FCA: Revised Scan Position Statement Doesn’t Exclude asTech, ‘J-Box’ Use for Certified Auto Body Shops FCA recently altered its position statement to remove a longstanding reference to the asTech device, but the OEM confirmed this week the popular tool may still be used by its certified shops. Scan tools using the “Right to Repair” SAE standard J-2534 to run FCA’s official scanning software are also acceptable, FCA head of international communications Arial Galivan confirmed. FCA’s recommendation is still for shops to use its official WiTECH scan tool. It’s the only thing the OEM can truly be sure is working right. “They are acceptable substitutes, as long as they can connect to all modules to ensure that the system is fully connected and functional,” Galivan wrote in an email Tuesday. “However, as do with our parts portfolio, we recommend technicians to utilize our wiTECH tool to ensure all modules and Diagnostic Trouble Codes are captured in the scanning process and are up to date and operating at optimal performance.” Other aftermarket scan tools license OEM scan tool software. However, they might modify it, and their version might
also lag behind the OEM original. An automaker can’t be sure the scan will work the way it’s supposed to. “Use of the Mopar® *wiTECH vehicle diagnostic tester (“Mopar Scan Tool”) is an important part of FCA vehicle service and maintenance,” FCA wrote in the revised position statement. “This tool contains software that aftermarket tools may not contain and can assess whether any of an FCA’s vehicle’s safety and security systems contain active or stored Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs).” The J-2534 standard, however, lets a repairer subscribe to FCA’s official software and run it as-is through a scan tool or even a laptop “J-Box.” Under the “right to repair” agreement, most OEMs promised to make their official diagnostic software available in this manner or under the ISO 22900 standard by a 2018 model-year deadline. (Which is why you might not be able to use a J-Box on some older vehicles.) AsTech also has been deemed an acceptable scan tool substitute for some automakers’ certified networks, for it connects remotely to an official OEM scan tool
held at an asTech facility. FCA mentioned the device specifically as OK for determining the status of airbag squibs in its original 2016 scanning position statement. Its exclusion in the new statement prompted us to check that certified shops who’d been using it for three years didn’t need to buy a new scan tool. While we looked at the position statement primarily from the perspective of certified shops, FCA’s guidance and equipment requirements matter to the entire industry. Learn about scanning and insurers, FCA procedures at Repairer Driven Education As Collision Hub director of industry relations Jason Bartanen pointed out Thursday, an automaker requiring a piece of equipment for its certified shops doesn’t remove the responsibility on uncertified shops to meet that standard. The OEM is still saying that set of specifications (or specific model, in some cases) is what’s necessary to fix the vehicle correctly. You also can’t do a proper repair with a position statement alone. You must
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The Benchmark A utom ot i ve Group 10
Southern Automotive Journal
December 2019
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