may2023 - 21

COVER STORY
SCANNING
for sales
Scan tools are complicated, but selling them doesn't have
to be-with some basic knowledge and a good support
team behind you, you'll be on track for making the sale.
By Emily Markham, Editor
D
id you know that 87 percent of shops own a scan tool? Or how
about that even if a shop owns one scan tool or multiple scan tools,
24 percent of technicians have also purchased their own? These
stats are straight out of this year's Aftermarket Profile-a comprehensive
guide of the automotive aftermarket that provides insights from over 300
PTEN readers on tool and equipment purchases they've made recently
or plan to make soon-and they prove just how important having a scan
tool is to shops and individual technicians alike.
Ed and Maria Lee are a Mac Tools
team who understand the significance
of getting the correct scan tool in the
hands of their customers. Traveling
through their route in Spokane, Washington,
the duo makes stops at dealerships,
independent shops, private
shops, body shops, and a few farms.
They have a little bit of everything along
their route, and between their lineup
of Mac scan tools, which are branded
Bosch products, and their offering of
the full Launch Tech lineup, the couple
has a scan tool fit for each and every
technician they visit.
NEW FEATURES
AND FUNCTIONS
The technology in vehicles is in a constant
state of advancement, so it makes
sense that the tools and equipment used
to fix them are also advancing. Unfortunately,
a scan tool's updates can be a bit
trickier to keep track of than a screwdriver
with a new ergonomic handle.
However, one way Ed and Maria have
found that helps them to stay on top of
new features and updates is by staying
in touch with representatives from their
scan tool's manufacturers.
" Bosch does a really good job of
keeping us well informed of what's
in every new update, and our updates
come out at a minimum once a quarter,
but it's probably more like six or seven
times a year, " Maria says. " And so, we
review those updates pretty thoroughly
for what's new coming to the scan tool
at that time. "
Though you may only stock one
or two brands of different scan tools,
having an understanding of what's new
with some other brands could be beneficial.
Perhaps there's a brand that has
features better suited for your customers.
Or maybe having this knowledge
will better enable you to compare and
contrast features between what you
stock from a competitor.
Here are a few updates from three
scan tool manufacturers on what's new
in their product line-ups.
Autel
Autel Technical Trainer, John Forro covers
a handful of Autel's largest changes
he believes mobile tool dealers should
be aware of.
" Our top-tier tools support the newest
protocols found on today's vehicles
such as Can FD and DoIP, " Forro notes.
He explains that " protocol " just
means the language and speed that the
modules talk. The Can FD protocol was
started in 2019 on select Ford products,
whereas the DoIP or diagnostics over
the internet protocol is commonly used
by European manufacturers like BMW.
Autel's lineup of scan tools also
supports an exclusive EV diagnostic box
that allows technicians to perform diagnostics
on the battery management system,
as well as HVAC compressors.
Professional Distributor I May 2023 I VehicleServicePros.com 21
http://www.VehicleServicePros.com
may2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of may2023
