Ron Ananian is the owner of R\A Automotive in Waldwick, New Jersey. Since 1991, he has also educated and entertained millions of listeners through his nationally syndicated radio program, The Car Doctor.  We sat down with Ron recently to talk about what he does in his downtime. Turns out that besides his CrossFit regime, he’s passionate about learning.

When you are at the receiving end of poor customer service, you can either suffer through it or use it as a “teachable moment” that will help your business grow.  I recently had the pleasure of interacting via telephone and in person with both my cell phone service provider and my cable company. These contacts were the result of a perfect storm of investigating a switch in cell phone providers and concurrently having my cable box stop working.

In June, ALLDATA recognized outstanding auto repairers who were submitted by shops across the country for ASE Automotive Service Professionals Month.

Now we’re pleased to share photos of the honorees from Firestone Complete Auto Care in Lawrence, Kansas. They received certificates, AutoZone gift cards, ALLDATA shop stools, and other swag.

Automobiles, like heavy metal butterflies, go through a metamorphosis each year. Some models return with just a few minor cosmetic changes, while others undergo a total redesign, and some models don’t make it back at all. Manufacturers also use a new model year to debut their latest and greatest creations.

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, better known as ASE, is an independent, non-profit, self-supporting organization that was created in 1972 to improve the quality of vehicle repair and service by testing and certifying automotive professionals. ASE has nearly 250,000 currently certified automotive technicians and service professionals working nationwide.

Brake fluid is often overlooked until major brake work is done. You may be checking the level of the brake fluid and perhaps even brake fluid color, but are you checking the true condition of the brake fluid? To give your customers the highest level of service, check the brake fluid condition every time a vehicle enters your facility. At a minimum the condition of the brake fluid should be tested every year, and the fluid changed if needed.

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) has designated June as Automotive Services Professionals Month. To celebrate, we’re featuring some of the outstanding auto repairers as submitted by shops across the country.

Can hybrid and electric vehicles be dangerous to work on? Absolutely. However, if you get proper training and follow OEM repair procedures, you can safely and efficiently service and repair them.

In this article, we will cover manufacturer-specific safety guidelines aimed at keeping you safe while working on two fully-electric vehicles – The Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Bolt.

In less than two minutes, you’ll see how simple and straightforward it is to access unedited OEM collision repair data direct from the manufacturer. Ensures you’ll always have the information needed to troubleshoot, estimate, and repair Subaru vehicles.

A quick tour of the OEM information ALLDATA Collision provides for required PDR operations, including scanning, as well as manufacturer information on vehicle construction, how to identify panel materials, safe battery removal/reconnection, and more.

Interview with Aaron Stokes, Part 2

ALLDATA recently interviewed Aaron Stokes, the founder of Shop Fix Academy, owner and operator of five auto repair shops, and the radio show host of “Fixin’ Cars with Aaron Stokes” on Nashville’s 99.7.

Interview with Aaron Stokes, Part 3

ALLDATA recently interviewed Aaron Stokes, the founder of Shop Fix Academy, owner and operator of five auto repair shops, and the radio show host of “Fixin’ Cars with Aaron Stokes” on Nashville’s 99.7.

See how to get the OEM documentation you need, quickly and accurately. In addition to OEM position statements, ALLDATA Collision includes OEM repair matrices, collision bulletins, body repair manuals, body guides, and more.

Material identification is key to determining repairability on today’s vehicles. See how to quickly access OEM Repairability Guidelines that identify what an OEM will and won’t allow on today’s repairs – information that’s critical for proper collision repair planning and execution.

To streamline your initial damage assessment routine and ensure estimate and repair accuracy, we’ve gathered the OEM inspections required after a collision in one easy-to-access grouping within the vehicle’s repair procedures.

These tips guide you to the OEM repair information you need prior to scheduling the removal and replacement of glass, which often impacts trim, the rearview mirror, and ADAS components. For any OEM you need to access, our consistent format makes it easy to find the information you need.

Interview with Aaron Stokes, Part 1

ALLDATA recently interviewed Aaron Stokes, the founder of Shop Fix Academy, owner and operator of five auto repair shops, and the radio show host of “Fixin’ Cars with Aaron Stokes” on Nashville’s 99.7.

With COVID19 vaccines becoming readily available for all age groups, it won’t be long before the travel and vacation industry returns to normal. Most travel destinations have already begun to reopen so it’s a great time for shop owners to start planning for a vacation. But how do you trust the running of your business to someone else?

Shows you step by step how to access unedited, up-to-date OEM procedures for sectioning and welding the inner quarter of a Chrysler Pacifica.

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) has designated June as Automotive Services Professionals Month.

“Automotive service professionals go above and beyond, providing essential services to ensure that vital vehicles stay in service to perform their important roles and keeping the motoring public on the road,” said Tim Zilke, ASE president and CEO. “Because these skilled professionals deserve our thanks, ASE has designated June as Automotive Service Professionals Month to recognize the valuable work they perform each and every day.”

ELK GROVE, Calif. – April 20, 2021 – ALLDATA announces enhanced functionality of ALLDATA Shop Manager by integrating AutoZone parts ordering to its shop management program. With this latest ALLDATA Shop Manager update, customers can easily order parts, check local availability, and receive parts in real time from AutoZone.

If you took a service technician from 1955 and transported that person to 2021 they would be amazed, and frightened, by the level of technology in today’s cars and trucks. Even today’s technicians are surprised at how interconnected all the systems are. Systems that you would not expect to share data do so with frequency. Lots of frequencies. So many that it Hertz.

In the year 1918, many events took place: World War I was well underway, Woodrow Wilson was president at the time, time zones and daylight savings were officially established, the Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago Cubs in the 1918 World Series, and the Spanish flu ravaged the globe, killing at least 50 million people worldwide. 

Can hybrid and electric vehicles be dangerous to work on? Absolutely. However, if you get proper training and follow OEM repair procedures, you can safely and efficiently service and repair them. Here are a few manufacturer-specific tips that will help you just that.

Two of the major challenges facing today’s collision repair shops are the exponential increase in vehicle complexity due to advanced technologies like ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems) as well as the threat of liability that may result from not repairing vehicles properly according to OEM procedures.

In 2020, as a result of the pandemic, we saw a dramatic shift in automotive repair trade shows. With safety concerns about in-person events, the industry transitioned to online forums, creating opportunities whereby automotive service professionals could still have access to speakers, interactive training, content, networking, exhibitors – and deals.

ALLDATA Diagnostics now allows users to perform quick vehicle scans on their phones. While using a tablet is still the only way to take advantage of all the features that ALLDATA Diagnostics has to offer, the phone app, now available on Android and iOS*, allows you to quickly scan a vehicle, create a report, and even clear codes.

Thanks to a friend who bought two Honda CT-90s, I recently found myself assisting in the diagnosis and repair of these esoteric antique cycles. In June 1963, Honda debuted this lightweight, small cc (barely a) motorcycle. They were so popular that the Beach Boys wrote the very popular tribute song: ‘Little Honda’.

We recently covered the body and chassis on 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L, the newly revealed seven-seater Grand Cherokee. But the vehicle from Stellantis — the OEM formed out of the merger of Peugeot and FCA — contains or will contain some other notable technology, particularly on the advanced driver assistance system front.

The ALLDATA News staff sat down with ALLDATA President Satwinder Mangat to get his thoughts on the automotive repair industry and key technology trends for 2021.

Sometimes the automotive business rewards excellence by giving a great technician the tough jobs while the gravy goes to the run-of-the-mill mechanic. Such was the case for Eric*. His boss owned multiple auto repair locations and Eric was asked to leave his home turf and bat clean-up at one of the locations that needed his expertise.

Can hybrid and electric vehicles be dangerous to work on? Absolutely. However, if you get proper training and follow OEM repair procedures, you can service and repair them safely and efficiently. Here are a few manufacturer-specific hybrid safety tips that will help you do just that.

In a lot of ways, your business is like the cars we work on. There are many complex systems that work together in concert, but if the intake system isn’t operating correctly it causes numerous difficulties. Without proper procedures, you shouldn’t guess at diagnosis or adjustments.

The specialty equipment aftermarket industry is ready to come together for SEMA360, the new online event taking place Nov. 2-6, that will allow industry professionals to connect and conduct much-needed business.

We’re all doing things differently this year. And SEMA is no exception. ALLDATA is pleased to support this year’s SEMA360 by offering attendees a number of ways to engage with us during the virtual event, Nov. 2-6, 2020

Today’s independent automotive repair shops range in size from a single location to multi-shop organizations, each with its own unique business needs. So when it comes to running your business efficiently, a one-size-fits-all shop management system isn’t necessarily the best solution. 

When it was announced that the collision industry’s foremost trade show was going virtual for 2020, ALLDATA embraced the opportunity to offer attendees an online experience unique to these challenging times.

An Interview with Lynne Cardwell by David Bry

When the phone rings and there’s a potential repair customer on the line, you have a choice. You can offer a price quote and hope that it’s not too high and scares them away. Or you can take the approach of a fellow shop owner with decades of experience: offer a quote ...

October is the optimum time to remind your customers to get their vehicles ready for winter driving and to deal with any service or maintenance issues they may have been putting off during warmer weather.

ELK GROVE, Calif. – Sept. 11, 2020 – The latest update for ALLDATA’s scan tool now supports direct access to the Secure Gateway (SGW) module by FIAT Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) U.S.  this is Abstract