The study showed an unverified aftermarket tool scan led to missing steps in the repair process.
asTech, a Repairify company, released its fourth Rules Engine case study from the asTech Institute, demonstrating that without the Rules Engine, a shop using an aftermarket post-scan can miss crucial steps in the repair process.
What Repairify Technicians Did
To develop its patented Rules Engine, Repairify performed tens of thousands of vehicle scans against the active car parc and engaged in extensive research to identify which of the top aftermarket scan tools yield the same results as authentic OEM tools.
For one of their tests, Repairify technicians post-scanned a repaired 2021 Ford Escape with the authentic Ford OEM factory tool. The scan identified two historical fault codes in the Occupant Classification System Module (OCSM), which includes the seatbelt tension sensor.
In this scenario, Ford states a technician should clear the codes and inspect further to determine if they reappear during or after a test drive.
Repairify technicians then immediately scanned the same Escape with a leading aftermarket tool---referred to as “Brand Z”---to compare the results.
What the Aftermarket Tool Found
While the Brand Z aftermarket scan picked up on the two historical codes, it “passed” the vehicle without recommending further inspection. This result did not match the authentic Ford tool scan’s recommendation.
What This Means for Shops
A shop relying on Brand Z’s scan for the 2021 Ford Escape could run the risk of skipping further inspection of the seatbelt tension, possibly returning an incompletely repaired vehicle to the customer.
The vehicle would potentially need to be returned for supplemental repairs, which could mean lower CSI scores and reimbursement difficulties for the shop.
How the Rules Engine Helps
The Rules Engine recommends a choice of asTech certified scan tools to repairers for each specific vehicle they’re working on, down to the trim level:
1. An authentic remote OEM diagnostic scan through asTech’s patented technology.
2. A verified OEM-Compatible aftermarket scan. This is a scan certified and warrantied to provide results that are equivalent to the authentic OEM tool scan.
With the Rules Engine, a shop would not be able to select Brand Z’s aftermarket tool for the 2021 Ford Escape due to the discrepancy between Brand Z’s scan and the scan from the authentic OEM tool.
Instead, the Rules Engine would provide a verified OEM-Compatible scan to a shop that still wanted to use an aftermarket scan for the 2021 Ford Escape.
The Rules Engine ensures when a shop selects an aftermarket scan, that scan will identify all the necessary information needed to complete the repair correctly.
About the Rules Engine
With tens of thousands of vehicle scans and extensive research, asTech, driven by Repairify, is continuously developing its patented and proprietary database of authentic OEM and high-performing OEM-Compatible aftermarket scan tools to recommend the most accurate and cost-effective scan tool option, every time. When an OEM-Compatible scan isn’t available, the Rules Engine recommends the same remote OEM diagnostic services that customers have come to know and trust.
Repairify continues to augment, edit and update the Rules Engine database via ongoing research being conducted by its engineers globally. This database represents the most comprehensive dataset for comparison analysis on a global scale. Select individual vehicle testing results can be made available to customers for review.
To learn more about the Rules Engine, visit asTech, Driven by Repairify, at SEMA 2023 at Booth #34193, or visit the Rules Engine page.
asTech customers who wish to enable the new Rules Engine feature can do so by contacting customer service at 1-888-486-1166 or customerservice@astech.com.
Abby Andrews