Tips for Busy Body Shops
Stacey Phillips is an award-winning freelance writer and editor for the automotive industry. She has 20 years of experience writing for a variety of publications, and is co-author of “The Secrets of America’s Greatest Body Shops.” She can be reached at sphillips.autobodynews@gmail.com.
with Stacey Phillips
Jake Rodenroth of asTech on Vehicle Tech’s Relation to Collision Repair Diagnostics Telematics, Advanced Driver Assis- nostics involves having technicians tance Systems (ADAS) and OEM first confirm the vehicle model and repair procedures are all predicted trim level and then determining the to significantly with impactStacey the way Phillips ve- cause and correction. It also involves hicles are repaired in the fuinspecting the severity of ture, according to Jake Rodamage by confirming body denroth, director of OEM specification and suspension and industry technical relageometry using pre-aligntions for asTech. ments and 3D measuring During a virtual presystems. sentation co-sponsored by with Victoria Antonelli “The trim level designates the Nebraska Auto Body Jake Rodenroth, how many features and conAssociation (NABA) and asTech’s director of trol modules it has,” said the Kansas Auto Body As- OEM and industry Rodenroth. “All collisions sociation (KABA), Roden- technical relations, are inheritably different wearing augmented roth shared insight about and there is nothing routine reality glasses several vehicle technoloabout each vehicle repair.” gies and how they relate collision Often dealing with the newest with EdtoAttanasio repair diagnostics. He also discussed vehicles in the worst shape, technisome of the future concerns techni- cians need access to all vehicle concians will likely face. trol modules and features to ensure a safe and proper repair. Welding Diagnostics and painting operations, as well as In the evolving landscape of vehicle vehicle disassembly, may impact diagnostics, Rodenroth said Ledoux body the vehicle control systems. In addiwith Gary shops must recognize the difference tion, many labor operations require between collision diagnostics and ADAS calibration. mechanical diagnostics. “After a collision, we should be “Collision repair technicians really focused on making sure we and mechanical technicians will look see all of the modules and identify at the same vehicle from a very dif- all of the problems as proactively as ferent perspective,” said Rodenroth. possible,” said Rodenroth. with Stacey Phillips Speaking from firsthand experience working as a master technician for OEM Repair Procedures & Scan Tools a large OEM in his earlier career, he Although some collision repair techshared the difference between the nicians turn to YouTube when looking two. for information to repair a vehicle, On the mechanical side, most of Rodenroth highly advises checking the repairs revolve around a concern the OEM repair procedures. Mike Anderson or the vehicle’s with maintenance sched- “I feel like we learn on every ule. car,” he said. “We have to humble “The technician’s job is to iden- ourselves and research what is intify the cause of that concern and volved so you can get it right. You’ll then recommend the correction or be amazed at what you’ll find,” he repair on the vehicle,” said Rodren- said. roth. He recommends starting small Since many mechanical repairs and researching how to remove a are routine, he said the correction bumper cover, disconnect a battery is usually predictable. Therefore, a or perform a four-wheel alignment. variety of tools can be used to ac- Increasingly, Rodenroth said, cess the systems responsible for the dealer groups, OEM certified repair cause. Ultimately, mechanical diag- shops and many independent facilnostics comes down to first identify- ities are committed to following ing the concern, and then the cause OEM procedures. and correction. Rodenroth encourages techni In comparison, collision diag- cians to use the scan tools identified
My SEMA
Shop Strategies
Product Innovation
OE Shop Certification
in the service manual to ensure the repair is completed correctly and can be defended if necessary. Some shops use aftermarket tools to help keep costs down, but Rodenroth cautioned they might not capture everything regarding scanning and diagnostics. “Scan tools aren’t magic wands,” he said. “They don’t just fix the problem for you. We need to figure it out. Only the combination of the correct tools, the OEM service manual and a trained technician can repair a vehicle effectively.” When it comes to invoicing, Rodenroth recommends itemizing everything done with the vehicle, and says this is especially important with ADAS calibration. He advises shops to research the marketplace and identify the price of scans being charged and the tooling used.
Rodenroth estimates the current market value of a scan is $50 while OEM diagnostics, whether done by a dealer, mobile vendor or another third-party, averages about $120. New Customers, Telematics & Over the Air (OTA) Updates Looking forward, Rodennoth said vehicle owners will increasingly become more connected to their vehicles, especially with a new generation of consumers, Generation Z. Often referred to as “Zoomers,” those included in this demographic were born middle to late 1990s to the early 2010s, and are what Rodenroth refers to as “digital natives.” “They aren’t afraid to use mobile apps in everything they do, whether it’s ordering a coffee or checking the health of their car,” he said. Over the next five years, Rod-
Product Innovation
From the Desk of Mike Anderson
30 JULY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com
Bob Utter Kia
ALL the Genuine Kia Parts You Need • Dedicated Wholesale Staff • Perfect Fit Everytime • Large Inventory
• Competitive Prices • Fast Free Delivery • Extended Warranty
903.892.5967
www.bobutterkia.com Mon-Fri 7:30am-6pm Sat 7:30am-1pm
903.891.7304 24hr Fax 2433 Texoma Parkway Sherman, TX 75090
