NAPA's Tool & Equipment Division has done just that with diagnostic field representation and trainers to back them, said NAPA Tool & Equipment Business Development Manager Steve Schickling.
"We have a lot of representation before and after the sale," Schickling said, offering shop owners onsite training, hands-on clinics, Web-based training, and self-study courses.
An understanding of diagnostics and the availability of scan tools have become vital to independent shop owners, Schickling said.
"It's allowed independents to keep vehicles in their shops," he said. "Anytime you send a customer to a dealer, you have the potential of losing that customer."
Many driveability problems can be solved with a reflash, Schickling said. "Customers today want one place they can go to for all their vehicle's needs.
"We bring it under one umbrella," he said of NAPA's parts, tool, and training offerings. "Sales reps bring a personal touch to the party."
The diagnostic tools that NAPA carries appeal to all technicians' skill levels from entry-level techs to journeymen, he said, which include SPX/OTC, Vetronix/Bosch Group, and Argus.
Schickling said Bob Pattengale, technical account representative for Bosch, is dedicated to training and supporting NAPA district sales managers on Bosch Diagnostics tools throughout the western United States.
"Scan tools are expensive; that's what makes a combined tool viable," said Pattengale, who has extensive experience with diagnostics, having owned his own training company and written several industry articles on the topic. "Do you need every function and feature on these (OE) scan tools? It's not likely."
The General Motors Tech 2 is produced by Vetronix, Pattengale noted, and is available to aftermarket customers. The experience in OE diagnostics has also enabled the company to include additional OE-level capabilities in its MTS 3100 Mastertech Multifunction Tester, especially with Toyota and Honda coverage, he said, adding that it also has Chrysler, Ford, and Nissan data.
The MTS 3100 Mastertech has bidirectional testing capability and the capacity to reflash electronic control modules (ECM), Pattengale said. For example, he said, the tool can turn solenoids on and off.
Retrieved trouble codes, coupled with data from service information Web sites, can direct a technician to what to look at in the scan tool, Pattengale said. Information providers, such as Alldata, Mitchell 1, and Identifix, have significant coverage of trouble codes for emissions, he said. That information contains "enabling criteria" that reveals how a code may have been set--this and Mode $06 data information may then be used in diagnosis, he said.
If technicians cannot find what they're looking for with an aftermarket data provider, Pattengale said, they should then turn to the automaker's OE service information Web site.
With Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler, for example, 24-hour access can be obtained for $19.95, he said, a fee that can be added as a line item on the repair order (RO).
"Shop owners can pass that along to the customer," Pattengale said. "You have to charge people for work you do." For example, he said, in the past, there were never environmental charges on ROs; today it's a common line item.
Service writers must tell customers why it's important to have the right information to fix their vehicle, he said, adding that it's a fair and reasonable proposition.
There is a widening gap in competence among independent repair shops, Pattengale said. When it comes to diagnostics, many shop owners are behind, he said, "On average they're spending the least amount to stay up to date.
"Many techs can see something and fix it," he said, adding that many shops lack technicians who practice a logical diagnostic process. "The guy who can reason with logic and decide what needs replaced and what needs to be done is missing. Virtually anyone can hang a water pump, but few can efficiently diagnose driveability issues.
"Shops with the proper equipment are solving problems faster than ever before," he said. "If you buy the best tools out there, you're going to be able to solve problems a lot quicker."
The burning question remains, Pattengale said, of how much technicians and shop owners are willing to pay for tools.
In the past, many were willing to pay up to $30,000 for diagnostic machines, buying them in droves, he said. "What if you used the same analogy for scan tools?
"If I took $30,000 and bought scan tools, I would be significantly equipped to do the job," Pattengale said.
The NAPA Tool & Equipment Division is also focused on future technicians, supporting vo-tech students through Ford AAA and SkillsUSA, Schickling said.
"Progressive schools made changes to focus on electronic diagnostics and engine management," he said. If schools are not using modern equipment, it's tough to recruit and retain quality students, he added.
"We're working with some schools to help with their curriculum," Schickling said, adding that NAPA AutoCare centers work with vo-tech schools nationwide to employ students.
"We want to get students educated and in a position where they can contribute to the industry," he said.
