Ever wish you knew then what you know now about using ALLDATA Repair or Collision? Or maybe you’re new to the platform. Here, we’ve collected 5 top tips and tricks from our ASE-Certified Master Techs at ALLDATA Tech-Assist to make your OEM auto labor and repair research fast, productive, and more efficient.

1. Vehicle Search Bar – Way faster than searching drop-down menus, the vehicle search bar on ALLDATA Repair can help technicians save significant time. Try starting with a broad search and then tailor the search to more specific terms. For instance, if searching a sensor location, make sure to specify the full sensor name (avoid slang) and try to select terms used by the OEM manufacturer. Sometimes, less is more and searching fewer words can yield better results. When you do find what you’re looking for in the search bar, make a habit of reviewing the path at the top of the screen to help find information in the future.
    
2. Highlight a Circuit in Wiring Charts – Highlight a circuit of interest in a wiring chart to hide all unrelated wiring. This will make tracing the wiring much easier. Once done, simply click again on the show wires or hit “refresh” to revert the view to all.
    
3. To Determine Labor Times, Start with the Part Name – The most efficient way to find labor times is to first identify the part name via the System and Components menu and then select parts and labor. You can also try using the search bar to look up the service procedure, which will often populate a link for labor times.
    
4. Use Bookmarks to Save Common Searches – Using bookmarks can help “hold your place” in your search for those times when you’re distracted by a customer or when you need to go back to a vehicle you haven’t worked on for a day or two.
    
5. Leverage ALLDATA Library, Community and Tech-Assist – If you don’t see the OEM info you need or want to verify a repair procedure or specification, submit an ALLDATA Library request and get a response usually in 30 minutes or less. You may also find the information you need in ALLDATA Community, a highly responsive forum providing direct access to verified repairs, diagnostic bulletins, and millions of probable causes.

When you need help now, ALLDATA provides Tech-Assist, a subscription-based hotline hosted by ASE-Certified Master Technicians. Tech-Assist subscribers can open three or six cases per month (depending on the subscription option), and the ASE-Certified Master Technician will help you until your problem is solved. You can also unlock bonus cases to add to your monthly case allotment by contacting the Tech-Assist team once your problem is fixed and you’ve verified the solution.