As much as you might refuse to look at the map book when you’re lost or only glance at the instruction booklet as a last resort for that shelving unit you’re putting together, having this information at your fingertips is important.
Information is important when you’re replacing welded or structural panels, especially for makes and models that you do not regularly repair, says Dan Risley, executive director for the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS).
A real-world example of how this information is used, why it’s important that repairers know it’s available and how to get a hold of it comes from March Taylor, a technician and owner of Autobody Hawaii in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
Taylor recently replaced the B-pillar on a late-model Volkswagen Jetta. The B-pillar incorporates a high level of safety, and its replacement part is designed as a “uniside,” which includes the A-pillar, rocker and quarter panel. This particular repair required sectioning of the B-pillar. However, the technician working on the vehicle at Taylor’s shop discovered while repairing it that the B-pillar required a staggered splice. This was because of the multi-panel design below the roofline at the top of the B-pillar.
The technician went ahead and did so, however, sectioning into the roof reinforcement area is not recommended. Later on, though, Autobody Hawaii found out that Volkswagen offered a service procedure for the repair the technician made. When the techs looked it over, they discovered that the service procedure recommended splicing into the roof reinforcement areas.
Had the service manuals been on hand, it would have made the repair less confusing and would have left the technician feeling more confident about his work. Access to this type of information is critical, Taylor says, but it’s not something the majority of repair facilities consult on a daily basis.
In saying this, Taylor adds, “Having this information on site and available is optimal but not necessarily a requirement for success. The availability of the data and the ease at which it’s accessed are the critical components.”
Risley says that this is why although the repair information isn’t used on a daily basis, publishing a list and making it known how to obtain the data is important. “When they need it, they need an avenue to find it,” he says. “Publishing a list…will only make that process easier.”
Despite the continuing fights about the availability of service information, Risley adds that “several of the car manufacturers have worked extremely hard during the past few years to improve the accessibility and availability of the information.”
The Automotive Service Association (ASA) has been working with the OEMs to come to an agreement on information availability. Chris Dameron, collision division director for ASA and business development manager for Apex Marine and RV, says it’s especially important for collision repairers to have this repair information available on late-model vehicles because “people don’t wait until it’s out of warranty to wreck it.”
Typically, he says, independent mechanical repairers don’t fix a vehicle until it’s past the warranty. “If somebody has a warranty, they are not going to take it to an independent,” Dameron says. “That’s a no-brainer.” But collision repairers are running into repair issues on new vehicles. They are brought into the shop for repair, but the techs working on the vehicle don’t always have the knowledge or tools to repair it properly. For example, an air bag light may come on, but the technician may not know how to disengage it.
That’s just one minor example. Recently, Dameron says he ran into an ASA member with an S-10 pickup truck that needed to have the door replaced. In the process of replacing the door, the door lock also needed to be replaced. However, once the repairs were completed, Dameron says, the autobody technician could not get the truck to crank and couldn’t figure out why.
He later discovered that the truck wouldn’t start up because the anti-theft system is tied with the body control module, and that is what runs the door locks. “The computer was saying somebody stole it,” Dameron says. The truck had to be taken to the dealership to have it “burned into the system” that a new door lock had been put on it. If the repairer had had the repair information, it would have not only allowed him to have the knowledge to fix the truck, but it also would have sped up cycle time. “You’re going to end up with a car you promised out today and realized you’ll have take it to a dealer,” Dameron says. “You’re at the dealer’s mercy at that point.”
However, at press time, the National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) had a Nov. 7 meeting planned in conjunction with ASA’s Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) meeting during which a number of OEMs would be demonstrating their OEM service information Web sites. DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Co., General Motors, Isuzu, Kia, Nissan and Toyota had confirmed their participation at press time, according to the NASTF.
Rich Diegle, technical editor and public relations coordinator for Elk Grove, Calif., -based ALLDATA, which has diagnostic and repair information for nearly every car and light truck built from 1982 to present, says in the case of a front-end collision, electrical problems may have occurred. This is yet another reason why it’s important to have access to the information so these problems can be tested, step by step, Diegle says. In the case of a rear-end collision, the fuel pump is shut off in some vehicles. “You need to have the information to reset it or you won’t be able to get the vehicle started again,” he says. But more than this, when shop owners purchase manuals, CDs, DVDs or a subscription to an online database of repair information (such as the one ALLDATA has), they also receive recall notices and technical service bulletins (TSBs).
Independent shop owners can use this to their advantage, Diegle says. Although they do not perform the repairs in a recall, when customers bring in their vehicles for bodywork, technicians can let them know about the recall. “This is good for customer relationships,” Diegle says. It helps build customer loyalty, he says, because you’re letting them know about a repair that needs to be done—and will be done by the dealer free of charge. “If you know how to use the [data], it’s more than just information,” Diegle says.
To ensure that you are able to properly repair vehicles, build customer relationships and get access to the repair information when you do need it, here is a reference list of the most recent resources we have to help track down the manuals, CDs, DVDs, online information and other publication you need.
The information in this article was compiled from ABRN staff reports, the I-CAR Education Foundation and NASTF’s Vehicle Manufacturer Service Information Matrix. You can always ask your local dealership to track down or pass on this information, or you can use the following contact information to find what you need. A matrix of the OEM service information contacts is also available from NASTF at the Web site, http://www.iatn.net/nastf/oematrix.html, or from the I-CAR Education Foundation.
OEM Information Source Phone ACURA Helm Inc. (800) 782-4356ASTON MARTIN Aston Martin Lagonda (201) 818-8351AUDI Robert Bentley Publishers (800) 423-4595 Dyment Distribution Services (800) 544-8021 BMW Robert Bentley Publishers (800) 423-4595 BMW (800) 695-0079BUICK Helm Inc. (800) 782-4356MSX International (800) 393-4831GM Goodwrench Web site CADILLAC General Motors Corp. (313) 667-6001Helm Inc. (800) 782-4356MSX International (training materials) (800) 393-4831GM Goodwrench Web site CHEVROLET Helm Inc. (800) 782-4356MSX International (training materials) (800) 393-4831GM Goodwrench Web siteCHRYSLER Dyment Distribution Services (800) 890-4038DAEWOOCONTACT A DAEWOO DEALERDAIHATSU Daihatsu America (714) 690-4700 DODGE Dyment Distribution Services (800) 890-4038EAGLE Dyment Distribution Services (800) 890-4038FORD Helm Inc.800) 782-4356GENERAL MOTORS/GMC Helm Inc.. (800) 782-4356MSX International (training materials) (800) 393-4831GM Goodwrench Web site GEO Helm Inc. (800) 782-4356HONDA Helm Inc. (800) 782-4356HUMMER Helm Inc. (800) 782-4356MSX International (training materials) (800) 393-4831GM Goodwrench Web site GM Goodwrench Web site HYUNDAI Local dealer parts departmentINFINITI Helm Inc. (800) 782-4356ISUZU Helm Inc.. (800) 782-4356JAGUAR Robert Bentley Publishers (800) 423-4595JEEP Dyment Distribution Services (800) 890-4038 DaimlerChrysler KIA Local dealer parts departmentLAND ROVER Robert Bentley Publishers (800) 423-4595LEXUS Lexus (800) 622-2033LINCOLN Helm Inc. (800) 782-4356LOTUS CARS USA INC.MSX International (training materials) (800) 393-4831GM Goodwrench Web site OEM INFORMATION SOURCE ADDRESSES
Addresses for sources listed by OEMs as their main information source. Use the reference chart on pages 66-67 to find information sources for all OEMs.
Aston Martin Lagonda of North America
533 MacArthur Blvd.
Mahwah, NJ 07430
(201) 818-8351
Fax: (201) 818-8328
Toyota Service Publications
750 W. Victoria St.
Compton, CA 90220
(800) 622-2033 (USA only)
(310) 618-4630 (Canada)
Fax: (310) 631-8901
General Motors Corp.
100 Renaissance Center
27th Floor
Detroit, MI 48265
Fax: (313) 667-6001
500 Marathon Parkway
Lawrenceville, GA 30045
(770) 822-4566
Fax: (770) 995-7698
300 Chestnut Ridge Road
Box 1227
Westwood, NJ 07675-1227
(800) 695-0079; (201) 307-3785; (201) 307-3606
Fax: (201) 573-8416; (201) 307-3607
4422 Corporate Center Dr.
Los Alamitos, CA 90720
(714) 690-4700
Fax: (714) 690-4720
1033 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02138
(800) 423-4595
Fax: (617) 876-9235
19001 South Western Ave.
Torrance, CA 90509-2991
(310) 618-4000
NISSAN
P.O. Box 360450
Strongsville, OH 44136
(800) 348-4696
(216) 572-7240
Fax: (216) 572-0815
For AUDI
(800) 544-8021
Literature Distribution Center
Volvo Cars of North America Inc.
P.O. Box 25577
Milwaukee, WI 53225
(800) 25-VOLVO,
(800) 258-6586 (Ken Cook Co.)
Fax: (414) 466-4901
Manual Distribution Department
14310 Hamilton Ave.
Highland Park, MI 48203
(800) 782-4356; (313) 865-5000
Fax: (313) 865-5927
