|
Server : Apache/2.4.62 System : FreeBSD fbsdweb2.web.rcn.net 14.1-RELEASE FreeBSD 14.1-RELEASE releng/14.1-n267679-10e31f0946d8 GENERIC amd64 User : www ( 80) PHP Version : 8.3.8 Disable Function : NONE Directory : /domains/samscars/ |
Upload File : |
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"><html><head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<meta name="Author" content="MARK GIAMMALVO">
<meta name="GENERATOR" content="Mozilla/4.04 [en] (Win95; U) [Netscape]"><title>Sam Giammalvo's Recognized As ASE Blue Seal of Excellence Facility Mark Giammalvo</title></head><body>
<table border="0" cols="1" width="95%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><b><font color="#0000ff"> </font></b>
<center>
<table border="0" cols="1" width="100%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align="center">
<h2>
<img src="bostoncom.jpg" title="" alt="Boston com" style="width: 130px; height: 31px;"><br>
</h2></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</center>
<center> </center>
<p align="center"><font size="3" face="Arial, Helvetica"><img src="http://www.s-t.com/daily/10-00/10-01-00/tab.gif"><img src="boston2.gif" alt="Boston Globe" width="296" height="38">
<br>
</font><font color="#000000" face="Busorama Md Bt"><i> April 8, 2004</i></font><br>
</p>
<h2 align="center"><big><b><font color="#000000" face="Busorama Md Bt">When Auto Repairs Do Not Compute </font></b></big></h2>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<div align="center">
</div>
<h2 class="subHead" align="center">Some mechanics say firms stingy with data needed to fix
cars</h2>
<div align="center">
</div>
<p class="byline" align="center">By Hiawatha Bray</p>
<p class="byline" align="center"><br>
</p>
<p>How many car mechanics does it take to repair a dome light? Just one --
if he has the right kind of computer. But if he doesn't, you're in
trouble.</p>
<p>Peter Kane of New Bedford learned this the hard way when the dome light
in his 1998 Ford Taurus continued to glow for 20 minutes after he closed
his car door. Figuring it was a trivial repair, Kane headed to Sam
Giammalvo's Auto Sales & Service Inc., a repair shop and used car
dealer. To Kane's surprise, mechanic Mark Giammalvo told him he would have
to go to <org value="F;F-B" idsrc="NYSE">a Ford</org> dealership.
Giammalvo's diagnostic computer system could not detect the cause of the
problem.</p>
<p>"He says, 'My computer won't talk to the car,' " Kane said. " 'It won't
let me in.' "</p>
<p>Cars are riddled with microprocessors that control engines,
transmissions, brakes -- even dome lights. Cars long ago became so
complicated that few consumers can do their own repairs. But many trained
mechanics say they're in the same boat, because automakers have not
provided them with the information they need to communicate with the car's
digital systems. Independent repair shops are forced to send customers --
and dollars -- down the road, to new-car dealerships with the computer
gear that's needed. "This happens all the time," Giammalvo said.</p>
<p>He and other independent mechanics want relief from Congress, in the
form of the Right to Repair Act, a bill that would force automakers to
provide all of the computer information needed to diagnose and repair any
problem. But automakers say there's no need for such a law. They say they
have already agreed voluntarily to provide all diagnostic information, and
are well on their way to total openness.</p>
<p>"Today, you can take your car to any independent repair shop," said
Mark Saxonberg, service technology manager at <org value="TM" idsrc="NYSE">Toyota Motor</org> Sales USA Inc. "They can get any
information that they need to fix the car at a reasonable cost."</p>
<p>Some independent repair shop owners agree. "Ninety-five percent or more
of all service information is affordably available," said David Lanspeary,
owner of Dave's Auto Repair in Youngtown, Ariz. "The problem I see is more
lack of training and lack of investment by the shop owners."</p>
<p>Bill Cahill, owner of BC Auto Repair in Randolph, agrees that
automakers are sharing more information. "I will admit on the surface,
they appear to be starting to comply," he said. But Cahill said he can't
get complete technical information for many vehicles, and only a federal
law will change that. "It will hold their feet to the fire," Cahill
said.</p>
<p>Nearly all cars use digital sensors embedded in dozens of vehicle
subsystems. These sensors can recognize malfunctions and flash a warning,
like the notorious "check engine" light. A technician can then plug a
testing device, called a "scan tool," into a data port on the vehicle. The
scan tool should be able to receive a code that identifies the faulty
part.</p>
<p>But there are dozens of carmakers using a variety of diagnostic codes
and networking systems. An independent mechanic could be called upon to
fix any of these cars. But that means stocking scan tools, software, and
manuals for every make of vehicle -- potentially a ruinously expensive
proposition.</p>
<p>A number of companies make generic scan tools designed to work with
many different cars. But for years, these tools were limited by the
automakers' refusal to release all of the information about their computer
systems.</p>
<p>The US Environmental Protection Agency requires all carmakers to
provide access to diagnostic information related to a car's
pollution-control gear. Every car sold since 1996 has a standardized data
interface that delivers this information, and a mechanic can perform
emissions tests with a standard scan tool.</p>
<p>But car companies were not required to share data from other systems,
so an independent mechanic might be unable to work on a car's brakes or
heating system. Tired of being forced to turn away customers, independent
car repair associations lobbied Congress for a law that would compel
automakers to fully disclose their diagnostic information. The first Right
to Repair Act was introduced in 2001. Before it could be enacted, the car
companies struck a deal with the Automotive Service Association, which
represents 12,000 car-repair firms. The manufacturers pledged that by
August 2003, they would provide independent shops with the same data they
provide to new car dealers, at a "reasonable" price.</p>
<p>Charlie Gorman, executive manager of the Equipment and Tool Institute,
the trade association for makers of automotive scan tools, said the
automakers have generally kept their word. "I think they've been pretty
good about that," Gorman said. Indeed, he said that his association's
members have not been able to keep up with all the data they have received
from companies. "Right now we've got more information that we can absorb
all at once," Gorman said.</p>
<p>That means that scan tool companies have not incorporated all of the
new data into their devices.</p>
<p>This may explain why Mark Giammalvo couldn't fix Kane's Taurus dome
light. Gorman said that Ford Motor Co. has generally been good about
sharing data, but has dragged its feet about sharing a protocol it uses to
detect problems with body parts, like the microswitch controlling the dome
light. "They just gave us the information to build systems for that in
June of last year," Gorman said. Thus, a mechanic with last year's scan
tool would be unable to diagnose the problem.</p>
<p>Even when the diagnostic information is available, it comes at a price.
New scan tools with the latest updates cost thousands of dollars. In some
cases, the generic tools won't do; even if the carmaker has released the
data, a scan tool maker might choose not to include it in his product. So
mechanics must buy unique scan tools from the car manufacturers, tools
they can only use on a single make.</p>
<p>"I own four different scan tools -- two generic and two
manufacturer-specific," said Larry Zonenshine, owner of Mansfield Auto
Care in Mansfield. Still, he said, it's not enough. "I have a 1998
Chrysler minivan with an air bag warning light on," Zonenshine said. "I
cannot access that system." Actually, he can -- if he buys a Chrysler scan
tool priced at about $6,000, he said.</p>
<p>Even when the scan tool works, the mechanics must pay for technical
manuals and service bulletins. These manuals don't come cheaply, but as
part of their 2002 settlement, the carmakers agreed to provide the
information over the Internet. Repair shops can subscribe to these digital
services by the year, month, or day. For instance, they can obtain access
to all <org value="GBM;GM;GMH;GMW;GXM;HGM;RGM;XGM" idsrc="NYSE">General
Motors</org> manuals for $1,200 a year, $150 a week, or $20 a day.</p>
<p>Auto industry officials say that between offering online access to
their manuals and releasing computer codes, independent mechanics have
little to complain about.</p>
<p>"It's not cheap and easy anymore," said Gregory Dana, vice president of
environmental affairs for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. "But
then it's not cheap and easy to make a car anymore."</p>
<p><span class="tagline"><span class="tagline">Hiawatha Bray can be reached at
[email protected].</span></span></p>
<div class="copyright">© Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper
Company.</div>
<p><font size="3" face="Arial, Helvetica"> </font></p>
<hr>
<center> </center>
<center> </center>
<center><b><font color="#0000ff"><font size="-1"> </font></font></b></center>
<center><a href="http://www.samscars.com/index.htm"><img src="sam-home.gif" alt="Return to Sam Giammalvo's "Home Page"" border="0" height="40" width="104" align="middle">
</a></center>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
</body></html>