The Automotive Service Association (ASA) hosted three Service Information Workshops in Massachusetts recently. Workshops were held in Canton, Worcester and New Bedford to educate shop owners and technicians about the availability of service information to automotive repair shops.
Donny Seyfer, AAM, co-owner of Seyfer Automotive in the Denver area, led the workshops on behalf of the association. Dan Ryan of Mazda and Charles Burke of Bentley Publishing, which designed Volkswagen and Audi’s Web sites, also assisted with the workshop. The agenda included education on computers and Internet resources necessary to access service information, use of manufacturer and third-party Web sites and diagnostic tools that may assist in handling the repair most efficiently. Additionally, Seyfer explained the role of the National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF), which accommodates the identification and correction of gaps involved in the access of automotive service information, diagnostic tools and equipment, and training. Attendees asked questions to address specific service information issues they have experienced. The meetings concluded with the opportunity for attendees to view a live demonstration of the Ford Integrated Diagnostic System (IDS) on a 2007 Mustang Convertible, where Seyfer demonstrated many of the functions of that scan tool. ASA said the current voluntary, industry-supported service information process protects independent repairers and consumers by allowing them access to the same information available to manufacturers and dealers. The workshops in Massachusetts are part of ASA’s efforts to educate shop owners and technicians about current systems and how they can manage the service information options available to them. For more information on the Massachusetts events and upcoming Service Information Workshops, visit www.ASAshop.org/KEYS. | 
