February 2020

BY Neil Pattemore W hen I was at school, no one liked the playground bully – you remember the kind of person who liked to push the other kids around, always wanted to take from you what you had and liked nothing better than ‘rubbing your face in the dirt’, just because they could. There is a modern equivalent in the automotive world – the ‘connected car’. To be fair it is not the car that is the problem, but the vehicle manufacturer that designed and built it. I would like to explain exactly what the problem is and how it will be the equivalent of the playground bully in relation to your business. In simple terms, the way that communication to a vehicle and its data is being supported is changing. Today, the OBD connector still exists and provides direct, free of charge access to in-vehicle data when the vehicle is in the workshop when you connect your multi-brand diagnostic tool to start the repair process. There are even plug-in devices (often known as dongles) that are connected to the OBD port to allow data to be monitored when the vehicle is being driven, but mainly for fleet operators. Perhaps, so far, so good. Now the change of paradigm. The design of the car today (well actually yesterday – its already happened) has changed. It is now designed to allow remote access via a telematics interface and with the in-vehicle computational resources to host and run on-board applications for vehicle related services. This is the ‘connected car’. Who can directly connect to this ‘connected car’ and access all the data, process it in the car and offer services to the driver? Only the vehicle manufacturer, and there lies the problem. Evolution This evolution in vehicle technology is driving (excuse the pun) a wholesale change in the way that the repair process will now be conducted. For the first time, the vehicle manufacturer is able to be in direct contact with the vehicle driver/owner and has consequently been able to enter the aftermarket. This is important, as this has been the most lucrative sector that the vehicle manufacturer has never previously been able to enter, or when they have tried to do so via its main dealer network, has resulted in only limited success. Think about your business model for a moment. You have customers who call you, or visit your reception, to ask if you can help service or repair their vehicle. You ask a few questions to ascertain what the problem might be, or conduct a diagnostic check to see what faults may be present, and then provide the customer with a quotation to get their vehicle back on the road. Now look at this from the vehicle manufacturer’s perspective. They can check the vehicle every time it is being driven and run monitoring, diagnostic or predictive checks to see what repair or maintenance is required. They already know the details of the vehicle and what service or repair methods are needed and the corresponding spare parts. When the time comes for work to be done, they can calculate what this would be in terms of time and parts and send a quotation to the vehicle owner using the in-vehicle display (HMI functions). Examples of this type of service offer already exist today and ask the driver what level of service they would like, when they would like it and where this work could be provided. This might be a main dealer close to their home or close to their work. A simple press of the on-screen icon, or even a voice command confirms their choice and the acceptance of the quotation. I bet that you would like to be in a position to be able to do the same, or even simply to offer your competing 14 AFTERMARKET FEBRUARY 2020 BUSINESS www.aftermarketonline.net THE CONNECTED CAR The independent aftermarket risks being cut out of the loop by the connected car, but there could be ways for garages take back control...