NewsBreakNACAT 2014 Focuses on Delivering Service-Ready Technicians Industry Employers Can HireThe North American Council of Au-tomotive Teachers’ 2014 annual con-ference was held in Greenville, SC,from July 20-25, 2014. More than 250NACAT members and 50 speakers at-tended. The pervasive theme atNACAT 2014 was its desire to delivermore industry-ready technicians.

“We must meet the needs of indus-try employers who hire our students,”explained Russ Ferguson, actingNACAT board chairperson. “We haveto teach to what the industry has anddoes,” agreed Keith Santini, aNACAT board member, presenterand exhibitor for CDX Automotive.“Technical school accreditation stan-dards and instructional curriculummust adapt to and embrace currentindustry needs on a continual basis.”He and many of the other 50 presen-ters echoed this comment in thetraining seminars throughout theweek. It’s clear that many other auto-motive instructors feel an urgency toteach to current and future needsmore, and to the past less.

Several announcements were madeat the closing business meeting:

•NACAT will continue to be an in-dependent corporation, with a focuson developing working relationshipswith other leading industry organiza-tions committed to better aligning au-tomotive technical education with in-dustry employer needs.”

•Bill Haas was introduced as theNACAT’s new business manager, ef-fective Aug. 1 of this year. He will al-so take on the role of vice presidentfor NACAT conferences in 2015.

•NACAT’s national office wasmoved to Tyler, TX, last month.

•By October, the NACAT board willcomplete a SWOT analysis to deter-mine the best ways NACAT can pro-vide education to aspiring techniciansthat matters to industry employers.

•The 2015 annual NACAT confer-ence will be held in Joliet, IL, fol-lowed by NACAT 2016 in Hous-ton.—Bob Chabot

NASTF Connects Shop Owners,Techs & OEMs at AAPEXAs of mid-August, service operationsrepresentatives from a dozen originalequipment manufacturers had con-firmed their participation in the Na-tional Automotive Service Task Force(NASTF) Fall 2014 General Meeting,to take place Wednesday, Nov. 5 dur-ing the Automotive Aftermarket

Products Expo (AAPEX). The show isset for Nov. 4-6 at the Sands ExpoCenter in Las Vegas.

The NASTF meeting has becomepart of the new Service ProfessionalsProgram at AAPEX and offers an op-portunity for shop owners and techni-cians to interact directly with OEMsto bring solutions in service informa-tion. The meeting’s featured topic is“Aftermarket Access to OEM Educa-tion Resources.” A confirmed agendais available at www.nastf.org/Gen-eralMeetings.

Kathleen Schmatz, president andchief operating officer of the AutoCare Association, said that addingNASTF to the AAPEX Service Pro-

fessionals Program “brings the after-market one step closer to the OEM.Sessions on the NASTF meetingagenda like ‘OEM Education Re-sources’ and the ‘2018’ PC diagnosticrequirements give both the automak-er and the aftermarket technician in-sights into each other’s world.”

“Technicians, service writers andshop owners are the front line in ourindustry and AAPEX…is committedto adding value for their time at theshow. The addition of the NASTFGeneral Meeting to the AAPEX Ser-vice Professionals Program is an im-portant step in continuing the dialogamong service providers, aftermarketchannel partners and suppliers sothat all can innovate and win in to-day’s aftermarket,” said Bill Long,president and chief operating officer,Automotive Aftermarket SuppliersAssociation (AASA).

For more information, visit theNASTF website given here, or con-tact Skip Potter, NASTF executive di-rector, at skippotter@nastf.org. Toregister for AAPEX, log on towww.aapexshow.com/register.

Free Modules Added to Snap-on Training WebsiteSnap-on receently added free VAN-TAGE Ultra Training Solutions mod-ules to its website at http://diagnostics.snapon.com/trainingsolutions. Thefour modules are designed to helpprofessional service technicians navi-gate the features and functionality ofthis new graphing multimeter andhigh-speed, two-channel lab scope.

The new modules cover the follow-ing areas:

•Introduction and navigation: Start-up, Controls, Touch Screen.

•Meter Functions, Digital Multi-meter, Graphing Multimeter, ScopeFunctions.

•Guided Component Tests, Com-ponent Information: Component Op-eration, Connectors, Component Lo-cation, Tech Notes.

56 September 2014

•Previous Vehicles and Data: Vehi-cle History, View Saved Data, DeleteSaved Data.

The Snap-on Training Solutionsmodules provide product trainingthat’s available 24/7, so technicians canaccess them when it’s most convenientfor them. All modules are free ofcharge, and technicians can revisit thetraining sessions as often as necessaryto learn at their own pace and comfortlevel.

To learn more about VANTAGEUltra, talk to a Snap-on representativeor visit http://diagnostics.snapon.com.

ACDelco Enhances Its E-Commerce CapabilitiesMobile capability with VIN scanningand the ability to accommodate un-limited users are the latest enhance-ments for independent service cen-ters that use ACDelco WIP, the on-line parts ordering system. The im-provements are the first of manyACDelco (www.acdelco.com) plans asa result of moving its e-business toolto a single vendor, WHI Solutions ofRye Brook, NY.

WIP allows ACDelco suppliers tooffer their full inventory of parts forall makes and models to IndependentServcie Centers (ISCs), along withreal-time availability, price and labor.A single-vendor approach also bene-fits ACDelco suppliers with bettereconomies of scale and growth op-portunities.

“WIP has a lot of great featureswith unique benefits, like our Spe-cialty Catalogs,” said Stephen C. Sigg,global e-commerce manager. “We areconstantly updating our product tomake it the best choice to support theindependent aftermarket business.Our new WIP arrangement allows usto release new functionality morequickly. In the coming months, ourusers will see many positive changes.”

According to Sigg, along with im-proved functionality, WIP will retainthe features users rely on. WIP re-

mains the source for the ACDelcospecialty catalogs: Illustrated, Battery,Chemical and Pigtail.

Other WIP features include rout-ing and tracking deliveries, access tolongstanding national ePromotions(Massachusetts excluded) for GMService Information (GMSi) andTechnical Information System(TIS2Web); the ACDelco Communi-ty exclusively for WIP professionals;the Feedback button to help ensurethat WIP meets user needs; and theHome Tab to shop for ACDelco Sup-plier custom items.

For more information on WIP orlocating an ACDelco supplier, call800-ACDelco (800-223-3526).

MOTOR Magazine Adds Publishing HonorsContinuing its longstanding traditionof editorial excellence, MOTOR Maga-zine recently earned a number ofhonors in three major competitionsfor work published in 2013—theAmerican Society of Business Publi-cation Editors (“Azbees”), the Trade,Association and Business PublicationsInternational (“Tabbies”) and the In-ternational Automotive Media Com-petition (IAMC).

Karl Seyfert, MOTOR’s ExecutiveEditor, was a big winner. His article“Different Strokes: Internal Combus-tion Engines Still Deliver” (March2013 issue) garnered a Silver Tabbieaward for best technical article aswell as Silver in the IAMC competi-tion in the Technical: General catego-ry. In addition, Seyfert’s regularlyscheduled Trouble Shooter columnearned a Gold IAMC award and a Sil-ver Azbee.

John Lypen, MOTOR’s Editor andPublisher, was also a winner in thethree competitions. His Editor’s Re-port column won a Gold IAMCaward, a Silver Tabbie and a BronzeAzbee.

MOTOR’s contributing writers alsocollected some hardware for their ef-

MOTOR Editors

continued on page 58

57September 2014

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forts in 2013. A Gold IAMC award inthe Technical: How to Do It categorywent to Sam Bell for “TPMS SensorsReach Retirement Age” (June 2013),and an IAMC Silver in the same cate-gory was awarded to Bob Chabot for“Are You Planning for an ElectricSurge?” (Sept. 2013).

Last but not least, everyone washonored by IAMC with a Silveraward in the category Best SingleIssue (Writing) for the August 2013issue.

Gates Training Offers BonusPrizes to ASA MembersAutomotive Service Association(ASA) education member Gates nowoffers ASA members a free trainingand education program called Accel-eration Sessions. The online videotraining series can be located atwww.gatesprotraining.com, and eachquarter features new topics. After

NewsBreak

58 September 2014

watching a short educational video,members who pass a brief quiz mayreceive a dining discount couponworth $25.

In addition, ASA members are eli-gible for a bonus drawing of 25 ser-pentine belt drive displays if they usetheir ASA Promo Code when theyregister for each Acceleration Ses-sions training event. That’s in addi-tion to the regular prizes, which caninclude various laser alignment toolsor packages valued at approximately$1000.

“We are very proud to offer auto-motive repair professionals free train-ing that helps them keep buildingtheir valuable skills,” said Bobby Bas-sett, national training director, GatesCorp. “Gates offers premium prod-ucts that give the ultimate perfor-mance, just like our aftermarketchannel partners are committed togiving the best repairs possible, so

Brake Pads equipped with NUCAP backing plates meet or exceed OE specs, and fit first time every time right out of the box. This saves you time and money while delivering your customer the best product available. Our FineblankPlus NRS plate with its hundreds of steel hooks creates a mechanical bond that will not fail – far superior to any adhesive bond. NUCAP solutions are trusted by major Ori-ginal Equipment manufacturers and leading brake brands worldwide. Learn more at www.nucap.com

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this program brings it all together.”To learn more about ASA’s efforts

on behalf of service and repair pro-fessionals, and how to become amember, visit www.ASAshop.org, orcall 800-272-7467 ext. 361.

New Bosch Website Offers Help in Choosing the Right Replacement Fuel InjectorBosch has launched a new customerawareness initiative designed to pro-vide information and education nec-essary to help diesel vehicle ownersand technicians make the right choicewhen purchasing replacement injec-tors for vehicle service.

The cornerstone of the initiative iswww.ChooseTheRightInjector.com, anew website that offers in-depth in-formation on a variety of key topics,including why injectors fail and thehazards of using nonauthorized re-manufactured injectors. The site alsoincludes a section on frequentlyasked questions.

Bosch conducted an intense evalu-ation of a number of nonauthorizedrebuilt injectors available in the mar-ketplace. More than 50% failed andpresented a significant potential haz-ard to the engine if installed in adiesel common-rail system, includingloss of power, decrease in fuel econo-my, increased noise, smoke and en-gine and exhaust system damage,among other hazards.

“Common-rail engines are less for-giving of poor quality than conven-tional engines,” said Ross Sander-cock, Director of Diesel Products forBosch Automotive Aftermarket. “Al-though there are many options for se-lecting rebuilt/remanufactured injec-tors that can save you money, thereare also as many risks associated withchoosing an injector from a nonau-thorized manufacturer. Consumersand technicians need to know therisks and understand the choices theyhave in order to make an informeddecision regarding diesel vehicle ser-vice and performance.”

Using a problem-solution ap-proach, the new website takes visitorsthrough the most common injectorfailure scenarios, lists the symptoms

of those failures and offers tips onhow to avoid them. The site also in-cludes links to informationalbrochures, Bosch Vehicle Part Finderand Where to Buy, which locates thenearest Bosch Diesel sales outlet.

New Waveform Library LetsUsers Save, Share & SearchThe latest software release for Britishcompany Pico Technology’s Pico-Scope 3000 or 4000 Series automo-tive oscilloscope contains a featurethat the company thinks will be oneof its most popular—the ability tosearch a library of waveforms up-loaded by PicoScope users fromaround the world. As of early August,more than 450 waveforms had al-ready been uploaded by beta testersof the new software,

The Waveform Library browsercontains comprehensive search op-tions that allow the user to locate arelevant waveform for a specific man-ufacturer or vehicle model. Wave-forms also can be searched using onlythe engine code or ECU type, allow-ing the user to locate a relevant entrythat may have been saved using dif-ferent vehicle details.

“I cannot remember how manytimes it would have been useful tohave a comparison waveform for a cir-cuit under test, especially when com-paring camshaft/crankshaft timing,”said Steve Smith, Automotive Applica-tions Specialist at Pico Technology(www.picoauto.com). “Often thiswould involve sifting through yourown library, or contacting colleaguesin the hope you might get lucky.”

Sensors In the Future forAftermarket SuppliersDigital vehicle data drives telematics,remote diagnostics and many otherinnovations for so-called connectedcars, and measuring and convertingthis information from many differentlocations on vehicles is critical. That’swhy the Automotive AftermarketSuppliers Association (AASA), thelight vehicle aftermarket division ofthe Motor & Equipment Manufac-turers Association (MEMA), will fea-ture as the keynote speaker at its

2014 Technology Conference a rec-ognized expert in this area. The con-ference theme is “ConnectingThrough Technology.”

Mark Schluentz, market segmentleader, Sensata Technologies, willpresent “Convergence of Mechanicaland Digital,” which will discuss theuse of sensors and microprocessors tomeasure physical parameters frommany locations on vehicles and con-vert this information to valuable digi-tal data. In addition to his keynoteaddress, Schluentz will participate ina small group discussion with atten-dees that will delve deeper into theconvergence of mechanical parts anddigital data.

“The 2014 AASA Technology Con-ference is the one event in the auto-motive and heavy-duty aftermarketindustries addressing how currentand emerging technologies will driveefficiencies, reduce costs, identify

customer trends and forecast futureneeds,” noted Bill Long, AASA presi-dent and chief operating officer.

“Sensor technology will connectvehicle and part performance withvehicle owners, suppliers and serviceprofessionals,” said Chris Gardner,AASA vice president, programs andmember services. “Mark will discussthe growing number of nonautomo-tive and automotive applications thatprovide data that are part of the ‘In-ternet of Things.’”

The 2014 AASA Technology Con-ference will feature an interactiveformat with 20-minute keynote pre-sentations and small group Q&A ses-sions concurrent with other speakers.Breakout sessions will include mar-keting technology, information tech-nology and heavy-duty technology.The conference will be held Oct. 5-7at Marco Island, FL. For more infor-mation, visit www.aasatech.com.

59September 2014

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