Unauthorized diagnostic tools harm the aftermarket’s integrity; do your part to raise awareness
It’s hard to understand why anyone, particularly a professional, would take a gamble on an unauthorized diagnostic tool. But peruse some aftermarket forums and you see there’s no shortage of shops and techs willing to do so in the hope that they might save money by buying counterfeit tools.
Some of the experiences shared on the forums about “clone” tools not working right should be enough to make buyers understand the importance of buying from sources that provide service and upgrades.
Scot Manna, a shop owner and auto tech instructor in Des Plaines, Ill., understands why some of his colleagues buy unauthorized tools. “They’re very attractive to a shop that wants to dabble in some stuff,” such as foreign vehicles that require very expensive scan tools. But Manna, who has numerous OE and aftermarket scan tools at his 4-bay shop, MB Automotive, thinks it’s a mistake to buy counterfeits. Eventually, these tools lose their functionality and must be discarded.
Some of them reportedly work, but you never know for how long, Manna says. When something doesn’t work, who do you call? Even tools that work for more than a few months will need a software upgrade at some time. Counterfeit tools are famous for having problems with upgrades.
Don't be fooled
Manna recognizes that some shops buy counterfeit tools thinking they are originals. While some “clones” closely resemble original equipment, Manna says the reduced price is usually a giveaway; unless you know the owner, anything priced low is a counterfeit. He notes that all a shop needs to do is to buy from an authorized source.
Independent shop owners sometimes justify buying OE “clones” thinking the OE manufacturers want to make a quick, easy profit from independent aftermarket shops, or they want to make harder for independents to compete against their OE dealerships.
This type of thinking ignores the fact that the major OEs, both foreign and domestic, have taken a big role working with the National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) to improve the service capabilities of independent shops. NASTF formed in 2000 to identify, communicate and resolve gaps in the availability and accessibility of automotive service information, service training, diagnostic tools, and equipment for the benefit of automotive service professionals and their customers.
Another misperception among buyers of OE “clone” scan tools is that the factories producing them are the same as the ones making the original products. A spokesperson for General Motors notes that GM scan tools are made in California, not China.
Counterfeits hurt the industry
The theft of intellectual property hurts the entire aftermarket. Counterfeit scan tools have been known to damage a vehicle’s electrical system. Some have incorrect information that can cause a misdiagnosis. And losses suffered by legitimate tool manufacturers because of counterfeit products ultimately get passed on in higher costs to the aftermarket and the customer.
“Each clone on the market makes our product more expensive to the end-user, and costs tool manufacturers millions annually on a global basis,” says Ed Lipscomb, senior product manager of global diagnostics at Bosch Automotive Aftermarket. “As a manufacturer of both OE and aftermarket tools, our team benefits from OE relationships and understands exactly what the end-user and tech needs are in the field. Clone manufacturers not only lack this relationship, but also often fail to meet the quality and longevity standards for overall manufacturing and testing.”
Many OEs and aftermarket tool manufacturers are doing their part by policing Internet postings and getting counterfeit products removed from ecommerce websites. But more needs to be done.
The Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association could educate its members about how unauthorized tools damages the industry’s reputation, its capability and its profitability.
Some think the Internet has made it impossible to protect intellectual property. They are wrong.
While the Internet has facilitated unauthorized commerce, it will also be part of the solution.
Charlie Gorman, executive manager of the Equipment Tool Institute – whose mission is to advance the vehicle service industry by providing technical data and open dialog between the manufacturers of transportation products, government regulators and the providers of tools, equipment and service information – puts the issue into historical perspective.
OE scan tools are expensive because the manufacturers imbed their proprietary data in the hardware, Gorman notes. But Internet-based technology is making it possible for OEs to manage proprietary data more efficiently and hopefully, more economically. “Any time you can use Internet-based software, it’s more secure than imbedded software,” Gorman says.
Gorman points out that vehicle repair information systems had a similar counterfeit problem when they used DVDs instead of online data. With Internet-based software, it has since become easier for repair information providers to control their information, which is one reason these companies have been upgrading their packages at a faster rate as of late.
Gorman thinks the aftermarket diagnostic hardware providers will play a role in making OE diagnostic information more accessible.
In the meantime, shop owners would do well to pay close attention to what aftermarket diagnostic specialists have to offer. And to buy from authorized sources.
