Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_0619 - 52

18 months. Our main approach [at
Bosch] is to ensure vehicle scans are,
most importantly, thorough and provide all the critical vehicle information
needed, whether for technicians, shops,
vehicle owners, or insurance companies.
It's still up to the knowledgeable technician to translate vehicle symptoms
based on the scan data and present the
customer with a diagnosis in consumerfriendly language."
Michael Flink, Autel's Director of
North American Sales, says the Autel
Maxisys line of tools "has done this type
of report from the beginning (6 years
ago). In our diagnostics menu there is
an 'Autoscan' or all system scan feature,"
Flink says. "After running [the scan], at
the bottom is a 'Report' button which produces a printable PDF of the scan results,
all the codes by module, with date, time,
and VIN listed. Autel has now added
an actual 'Pre-scan and Post-scan' button that performs and saves this report
automatically on models popular for the
collision industry." This feature also files
reports by VIN and RO number.

PRE-SCAN
So, why pre-scan? These days it is essential. A pre-scan is more than the obligatory walk around the car, where you are
marking any defects so you're not held
liable for them or making sure the shop
camera is operating and recording. A
full 'health check' with the scan tool
can reveal a lot more than codes. All
the interconnections of computer data
can be simplified through performing a
full health check: such as a service code
that seems so far-fetched that it shouldn't
have anything to do with the problem
the customer mentioned, but turns out
it really does. Never underestimate the
code definition until you've read up
on the actual function and reasons for
the code.
A perfect example of this was a diesel
pickup that came in to the shop with a
customer complaint about the air conditioning not working correctly. There
was only one code stored in the powertrain control module (PCM) for the
high-speed coolant fan. Upon further

PTEN

JUNE 2019

p BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY's digital inspections provide customized vehicle health reports based on the
services performed. Each line item indicates the results of the technician's findings-with either a
green, yellow, or red grade indicating the severity of needed services.

testing, it was determined that a faulty
connection was present at the fan motor.
Once this was repaired and the code was
cleared, the air conditioning system
returned to normal operation.
A code indicating the lack of a coolant fan can cause comparative issues to
that of a faulty fan motor connection.
The lack of a fan leads to a hotter condenser core, which leads to higher head
pressures and no air conditioning. Even
though there may be similarities between
some codes and the actual problem,
many codes have no obvious connection from one certain system to another
initially. That's why a full health check of
all operating systems is essential, and we
shouldn't ignore the pre-scan information or skip over any of it.

POST-SCAN
The post-scan is just as important. Not
just to verify the repair, but to indicate
that something else hasn't been left disconnected or has gone out of calibration
as a result of the work that was performed. Keep in mind, a lot of the issues
in today's cars have a certain drive time,
mileage base, or other requirements that
will only show up after a proper test drive

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has been completed.
The post-scan can be a teaching aid
for younger technicians, as well. This
is the time when everything should
be functioning properly, and knowing how systems are supposed to
work or be displayed on a scanner or
scope is a great teaching tool for
everyone involved.
Autel's Michael Flink agrees with
using the post-scan as a teaching aid.
"This is a huge need, especially in the
collision industry. Every shop should be
having their diagnostic person mentoring someone," says Flink.
Bosch's Haskin also advocates for
diagnostic scan education. "Successful
technicians are those who never stop
learning. There's no better way for a
younger tech to learn than by getting
involved from the beginning so they
can see how the vehicle evolves from
the initial pre-scan, during repair, and
the post-scan. Each step is critical and
provides unique learning experiences.
A developed apprenticeship program
would benefit many and provide consistency in the educational programs."
For a customer it's not about the scanner screen display; they are more con-

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