MACS Service Reports - 2016 - APR6

well not only with the easy to get along with Toyota Techstream software but also has good compatibility into the diagnostics worlds of BMW ISTA, GM
GDS2 & Tech2Win, Honda HDS, Volkswagen/Audi
ODIS and Volvo VIDA. For programming modules

on some not so common data buses such as Flex
Ray and MOST, the CarDAQ-M has optional pluggable expansion modules to keep the tool growing
with your shop's needs. ■

OEM INFO / SUBSCRIPTION SECURITY UPDATES

Dave Hobbs

If you are a power OEM subscription user (mobile tech, locksmith, high end shop, etc.) you may
know this already, but for the rest of us occasional
users, lightening has struck once again with some
changes.

Dave Hobbs

Figure 12: www.oerepairinfo.com (Toyota page shown) is a new site that
helps you find OE repair info fast. The web is always changing in regards
to how we find information. Make sure you do the same!

to pull the DTCs from that Chevy Cruze today unless you grab another tool. Toyota / Lexus have not
been spared by the hackers either, and so they have
required subscribers to log into their accounts to
change their password every two months. A link is
then sent to the subscriber 's e-mail on file. It's not
a hyper link, so you have to pay attention to lassoing it completely for a copy and paste. THEN you
have to log in within a certain time window (on the
10 minute intervals of each hour) in order to not get
locked out of your account. If you work in a shop
with a second shift (or you teach at night like yours
truly), fumble a step and need to be unlocked, and
you'll have to wait until that OEM opens back up
for business the next day. This can hurt the pocket
book if you are doing the modestly priced 2-day
short term subscription and you've lost a day struggling with well above average complexities of password and security issues. Once you finally get in,
scanning and flashing are not all that hard but must
be done correctly (Figure 11).

Figure 11: Always check TSBs and OEM calibration data bases to determine if your HVAC related electronics are up to date with software. If you
have a J2534 universal pass through programmer, it can likely double as
a true factory OEM dealer scan tool courtesy of a subscription to Toyota's
TIS. Scanning, relearns, bi-directional controls and module software updates will be "Swiss Cheese Hole Free" with the factory tool at work.

Making Things Harder for the Bad Guys
. . . and Good Guys!
Many OEM subscriptions for information and
scan / flashing have been limited to a single user
and PC for several years now. This would seem reasonable as all OEMs spend considerable resources
developing and distributing factory repair information, module software updates and PC based scan
tool software. One tech shouldn't be able to purchase a single subscription and then share it with
every other tech they know. Therefore a single login
ID and password that mates up with a single PC has
been the routine with many OEMs. However, since
hackers are becoming more clever, OEMs have had
to respond in kind. General Motors has required all
GDS2 accounts (Tech2 successor) to log into their
subscription every week to refresh the license on
their tool. If you forgot how to do that or your internet connection is shaky, you're not even going

April 2016

Some Good News:
A New OEM Resource that's Easy to Navigate
If you've ever been initially impressed with a
web based resource and then discovered there is
so much to browse through that you get lost in no

MACS Service Reports

http://www.oerepairinfo.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MACS Service Reports - 2016