There are many sources available today to meet your mechanical information needs. To figure out which products and services are best suited for your business, you must consider cost, convenience and plain old personal preference.

You likely rely on more than one source to diagnose repairs. Even if you're loyal to a specific company, you may still have several formats from which to choose. Traditional paper manuals, CDs, DVDs, hotlines, faxes and online options each have their own selling points to ease the repair process. As a shop owner or technician, it's not only a matter of obtaining data, but also knowing how to quickly determine which information provider will be the most efficient for a particular job.

Whether you depend on paper manuals or electronic formats for your on-site library of repair information, you have a vast amount of data at your fingertips. Does that make every job a piece of cake? Of course not. But you probably handle the majority of problems using traditional information sources.

Never before have the options been so plentiful. And if you prefer electronic formats, technology has never been more user-friendly. Space, price and hardware availability are determining factors for which information sources are best for you. Hotlines

For those hard-to-resolve, impossible-to-solve repairs, a hotline may be the answer. By phone, you can gain the technical expertise, experience, information and procedures to repair the vehicle efficiently and effectively. Check with the information providers you already rely on to find out what assistance they offer.

According to Bill Sauer, founder of IDENTIFIX, hotlines can be especially beneficial to the independent repair technician because hotline experts have the background to deal with post-warranty problems - the cars that are three to 10 years old with 40,000-plus miles.

Many problems are difficult to solve the first time, said Sauer. However, chances are that if it happens to one vehicle, it will happen to more of the same model. Any given shop may only see the problem once. We no doubt will see it many times.

If you do subscribe to a hotline service, it may benefit your employees to establish a guideline as to how long one should spend diagnosing a problem before consulting a hotline service.

While there are costs involved in using most hotlines, the bottom line is that if it saves you a significant amount of time in your diagnosis, it saves you money in the long run.

If the conditions are right, using a repair hotline not only leads to increased productivity, but may also lead to fewer comebacks.

We're the largest source of technical information for independent shops in North America, said Sauer. We have the most comprehensive library of factory service manuals available, not just aftermarket manuals. It's all available by phone and fax to your shop.

The cost of using an automotive repair hotline can be passed along to your customer. Simply charge for the call on the repair bill, just as you would any other sublet service.

If you do decide to pass this charge along to your customer, be sure to include it in your estimate and get prior approval from the customer so there are no surprises. Tell them that by calling the hotline, you saved diagnostic time, and that saved them money.

Other sources

Your on-site information sources can provide wiring diagrams, schematics, specifications, service and repair, PROM updates, TSBs, inspection, system and component descriptions, and more. But in addition to providing you with essential data for the actual repair, getting your hands on the right informa- tion can do wonders for customer relationships.

Use your library of data to improve your image and build the customer's confidence.

Quick access to the right resources allows you to:

• Know what services are required for scheduled maintenance programs.
• Justify repair costs to the customer.
• Explain to the customer what needs to be done.

The bottom line is if you can't handle the problem at hand, it cuts into your profits.

Be familiar enough with the sources available to you that you choose the right tool for the job. It's more than a matter of convenience. The right mix of manuals, hotlines and electronic sources save you time and money.

Special thanks to IDENTIFIX for its contributions to this article.

Choosing a Hotline

Once you have determined that using a hotline is the best approach for the job, here are a few things to consider before you select which hotline to use.

1. How complete is their information? Inquire 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? Check which electronic sources they use.
2. How long have they been in operation?
3. What is the call-in procedure? Is the hotline user-friendly? Quick? Convenient? In addition to dialing the company, will you need a member or account number to expedite the process? Does the company have a voice-mail menu and are there shortcuts to help you move through the system? Make the most of your time by having the year, make, model, mileage and VIN of your problem vehicle ready.
4. Do they use specialists or generalists to answer your questions?
5. What procedures are followed if you have to call back about the same vehicle? You may want to ask if call-backs take priority over other calls. 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.
6. What are their hours of operation? Are they consistent with yours? Consider the time zones.
7. How long is the average call? Although it's only an average, this information may give you some idea about their speed, and help you determine your typical costs.
8. How many technicians do they have and what are their qualifications? In addition to certification, ask how many years of experience they have.
9. How do their experts stay updated on the latest technology?
10. Does the hotline offer bumper-to-bumper coverage?
11. How good are you at helping with emission failures?
12. Do they have additional programs that provide information late at night or on the weekend when you're not open? Some offer recorded data that can be accessed during non business hours or fax-on-demand programs.
13. Do they conveniently service your area?
14. Can they provide any perks (newsletters, etc.) if you subscribe to their service?

IDENTIFIX Expands, Updates Its Diagrams-Online Service

IDENTIFIX, provider of the largest diagnostic hotline to the automotive repair industry, has announced the expansion and updating of its Diagrams-Online wiring diagram service.

Diagrams-Online now makes more than 50,000 wiring diagrams available - by fax - to repair shops 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Introduced by IDENTIFIX in 1997, Diagrams-Online provides a quick, low-cost alternative for getting high-quality wiring diagrams into the hands of automotive repair technicians. A technician simply looks in the index for the year, make, model, and electrical system or subsystem of the vehicle in need of repair, notes the six-digit diagram code, calls an 800 number and enters the code. The Diagrams-Online fax service automatically retrieves and faxes back the wiring diagrams necessary for the job within minutes of the call.

Diagrams-Online coverage has been expanded to include domestic cars from 1988 to 1998, and domestic light trucks and imports from 1994 to 1998.

The 1999 Diagrams-Online index is being packaged with a heavy-duty, locking three-ring binder and information on two other key products: IDENTIFIX Repair Hotline (a diagnostic hotline staffed by 32 career service technicians) and IDENTIFIX Repair-Trac (after-warranty pattern failures and quick fixes).

IDENTIFIX products are available on a subscription basis. Diagrams-Online is priced at $30 per month for unlimited faxes.

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