If your scan tool is capable of reading a data stream, there are a couple of tests you can perform that will save you time when you’re dealing with a complex diagnosis.

Sixty-one percent (more than 3 in 5) of shops said in the latest “Who Pays for What?” survey that they are researching OEM repair procedures on “all” or “most” of the vehicles they repair. That’s a nine percentage point gain since 2020. The survey was conducted in the spring by Collision Advice and CRASH Network. About 700 shops participated.

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2019-2022 RAV4 customers have noticed a sloshing or splashing sound from one or more door panels while driving. The cause: a waxy cavity substance in combination with debris clog the door drain holes. This condition affects all variations, hybrid and ICE RAV4s. Toyota has published bulletin T-SB-0084-21 which contains a repair procedure.

Typically, when we feature an auto repair shop, it almost always includes a structure with ample workspace, air-tools, lifts and a waiting room. Black Top Auto Repair has set this standard on its ear with an exceptional mobile approach. The concept of ‘mobile mechanic’ has a long history with varied connotations, and owner/operator Dylan Loebel-Begelman understands this perception. This is why his mobile business incorporates a custom-built trailer, outfitted with a lift, air compressor, tool storage, waste tanks, leveling jacks and internet hotspot.

Like many in the automotive industry, Joshua Day was born into it. In 1979 – three years before Josh was even born – his father, Paul Day, became the very first mechanic at the then newly-opened Big O Tire^{® franchise in Woodland, Calif.}

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2020-22 F350 Super Duty owners have been perplexed by their truck seemingly acting on it’s own. Symptoms include electric seats randomly moving, continuous horn blasts, and illuminated anti-lock brake system (ABS) indicator with trouble codes C0020 and U3003. Most troubling however is the engine will not turn off or in some cases will not crank (start).

ALLDATA President Satwinger Mangat, along with the company’s Sales and Marketing Directors, travelled from the USA on May 8 to visit three Quebec City-area workshops for discussions with their managers. The tour was coordinated by Philippe Blouin, ALLDATA’s Business Solutions Consultant for the Quebec City region.

No parts changing - 2010 BMW X5 not charging

Mario Rojas (aka Super Mario Diagnostics) has been repairing cars since 2013 and sharing his repairs on YouTube for the last five years. Fitting to his username, he primarily focuses on diagnostics and troubleshooting – and he’s garnered quite a following doing so. He currently has over 49 thousand subscribers on YouTube and over five million total video views.

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Porsche Caymans between 2010-21 with specific equipment combinations and the Porsche Vehicle Tracking System (PVTS) deactivated have the potential to suddenly prevent ignition.

ALLDATA Repair Planner is a new add-on product for ALLDATA Collision®. Part of ALLDATA’s integrated repair platform, it automates the collision repair planning process with OEM accuracy to help shops save time, limit liability, and boost profits. 

Customers who need replacement catalytic converters often prefer the lower cost and greater availability of the aftermarket part rather than the recommended OE option. Unfortunately, these aftermarket catalytic converters often have bad reputations of quickly failing, and many assume it’s because they are not made with the same quality standards as their OE counterparts.

Automates repair planning for collision shops with OEM accuracy

ELK GROVE, Calif. April 30, 2024 – ALLDATA has announced the launch of Repair Planner, which is the newest addition to the company’s integrated collision repair platform.

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Dodge Challenger owners who were using the steering shifter paddles to manually upshift were more than surprised when their car downshifted instead.

2015 BMW 228i No Comms - Rear Electronics Module Reprogramming

Mario Rojas (aka Super Mario Diagnostics) has been repairing cars since 2013 and sharing his repairs on YouTube for the last five years. Fitting to his username, he primarily focuses on diagnostics and troubleshooting – and he’s garnered quite a following doing so. He currently has over 49 thousand subscribers on YouTube and over five million total video views.

The proper match of oil filter to engine application is more important than it has ever been. Today's engines are designed with very tight tolerances: two-stage oil pumps and high flow lubrication systems. The oil pressure was increased to accommodate these tighter tolerances.

Stellantis Ventures, the automaker’s corporate venture fund, has invested in SteerLight — the developer of a new generation lidar sensing technology. Employing silicon photonics technology, which combines a universal semiconductor material with the speed of photos, SteerLight’s lidar senses the surrounding environment in 3D with higher resolution and precision, and at a lower volume production cost, than other lidar systems, according to a news release from the companies.

In the spirit of April Fools’ Day, three of our Tech Tips are true … and two are pranks. But which two? Find out by clicking each one to unlock the true Tech Tips, or the pranks. Ultimately, we know there’s no foolin’ around when it comes to OEM-direct, tech-verified automotive mechanical repairs.

The Car Care Council encourages the automotive repair industry to support National Car Care Month this April. Here’s how to get involved.

Three new laws went into effect Jan. 1 to address the theft of catalytic converters in California. One makes it illegal to remove a VIN from a catalytic converter, among other provisions. Another requires dealerships to have the catalytic converter engraved with the VIN before a new or used vehicle is sold. The third redefines what constitutes an automobile dismantler and creates criminal penalties for anyone acting illegally as an automobile dismantler.

New research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found drivers who use advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) grow more comfortable with the technology over time---sometimes too comfortable. After weeks of using ADAS, attention to driving tended to drop. However, these drivers also used ADAS more when highway demands were lower.

2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 with a parasitic draw

Mario Rojas, ( aka Super Mario Diagnostics) has been repairing cars since 2013, and, for the last five years, has been sharing his repairs on YouTube. Fitting to his username, he primarily focuses on diagnostics and troubleshooting – and he’s garnered quite a following doing so. He currently has over 47 thousand subscribers on YouTube and over five million total video views.

Staffed by a team of ASE-Certified Master Technicians, ALLDATA Tech-Assist is a diagnostic hotline that saves shops time by providing advanced diagnostic troubleshooting and step-by-step repair assistance.

Have you heard of ALLDATA Tech Assist®? It’s our diagnostic hotline staffed by our team of Master Techs, who can help with anything from advanced diagnostic troubleshooting to step-by-step repair assistance. Plus, we offer live video-streaming so they can show you the solution while you talk to them.

If there is one thing that freaks out drivers, it’s when one or more of their brakes seize up or fail. Understandably, they get really upset when the car won’t stop, swerves abruptly, or stops unexpectedly. 

Independent contractors, marijuana users, and those with criminal records are a few of the human resource issues collision repair shops need to pay attention to in 2024, according to Cory King, Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete partner.

King spoke during a meeting of the Collision Industry Conference in Palm Springs, California on Wednesday.

How many of your customers declined service on their brakes, tires, fluid exchange, or other recommended repairs/maintenance in the past couple of months? And how many said, “I can’t afford that right now, I will save and come back.”?

The U.S. Auto Tech National Championship shines the spotlight on the best of the country’s automotive repair professionals. ALLDATA and AutoZone are proud sponsors of this event. Congratulations to First Place winners David Borer (professional) and Yanick Tanguay (student).

Have an engine misfire or lack of power? Confused by Variable Valve Timing (VVT) codes? The car may also have cam sensor, crank/cam correlation codes and fuel trim problems.

So you’ve taken the plunge and decided to buy a Digital Storage Oscilloscope (DSO). Congratulations! This is a great diagnostics asset to have in your belt. But now you may be wondering what exactly you can do with your new tool. Here are five tips so you can take full advantage of your DSO.

Auto Beauty Center in Independence, MO, started out offering quick services like alloy wheel restorations and paintless dent repair. It later bought a mobile business offering detailing and minor collision repair, and brought those services into its retail location, along with mechanical repair.

Using Freeze Frame data as a diagnostic tool - Diagnostic Digest Volume 5

In the west Texas town of Midland, football is the town’s number one activity. Ranking a close second is oil exploration. The refineries turn the crude into cheap gasoline and Diesel fuel that moves the Midland population. This is not Austin: a Google Maps view of the Tesla Supercharger on Antelope Trail shows one lone Model Y taking on electrons next door to the Love’s Travel Stop.

Every manufacturer has a different way of categorizing and displaying their repair information, and ALLDATA standardizes this information without altering the sources. Using powerful indexing and search algorithms, ALLDATA translates the manufacturers’ glossaries into a format that is familiar to most technicians. Here are some tips on how to find the repair information you are looking for – even if it isn’t where you think it should be.

TechForce Foundation’s new technical education campaign, “Grab the Wheel,” launches this Labor Day to usher 1 million new entry-level automotive, collision, and diesel repair technicians into the industries over the next five years to meet the looming workforce demand.

Diagnostic Digest Volume 4

As the lead instructor of a community college automotive technology program, Ben Breedlove often found himself with the unenviable task of fixing students’ mistakes. Ten years ago, he was the shop foreman of a Toyota dealership service department. At least once a week, he had to rescue a dealership technician from the aftereffects of a misdiagnosis or a botched repair procedure.

A recent New York Times article focused on the ever-increasing costs of vehicle collision repair has caught the attention of the industry.

Shared several times by our readers, the article reported by The Times says that the average cost of repairs has soared 36% since 2018 and could top $5,000 by the end of this year, according to Mitchell International. And increased repair costs mean increased insurance premiums too, which according to the article, increased 17% between May 2022 and May 2023.

How many parts get replaced that didn’t fix the customer’s complaint because a technician made guesses instead of an accurate diagnosis? Often those inaccurate diagnoses are a result of not being able to see a complete picture of the reason for the problem.

ALLDATA has joined forces with parent company AutoZone, national account partner Monro, and other industry leaders to sponsor the U.S. Auto Tech National Championship.

Diagnostic Digest Volume 3

Native Californian Noah Waite built up a solid automotive service business over the last 15 years in the California coastal community of Huntington Beach. Unofficially known as “Surf City USA”, Huntington Beach is famous for its waves. Although the Beach Boys were from Hawthorne, they certainly sung about the main attraction of the town.

Slow connection to the internet, weak Wi-Fi signal, and dead spots in Wi-Fi coverage are all common problems in many shops. With sources of electromagnetic interference and lots of metal surfaces, a shop can be a Wi-Fi nightmare. Since so much of what we do in automotive repair requires reliable internet access, here are some ways to improve existing Wi-Fi coverage or add new service.

A recent New York Times article focused on the ever-increasing costs of vehicle collision repair has caught the attention of the industry.

Shared several times by our readers, the article reported by The Times says that the average cost of repairs has soared 36% since 2018 and could top $5,000 by the end of this year, according to Mitchell International. And increased repair costs mean increased insurance premiums too, which according to the article, increased 17% between May 2022 and May 2023.