How to tackle common scanning problems

July 1, 2018
Today we have position statements for approximately 65 percent of vehicles on the road and an even greater percentage have the requirements in their repair procedures. With collision repair centers and insurance companies alike now knowing that there is a need, there are many hurdles to overcome.

The scanning explosion began roughly two years ago. A couple vehicle manufactures published position statements to further emphasize the need for scanning their vehicles. These manufactures, as well as nearly all others, had stated the need in their repair procedures, but the industry wasn’t adapting to it. With the publishing of the position statements, the industry woke up to the need! As other manufactures saw the need to follow suit, many more statements were published. Today we have position statements for approximately 65 percent of vehicles on the road and an even greater percentage have the requirements in their repair procedures. With collision repair centers and insurance companies alike now knowing that there is a need, there are many hurdles to overcome.

The requirement for extensive researching is the largest challenge for this new line of technicians. It may require your staff to implement new workflows into the repair process to ensure there is enough time to thoroughly research the requirements needed to properly scan each make and model.

The first hurdle is simply performing the scan. Scanning is time consuming, labor intensive and generates costs that must be properly compensated for. Planning for the scan starts with the tools and personnel to do it.

You can use either OEM or aftermarket scan tools, and based on your client base and shop focus, it is very likely that you will need multiple tool options to cover all of your scanning needs. Extensive research is highly recommended.

Once the equipment is purchased, the next hurdle is who is going to utilize the equipment. There is a new technician need in our industry and most shops may not have that person employed yet. Shop owners need to find someone who understands computers, is very good at researching and learning, is not intimidated by wiring, technically oriented and very attentive to details is required. The first instinct may be to use a technician already on staff. This will work if the person has an understanding of electrical equipment and has the ability to research and learn.

The employee hurdle is the biggest, most challenging item. Scanning a car doesn’t mean plugging into the OBD port, reading codes, clearing codes, test driving and ensuring no codes return. Vehicles today have hundreds of codes that do not illuminate an MIL; they also can have a multitude of issues that do not set a malfunction code. Sensors —those as simple as the occupant weight sensor or as advanced as a camera that enables a vehicle to drive itself — do not know when they are calibrated incorrectly. The employee who is tackling the scans must know how to read live data and ensure that all streaming information is within guidelines — guidelines they only know after research. They must know what calibration process needs to take place after disconnecting a battery, removing and installing, or removing and replacing any component on the vehicle.

The requirement for extensive researching is the largest challenge for this new line of technicians. It may require your staff to implement new processes and workflows into the repair process to ensure there is enough time to thoroughly research, learn and understand the complexities and specific requirements needed to properly scan each make and model. This may require training to ensure your technicians have access to all the tools and options available to them in the research and education process and understand the functionalities of each.

Scanning a car doesn’t mean plugging into the OBD port, reading codes, clearing codes, test driving and ensuring no codes return. Vehicles today have hundreds of codes that do not illuminate an MIL.

Shops can also utilize a sublet vendor that may have better knowledge of the scanning and research protocols required, but there is still an opportunity for a knowledge void. An extensive check of the vehicle is required no matter if the work is performed in house with a trained employee or sublet to another vendor.

That check is the next hurdle. That check must include an extensive test drive by a shop employee who has fully researched and understands all systems on the vehicle. They must drive the car in such a way that all systems activate and perform their tasks. This is very difficult to do as there isn’t a book that contains every car's systems, much less how those systems are supposed to react. A great place to go is mycardoeswhat.org. That site is a great tool to start research on all available systems and how they work. The vehicle manufactures' websites are another place to go. The systems in vehicles must be sold to the public and therefore must be marketed. The vehicle owner’s manual can also provide system insight. These three choices will outline all systems available to that model for that year. It is very possible that the vehicle does not have all the systems. Once all possible systems are known, verifying what systems are actually on the vehicle is the next step. Armed with the knowledge of the systems that are on the vehicle and how they are supposed to work, a proper test drive can then take place.

Once you have the equipment, the staff member with the knowledge and understanding of how to check the systems, you must be able to correct any issues discovered. The issues may or may not be directly related to the impact. Cars today resemble a nervous system with miles of wiring and a multitude of modules. Each must talk to each other and an issue in one can create downstream issues. One example of this is disconnecting a door on a new performance Ford will cause the exhaust system valves to malfunction. The vehicle looks for the door to open and close to initiate a self-test on the exhaust valve. If the vehicle is driven and the self-self-test doesn’t occur, a code is stored. The exhaust valve will not work until that code is cleared. The most challenging malfunctions are those issues that do not present a malfunction code. These issues can only be discovered on the test drive. One example is if the lane keep fails to keep the car between the lines or if the blind spot monitor fails to see the vehicle driving next to the car. The resolution is then not as simple as clearing a code.

Today we have position statements for approximately 65 percent of vehicles on the road and an even greater percentage have the requirements in their repair procedures.

This is when that same trained and talented employee must research the calibration process. This process may require special tools, a large stall, a thrust angle alignment or any and all combined. The calibration step seems like the biggest hurdle and it is definitely intimidating. Ultimately calibrations are no different than any other repair procedure. When executed step by step, they are not difficult to accomplish. The part that is the most difficult goes back to the right employee being able to perform the extensive research to find the steps to properly accomplish the calibration, then verifying that the calibration was done correct with an extensive test drive. The verification process HAS TO BE DONE even if you sublet the operation. This means researching and understanding the systems is required whether you perform the calibration or not.

Once the scan is complete, all modules check out and all systems are verified, the final hurdle is receiving compensation. How much to ask for is a shop decision, but how to ask is important. Mike Anderson says for any operation requiring compensation ask a few simple questions: “Is it required to bring the car to pre-loss condition?” Yes, this can be proven by the position statement, repair procedure, the trouble codes and/or the systems that do not function correctly. “Is it included in any other operation?” No, as published by all three information providers. “Is there a predetermined time?” In most cases there is not a predetermined compensation rate as there is a multitude of processes that may be required to accomplish the work. The last question Anderson asks is “What is it worth?” In this case, even when utilizing the same equipment every time, each vehicle will  require a unique time commitment. Items to consider are: how long does it take to procure the equipment, setup battery support, research the systems, repairs and calibrations, any subscriptions that may need to be purchased to perform the research or calibrations, test drive time, and the list goes on.

Armed with the responses to those four questions, a booklet of information can be prepared. Educating the payer, no matter who it is, is the key to proper compensation. “Because I said so,” didn’t work as a child and definitely doesn’t work for adults. As you answer the four questions, print out documents, take photos, build a portfolio of the work that was done. Present the full package to the payer. You aren’t guaranteed full compensation or even some compensation, but you significantly up your chances. You also build your case if you must escalate the nonpayment further. In the case of insurance companies, going up the corporate ladder with the documentation is the first step. All insurance companies have paid, at one point or another, for scans, calibrations and research time. Talking to the right person may be all that is required to break down the “NO” barrier. The last resort is your insurance commissioner and ultimately a suit. This step is very aggressive and will create huge division that will make anything else in the future much more difficult.

The industry is changing and it's changing whether we want it to or not. You cannot slow down the change, you cannot persuade the change; what you can do is embrace the change and become more successful than your competitor. Anything new brings about new hurdles and hurdles create opportunity, both for failure and success. Make sure that you understand the hurdles so you can overcome them and allow them to be an opportunity for success!

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