Aftermarket technical instructors are finding that a surprising number of advanced service professionals who have already purchased an SAE J2534 vehicle interface device have yet to use it in the profitable business of module programming. To address this, the National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) will present a 90-minute session on the topic on Nov. 2, during the NASTF Fall 2016 General Meeting, a featured event in the AAPEX Service Professional Program in Las Vegas.
The session, “Take the Box Outta’ the Box: How to configure your J-device and get started using it,” will consist of a presentation, “Installing the OEM’s SAE J2534,” by Drew Technologies’ Vice President Brian Herron, and will be followed by a panel of OEM experts who will discuss “Uses and Limitations of the SAE J2534 Tool.”
“Flashing vehicle control modules is one of the most necessary service jobs coming into today’s shop,” said Donny Seyfer, co-owner of Seyfer Automotive in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. “Putting the J-box to work does take a little orientation. We hope this session will convince techs to take the box out of the box and make some money.”
“Shops may see as many as 26 light vehicle makes dating back as early as model year 2002 with the opportunity to use their J2534 device,” said Kurt Immekus, service publication regulatory specialist for VW/Audi. “We know the SAE J2534 standard will continue to evolve and there are important differences between each OEM implementation to be aware of before programming is attempted. If a tech is already flashing modules, this session will prepare the tech to service an even wider range of vehicle makes and years.”
The NASTF Fall 2016 General Meeting will be held from 1-4:30 p.m. PT on Nov. 2 in Casanova 504 at the AAPEX Show. Registration is not required for the NASTF event and seating is limited. Registration, however, is required for the AAPEX Show and the AAPEXEdu program. The full agenda for the NASTF Fall 2016 General Meeting is posted at nastf.org/GeneralMeetings.