DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024 AFTERMARKET 35 www.aftermarketonline.net Technical resources For a mechanic, the problem is not a shortage of choice on diagnostic tools, it is knowing which will work best for the job at hand. With this in mind, Delphi recently launched an online diagnostics configurator, which allows technicians to evaluate the diagnostic hardware, software, and accessory options available to them. Delphi’s DS software version 2023.0 is also available to view on the configurator, which contains 38,849 system selections, up by more than 2,500 since April 2022. There is also increased ADAS coverage, with 258 models covered for radar, 403 for front camera, and 101 models for 360° camera. Juan Thomaz, Delphi Vice President and General Manager Aftermarket EMEA, explained: “This tool makes it easier than ever for workshops to deploy diagnostics throughout their service offering. Today a diagnostic tool plays a part in almost every service task, from simple scan to detailed guided repair.” Training is covered too: “Once a workshop has received the diagnostics solution they built with the configurator, Delphi offers various training options to suit all technician experience levels. They can attend in-person training or study online via The Delphi Academy. For example, having received their BlueTech VCI package built with the configurator, workshops can enjoy a new training course for Tesla diagnostics which uses the BlueTech VCI and Tesla OE portal and equipment.” Juan added: “We are committed to partnering with technicians at every step of their workshop journey. From making it easier to invest in the right diagnostic tools, to getting the best returns from it once they have it. Our Workshop Solutions gathers intelligent workshop tools together, like the configurator, and Masters of Motion which offers many technical resources and makes us the complete end-to-end provider.” To access the configurator, visit: https://configurator.delphiautoparts.com/#/codes/XS ZD6UPE?languageCode=en Battery support A key area to consider during the diagnostic process is the battery. Ecobat Battery Training Manager Christopher Jones observed: “Diagnostic procedures are now a fundamental part of vehicle servicing, and during a repair, fault finding is a regular requirement in order for many issues to be resolved. Alongside this growth in diagnostic activity has come a considerable increase in the time each vehicle can undergo diagnostic processes, some of which include software updates that can take several hours and are therefore often scheduled to run overnight. "These procedures are linked, as to prevent causing unnecessary problems and to be carried out effectively, they both require a stable source of power, at the correct voltage, to be constantly supplied to the vehicle’s electrical system. Although, because of the well-known risk of losing stored memory data, this may seem obvious when replacing the battery, it’s not quite so apparent when it comes to undertaking diagnostic processes, for example. "When carrying out prolonged diagnosis, which due to the complex electronic systems present in the modern vehicle, is not unusual, the vehicle’s control units and other electrical equipment can discharge the battery to such an extent that the on-board system voltage falls below the permissible voltage limit of the control units and a corresponding entry is made in the fault memory, and data can be lost.” Christopher added: "Using equipment dedicated to battery support when the vehicle is undergoing diagnostic procedures, is now a necessity. In addition, a battery performs best when it’s in peak condition, so by reducing the possibility of battery failure in the workshop, or even worse after the customer gets home, workshops can not only illustrate best practice and save time and money, but they can also preserve their reputation." .For more information, visit: www.ecobatbattery.com A ghost story for Christmas Finally, while Halloween may be disappearing into the rearview mirror at this point as we barrel towards Christmas, technicians will still need to worry about ghosts, or more specifically ghost faults, as CTEK Sales Manager Mark Poole noted: “When we talk about ghost faults, we mean a fault that your diagnostic tool detects for one component, that has actually arisen from another.” Battery support is a crucial element: “If the battery is not supported throughout the process and already has low voltage, an incorrect error code may be reported through the diagnostics – known as a ghost fault. These can happen because the vehicle is trying to protect the unsupported battery, which it does in many cases by shutting down the systems it does not really need, like the sound system, the air conditioning, or the Stop/Start function – and these can then be recorded as a fault. So, If you do not know the underlying cause of the original fault, you may end up trying to repair a fault that is not really there, thereby the name ghost fault.” According to Mark, this is why it is so important to check the condition of the battery before starting a fault diagnosis: “Firstly, you need to test the battery to identify if it has low voltage. For this, you could use CTEK’s PRO Battery Tester.” Mark added: “A stable and sufficient power supply can help prevent voltage fluctuations or drops that may trigger false or ghost error codes. Many battery support units, such as the CTEK MXTS40, PRO60 and PRO120, enable you to specify the required voltage, so that potential ghost faults do not appear.” For more information, visit: www.ctek.com Above: TOPDON's Phoenix Max
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ0NzM=