To properly repair today’s complex vehicles, automotive repair shops require access to accurate repair information, and ALLDATA reports that its new ALLDATA® Mobile reinvents the way technicians access repair procedures, diagrams and diagnostic data.
How It Works
Pairing vehicle connectivity with ALLDATA’s vast database of manufacturers’ repair information, technicians can now decode a Vehicle Identification Number’s (VIN) and automatically access diagnostics and repair data specific to the connected vehicle. Along with VIN access, ALLDATA Mobile can read OBDII Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), and link the specific codes directly to the diagnostic flow chart within the ALLDATA database.
ALLDATA Mobile stores all DTC activity within a central database under the specific vehicle’s VIN. If the vehicle returns to that specific shop, a technician can access any past code activity using ALLDATA Mobile within their shop. This feature is critical for tracking repair issues within specific vehicles, and provides multiple employees (from service writers to technicians) with the ability to access general information about the vehicle as well as technical information on the system needing repair.
ALLDATA says the new system helps shop owners give their employees an option to take one system from vehicle to vehicle, saving time by automating vehicle selection, quickly accessing vehicle information for diagnostics, getting clear and up close views of diagrams, images and schematics and offering paperless vehicle repairs with no need of printing out repair information.
Solving Problems with ALLDATA Mobile
The creators behind ALLDATA Mobile offered a series of features the product provides today’s shops, including some problems they feel the product solves. First up: vehicle selection.
Problem: Ability to accurately and seamless identify a vehicle to access repair information. The current ALLDATA experience is to manually select YMME dropdowns from the browser/PC-based ALLDATA.
ALLDATA Mobile feature: Read/Decode VIN Through OBDII Port. For vehicle supporting VIN, technicians can identify YMME by connecting to the vehicles OBDII port via Bluetooth and then selecting the Connect button. The app will read and decode the VIN, and serve the specific repair information for the connected vehicle.
There also is the ability to read/decode VIN using a bar code scanner. This is useful when the technician connects to the vehicle, but it does not support VIN access. The user still can accurately identify the vehicle without having to guess the YMME. They locate the VIN barcode, aim the tablet’s camera at the barcode and select the VIN Scan button. The VIN will be read and decoded resulting in the app displaying the appropriate repair information.
Now on to diagnostic data and repair information.
Problem: Currently, there are disconnects between data captured from a vehicle and the needed repair information sources. Technicians need to first read diagnostic data, then refer to information sources outside their current diagnostic tool.
ALLDATA Mobile feature: Access to basic diagnostics is offered. Technicians now have the ability to access emissions related diagnostics within ALLDATA Mobile, including P0XXX codes, Freeze Frame data, Emissions Testing Readiness and Sensor Readings.
They also can link directly to diagnostic articles from DTCs. To bridge the gap between repair information and vehicle connectivity, ALLDATA Mobile will link DTCs read from the vehicle directly to the specific diagnostic article when available.
Next up, saving diagnostics data read from the vehicle.
Problem: Current diagnostic tools lack centralized vehicle data storage, which is valuable for future reference.
ALLDATA Mobile feature: DTC history is saved. As P Codes are read from a vehicle, ALLDATA Mobile saves them into account history by the connected vehicle’s VIN. This means if a vehicle returns, all DTC history captured by ALLDATA Mobile can be viewed through the DTC section including when the codes where read and cleared.
Also, as Freeze Frame information is captured from a vehicle using ALLDATA Mobile, it is saved into account history under the connected vehicles VIN. If the vehicle returns and the technician reconnects, all Freeze Frame history captured by ALLDATA Mobile can be viewed through the Freeze Frame section, including when the information was recorded.
In addition, ALLDATA Mobile creators report that they understand the repair shop environment, and focused on developing a touch interface that his highly optimized for shop floor repair technicians who work in tight spaces. The matrix interface into the automotive repair information database simplifies navigation and provides more direct access to repair articles than any known similar products, they state.
In addition, the distinctive blue interface on the app was the result of a number of usability efforts and refinements to identify a color scheme that is easily viewed in both indoor and outdoor lighting, creators offer.
Along with that, there often is limited availability of hardened wireless devices for vehicle communication. There are a number of vendors manufacturing OBDII devices that utilize Bluetooth, but only one was able to meet ALLDATA’s standards of quality, features and reliability for both Bluetooth and WiFi, they state. Therefore, finding a good match between our target tablet, its OS capabilities, its native features and those of a peripheral device became another critical feature of the app architecture.
Additionally, for Android users, ALLDATA provides them with the option in an open platform to make use of either Bluetooth or WiFi as a wireless medium. This is not the case with iOS, where designers were limited to using WiFi only for the types of peripheral devices used.
The price of ALLDATA Mobile is $49 per month with a subscription of ALLDATA Repair or ALLDATA Collision.
For more information, visit www.alldata.com.
