“The topic of J-2534 and pass-thru programming has been the single-most dominant question that I have had to deal with at NASTF,” said Skip Potter, executive director. Because of this, the group organized a panel discussion for its Spring General Meeting in Seattle March 20.
“This involves the technicians, the OEMs and the tool makers,” Potter said, so the panel was set up with representatives from all three: Bob Augustine from Christian Brothers Automotive, Mark Saxonburg from Toyota Motor Sales USA and Brian Herron from Drew Technologies.
In discussing the evolution of the J-2534 standard, Augustine noted that “the aftermarket was really green in terms of figuring out where they wanted to go with it.”
Herron said, it’s no longer just a reprogramming standard. “There’s been a lot of pain along the way, a lot of learning, but it’s really a strong foundation going forward that we can all utilize for more diagnostic capabilities.”
Potter commented that when the J-device first came on the market, technicians saw it as an opportunity, particularly if they worked on more than one make.
But not all OEMs are putting the same resources into the pass-thru device.
“Some companies looked at this (the standard) as a regulatory requirement,” Saxonburg said. “(Toyota) looked at it as an opportunity to leverage this recommended practice as a way to better support our customers, both in the dealership and outside of the dealership, by giving them a less expensive way to do all of our diagnostics.”
Augustine noted that the big challenge right now for the average three- or four-bay, family-owned shop is that it is cost-prohibitive for them to buy multiple OEM factory scan tools. Most people following the J-2534 discussion were thinking they’d be able to by one box (J-device) and work on every car, he said. “There really is tool hardware fatigue in the aftermarket.” Techs are looking for one tool that can work on at least the big six or seven brands they work on. “At the end of the day, I think our challenge is, can we make that happen?”
Education and formal training seem to be the main disconnect in proper use of re-programming tools.
“You can’t just plug in a reprogramming tool and push the green button and expect that it’s going to have the desired result,” Augustine said. “It takes some research (checking TSBs first, for instance) and sometimes it takes some actual field experience to know what the right thing to do is.”
He continued, saying that adequate training is not going to come from a local parts house. “J-2534 is one of the topics where you’re not going to … be able to do something with it successfully without some real formal training … or the learning curve is steep and expensive.”
In addition to training, Saxonburg said it is among the technician’s responsibilities to be what he calls “Service Ready” — be educated on the task you’re about to perform. He suggests techs research unfamiliar cars before attempting to repair them. “All reflash events are driven by a TSB of some sort.” First ask yourself, “What am I trying to fix with this re-flash? How do I do it, and what are the things I need to look out for?”
“The number one responsibility (of the technician) is to not practice on customers’ cars,” Herron said. He recommends techs take the time to read the vehicle maker’s requirements and find out what version of operating software and PC you should have (also, keep a clean, virus-free system for reprogramming). Are you using a validated device? Are there any other equipment requirements (adequate battery charger)? Know where to go to get support, such as the OE, the toolmaker, NASTF’s website or a forum such as iATN. And he advises that it’s important to follow the TSB procedures.
“(These steps) are key to minimizing the issues that come up through that process.”
Wrapping up the session, Potter said NASTF will continue to help in resolving some of the problems the standard presents.
Visit nastf.org for more information, and to view the entire spring meeting on YouTube, go to youtube.com/watch?v= QfbpJy07BCI.