When leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) released position statements in 2016 emphasizing the necessity of pre- and post-repair diagnostic scanning for collision-damaged vehicles, it resonated deeply within the auto repair industry. John Mosley, owner of Clinton Body Shop, recognized the significance and invested approximately $17,000 in Collision Scan Tools and related equipment. This decision followed declarations from major manufacturers like Fiat Chrysler, GM, Honda, Nissan, and Toyota, highlighting scanning as a crucial step in proper collision repair.
Pre and post repair scan tools in a body shop
“The goal is to restore the vehicle to its pre-accident condition, adhering closely to OEM repair guidelines,” Mosley stated. “With nearly every manufacturer now advocating for scans, it’s hard to believe a shop can confidently claim a vehicle is properly repaired without performing a comprehensive collision scan.”
However, the question arises: how does a shop determine the most suitable collision scan tool for their specific needs? The market offers a diverse range of tools, each presenting information in formats tailored to different types of automotive service facilities. These tools generate scan reports catering to general service shops, advanced mechanic shops, and collision repair centers that often require insurance approval prior to commencing repairs.
Thorough research is paramount when selecting a collision scan tool that aligns perfectly with your repair facility’s operational demands. Engage with fellow shop owners in your locality to gain insights into their experiences and tool preferences. Furthermore, consider requesting a trial or loaner tool (or perhaps a couple of different models) from your tool distributor. Savvy shop owners prioritize finding a cost-effective collision scan tool that comprehensively addresses their shop’s requirements. Investing in multiple units, proportionate to the number of technicians, and strategically placing them within the service bays ensures easy accessibility and maximizes efficiency.
The Evolution of Diagnostic Scanning in Auto Repair
Diagnostic scanning is not a novel concept in automotive repair. Facilities have been working with OBD II systems since 1996. Initially designed to pinpoint malfunctions in emission-related systems, the scope of diagnostic scanning has broadened significantly over the years. In mechanical repair, connecting to the OBD II port has become a standard diagnostic procedure. Within collision repair, scanning has evolved into an indispensable step to verify the proper functionality of the sophisticated electronics and safety systems integrated into modern, high-tech vehicles – both before and after any repair work.
Modern vehicles are equipped with unprecedented levels of technology and electrical components. A pre- and post-repair collision scan provides technicians with a detailed overview of any Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) present, even when warning lights (Malfunction Indicator Lamps or MILs) are not illuminated on the dashboard.
Mosley’s shops operate under a straightforward guideline: “For any vehicle sustaining significant impact, we perform both pre- and post-repair collision scans.” Even for vehicles with minor damage, his shops conduct at least post-repair scans as a standard procedure, according to Mosley.
Clinton Body Shop incorporates the cost of pre- and post-repair scans into their billing, allocating one hour of labor in total. At their mechanical labor rate of $100 per hour, this translates to $50 for the pre-repair scan and $50 for the post-repair scan. Mosley understands that scanning is not a primary profit center for his shops. Instead, he views the investment in collision scan equipment as essential for upholding repair quality and customer safety, rather than solely as a revenue-generating asset like a framing machine or paint booth.
“It’s fundamentally about doing the job correctly,” he emphasized.
Utilizing a collision scan tool capable of executing both pre- and post-scan processes is critical. While profitability is always a business consideration, prioritizing customer safety remains paramount. Therefore, optimizing your collision scan tool investment involves selecting a tool that delivers rapid and accurate results.
Why Relying on MILs is Insufficient
Mosley, having integrated collision scanning into his shop’s workflow, has become a strong advocate for its importance. The core reason is simple: scanning is the only reliable method to comprehensively identify all DTCs stored in a vehicle before repairs commence and to confirm the complete absence of DTCs after repairs are completed.
This is particularly crucial for newer vehicles, which are essentially becoming complex computer networks on wheels. These vehicles incorporate intricate systems of control modules, sensors, actuators, wiring, and components that enable advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) alongside various safety and convenience features.
The sheer volume of technology in today’s vehicles far outstrips the capacity of the dashboard warning light system. There simply aren’t enough MILs to signal all the potential DTCs that can be triggered by a collision or even the repair process itself.
This reality underscores the necessity of post-repair diagnostic scans for any repair that involves disconnecting electrical components or replacing body panels. Such scans are essential to verify that all electronics have been properly reconnected and recalibrated. MILs alone simply do not provide a complete picture of a vehicle’s diagnostic status.
Matthew McDonnell, owner of Big Sky Collision Center, implemented vehicle scanning in early 2015. To assess its true necessity, he meticulously tracked his shop’s repair orders. Over several months, they scanned 216 vehicles. The findings were revealing: only 14 percent of vehicles with DTCs also displayed active MILs. Furthermore, approximately half of those MILs were unrelated to the collision damage, indicating issues like tire-pressure alerts or routine oil-change reminders.
In essence, relying solely on MILs to guide your repair strategy means “you’ll be accurately informed only about 7 percent of the time,” McDonnell pointed out. “That’s simply unacceptable and creates a significant safety risk.”
Integrating Collision Scan Tools into Repair Planning
The imperative for pre- and post-repair scanning becomes even more pronounced when considering the advanced technology in the latest vehicle models entering repair shops.
Consider this scenario: a pre-repair collision scan on a newer vehicle might reveal 11 DTCs present upon arrival. However, a subsequent post-repair scan could unexpectedly show 41 DTCs. These additional fault codes often arise during the repair process itself.
By carefully analyzing the detailed scan report generated by a collision scan tool, shops can differentiate between fault codes originating from the collision event and those stemming from electronics that may not have been correctly reconnected or recalibrated during the repair.
McDonnell observed that even routine procedures, such as removing a door handle, disconnecting the battery, or moving a vehicle within the shop to the paint booth, could inadvertently trigger DTCs.
For detecting these accidentally triggered DTCs, it’s not always necessary to utilize the shop’s most advanced and expensive collision scan tool. Shops can consider investing in an additional, more affordable scan tool capable of performing quick automatic scans to check for DTCs throughout the repair process. This approach reserves the higher-end tool for more complex diagnostic tasks, optimizing shop efficiency.
Because Big Sky Collision Center effectively uses collision scan tools to precisely identify pre-existing issues (through pre-repair scans) and confirm the resolution of all issues (through post-repair scans), scanning has become deeply integrated into their repair-planning and quality-control protocols, McDonnell explained.
“Our repair quality has dramatically improved,” McDonnell stated. “And customer comebacks are virtually nonexistent now.”
With vehicles becoming increasingly digital and electronically sophisticated, McDonnell believes, “the car is communicating its needs to us more clearly than ever before.”
When a vehicle communicates through DTCs, Mosley emphasizes the importance of actively listening. Shops can effectively “listen” by heeding OEM recommendations to perform pre- and post-repair collision scans on all collision-damaged vehicles and by making scanning a standard component of their blueprinting, estimating, and quality-control procedures.
Editor’s note: The original article appeared in the July 2017 issue of BodyShop Business: http://bit.ly/PrePostScan
