Bosch Automotive has launched Technician Nation, an online platform for auto technicians to use as a resource for responding to vehicle issues.
The online and on-tool platform acts as a community driven by technicians that allows them to access service trends that can be segmented by geography, vehicle and code, the company said during the AAPEX show.
Technicians don't need Bosch tools to access the free platform at techniciannation.com.
The platform can show what vehicle issues are trending in the technician's market and can identify if the service problem is trending locally or nationally and provide information to properly diagnose the information, Bosch said.
Knowing the geographic occurrence of specific vehicle codes allows technicians to plan for tool and equipment purchases and to anticipate the training they will need, the company said.
Information is obtained from Bosch diagnostic tools being used by technicians and automatically populated onto the platform, allowing the data to be updated monthly. In addition to having access to the data on the platform, technicians will receive the "Technician Nation" newsletter weekly which will include information to keep them up to date on new trends, tech tips, product updates and promotions, Bosch said.
The site also includes monthly blog posts with tech tips, trending vehicle issues and other information. Tips will include breakouts of top vehicles experiencing a specific code, top cities working on a particular vehicle and interactive training videos from Bosch technicians explaining how to use Bosch diagnostics to service these vehicles, the company said.
Examples statistics gleaned on the website include:
- More than 25 percent of vehicles serviced by technicians using Bosch professional scan tools were light-duty trucks.
- The 2004 Ford F-150 ranked as the top vehicles serviced with the P1000 code, OBD Systems Readiness Test Not Complete.
"At Bosch, we understand the importance of staying up to date with the constantly changing landscape for technicians working on out of warranty vehicles." said Alison Accavitti, marketing communications manager, North America. "Developing a community amongst technicians through Technician Nation allows technicians to both advance their skills and interact with other technicians all in one platform."
Anyone can sign up to join the Technician Nation platform, she said, and technicians who use a Bosch diagnostic tool or an OTC tool with Bosch hardware will have access to sign up for the newsletter through their current software.
For more information, visit techniciannation.com.
This story first appeared on tirebusiness.com
