REVENUE
GENERATING
OPPORTUNITIES
Electrical Work
ELEVATE EARNINGS
WITH ELECTRICAL WORK
As vehicles become increasingly autonomous, electrical systems become
increasingly complex, creating revenue opportunities for repair shops and
technicians that learn to complete electrical work well.
by Stefanie Von Rueden, Assistant Editor
Vehicles are reliant on an
extensive network of
controllers, electronics,
wiring, computers and coding
that controls everything from fuel
management to transmission
shifts, ABS, stability control, TPMS
sensors and more. This creates
a huge revenue opportunity for
vehicle repair shops and technicians.
According to Justin Fisette of Bosch
Automotive Service Solutions,
electrical work is a significant
revenue opportunity because of
the volume of work. “Consumers
expect more of their vehicles, and
with autonomous driving on the
horizon, vehicle repair will center on
electronics as drivers put on more
miles and vehicles last longer,”
Fisette says.
“Many techs shy away from electrical
diagnostic testing,” adds Ron Kirsch,
a Snap-on private label meter supplier.
“It can be a frustrating and time consuming
job if you do not have the right
test equipment and experience. Electrical
systems and components continue to
grow in popularity. Some techs send that
type of work to other shops or do not
fix the problem correctly. That opens up
new opportunities for those that learn
how to complete electrical work well.”
Electrical work has grown to be a
major repair category, with increasingly
complex tools to pinpoint and verify
vehicle problems. “In the past, you really
only needed a multimeter, circuit tester
and maybe a few probes to check wiring
connections. Now, specialized test
equipment is needed to fix the vehicle
correctly and avoid comebacks. The
emergence of hybrids, electric vehicle
and high-voltage systems also require
more electrical system testing, training
and knowledge,” Bosch’s Fisette says.
42 PTEN DECEMBER 2017 www.VehicleServicePros.com
This rapidly changing and growing
repair category can make electrical
service difficult. It also proves the value
of experienced, knowledgeable technicians.
New technology such as automatic
emergency braking, lane keep assist, lane
departure warning, adaptive cruise control
and automated driving technologies
rely on electrical systems, and will need
to be diagnosed and repaired. These systems
and technologies continually evolve
to become more efficient, convenient
and cost effective.
“More and more electronics on
vehicles like cameras, video equipment,
evasive action sensors, alarms, etc. will
require more electrical repair,” Snapon’s
Kirsch says. “These will require
even more sophisticated repair and
diagnostic skills.”
Having access to the correct
This image shows the wiring in one of
the connectors to the fuse/relay center. Note
the black wire which shows heat damage
(shrunken insulation, deformed connector).
Photo: B. Hoyland
electrical system diagnostic tools can
help increase revenue for the shop or
for technicians by helping technicians
diagnose vehicles faster. Diagnosing
complex electrical systems is one of the
hardest parts of electrical system work.
Diagnostic equipment helps ensure that
technicians are only replacing the parts
that need to be replaced, not replacing
a part only to find out that it was actually
an issue further down the electrical
circuit. Tools that include repair info,
vehicle data, wiring diagrams, likely
fixes and test parameters can help technicians
ensure accurate electrical system
diagnostics.
Tools that are currently available
for electrical system work include battery
and charging system testers, battery
monitor reset tools, battery chargers,
oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, scan
tools, specialty electrical system test
tools and circuit testers.
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