Performing simple tasks on certain vehicles is posing difficult diagnostic issues to garages. Here, managing director at A1 Diagnostic Solutions, Iain Molloy argues its time for independent garages to take back their time and stop losing profit to the main dealers.
The increasing complexity of systems on modern vehicles is something that’s now front of mind for technicians on a day-today basis. Diagnosing fault lights can be time-consuming and frustrating; something that’s exacerbated by the increasing problem of accessing secure gateways. It’s one of the main reasons I think garages are struggling with key-to-key times.
We’re now seeing garages struggle with something as basic as resetting the service light on a VW ID3. It’s crazy to think a garage may feel its only option is to take the vehicle to a main dealer; this can easily add a week or two onto what should be a 5-minute job. It erodes the garage’s profit margin, takes skilled technicians away from the ramps to transport vehicles backwards and forwards, and causes congestion in the workshop space.
Remote diagnostics
It’s imperative that garage owners can access a solution to this that suits their garage and the profile of its work. This solution might not only involve investing in the right diagnostic equipment. With diagnostics, we all know one job can lead to another, so it’s important to build a relationship with a specialist company that can be relied upon as a bolt-on service to work hand-in-hand with the garage; either remotely or in person. The main objective is to be able to access all the expertise required, in the minimum amount of time, whilst keeping the vehicle in one place.
We had a prime example of this recently. Leo Jayawardena at Ansam Autocentre, an independent garage in Croydon, contacted us with a copy of the diagnostic scan carried out on a Peugeot 3008. The customer had reported the lane assist system wasn’t working and a warning light on the dash appeared to support this.
From the scan, Adam, our operations director, recognised a B1004:96 fault code which indicated a faulty camera. This was confirmed by checking the OE technical information for this particular digital trouble code (DTC). As nothing can be done to resolve an ‘internal fault’, we advised the only option was to replace the camera.
Once Leo was in receipt of the new camera, he contacted us again to ask if we could provide OE documentation to remove and fit it. Quite rightly, he wanted to ensure he did so correctly and without disturbing any other component. Whilst this isn’t a service we generally provide, we love a challenge and were able to get the document over to him within 15 minutes.
Once fitted, Leo logged on with us via his A1 Remote Diagnostics interface – from 130 miles away. We configured the new camera to the vehicle using the Peugeot OE diagnostic system; something Ansam Autocentre didn’t have access to. The whole process was completed on-demand and in just 14 minutes, at which point one of our ADAS-trained technicians arrived in Croydon and calibrated the camera dynamically.
Overall, by using both our A1 remote service and A1 ADAS mobile service in conjunction with his inhouse diagnostic equipment, Leo’s interaction time with us was just 30-minutes. Compare this to a week or more away at a Peugeot main dealer, and it’s easy to see how this route makes for efficient garages and happy customers.
I estimate the profit margin on the job was increased by around 50 per cent, and by dramatically reducing the key-to-key time, the customer’s invoice was cleared earlier too.
It’s the best way garages have of controlling the diagnostic demands of increasingly complex vehicles. We’re going to see an inevitable surge in these types of issues. It’s only a matter of time before these systems begin to develop internal failures – as all electronic components do – especially those which are in constant use like ADAS systems.
As the car parc’s original tranche of mainstream technically equipped vehicles are now out of warranty, they’re filtering through to independent garages who need a solution to be able to keep the job in-house.
If garages already have the latest generation Autel diagnostics, they can access the ‘Remote Expert’ function on the tool. A1 Remote Diagnostics has carried out more than 1,500 jobs in the last 18 months.
This tells me garages are finding solutions but there’s still a long way to go in helping them to just get on with what they do best – fix vehicles in a time-efficient, profitable, and hassle-free way.
