When a vehicle is in a collision and brought to your shop, you must perform a pre-scan. Most customers are familiar with this, but you’ll still likely run into a few who don’t understand this step’s importance. While a pre-scan with your Autel diagnostic tool from Agile Truck Tools will help you estimate the bill, it will also do several other essential things for your technicians and the reputation of your business.
Protects the Company
It’s never a good idea to jump into a repair without knowing what you’re correcting. That’s what makes Autel diagnostic scan tools, like the MaxiSYS ULTRA or MaxiSYS MS919, so valuable. Not only can they help you log all the visible and hidden issues with the vehicle, but they also keep that log as a customer record. This protects both your technicians and your shop from potential liability later on down the road. Pre-scanning a vehicle before beginning the repairs also ensures a safe and efficient diagnosis and repair, all the while setting customer expectations for how long it will take and just how damaged their vehicle really is.
Determines Hidden Damage
When a vehicle enters your shop after a collision, it’s likely to have visible damage that your techs can assess right away. However, what may not be so obvious and apparent is the hidden damage to the car’s safety features or other internal components. You can determine which systems are still working correctly and which ones are not by pre-scanning the vehicle. Your diagnostic scan tool will allow you to capture these fault codes before you lift a wrench. Furthermore, determining all damage to the vehicle is crucial for the insurance claim and final insurance payment. The pre-scan will give your techs the Diagnostic Trouble Codes, which reveal both pre-collision and collision-related damage. So a pre-scan is not only beneficial to your techs, but it’s also beneficial to your customers.
Gives an Insiders View
As we mentioned before, pre-scanning allows your shop to get a complete picture of what’s damaged and what’s not after a collision. The pre-scanning step will give you access to components and features that generally don’t have a dash light. These include systems like:
While you might not be able to see the damage with the naked eye, plugging in your Autel diagnostic tool will give you an insider’s view. Without this information, you will not be able to see what modules are calibrated after repair or replacement–Leaving you financially and morally responsible for whatever happens next.
Avoid Costly Mistakes
Nothing will set your shop back further than a mistake in the repair process. By doing a pre-scan of the damaged vehicle, you can avoid making costly errors and mistakes during the repair process. You’ll also reduce your cycle time, especially if the scan reveals a component you are working on is inoperable and a special function or calibration cannot be achieved until more repairs outside of the initial repair are fixed, or the scan will reveal that vehicle is a total loss. Without this pre-scan, you may be months into a rebuild before you realize the vehicle is totaled and you can’t make the necessary repairs, or the customer can’t pay for the higher bill. So, avoid all of that hassle and headache by doing your pre-scan checks.
Do Your Pre-Scanning with Agile
Agile Truck Tools is the fastest-growing Autel Master Distributor in North America, which means we know a thing or two about what your repair shop needs to get the job done right. Pre-scanning any vehicle before repair reduces wait time, improves customer service, and protects your shop from undue hassle and stress. So, contact Agile today and start improving the repair work of your technicians today!