The case study shows the importance of making the right tool choice using empirical data to ensure a safe and proper repair.
asTech, a Repairify company, released its fifth Rules Engine case study from the asTech Institute, demonstrating that, regardless of the age or popularity of a vehicle, there is no guarantee an unverified aftermarket tool will provide a fully comprehensive and accurate scan. To ensure a safe and proper repair, shops must use empirical data that verifies they’re choosing the correct tool scan for a particular vehicle.
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.
Repairify technicians post-scanned a repaired 2017 Toyota Camry using the authentic factory scan tool and discovered two trouble codes within the Antilock Braking System, including one code related to traction control.
The vehicle was then immediately scanned using leading aftermarket tools to compare the results to the scan from the authentic OEM tool.
What the Aftermarket Tool Found
The common convention is that most aftermarket scanning solutions should be able to identify all modules on a five-year-old Toyota Camry---one of the most popular vehicles on the road. But when one aftermarket tool brand, “Brand A," was used to scan the same vehicle, it identified just one of the two trouble codes on the 2017 Toyota Camry’s ABS system.
What This Means for Shops
Even for vehicles as popular as the 2017 Camry, it is still possible for aftermarket tools to miss codes on some of the most common modules (like the ABS system) in circulation.
Like it was shown with the 2016 Honda Civic case study and asTech’s other prior case studies, the age and popularity of a vehicle doesn’t matter. Without data to verify a scan’s accuracy, there is no guarantee an aftermarket scan will match the performance of an authentic OEM Tool.
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 that has been certified and warrantied to provide results that are equivalent to the authentic OEM tool scan.
With the Rules Engine, shops would have the confidence in knowing if they decided to use an aftermarket scan for a 2017 Camry, it would be verified as OEM-Compatible.
To ensure a safe and proper repair, a shop needs to use the proper scan. To ensure they use the proper scan, shops need empirical data. The Rules Engine provides shops with the only data-backed system to verify that they’re using the best scan for the vehicle they’re repairing.
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