December 2023 - S8

ESSENTIAL TOOLS
With a structure like the above
implemented, the technicians addressing
the vehicles become the shop's eyes
and ears. The experienced shop foreman/
diagnostician becomes the brain not for
one tech, but for any of the technicians
in the shop. This can be a temporary or
even a permanent solution to preventing
inaccurate diagnoses. Reducing the need
to have several A-techs on board can also
be cost-effective.
These same files can be screencaptured
and uploaded to free apps like
Microsoft Paint, giving the ability to highlight,
annotate, or otherwise call attention
to certain characteristics of a particular
capture. This same capture now becomes
priceless training material to add to your
archives or to reference for a new tech trying
to enhance their depth of knowledge.
ADAS FUNCTIONALITY
Advanced driver
assistance
systems
(ADAS) are prevalent in virtually all vehicles
nowadays. After the repair or replacement
of certain components, calibration of
certain ADAS subsystems must be carried
out. Some of these calibrations are carried
out dynamically, requiring them to be driven
under certain specific operating conditions.
Others are carried out statically,
requiring objects and specific targets to be
appropriately placed, and then registered
by the vehicle's ECU.
In either scenario, the routines or calibrations
must be initiated by the scan tool.
Displayed here is an example from TOPDON's
Phoenix Smart (Figure 5). These
are certain factors to consider, especially
given the current and growing prevalence
of ADAS and the subsystems and components
they encompass.
SCAN TOOL SOFTWARE UPDATES
One thing that many shops and individual
technicians fail to consider when purchasing
a scan tool is the cost to maintain that
tool. Without mentioning names, some
scan tool software annual upgrades can
reach prices nearing $1,000.
It's important to note or inquire about
the consequences of not upgrading a tool
when new software is available. In other
words, will a lacking software upgrade
simply omit new features, or will the
scan tool performance degrade or cease
to function at all?
Many scan tool companies will offer
special deals which may include free software
upgrades for a year (or maybe several
years). Also, keep in mind that scan
tools can be found online anywhere you
look. It's true that many times a lower
cost scan tool found online may appear
to be authentic but is not manufactured
to function properly in the U.S. You may
find yourself dead in the water when it
comes time to upgrade the software and
have nowhere to turn for technical assistance.
Be sure to purchase your scan tool
from a reputable source, regardless of the
potential savings of purchasing online
from an unknown source.
SCAN TOOL SPECIFICATION GUIDE
Of the scan tool features mentioned, they
are just a few of many. Don't get yourself
overwhelmed; these were merely suggested
features to keep in mind to help guide you
and your shop to a tool that will be less
likely to disappoint.
Understand not one scan tool can do it
all. If it could, everyone would own it and
it would cost a lot of money. But being sure
the tool you choose to go with is based on
a decision that considers some of the factors
mentioned above is always a wise one.
There has been research done across
Figure 5- Advance driver assistance systems (ADAS) prevalent in today's
vehicles will be further implemented with time. Calibration of these systems
will be required with even some of the most basic repairs we see in the shop on a
daily basis. Scan tool functionality must support these required calibrations.
Photo courtesy of Brandon Steckler
the industry to help narrow down the
decision-making process for you. Information
pertaining to many different
scan tools can be found in the annual
Professional Tool and Equipment News
(PTEN) Scan Tool Spec Guide supplement.
This comparative chart allows one
to easily compare one scan tool to the
rest with all the factors mentioned above
(and many more). Keeping this information
in mind when shopping for a scan
tool will likely put one in your hand that
will serve you and your shop well.
8 DECEMBER 2023 VehicleServicePros.com
http://www.VehicleServicePros.com
December 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2023
