Workshops turning to ADAS and diagnostic expert to
minimise impact of diagnostic problems
A1 Remote Diagnostics, part of the A1 ADAS Solutions Group, has reported a surge in demand for its remote and mobile diagnostic and ADAS services.
The company says it’s largely due to its fast-growing reputation for dramatically reducing key-to-key times; an ongoing problem for technicians as the complexity of modern vehicles makes diagnosing fault lights and accessing secure gateways increasingly difficult.
Managing director, Iain Molloy, said: “We’re now seeing workshops struggle with something as basic as resetting the service light on a VW ID3. A garage may feel its only option is to take the vehicle to a main dealer, but this can easily add a week or two onto what should be a 5-minute job.
“We’re changing the game for garages and bodyshops by working with them to make jobs that once took days, take minutes.
“By combining our A1 Remote Diagnostics service, and our A1 ADAS mobile service, with the diagnostic equipment we distribute to garages, we’re providing a service that’s really quite unique.”
Leo Jayawardena at Ansam Autocentre, an independent garage in Croydon, recently contacted A1 about a diagnostic scan carried out on a Peugeot 3008 after a problem was reported with its lane assist system. The total interaction time with A1 for the resulting job was just 30 minutes. The alternative would have been for the vehicle to spend a week or more at a Peugeot main dealer.
It began when, on receipt of Leo’s scan, A1’s technicians recognised the B1004:96 code indicating a faulty camera. This was confirmed by checking the OE technical information and as nothing can be done to resolve an ‘internal fault’, the only option was to replace the camera.
Once in receipt of the new camera, Leo contacted A1 again to ask for help in providing the OE documentation to remove and fit it. A1 was able to get the document over to him within 15 minutes.
Once fitted, Leo logged on with A1’s technician from 130 miles away via his A1 Remote Diagnostics interface. The new camera was remotely configured to the vehicle using the Peugeot OE diagnostic system; something Ansam Autocentre didn’t have access to.
The whole process was completed on-demand and in just 14 minutes, at which point one of A1’s ADAS-trained technicians arrived in Croydon and calibrated the camera dynamically.
Iain continued: “I estimate the garage’s profit margin on the job was increased by around 50 percent. And by dramatically reducing the key-to-key time, the customer’s invoice was cleared earlier too.
“It’s vital that workshops have access to a combination of services such as ours. The car parc’s original tranche of mainstream technically-equipped vehicles are now out of warranty. It’ll only be a matter of time before their electronic components fail.
“As they filter into the aftermarket, independents will need a solution to keep the jobs in-house. By working with us, they’ll be able to fix those vehicles in a time-efficient, profitable, and hassle-free way.”
