Since moving into the position of director of content for ImportCar, I have had some sleepless nights. I often find myself diving deep into service information, forums and parts websites trying to confirm small details like whether the latest Audi has a plastic drain plug for the oil pan, or if the latest calibration for an ECU will solve a catalyst efficiency problem.
The following are some of the things that kept me up at night this past month:
Mechanics Strike in Chicago
Dealership technicians in Chicago went on strike this past summer to protest wages and payable hours. The strike was eventually settled, but it put a spotlight on flat-rate compensation for technicians at both dealerships and independent shops.
The one conclusion I made from this strike was that the flat-rate system has become incompatible with modern vehicle service and diagnostic methods. Some labor guides and the people who use them do a poor job of accounting for the time it takes to solve driveability problems on late-model import vehicles.
The current flat-rate system does not give the technician the proper incentives to invest in education and training. However, it does reward those technicians who are willing to throw parts at a problem. The big loser is the driving public.
Volume of TSBs Requiring Reflashing & Reprogramming
While doing some research for a recent webinar on the Top TSBs of 2017, I noticed so many of the fixes involved software and not parts. Also, some of the updates were not just for emissions problems, but rather for systems like HVAC, ABS and entertainment.
As an example, for one model launched late in 2016, I counted 10 different TSBs on software updates for different modules that were issued in just the first eight months of 2017. I also found a TSB for a software update on a 2008 car to improve the performance of a catalyst efficiency monitor. The parts market is shifting from updated parts to updated software.
The Cost of Reflashing
If OEMs are going to be issuing software updates for vehicles at their current pace, they need to make it easy and affordable for independent shops to update a vehicle’s modules, and not just those related to emissions. Pass-through reprogramming needs to be improved or done away with altogether. Why can’t a file be downloaded first and then installed on a vehicle? Is the intellectual property that valuable that it needs that level of protection?
Second, all of the hoops an independent has to jump through to set up a PC or piece of hardware are getting ridiculous for some makes. Some OEM tools for reprogramming might require a specific PC or laptop configuration that is difficult to source due to an older operating system.
Plastic Oil Changes
At a recent industry meeting I attended, there was a lot of talk about plastic oil pans and drain plugs. Chances are you have already seen a plastic drain plug on a BMW or VW. More manufacturers are going with plastic pans to reduce engine noise. But, this makes the chances of doing damage during an oil change even greater. Do your research now or risk destroying an engine.
What is keeping you up at night? Call me at (330)670-1234 ext. 296 or send me an email at [email protected].
