January 21, 2013 In “Why You Should Have a Dedicated Service Advisor,” Michael from Georgia provides some great examples on how a shop can be successful with a dedicated sales person working your front counter.

Why you should have a dedicated Service Advisor!
After several post about using a Tech as a Service Advisor I thought I would share my thoughts. Without derailing the other thread. Is a tech the best at selling repair work? My answer is most of the time NO! Why you ask? First to give you some back ground I h

January 15, 2013 In this article, “Act Like You’ve Been There Before,” longtime iATN member Becky from Nebraska provides some perspective on how one might address the bigger picture when it comes to taking care of customers.

Act Like You've Been There Before
The young athlete scored a touchdown in a collegiate game. He immediately launched a shameless display of self-centered celebration regarding his own success in the end zone, demonstrating a distinct lack of class. The coach pulled him aside after he'd high-st

January 7, 2013 Here an iATN member discovers a defective shift interlock relay that's integral to the BCM on this 2004 Mazda 3i. He finds a way to repair the BCM by replacing just the relay, rather than replacing the entire BCM. Several photos are included to help anyone interested in this repair.


Interlock Fix
Vehicle will not come out of park at times. I have seen where several posts at iATN and other sites where the person never found the problem and so I am posting my fix here. Some of the suspects involved are the ignition switch, brake switch, meter fuse, Park-

December 31, 2012 Happy New Year! In this discussion, Andrew from Utah brings to the surface the importance of voltage drop testing. He's discovered something you don't see everyday, an open in the charging system circuit that could have easily lead to unnecessary component replacement. Read more about how others perform voltage drop testing and why.


Why we do voltage drop checks
I've recently heard again from several technicians that they use test lights instead of a voltmeter. I am of the opinion that test lights do have their place and my test light is in a place where I haven't seen it for a few years now. I still have it I'm just

December 26, 2012 iATN member Paul Danner (aka ScannerDanner) has an interesting video on a 2004 Chrysler with a cam sensor problem. Thanks to Paul for showing off the use of iATN in his diagnosis, at the 12 minute mark: http://youtu.be/CVXKXmCudAs?t=12m


2004 Chrysler 3.3L Cam Sensor Problem (P0344, P0016)
www.youtube.com To learn more about engine performance diagnostics go to my website at www.scannerdanner.com. For more information on the Picoscope go to www.picoauto.com Fo...

December 21, 2012 Happy Holidays everyone! Check out how this iATN member's low-tech, homemade tool for circuit testing a transmission issue brought about some great discussion and interesting test cases and examples. http://autop.ro/2U0


Transmission codes - simple tool and procedure
Hi All, Many aftermarket technicians such as myself are faced daily with the problem of the service information for certain vehicles that say you must use a Breakout Box or some other type of special equipment to properly diagnose a particular electrical c

December 14, 2012 Check out this time saving tip for handling challenging wheel bearing / hub assembly service. Although it specifically references a 2006 Toyota Tacoma, the technique can be applied on other vehicles.


Toyota Tacoma wheel hub removal and installation
This is an alternate way to remove the hub from the wheel bearing. It allows the job to be done with the shop press instead of putting the entire spindle in a vice and using a puller set-up to pull the hub out of the bearing. This is the hub and bearing attatc

December 11, 2012 Our latest poll poses our annual, year-end question asking how your company fared compared to the previous year. Looking forward to the results: http://members.iatn.net/

This is the 5th year we've asked this, and you can check the poll archives for previous years to see the trend: http://autop.ro/2Nk

Our last poll was also part of a series, the third time we've asked what percentage of parts do our members purchase online. In 2003, our members only purchased 12% of parts online (http://autop.ro/2Nl). In 2010 it was up to 40% (http://autop.ro/2Nm). And by the end of 2012 it was up to 49% (http://autop.ro/2Nn).

Our results are not scientific, but do come from thousands of participants each time.

December 7, 2012 Read how a member used a vacuum gauge to help quickly locate TDC when doing a leak down test, to find a leaking head gasket on a Cadillac. This post came from our Technical Tips forum, and was recently featured in the iATN Review newsletter (http://autop.ro/2G9).

Head gasket check / TDC location
I helped a buddy who was struggling with a Cadillac for days with a running hot issue . I also used this a day later with our other shop and a very random P0300 , 01,02,03 code on a Honda. The head gasket issue seems to be a thorn in the side of many people an

November 29, 2012 The latest iATN Review newsletter has been released for Q4 2012. It covers the next generation iATN search engine, as well as articles on these topics: Head Gasket Check / TDC Location, Toyota Tacoma Wheel Hub Removal and Installation, Transmission Codes - Simple Tool and Procedure, Why We Do Voltage Drop Checks, Interlock Fix, Act Like You've Been There Before, Why You Should Have a Dedicated Service Advisor!, IDM FICM Breakout Box, and 2013 Malibu E-Drive SGCM Replacement. Enjoy!

iATN Review Newsletter: Fourth Quarter 2012 Edition
Includes: Head Gasket Check / TDC Location. Toyota Tacoma Wheel Hub Removal and Installation. Transmission Codes - Simple Tool and Procedure. Why We Do Voltage Drop Checks. Interlock Fix. Act Like You've Been There Before. Why You Should Have a De... and more.