”Get with the programme,” says Maurice Rosenberg, race-car preparer and fleet vehicle management consultant.
Rosenberg, in his early sixties, has to had to move with the times and embark on the expensive route of re-equipping his Strydom Park workshop.
Along with Peter Prunzel, Rosenberg’s AutoRosen concern has acquired the latest in electronic wizardry to help cope with the plethora of modern motor vehicles that boast advanced electronics.
”The modern-day vehicle is an extremely complex one, and many workshops are relying on old technology to trace and analyse faults,” he explains as the TechnoTest is connected to a BMW.
”The advantage to clients is that faults can be diagnosed rapidly, and speedily, yet cost-effective repairs can be undertaken on their vehicles. As many of our clients are fleet owners, this means less down time and more productivity.
”More importantly, once a vehicle has been analysed, in which the central computer of the vehicle is ‘interrogated’, we can do a print out, where the functionality and health of systems such as anti-lock braking systems, airbags, injection systems, central locking and even the climate control are checked. This information is also stored by registration number on the TechnoTest’s databank, so that a permanent record of the car’s history is created.
”Once we have determined and rectified the problem, an additional printout is made for the client, to show them that the work under-taken has been done accurately, honestly and to their satisfaction.”
The TechnoTest has thousands of vehicles’ information stored on it, and takes little more than four minutes to do a complete analysis of a car’s system.
Errors and faults are displayed on the large liquid crystal display screen, to allow Rosenberg and his team to take the necessary action.
In short, it takes all the guesswork out of fault analysis, and in the process, a scientific, verifiable history of the car is created.
According to Rosenberg, it’s not just immediate rectification that his clients require, but with spares and car prices being what they are, preventative maintenance is more than just a blip on owners’ screens at the moment.
”We find that if we advise our clients that certain parts are worn on a particular vehicle, but that said part can be replaced at a later stage or the next service, clients are more appreciative, as they don’t get a loaded invoice that cripples their bank account for a month. In that way they can spread the costs over a period, but at the same time, maintain their vehicle at the required standard,” he says.
”Obviously, there are vehicles on the market that, although modern in design, do not utilise advanced technology and any workshop is capable of effecting good work.
”But as technology progresses and becomes more affordable to manufacturers, so these ‘basic’ vehicles will cease to be manufactured, and those in the vehicle maintenance industry will be faced with very costly capital expenditure in order to survive.”