Haynes manuals and a digital ally

OurAuto gives workshops the inside running

OURAUTO PROVIDES THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE STEP-BY-STEP WORKSHOP MANUAL SERVICE, INCLUDING HAYNES MANUALS, AND — STEP BY STEP — IT IS MAKING MECHANICS THEIR OWN SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING EXPERTS

OurAuto joined the Blackfern Cooperative this year and Andrew Martin, the manager for Australia and New Zealand, says the take-up of its MotorTech range of repair information services is now going “incredibly well”. Another big reason for that could well be an OurAuto scoop — signing an exclusive deal with the famous Haynes Manuals, a vast library of repair manuals covering the world’s motoring fleet. A MotorTech subscription offers access to digital versions of the original Haynes manuals, and also thousands of searchable, wellorganised step-by-step processes in HaynesPro WorkshopData Tech, which features 100,000 highquality technical drawings. There are also tutorials, repair times, adjustment data and estimation tools, and an electronics module, with a Smart package covering all technical service bulletins.

In addition to the Haynes products, there’s access to MotorTech’s own TechOnline service, which has been the organisation’s core maintenance and repair database since 2002, its Techtimes Guide for assessing how long a job will take, and Tech Estimate for costs.

“What’s really important is how long a repair is going to take and they can customise that if it’s going to take a bit longer in an independent workshop,” Andrew says.

HELP IS JUST A PHONE CALL AWAY THE FUTURE IS DIGITAL

However, Andrew says one of the big issues workshops are grappling with now is the whole new ball game of marketing their businesses online and on social media. While small to medium-sized workshops are always being told it’s important, they often don’t have the knowledge, skills, people, or time to build an online presence. They can fall prey to developers who charge big fees for setting up. “Then they want to charge big monthly fees to maintain it, “ Andrew says. “It’s all about locking in a subscription.”

Andrew says OurAuto takes a different approach. It wants to educate workshops, at a pace they can handle, about what will be important to them and why, and then help them to get online or on social media channels using digital tools that are easy to use and manage.

OurAuto’s digital team understands workshops’ needs. He says the team has built websites for more than 3000 workshops so it knows what it is doing.

It has built a vast array, from simple to complex pages, and templates specific to automotive services so businesses don’t have to pay to reinvent the wheel. They can be customised to suit each customer’s brand and image, and different modules can be added — for example, inventory databases, and e-commerce transactions for parts business.

Now OurAuto is focussing on developing workshop-focused tools for digital marketing, which will be launched early next year.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

It is building a workshop-focused artificial intelligence interface and tools to manage and target local marketing.

“I think we’ve got something pretty exciting to go to the market with,” says Andrew. He says workshops can easily field up to 10 phone calls per day offering digital services, but he believes OurAuto’s track record of working in workshops’ best interests will offer cut-through.

“We come in from a different angle, rather than just trying to take people’s money.

“It’s as much about digital education as anything. There’s a lot to learn — such as why you need to have a digital presence to drive enquiries — but there’s no point marketing to someone in Texas. You need local area marketing, and how to put a ring of steel around that local area, and offer targeted marketing of all services.”

Andrew says workshops may not even need to know what questions to ask about digital marketing, Facebook, Instagram, or websites.

“We will be a one-stop shop for getting this sorted, and we’ll go through the whole process, starting wherever people want.”

VACC OurAuto is a Blackfern supplier. To learn more about digital marketing or OurAuto services, call Kyle on 027 455 5329. For more on MotorTech packages see motortech.com.au, or call VACC OurAuto on 0800 485 122.

Beside the bedrock online information, and a Launch-based scan tool linked to MotorTech’s resources, Andrew says OurAuto’s most valuable service to workshops is its tech advisory service available on an 0800 number. This personal technical service — unmatched by MotorTech’s biggest rival — is staffed by a team of technical experts with detailed knowledge of the largest and most comprehensive automotive technical library of 47,000 repair manuals.

“If you have trouble finding the right information, these guys know exactly where to go,” Andrew says.

“New Zealand has a lot of grey imports so if a workshop can’t find what they are looking for, they can call up and we can tell them what the nearest model in the database is that they need to focus on, which is pretty cool. It’s like having another team of mechanics who can get their repair processes to you.”

OurAuto is a VACC brand providing solutions to Australian and New Zealand automotive businesses. The VACC Motor Trade Association was set up initially in Melbourne as the Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce to help independent workshops thrive. It now has representatives onsite in every state, and in New Zealand, and it is formally linked to the New Zealand Motor Trade Association.

In addition to the VACC’s industry advocacy role and its workshop manuals, OurAuto publishes the Tech Talk magazine which is another online resource offering decades worth of technical discussion and advice on the current and legacy fleet in New Zealand and Australia.

SmartClick Intelligent wiring revolutionises towing

HAYMAN REESE SIMPLIFIES AFTERMARKET TRAILER WIRING AND SUPPORTS TROUBLE-FREE TOWING

Hayman Reese, one of the big names in towbar tech, is now reaching further into aftermarket towing solutions, introducing a smart alternative to complicated towbar wiring installations.

Hayman Reese is introducing SmartClick Intelligent wiring looms, which are tailored to each vehicle.

The latest technology wiring solutions, known as SmartClick Intelligent towing, will be included in every new-release Hayman Reese towbar. Each wiring loom has been engineered to suit individual vehicle applications. It’s as easy as clicking together the smart plug with vehicle nodes and the wiring is done.

Hayman Reese offers a range of wiring tails to complete the job, which are sold separately. Wiring tails are available in 400mm, 1200mm, and 1800mm lengths, as well as versions to suit RPA disable on non-CAN bus systems.

Electronic Control Units (ECUs) are available to relay the LED component of vehicle information to the towing system.

For vehicles equipped with CAN bus, but not yet supported by SmartClick Intelligent wiring packages, or for previously installed towbars, Hayman Reese now offers CAN bus-compatible wiring solutions. To make these systems more compatible, Hayman Reese has introduced the Smartcode system for these vehicles. This means the Hayman Reese-approved installer can code the vehicle at the end of the installation to turn on all the correct safety feature activations while towing.

TALKING TO CAN BUS

A traditional trailer wiring harness would be prone to setting off fault codes in vehicles managed by CAN bus. The old, standard wiring loom technology can also prompt systems managed by CAN bus to fail to activate or switch off certain features within the vehicle’s safety systems when a trailer is connected to the vehicle.

Late in 2019, Hayman Reese launched the first of the SmartClick systems. A base loom was still included with the bar and the ECU, and a tail was then chosen to complete the system. The Hayman Reese SmartClick CAN bus system is a plug and play system, meaning there is no need for scotch locks, or soldering into the vehicle’s wiring harness. Hayman Reese uses the factory plugs to support this type of connectivity. The ECU supplied is designed to communicate effectively with the vehicle in the same manner as the OE version.

However, this was not as straightforward as it should have been. Earlier versions of the SmartClick system would alert the driver when a trailer is plugged into the seven-pin plug, but most vehicles would then require a manual override of the RPA sensors. In most cases that meant the vehicle had to head back to the dealership to be coded — and that prompted pushback from dealers who felt aftermarket wiring looms were likely to cause issues. They would often refuse to code a vehicle.

SMARTCODE SOLUTION FOR INSTALLERS

This is where Hayman Reese’s Smartcode comes in. Smartcode is a handheld device that plugs into the vehicle OBD plug that will program the vehicle to recognise and accept a properly set up trailer wiring solution, and turn the correct parameters on for safe towing. As that can be done by the installer, there is no need for vehicle owners to contact dealers.

Smartcode is a token-based system for the installer, allowing an additional revenue stream from the installation, which ensures compatibility without compromising the vehicle’s integrity.

The hand piece is designed for towing coding only, and like its name it is very smart. In a few short minutes the vehicle is coded and ready to go. The Smartcode firmware is constantly updated, and a quick download will ensure the hand piece is kept up to date.

Brands currently supported are Ford, VW, AUDI, Skoda, and Mercedes.

For more information, contact Hayman Reese on 0800 MY T BAR.