Technicians make a living with their tools, and those tools are rarely cheap. Due to their importance, and replacement costs, it is imperative that techs take care of and properly maintain their equipment.
Many shops designate a “maintenance day” during the week for technicians to clean and organize their shop areas. Technicians can usually also allocate time to their toolbox and tools to ensure their equipment is working properly. This time is important to ensuring the longevity of tools, but also prevents techs from discovering a problem at an inconvenient time. Working in a service bay is a fast-paced environment where time truly does equal money, which means it is not ideal to discover tools are not functioning properly during a repair job.
In addition to cleaning tools and ensuring toolboxes are organized, technicians should test their test equipment. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Are my cables and adapters establishing a proper connection with the vehicle?
- Is my diagnostic and repair software up to date?
- Have I tested the leads to my multimeter to ensure it is reading and working properly?
- Do I have any hand tools that need replacing or updating?
Within a tough shop environment, cables and connectors can break in ways the naked eye often cannot see. They are susceptible to being stepped on, slammed in a door, or even backed over by a vehicle. Basic maintenance can help ensure cables are secure and properly connecting with the vehicle.
Software can take hours to update, assuming your shop even has a reliable internet connection, so it is important to ensure your software is up-to-date before you desperately need to use it. If you don’t have time to update, make your shop manager aware so he or she can arrange for the update to be made before you have to use the software again.
With multimeters, leads can wear down over time and provide inaccurate readings. It is common for a test lead to accidentally be slammed in a door, which can result in a complete break inside the protective shield, often creating a break that is not visible. Without an accurate reading, technicians increase their risk of misdiagnosis, so leads should be tested before every diagnostic session. A simple way to test the leads on your multimeter is to test continuity:
- Plug your leads into the multimeter and set the dial to continuity mode.
- Touch the two leads together – if the screen is displaying a value of zero, or close to zero, and the multimeter beeps, there is continuity with low resistance.
- Grab the circuit or component you wish to test and place one lead at each end.
- Again, if the value is zero, or near zero, and the multimeter beeps, there is continuity.
- Move and bend the leads around while doing either step 2 or 3 to ensure there is not an intermittent break in the wires.
By ensuring your equipment, from tools to software, is functioning properly, you can repair faster and earn more money. Be sure to stay organized, keep your software updated, and test your test equipment.
Information provided by: Noregon Systems
