Feature
Do You Have the Right to Repair?
By Dave Giles
Lots has happened recentLy on the topic of BiLL 273 otherwise known as the “right to repair” and the aBiLity for an independent garage to aCcess information to fix modern vehicLes. some manufacturers are reLuctant in giving out their information or tooLing outside a deaLer. the fact remains that we have to understand what the right to repair is reaLLy aLL aBout.
Do You Have the Right to Repair?
When I hear that a shop cannot access
a code using their aftermarket scanner on
a vehicle, this usually has nothing to do
with the right to repair but that the scanner
manufacturer has not developed under
licence the protocol to do the function. An
example of this is my own Toyota Prius
in which the electric steering assist was
non functional. The service information I
accessed through my Alldata information
informed me that a P1551 code was an incomplete
zero initiate and to perform the
calibration. Grabbing my first aftermarket
scan tool, I went to the electric steering
control module function on the scanner.
After several minutes of looking for
the option that follows the procedure I
found that the tool didn’t offer this. So I
called the scan tool help desk, and the response
I got was that the “manufacturer
has not released the information yet”.
Going to another aftermarket tool and
several more, all allow me to do this procedure.
So I called back the first scanner
company help desk to let them know that
it was available and the response I got this
time was, “it’s a Prius; there is not much
demand for electric steering system calibrations
and they are not going to invest
in it.”
Now, I thought, was it the first or second
excuse that was the real reason why
the scanner couldn’t do it? The spoken
word that sticks in my mind is invest.
Wow what a concept! It’s not new, but we
do have to be reminded that it takes money
to fix vehicles and we charge it back
to our clients. Now remember, the more
tools and training and access to information
that cost, this has to be reflected as a
charge-back to the customer.
Vehicle control unit reprogramming
is here, now.
So, in layman terms, what is the “right
to repair”?
It can mean many different things depending
on who you talk to. For shops,
the biggest challenge with the right to repair involves flash/reprogramming. Having
access to software to correct a program
or update the software is a lot of what the “right to repair” is about. So my question
that I ask many shops is, “when is the last
time you flashed a vehicle?” Most will say
we have never flashed a vehicle, and furthermore
we don’t even have the equipment
to flash or program an ECU. A few
manufacturers have always allowed us to
access information, tools and software to
support their vehicles and one of these is
GM. If the shop does not have the ability,
equipment, or reflash software, is this a
fault of the manufacturer?
Flash software is much like the operating
system of a PC. The calibration files
of an Engine Control Module (ECM) are
updated from time to time to ensure ideal
performance as the vehicle ages. These
improvements, provided by the vehicle
manufacturers, are often related to fuel
economy, driveability and diagnostics.
Before the introduction of flash technology,
technicians in most cases would be
forced to replace the entire ECM or PROM
(Programmable Read-Only Memory) with
one that had an updated calibration. With
the introduction of flash technology, the
technician can simply update the ECM’s calibration electronically, without removing
the ECM from the vehicle or its programmable
memory (Electrically Erasable
Programmable Read Only Memory, or
EEPROM).
Currently, every manufacturer
has their own method, but generally it involves
three components: Original Equipment
Manufacturer (OEM) software and
data, a personal computer and a passthrough
device (either an OEM scan tool
or an aftermarket interface such as the
Blue Streak I-FLASH unit).
The protocol that these pass-through
devices use are sometimes referred to as
the J-2534 standard.
The ability to reprogram
different onboard computers inside
an automobile with the latest service fix is
an increasingly important part of service
and repair. In many cases, a simple reprogramming
update may fix the check engine
light, hesitation, or drivability problems
reported by customers.
To level the
playing field, the government decided to
step in and mandate a standard programming
tool for use outside of the dealership,
designated by the SAE as the J2534
standard. With a fully-compliant J2534
tool, an independent repair shop can utilize
publicly available software from each
OEM to reprogram the computers inside
any newer vehicle.
Vehicle control unit reprogramming
is here, now. Virtually every new vehicle
on the market supports some level of reprogramming
or re-initialization. Rapid
expansion in electronics has led to a software
explosion. Software engineers are
faced with the demand to create reliable
software in increasingly shorter periods
of time, so programming mistakes are
bound to happen.
Reprogramming in the field can correct
the unforeseen problems created by
these software errors. Are you ready to
perform this service, or will you have to
send these customers to another shop?
Much, much more in the print addition of Auto Atlantic.
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