to your
shop. Of course, you still need to evaluate the cost
of the tool, training, and annual updates associated
with an OE scan tool in order to calculate the ROI,
especially considering it will only be used for one
vehicle make, whereas an aftermarket scan tool can
often be used for many.
Many of us probably have more than one manufacturer that reaches the 20 percent threshold and
30 Professional Distributor I September 2019 I VehicleServicePros.com

Photo courtesy of Autologic.

will require more than one OE tool, anyway. We also
have a lot of other vehicles that would require a good
aftermarket scan tool. Now we have another issue:
some technicians are familiar and very proficient
with a particular scan tool, but not as comfortable
nor as effective with another. Some of this is easily
overcome by training on the tool, while some of it is a
little more difficult to cure due to differences in how
aftermarket tools are programmed and supported.
In order to understand some of the issues, you
need to appreciate the challenges scan tool manufacturers face. Almost every vehicle manufacturer has
specific names for PIDS, modules, and bidirectional
processes that are unique to their vehicles. When
using an OE tool, the PID names and functions are
consistent with the OE repair information - even
more so if you have been trained on the information
and use of the tool.
Because every vehicle manufacturer has their
own "language," it can be difficult for aftermarket
scan tool manufacturers to integrate some tasks and
information into an easy-to-use format for the technician. Additional challenges arise when the

http://www.gonzostoolbox.com http://www.VehicleServicePros.com

Professional Distributor

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Professional Distributor