Expert Advice Drives Mitchell 1 Tech Community

Have you ever hit the wall when diagnosing a vehicle? If so, you’re not alone.

st-community-groupicon_croppedBefore you got to that point, your first step was probably to check your online auto repair information resource for direction. But there are times when OEM information alone is just not enough to solve the problem. In the old days, you might have picked up the phone and called another tech to get their thoughts on the problem.

Technology has made connecting to your peers so much quicker and easier. In an online community you can type your question and with a click of your mouse instantly send it to an entire community of experienced technicians. Chances are good that you will receive answers and ideas within a few minutes that will help get you over the hump and back to fixing the tricky vehicle in your bay.

There are many online communities for techs to choose from, but having the resource available right inside your repair information software can be a huge time saver. For about 10 years, Mitchell 1 has offered an active community of professional techs as part of their repair information system. The community has evolved over the years and is now included with the SureTrack® diagnostic tool in the ProDemand® repair software.

SureTrack provides access to real-world insights — Real Fixes — based on millions of actual repairs performed in independent auto repair shops across North America, along with tips contributed by professional technicians.

Highlights of the SureTrack Community include:

Ask the Expert — Techs with specialized professional skills, knowledge and experience can register as an “expert” and share their knowledge with other community members. Experts receive an alert when a question is posted related to their area of expertise so they can provide insights and answers. Members who ask questions validate the experts’ responses by rating their answers as “Best,” or “Good.” All members can indicate whether a “Best Answer” helped solved a similar problem they have faced in their shop. If it did, the answer is recorded as a “Fixed It.”

Leaderboard — The top community members are displayed in the leaderboard. Members are awarded points for answering questions as well as for how many “Best Answers” and “Good Answers” they have contributed. Those who gain the most points for the current time period are recognized at the top of the leaderboard.

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SureTrack combines diagnostic insights with repair time savers, Real Fixes, detailed parts replacement records, probable components to test, and a waveform library. It’s the logical location for a community of professional techs focused on auto diagnostic and repair issues. In fact, the Community has become a key benefit — and the human aspect — of SureTrack. Members often share stories of how the Community not only helped them fix cars they were struggling to diagnose on their own, but also introduced them to some really good friends.

Eric Girard, owner of Eric’s Automotive in Weaverville, NC, is an experienced service professional whose focus is on diagnostics. With over 21,000 answers, he’s the most prolific member of the SureTrack Community (see graphic above) and takes great pleasure in sharing his knowledge and experience with others.

Eric says that he enjoys the sense of camaraderie, but he has also gained a great deal of diagnostic knowledge in the community. “I really get a lot of satisfaction from helping my fellow technicians,” says Eric. “I love being able to learn more about cars in general while helping others find out what is wrong with the vehicles they are working on. There is always something to learn.”

About the Author

Jill Schafer

Jill Schafer is the Marketing Communication Manager at Mitchell 1 and has over 20 years of marketing experience with high-technology organizations, including over 10 years in the automotive information industry.