 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Fast-Fix Diagnostic SolutionsPosted 11/7/2001By Angie Wilson
You're a better-than-average problem solver and you pride yourself on getting the job done. You're fast. You're efficient. And on this particular job ... you're stumped! When you've exhausted your usual references and still don't have a solution to your diagnostic dilemma, a couple of quick-fix resources might hold the answer you're seeking. Speed Dialing When you need an answer more than a challenge, it's good to know you can pick up the phone and call your favorite hotline. With one call you gain the technical expertise, experience, information and procedures to repair the vehicle efficiently and effectively. “Access to information is the hot topic of the day,” says Bill Sauer, founder of IDENTIFIX. “With one phone call, you not only get the printed information, but also the experience that goes behind it.” The company is a longtime ASA member benefit provider and receives 20,000 calls a month. “IDENTIFIX is the largest source of technical information in North America and we can provide that information by phone or fax to any shop in the country,” said Sauer. “When you call IDENTIFIX, the expert on the other end of the line has an average of 14 years of experience on an individual call line ... It's like calling the guy down the road at the Chevy or Honda dealership, which in many cases you just can't do.” Choosing a Hotline There are several things to consider before you select a hotline. Ask about the number of original factory repair and diagnostic manuals they have, as well as aftermarket manuals. Do they provide information for both import and domestic vehicle repair if needed? You'll also want to know about their call-in procedures. Ask if there are ways to expedite the process. Know in advance if you need to have a member number handy, if you will encounter a voice-mail system, and how they handle callbacks. It might also be helpful to know if the same specialist will work with you if you must call back, so you can start where you left off. Find out their hours of operation, how many technicians are on staff to help you, and the qualifications of those technicians. Also ask about the length of the average call. This information may give you some idea about their speed, and help you determine your typical costs. After you have selected a hotline, make the most of your time by having the year, make, model, mileage and VIN of your problem vehicle ready. A hotline is likely to encounter many of the same problems over and over, which adds to its value. “A caller from a small shop in Tucumcari, N.M - that may have never encountered the problem before - can really see the value of calling a central database,” said Sauer. So if you need an answer right away, consider seeking the advice of an expert. Hotlines can speed the repair along when time is a primary factor. Online Connections If you're turning to your peers for help, you can find more than 37,000 of them at iATN.net. International Automotive Technicians Network (iATN) members come from 120 countries and are reported to have 739,429 combined years of experience. From free-form discussion areas to technical data resources, the site is a vast source of diagnostic repair information. iATN TechMail is the heart of the network. This is where thousands of technicians from all over the world exchange information and ideas, 24 hours a day. If you've exhausted your usual resources, posting a question to your online colleagues may provide you with all the specific diagnostic assistance you desire. “iATN has become THE choice for technician service information. The latest Toyota, Ford and GM sections are absolutely the best anywhere,” said Jim Linder, also known as “The Injector Guru” and owner of Linder Technical Services in Indianapolis, Ind. “The fact that I can share a problem fix or repair with other techs all over the world in just seconds makes it a never-before-featured attraction!” The site is also host to more than 20 Web forums, both technical and non-technical. These forums allow technicians to talk with other members in a “bulletin board” discussion format. Each forum is for a specific topic. Examples of technical forums include: air conditioning, technical discussion, technical theory, technical tips, tools and equipment, and transmissions. Members of iATN can also take advantage of the site's live conferencing feature known as Internet Relay Chat (IRC). Live conferencing rooms allow members to interact in real time, 24 hours a day, to ask questions, brainstorm with other technicians, or just drop in to socialize. A Java-compatible Web browser or an IRC client such as “mIRC” is required to use this feature. Also among the many technical resources at the site is the iATN Knowledge Base. This section contains real-world technical information, which is one of the greatest needs in the automotive service industry. The collection of automotive repair databases provides thousands of automotive repair solutions, many of which are fully searchable by vehicle year, make, model or keywords. The iATN Knowledge Base includes the FIX Database, Waveform Library, Forum Archives and TechNight transcripts. All iATN member technical help requests, updates and FIXs are searchable by year, make, model, system or symptom. (Messages prior to 1998 are keyword searchable only.) “I just fixed a car that the selling dealer didn't fix and one of the iATN guys knew the fix (using a GM bulletin) and shot it back to me right away,” said Linder. “Amazing!” In addition to using traditional manuals, CDs, DVDs and faxes to resolve your diagnostic dilemmas, consider your hotline and online options when you need it done “yesterday!”
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Copyright (c) 1996-2009. Automotive Service Association®. All rights reserved.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
