COLLISION REPAIR TOOLS & EQUIPMENT VER THE LAST SEVERAL months, few topics in the collision industry have been discussed more than collision repair diagnostics – an important and critical issue considering dash lights, sometimes thought of as a crude diagnostic tool, oft en do not inform technicians of any problems with adaptive cruise control, hands-free calling, park assist and more, which can critically aff ect passenger safety. With the number of collision mitigation, advanced vehicle safety and driver convenience systems on today’s vehicles growing at an enormous rate, it’s no surprise scan tools are gaining popularity. To ensure complete, safe and quality repairs, most of 18 | Collision Repair | AUGUST 2016 today’s late-model vehicles require some type of scan tool, calibration or diagnostic work following collision repairs. Th is is raising questions about when, why and how to repair these oft entimes complex systems. Figuring out which scan tool is best for each repair facility is going to require some research and planning. Subletting this type of work is becoming less desirable than it was previously because of the number of systems and vehicles that require this type of work. Some estimate that 70 percent of today’s collision repairs require some type of diagnostic work. Implementing collision repair diagnostics into your repair plan will improve your cycle time, reduce supplements, reduce sublet operations and likely improve the customer satisfaction that comes with a complete, safe, quality repair. Another benefi t, to you as the collision repair provider, is that you may be able to “upsell” repairs to the vehicle owner for issues not related to the collision, which may result in referrals. Oft en, sensors and cameras of these systems are in areas frequently damaged in collisions. While collision repair professionals are becoming more familiar with the existence of these systems, there seems to be a lot of confusion about when exactly a scan tool is required. Repair professionals also have a lot of questions about which type(s) of equipment is going to best meet their needs. Similar to other pieces of equipment collision repair facilities have invested in, it’s important to do thorough research to determine which type of equipment is best for your repair facility. Th ere are diff erences in equipment and you’ll want to make sure you invest wisely. CHOOSING THE BEST OPTIONS FOR YOUR FACILITY Before investing in tools and equipment, you fi rst need to determine what level of collision repair diagnostics you want to be able to perform: • Do you want to read and clear codes? • Do you want to be equipped to handle some basic diagnostic work? • Do you want to incorporate advanced diagnostics, such as engine performance, driveability and emissions work into your operation? • Do you want to be able to perform postrepair calibration requirements? If you’re going to focus on post-repair calibration, you will have diff erent needs than an advanced service technician performing in-depth diagnostics on driveability and emissions. Determining how deep you want to dive into diagnostics will be extremely helpful in identifying the tool, or tools, that will best fi t your needs. You will want to review your repair orders over the past several years to determine which makes and models you’ve worked on most frequently. It also may behoove you How to choose the best tools for collision repair diagnostics By Jason Bartanen, Industry Technical Relations, I-CAR As technological advancements continue with vehicles, diagnostic tools become increasingly necessary during the collision repair process O Identifying DTCs during the blueprinting process is a good way to help identify damage that is related and unrelated to the collision. Photo courtesy of I-CAR
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