December/January 2022

A fter a Stop/Start couple of years for everyone in terms of servicing and car usage, if you’ll pardon the pun, many vehicles will have a host of peculiar problems, making access to the best diagnostic tools even more important. “Diagnostic capabilities are critical to ensure garages can accept and complete every job that comes in,” said Colin Cottrell, Marketing Director at LKQ Euro Car Parts, “or else they risk losing out on revenue to competitors or dealerships. Having access to the right tools and equipment is key. It is also important to remember that the fault code is just the start. It is essential for garages to carry out a thorough investigation as part of the repair process, and to confirm the problem has been resolved at the end.” For Colin, following the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, battery diagnostics is a key area: “After 18 months of less frequent driving, and low temperatures at this time of year, we’re heading into a perfect storm when it comes to battery faults starting to surface. In fact, even before the pandemic, battery failure was the direct cause of 40% of national breakdowns. That’s why we’re urging garages to offer battery testing as standard to any customer that comes through their doors. “The key thing for garages to be aware of is that a flat battery warning could be a consequence of an electrical fault, and the same is true in reverse. An incorrect diagnosis can lead to repeat problems, damaging customer trust in the garage, and causing them to look elsewhere next time. Our advice is to test batteries as standard whenever any vehicle is brought in for servicing and repair. Doing so typically takes less than a minute, and can help technicians ensure they are providing the most accurate diagnosis, as well as driving additional revenue.” Colin added: “Familiarity with solutions such as the Bosch KTS560 software can help technicians to quickly and accurately identify the root cause of battery faults, allowing them to take the most appropriate course of action and provide the best service to their customers.” 50 AFTERMARKET DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022 DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS www.aftermarketonline.net Find out how the latest diagnostic kit releases from major providers can help you make the most of the opportunities available GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF IT Flexibility From January, the Hella Gutmann range of mega macs diagnostic tools is being joined by mega macs X, a new product that according to Neil Hilton, Head of Hella Gutmann Solutions UK, will change the way techs deal with vehicles: “Reflecting the changing world in which we live, where smartphone and Apps are part of day-to-day life, Hella Gutmann has taken this successful formula and translated it into the world of vehicle diagnostics to produce a fully scalable device that can provide the highest level of multi-brand capability and has made it able to communicate with a workshop’s existing IT infrastructure. “It allows individual workshops to choose whether they wish to combine their existing desktop browsers or tablets with the mega macs X or move to a totally mega macs- driven platform. This level of flexibility means that should the workshop’s requirements change, then it is able to change the mega macs X set-up to match. “Workshops also have a choice when it comes to the scope of the services that can be accessed. This flexibility ensures that the workshop is always able to gear the service level it requires to the needs of its customers and, should these requirements change, the software module can likewise be altered to make sure it always fulfils the needs of the workshop.” Neil added: “Naturally, as with the other mega macs devices in the Hella Gutmann line-up, the mega macs X is equipped with ADAS calibration software, which is now a must-have feature for forward thinking workshops as a standard feature. In addition, it also comes with a cyber Left: The mega macs X joins the HGS line-up in January