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Welcome to the OnDemand5.com/ShopKey5.com newsletter.
This newsletter is provided to share information about our users, their shops, automotive industry news, things going on at Mitchell 1 as well as tips for using the OnDemand5.com and ShopKey5.com products. If you have questions or comments about this newsletter, or ideas for what you'd like to see in it, please .
In this issue:
Missed a previous edition or want to read an article again? Just go to the Newsletter Archive page for a list of links to past headlines.
ProDemand™ and ShopKey®Pro Now Available
FASTER, EASIER, SMARTER
ProDemand and ShopKey Pro are now available to all OnDemand5.com and ShopKey5.com subscribers at no additional charge. For more information and to request ProDemand™ or ShopKey®Pro to be added to your account, click the link below:
Click here to request your free upgrade to ProDemand or ShopKey Pro.
- FASTER - eliminating the need for multiple information look-ups. By returning relevant content in one look-up, ProDemand and ShopKey Pro quickly give the technicians everything they need to complete the job.
- EASIER - allowing the technician to effortlessly navigate from procedures to TSBs to specifications to wiring diagrams and more. ProDemand and ShopKey Pro bring the information to the technicians so they can focus on the vehicle.
- SMARTER - intelligently cross referencing components, phrases, and codes in the database. Technicians don't have to know the OEM specific term because ProDemand and ShopKey Pro will find the information regardless of term entered.
Want to know more before you sign up?
Join us at one of our training workshops where we show you how the new product works. Workshops are held twice per day, every weekday at 12pm Eastern/9am Pacific and 5pm Eastern/2pm Pacific. You only need to attend one 45 minute session. Click the appropriate link below to visit our training site and to sign up for a workshop.
Now Includes Improved Estimator/Quotes module, VIN Decoder and SureTrack Preview
Click here to request access to ProDemand or ShopKey Pro.
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New Mitchell 1 Shop Connection Blog
Mitchell 1 has a new blog site dedicated to providing the latest updates on our products as well as interesting and informative industry news and stories. Much the same content as you're used to getting here in the OnDemand5/ShopKey5 newsletter but expanded to cover more products.
Contents include:
- Product Highlights
- SureTrack Real Fixes
- Product Update Information
- Product Tips & Tricks
- Quick Product How-To Videos
- Industry News and Insights
- Automotive Repair Articles from Motor Age and Other Sources
- And Much More
Click here to visit the Mitchell 1 Shop Connection blog now.
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Internet Explorer 9 or 10 Compatibility
Before installing or upgrading to Internet Explorer 9 or 10, please read our page of information detailing what to do and issues that may occur with this update. Some users will get IE9 automatically from Microsoft.
Click here for more information.
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Motor Age 2013 Top Shops Contest
Motor Age has kicked of their 2013 Top Shops contest. Shops around the country enter the contest each year with a chance to be featured on the cover of their December issue. The contest runs from June 3rd through August 30th, 2013 so enter now. Judges will review all of the entries, with a winner being announced this fall. Mitchell 1 is a proud sponsor of this contest.
- Click here for more information on the contest including the entry forms.
Catalytic Converter Efficiency Codes - Cause and Repair - The Trainer Video Series
Motor Age -- The catalytic converter is a simple device really. No moving parts, no periodic adjustments needed. And it serves a vitally important purpose; that is, to make sure that what leaves the tailpipe is as clean as it can be. There is one weakness to the design, though. The exhaust gasses going in to the cat have to be maintained in a very narrow lambda range. Feed gasses that are too lean (excess) or too rich (excess fuel) will both cause the cat's temperature to rise outside of the limits it can handle and can cause permanent damage to the chemical substrate contained within. And that just won't do.
The Engine Control Module (ECM) is responsible for just one thing - to make sure that the feed gasses getting to the catalytic converter remain within those narrow boundaries. If things get out of control, Diagnostic Trouble Codes are set to alert the professional service technician that his (or her) help is required to protect the cat. Ignoring these warnings can lead to the meltdown or damage of the substrate, excessive emissions out of the tailpipe, and the dreaded P0420/P0430 "Catalyst Efficiency Below Threshold" trouble code(s).
Often, when these codes set, the only cure is a replacement converter. However, failure to determine the root cause of the converter' demise will almost certainly lead to the same fate for that replacement. While cats can die of old age or by impact that causes the substrate to separate from the housing and break into little pieces, those failures tend to be the exception rather than the rule. In many cases, the converter itself is perfectly fine with a long life ahead of it and the ECM simply made a mistake in its testing. In many others, failure to address existing drivability issues results in the cat's demise. And in yet others, it is our own improper service techniques that result in converter failure.
With the help of Tenneco's Joe Bacarella, we'll cover all that and more in this month's edition of "The Trainer".
Source: Motor Age
Using Diagnostic Time
This time really is valuable and not a loss leader like you might think.
Brian Canning/Motor Age -- Probably one of the most misused and abused members of the technician team in many shops is the diagnostic technician. I am not talking about inexperienced and unskilled guy that we through at weird noises and unexplained symptoms because we don't really trust him and have nothing else to give him.
I am talking about the highly skilled, highly experienced guy that is, or should be, our diagnostic tech because of sheer knowledge, broad experience and strong diagnostic ability. This guy is worth his weight in gold, though far too often we sell services very similar to the way we sell and advertise a $15 oil change. Diagnostics in today's environment are tough; require a very special skill set and temperament, but far too often we give these services away, missing huge opportunities for sales, profits and believe it our not, customer good will.
The selling of diagnostic time is one of the most misapplied, mismanaged activities out there and often finds us by necessity using our most experienced and highly paid technician and charging the customer as though he or she has a coupon for 25 or 50 percent off. By description, diagnostics are undefined and open ended and therefore need to be managed very carefully, assuring that they are thorough and complete for the customer's sake and profitable for the sake of our shop.
Source: Motor Age
Did you know...
 When you post a tip or question in the OnDemand5/ShopKey5 Live Tips system, there is a spell checker available. It is the right-most button on the tool bar above the text box. Just click the button before you click the post button.
Click here for more hints on using OnDemand5 and ShopKey5.
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OnDemand5/ShopKey5 Live Tip Contest Ends
Mitchell 1's long running a tip contest ended on July 31, 2013. We will be focusing on the new SureTrack system available in the new ProDemand and ShopKey Pro programs and will probably have a contest there in the future. We would like to express our gratitude to all have participated in the tip contest in the past. If you have not tried the new products and SureTrack, click here request your upgrade.
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Want to discuss subjects on running your shop?
Join the free Mitchell 1 product users forum today. Click here to check it out.
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Click here for information on training resources available for OnDemand and ShopKey repair users.
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