June is ASE Automotive Service Professionals Month

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) has designated June 2023 as Automotive Service Professionals Month.

ASE encourages industry members to use Automotive Service Professionals Month as a way to thank service professionals and conduct recognition events, special programs, and other celebrations.

How to test a 2002 Thunderbird
instrument cluster that’s not backlit

Mario Rojas, known as Super Mario Diagnostics on YouTube, has been repairing cars since 2013. Fitting to his username, he primarily focuses on diagnostics and troubleshooting – and he’s garnered quite a following doing so. He currently has over 39 thousand subscribers on YouTube and nearly 4 million total video views.

As technology continues to evolve, Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) have become increasingly common in vehicles, providing drivers with enhanced safety features and driving assistance that have made roads safer for us all.

ADAS: What you don't know CAN hurt you!

In this video from ALLDATA, MotorAge’s Pete Meier talks about the growth of ADAS over the years, how performing other repairs can affect these sensitive systems, and why using OEM information helps protect your shop from potential liability issues.

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White knuckled customers have complained that their F-150, while using the active adaptive cruise control, unexpectedly decelerated while passing large vehicles (tractor trailers).

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Some Cadillac Escalade owners (2021-23) may complain of a hoot, howl, or whistle-type wind noise coming from either the left or right side of the dash / front end while driving at highway speeds.  This noise may change depending on the HVAC setting being set to either fresh air or recirculation mode. In some cases, the complaint could be a squeak or creak noise from the I/P dash, which could occur while driving at any speed.  

In the spirit of April Fools’ Day, three of our Tech Tips are true … and two are pranks. But which two? Find out by clicking each one to unlock the true Tech Tips, or the pranks. Ultimately, we know there’s no foolin’ around when it comes to OEM-accurate, tech-verified automotive mechanical repairs.

In March, Hyundai released collision repair information for 20 Hyundai and Genesis models, including 2019-2023 models. ALLDATA Collision now includes these new structural repair procedures, material guidelines, and more for all 20 vehicles to enable shops to repair them safely and accurately.

How ALLDATA Inspections streamlines your workflow

When your customers come in for repairs, is your shop still handwriting vehicle check-ins and inspections? If so, you’re not alone. It is estimated that about 25% of shops or more still do. But that’s changing!

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Numerous Chevy Volt owners have complained about a clicking sound that comes and goes while driving, occasionally illuminating the Stabilitrak lamp. The lamp will sometimes reset after an ignition cycle.

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Explorer owners have complained about a buzz, vibration or rattle below the left rear door at engine idle or low RPM.  Ford has issued a Technical Service Bulletin: 22-2135.

What happens to a hybrid or electric vehicle’s high-voltage (HV) battery or battery pack at the end of its life? Do they get recycled or tossed into a landfill? The good news is, HV batteries can be recycled, but you must do so using explicit steps and safety procedures.

Northside Collision Paint & Body Inc. in San Antonio, TX, was established in 2001, when Mark Gutierrez - a longtime Allstate agent with no collision repair experience - purchased a small body shop, determined to set a higher standard for collision repair in the area.

New add-on product for ALLDATA Repair provides OEM labour times for accurate estimates

COLOGNE, Germany – Feb. 1, 2023 – ALLDATA Europe GmbH, an affiliate of ALLDATA LLC, an AutoZone company, has announced ALLDATA Labour Times, a new add-on product for ALLDATA Repair^® that provides quick access to OEM labour times.

Interview with President Satwinder Mangat, Part 2

In January, we published Part 1 of our interview with ALLDATA President Satwinder Mangat, which featured a look back at 2022 highlights as well as the trends and technologies affecting the repair industry in 2023.

ALLDATA Collision^® has increased its lead as the #1 choice for OEM repair information. According to the results of the 2023 Who Pays for What? Frame & Mechanical Operations survey, 76% of auto body repair shops use ALLDATA to research OEM repair information, up from 73.9% in 2022.ALLDATA Collision^® has increased its lead as the #1 choice for OEM repair information. According to the results of the 2023 Who Pays for What? Frame & Mechanical Operations survey, 76% of auto body repair shops use ALLDATA to research OEM repair information, up from 73.9% in 2022.

Interview with Satwinder Mangat, President, ALLDATA

The ALLDATA News staff recently sat down with ALLDATA President Satwinder Mangat to get his feedback on SEMA, thoughts on technology trends affecting the auto repair industry, and what’s next for ALLDATA.

You know how much hard work it takes to get customers’ vehicles back on the road safely. When it comes to maximizing your return, it pays to know how often other shops across the country are being reimbursed by the insurers for the same procedures.

Luckily, the results of the latest Who Pays for What? survey do just that, providing a goldmine of valuable information that could directly improve your bottom line.

The new year is here, and the opportunities are plentiful. All of us have the desire to improve on the things we did right in 2022. If you are a shop owner or manager, there are some ways you can make tangible improvements that will improve your financials and make coming to work a bit more enjoyable for your team and your customers.

PTEN magazine has announced the results of its 2022 People’s Choice Award program, which calls on its readers to vote for the tools and equipment they prefer from the Innovation Awards program.

2022 FenderBender Award winner Mike Schoonover

Mike Schoonover, owner/operator of Schoonover Bodyworks & Glass in Shoreview, Minn., is the winner of the 2022 FenderBender Award for the “Finest in Collision Repair,” an honor he describes as “Very humbling, and also very cool.” In addition to being a loyal ALLDATA customer for more than 15 years, Schoonover attributes his shop’s success to always focusing on what’s right for the customer, always doing high-quality work, and always providing great customer service.

ALLDATA was recently honored with two PTEN Innovation Awards: one for ADAS Quick Reference and the other for the new Instructor Toolkit. .

ALLDATA President Satwinder Mangat accepted the two PTEN Innovation Awards on behalf of the company at an event held during the AAPEX show in Las Vegas earlier this month.

A&J Automotive Repair and Fleet Services, a family fleet success story

I recently had to the pleasure to interview Adam Inocelda, co-owner of A&J Automotive Repair and Fleet Service. When I visited the shop, I noted that it was very organized and well-lit. They had plenty of lifts, tools and equipment. Most of the bays were full. Early into the interview, I realized that their success hinged on some unique business practices.

The winners of the coveted SEMA Show New Product Showcase Awards were announced November 1 in Las Vegas. ALLDATA won in the ADAS System Category for the addition of ADAS Quick Reference to ALLDATA Repair^® and ALLDATA Collision^®.

ELK GROVE, Calif. – Oct. 18, 2022 – ALLDATA, an AutoZone company, has announced the latest update to its shop management software solutions. ALLDATA Shop Manager now includes Nexpart Multi-Seller parts ordering, giving customers 24/7 access to leading parts suppliers, in addition to the AutoZone parts catalog currently available.

ELK GROVE, Calif. – Oct. 10, 2022 – ALLDATA, the automotive industry’s leading OEM repair information provider, has announced the addition of ALLDATA Inspections to its suite of shop management solutions. ALLDATA Inspections gives shops the ability to jumpstart the customer check-in process and perform digital vehicle inspections (DVIs) curbside.

We’ve just launched ALLDATA Inspections, an exciting new addition to our suite of shop management solutions. Inspections makes it easy for shops to jumpstart the customer check-in process curbside and perform digital vehicle inspections (DVIs).

The latest update to ALLDATA Shop Manager now includes Nexpart Multi-Seller parts ordering, giving customers 24/7 access to leading parts suppliers, in addition to the AutoZone parts catalog currently available.

The countdown is on to the 2022 SEMA Show and there’s plenty to be excited about! Whether you’re a loyal customer or just kicking the tires, stop by ALLDATA Booth #31067 to say hello! Catch up on our latest enhancements and get a hands-on look at our industry-leading OEM repair information products, diagnostic tools, and shop management software. And of course, score the best deals of the year!  

A PROFILE OF SKYLINE COLLEGE'S AUTOMOTIVE PROGRAM

This summer, ALLDATA met with Thomas Broxholm, the program coordinator of the automotive program at Skyline College in San Bruno, CA. We were able to talk a little about himself, the program, and the future of automotive education. Read our interview with him below:

A successful repair starts with the right parts, the right training, the proper equipment and an understanding of the latest repair procedures. As vehicles on the road today become more and more sophisticated with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), lidar-based autonomous driving systems, and other new technology, the proper OEM repair and calibration procedures have become ever more ...

The 2022 PTEN Innovations Awards have been announced and ALLDATA was honored with wins in two categories: ADAS and Training. PTEN’s coveted Innovation Awards program recognizes “… the most cutting-edge automotive tools and equipment that entered the market in 2021.”

The award winners are based on the rankings of the PTEN panel of professional automotive judges, who score each nominated product based on five criteria: time savings, task simplification, uniqueness, level of improvement over current tool, and ease of use. 

College collision repair department heads and a recent graduate say the industry as a whole needs to get behind pulling kids’ interest to the skills it takes to become technicians at younger ages.

And that’s just what Metropolitan Community College (MCC) in Omaha, Nebraska is doing through its summer camps focused on kids ages 10-12, called “College for Kids,” and “College for Teens” for ages 14-17. The first group of 10-12-year-olds spent a day last week learning about the uses of and differences between rigid and flexible foam with an I-CAR frame rail demonstration. They also learned about tools used in collision repair. The same topics will be covered with a second group this week.

Demand for electric vehicles continues to grow as gas prices hover around a record-high national average of $5 per gallon. Sales in Q1 2022 of 173,561 electric vehicles represents an increase of 76 percent from Q1 2021.

Affordable electric vehicles continue to be in short supply while the Tesla Model Y accounted for nearly one out of every three new U.S. electric vehicles registered in the first quarter of 2022. A recent report tracking car owner ratings, shows Tesla tops the list of most satisfied customers in the entire auto industry.

May 18, 2022—The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence has announced the introduction of a new Advanced Driver Assistant Systems Specialist Certification test.

According to a press release, this test is specifically designed to help identify that technicians have knowledge of the skill sets required to service, calibrate, and diagnose ADAS on vehicles.

In celebration of Independence Day, we wanted to highlight some contributions that this great country has made to the automotive industry. Although the U.S. was not the birthplace of the automobile (that credit would go to Carl Benz in 1886 Germany), the impact the U.S. has had on the automotive industry is undeniable. Let’s take a look at a few of the many highlights that have made the U.S. an automotive powerhouse.

ALLDATA’s Tech-Assist team recently logged an important customer support milestone: the 100,000^th case solved by the diagnostic and repair hotline service. Since its debut in 2014, Tech-Assist has earned rave reviews for its dedicated team of ASE-Certified Master Technicians, quick response time, and unwavering commitment to solving touch repair challenges – however many calls it takes.

When it comes to getting paid for your work, it helps to have the top tools at your disposal. The Who Pays for What? survey shows that ALLDATA continues to be the most popular choice among body shops for researching OEM repair information and procedures. It also reveals how often shops are being compensated for dozens of collision-specific procedures and materials, from seat calibration to sound-deadening. For now, let’s take a closer look at what’s trending for OEM repair information. Next month, we’ll dig into shops’ feedback on pre- and post-repair vehicle “health scans” and DTC research. 

Last month, we reported on results from the Who Pays for What? survey by Collision Advice and CRASH Network that showed the use of OEM information on the rise and ALLDATA’s continued dominance (73.4%) as the #1 choice for that essential repair information. Now let’s see what collision shop owners and techs had to say pre- and post-repair vehicle “health scans” and DTC research.

As manufacturers charge ahead with aggressive electric vehicle (EV) plans, the U.S. automotive consumer’s desire – and ability – to jump into the EV frontier lags far behind. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – and the subsequent ban on the import of oil and natural gas from Russia to the U.S. – is driving gas prices into the stratospheric range and crippling supply chains. This may prompt more consumers to consider an electric vehicle to avoid pain at the pump, but they’d better be prepared for more shocks: there are major obstacles to owning an EV in the near future.