There have been over 200 Recalls and 800 Technical Service Bulletins (TSB’s) issued over the past five years concerning the reflashing or reprogramming of vehicle systems and that’s not including the random improvements and updates. While initially this might seem like a growing problem, maybe repairers should see this as an opportunity as access to manufacturer service data and resources become available with the announcement of the recent ACCC findings.
Those interested in finding about more about the progress and pathways regarding the choice of repairer campaign should consider visiting the Autocare 2018 Expo held at Sydney Exhibition Centre.
Confusion
Although the concept of carrying out software updates may be new for many aftermarket workshops, the lingo used whether it be software update, reflash, reprogramming etc is already getting confusing for both customers and technicians.
When a customer buys a new car, rarely are they informed that they will need to update the software occasionally and it’s often not mentioned in the vehicle handbook either. It’s not until customer receives a recall notice that they find out their vehicle needs an update. If the issue relates to a campaign, they may never know that their vehicle requires an update unless they engage their dealer for log book servicing.
Reflashing
For technicians in independant workshops or multi-manufacturer franchises, things can get even more confusing when updating the software, firmware or carrying out calibrations. The service information and reflashing procedures can change dramatically from make to make. Adding to this confusion, the reasons why a reprogramming operation is required are almost never properly detailed in the TSB.
When you start discussing reflashing or reprogramming with a customer, it can cause problems. When they hear how new software/firmware can resolve an issue with their vehicle, they start to think that there is a defect with their car. They assume there should be a recall that the dealership should fix for free.
Some TSBs will tell dealers to warranty or “goodwill” the re-flash if the customer is outside the new car warranty. The labour time usually allocated for a reflash at a dealership is typically 0.3 hours of labor in dealership time, however technicians often complain that some procedures can take up 1.0 hour!
Reflashing is a necessary component of vehicle maintenance and repair and the prevalence is only increasing so access to sufficient tooling and subscriptions will be imperative moving forward.
