Vehicle Information: Using a labor guide ,parts program , service information program ~ Automotive As well Hottest Cars

Vehicle Information:
Using a labor guide
Using a parts program
Using a service information program

Using a labor guide

Part 1. Preparation and safety
Objective

Understand and use a labor guide to calculate time and cost for a service procedure.

Personal safety
Whenever you perform a task in the workshop you must use personal protective clothing and equipment that is appropriate for the task and which conforms to your local safety regulations and policies. Among other items, this may include:

Work clothing - such as coveralls and steel-capped footwear

Eye protection - such as safety glasses and face masks

Ear protection - such as earmuffs and earplugs

Hand protection – such as rubber gloves and barrier cream

Respiratory equipment – such as face masks and valved respirators

If you are not certain what is appropriate or required, ask your supervisor.

Safety check

Make sure that you understand and observe all legislative and personal safety procedures when carrying out the following tasks. If you are unsure of what these are, ask your supervisor.

Points to note

Labor guides are used by workshops as a guide to the amount of time a set task should take to perform.

The labor guide measures time as an average between the time taken by a novice and the time taken by an experienced technician who has performed the task many times.

A workshop can determine a fair charge for any given service task by using a labor guide.

The information contained within a labor guide is referenced in the same manner as a service manual or repair manual.

Part 2: Step-by-step instruction
Understand information required
Decide what information it is that you need to know. About the job and about the vehicle. In this example, the job is to replace the front brake disc pads. Make sure you know the make, model and year of manufacture of the vehicle.

Locate the appropriate labor guide
We need to be able to estimate the cost or charge for the labor to complete the job. To do this we use a Labor Guide

Understand the structure of the guide
Turn to the Contents Page. This Guide is divided up into cars, four wheel drive, and light commercial vehicles. Then by Vehicle Systems and Operations. This Operations breakdown also serves to define the sub tasks involved in each operation. Vehicle Manufacturers, Models, and Engine Type then appear as columns in the body of the manual. It also has indexes to operation numbers, indexes to vehicle makes and models, and introductory notes on: guidelines for using the manual, the meaning of terms and calculating labor charges. Other Labor Guide publishers may have different layouts and information, such as skill levels required for the operations described. They may also cover heavier duty commercial vehicles

Locate the correct section
Find the section for the appropriate manufacturer and model, using the indexes to vehicle makes and models.

Locate the information
Turn to this section, and find the page on Disc Brakes, then find the subsection on replacing or renewing the front disc brake pads. This tells you the length of time for the operation on one wheel, so you must double it for servicing the brakes on both front wheels. Find the correct column for the vehicle model and engine type, and note the length of time to complete this operation. The length of time is usually in hours and tenths of an hour. So 0.6 hours represents 36 minutes.

Check for additional information
Note that the guide indicates to add the time for bleeding the brake system if needed. So find the time for bleeding the brake system in case you need to add it to your calculation.

Calculate the time and cost
We now have the correct figure to estimate the charge for the service.

Using a parts program

Part 1. Preparation and safety
Objective

Use a computer or CD-ROM to locate parts information.

Personal safety
Whenever you perform a task in the workshop you must use personal protective clothing and equipment that is appropriate for the task and which conforms to your local safety regulations and policies. Among other items, this may include:

Work clothing - such as coveralls and steel-capped footwear

Eye protection - such as safety glasses and face masks

Ear protection - such as earmuffs and earplugs

Hand protection – such as rubber gloves and barrier cream

Respiratory equipment – such as face masks and valved respirators

If you are not certain what is appropriate or required, ask your supervisor.
Safety check

Make sure that you understand and observe all legislative and personal safety procedures when carrying out the following tasks. If you are unsure of what these are, ask your supervisor.

Points to note

Manufacturers may produce a CD-ROM that lists their parts and how to order them.

Many workshops either have some parts in stock or use a local parts house.

Some parts houses supply their own computer to look up parts and print an invoice at their desk.

Part 2: Step-by-step instruction
Start the system
There is a range of computer-based parts programs on the market, the layout may vary, but they will contain similar information. First, you should understand how to operate the computer. In the PC world, starting-up is often known as “booting” the computer, which means, “Turn the computer on and log in, if you are required to”. This step will depend on the type of PC that you are using and whether it is ”stand alone”, on a local network or needs to be connected to the internet to operate the software. The way that you do this depends on your work situation, so it’s a good idea to get a fellow worker to show you how to log on in your particular workplace environment.

Understand the software application
Read the information on the software package, or if you’re on the internet the information about the software application or website. Most of the programs have “Help” sections, which provide details of how to access the various components within the software itself. The details on the package will also tell you how to install or access the data. Once you have become familiar with the operating functions of the software you are ready to start accessing data

Access the parts software application
We need to find the correct front brake pads for a particular vehicle, and, we want to obtain the pad’s part number so that they can be ordered. Start by ensuring that the software package you are going to use is correctly loaded onto the PC. Use the Computer to call up the Spare Parts database.

Provide input information
Once the Spare Parts screen appears, it will prompt you to enter the specific data that you are seeking. In this instance, select ‘Genuine Parts’. And then the correct vehicle make and year of manufacture.This leads us to a page with a list of categories. Select ‘Brakes’.

Narrow the search
This leads us to a page with a list of vehicle models. Select the correct vehicle model. This leads us to a page with a list of brake parts for the model we selected. The list is sorted by year of manufacture and has columns for part number, part description and price. Choose the appropriate part. Find brake pads, front and note the part number. Select this item.

Access the required parts data
This page shows an image of the Pads, with part number, name, description and price, and also indicates which models the pads fit. The brake pads can now be ordered through the shop’s parts supplier using the part number found. Or you have the possibility of ordering the pads directly from the website.

Prepare the parts order
If you choose to buy on-line, you will need to fill-in the form and confirm your order. If this option was not available to you, you could still fill-in the on-line purchase form. Then select print and fax it to the supplier after your supervisor has authorized this purchase. It is good practice to print out this order form and attach it to the repair order for the vehicle’s service records.

Using a service information program

Part 1. Preparation and safety
Objective

Learn the basics of a workshop computer system.

Personal safety
Whenever you perform a task in the workshop you must use personal protective clothing and equipment that is appropriate for the task and which conforms to your local safety regulations and policies. Among other items, this may include:

Work clothing - such as coveralls and steel-capped footwear

Eye protection - such as safety glasses and face masks

Ear protection - such as earmuffs and earplugs

Hand protection – such as rubber gloves and barrier cream

Respiratory equipment – such as face masks and valved respirators

If you are not certain what is appropriate or required, ask your supervisor.
Safety check

Make sure that you understand and observe all legislative and personal safety procedures when carrying out the following tasks. If you are unsure of what these are, ask your supervisor.

Points to note

Not all service departments have or use a computerized system. If your service department does not have a computer, you'll have to use printed reference materials.

Computer databases provide information on procedures, parts and service problems. Find out what databases your workplace has on file and how to access them.

Computers have the ability to easily access updated information using the Internet, an intranet or CD-ROMs.

Many computerized manuals contain helpful tips on how to access data quickly.

Most vehicle manufacturers have a service or technical web page. If you work in an automotive dealership, or your company subscribes to a dealer network information system, you may be able to find the information you are looking for through the dealer's intranet.

Part 2: Step-by-step instruction
Choose the correct application
In order to be able to provide accurate information, the software application used must contain the appropriate data. There is a range of automotive data-base software applications on the market, the layout may vary, but they all contain similar information, though some are more detailed than others. Alternatively, if you work at a dealership or your shop subscribes to a dealer network information system, you may use that process. First, you should understand how to operate the computer.

Start the system
In the PC world, starting up is often known as “booting” the computer, which means, “Turn the computer on and log in, if you are required to”. This step will depend on the type of PC you are using and whether it is “stand alone”, on a local network, or needs to be connected to the Internet to operate the software. The way that you do this depends on your work situation, so it’s a good idea to get a fellow worker to show you how to log on in your particular workplace environment

Understand the software application
Read the information on the software package. If you’re on the internet, read the information about the software application or website. Most of the applications have “Help” sections, which provide details of how to access the various components within the software itself. The details on the package will also tell you how to install or access the data. Once you have become familiar with the operating functions of the software you are ready to start accessing data. You have a vehicle in for service, and you’ve found a problem with the brake pads. You want to obtain any updated service information that can solve the problem.

Access the software application
Start by ensuring that the software package you are going to use is correctly loaded onto the PC. Use the Computer to see if there is a Technical Bulletin posted for this problem.

Provide input information
To enable the computer to search for the correct data, you may have to input vehicle information such as the VIN Number or at least the make model and year of manufacture. The application will usually ask you to confirm your input data. Here we have selected a “1985 Chevrolet Corvette”. If correct, we can now select more specific information.

Narrow the search
Now you can perform a search on a specific section of the vehicle using a keyword. The program will normally then provide a list of results from which you can select a particular item. If the software has the capability, you may want to see if there is a manufacturer’s Recall Notice on the vehicle or any of its components.

Access specific data
Finally, specific data for this item is displayed. In this case it tells us that there has been a part modification on the brake pads and that replacements are available with the part number provided. Once you have located the data you need, you can usually print it out. This is very useful to keep on a clipboard for reference when working on the vehicle.