Bosch trainer Bob Pattengale brings you up-to-speed on the Mastertech VCI in the Getting to Know your Mastertech VCI class, coming soon from Automotive Video. He reviews the VCI hardware, demonstrates how to setup and connect the hardware to your PC. He goes on to review Shop foreman Pro and the new ESI 2.0. Bob get you up to speed on the basics then dives into some hands on diagnostics and case studies to show you how to use the VCI in real work situations using several different vehicles.

If you are ASE certified, we know you are serious about your career. You might be looking for something new, more challenging, or even a better job. That’s where ASE Jobs can help you. You already know that Team AVI takes ASE Test Prep training seriously and provides great training tools for technicians to succeed. Now let AVI and ASE Jobs help you find the right job where you can successfully apply what you have learned.

Join Dave Hobbs of Delphi Product and Service Solutions as he discusses some signs of low refrigerant in moodier automotive AC systems. He goes on to discuss how environmental factors such as ambient air temperature, and the AC system’s ‘cycling switch can cause low refrigerant like symptoms.

Bill Fulton presents this tip clip video on what would seem to be a basic, simple problem. A 2.4 liter Toyota in a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck with an intermittent misfire under load. You can feel a slight hiccup, jerking, bucking type sensation and know there are a lot of things that could create that problem– dirty injectors, contaminated mass airflow sensor, lean density misfire, excess of EGR, secondary ignition problem. Watch to find out.

By Scott ‘Gonzo’ Weaver. By the early 1990s, almost all import automotive manufacturers had a successful variable valve timing (VVT) system in production. These systems offered higher performance from smaller displacement engines at higher rpm. As these vehicles exceeded their new car warranties, technicians learned the ins and outs of these systems and how regular oil changes could increase the life of VVT components. Now, the VVT is playing a direct role in vehicle emissions and the way gases are burned in the combustion camber.

By Jim Piraino. Over the past couple of months, it has come to my attention that auto repair professionals are seeing a rise in the failure rate of the wheel sensors that supply the signal to Tire Pressure Management Systems (TPMS). Most of these failures are due to dead batteries, as each of the four sensors has a non-replaceable battery built into them. In most cases, these batteries have a life expectancy of 5 to 6 years. Although some upscale vehicles, such as BMW, have sophisticated systems that allow the technicians to monitor battery life as a percentage (using a scan tool), most will give no warning of pending failure. For the millions of vehicles rapidly approaching this 5 to 6 year age bracket, it’s not a question of if the sensor will fail, but rather when it will fail.

Checkout the course lineup for the 2012 AVI Vegas Training Conference on October 29th – 30th 2012. All classes are geared towards the needs of the installer, technicians, and shop owners to help them become efficient with diagnostics.

This year’s schedule is packed with exceptional training from the industry’s top instructors. Read on to learn about a few of our classes.

AVI and Instructor Jim Wilson have put together a must have class for every technician out there. The newly released Quick Check Diagnostics class will help you when it takes longer to diagnose a job than you would like. This covers a step by step approach to engine diagnostics: analytical troubleshooting-where to start, preliminary tests you can do to be the most accurate with your diagnostic time-deciding which tool is best to use for which type of job. In-depth coverage on scanners, labscopes, graphing meters, low amp probes.

Years ago, the common thing was hook up your AC machine, or hook up your apparatus that you have–a scale and a refrigerant canister, let’s say a 30 pounder of 134a–and give it a half a pound, just to ‘top it off.’ You can’t do that nowadays because these newer AC systems have changed so much. Join Delphi Instructor Dave Hobbs for a short tech tip for you guys out there servicing A/C systems.

Ramp up your understanding of Heating and A/C systems with the A7 Test Prep Program, coming soon from AVI. Dive deep into the extensive refrigeration system, heating system, engine cooling system, and manual and automatic HVAC control system diagnostic information.

By Sergio Fernandez. Real-life repair scenario: 2003 E320, with 3.2L V6 engine and 120,000 miles. A customer brings his car into the shop with a “strange vibration.” After we scanned the vehicle, we found the following DTCs: P0305, misfire on cylinder #5; and P0301, misfire on cylinder #1.

By Scott ‘Gonzo’ Weaver. So many manufacturers are now running the brake lights through BCMs, Integrated Power Modules, bulb detection systems, or the anti-lock brakes. Along with just about every other system in today’s cars, computers are doing a lot of the work for us.

Servicio Automotriz is a professional publication for the Hispanic automotive aftermarket community. The Servicio Automotriz mission is to provide the Latino readers with high quality technical information in Spanish to help them advance their careers and keep up to date with the latest automotive technology.

By Tom Ham. What do you say when your customers ask how many miles are on your car? Are you a member of your state’s automotive trade association? When is the last time you checked your shop for heating and air conditioning leaks? Check out the latest Auto Shop Monthly Management Tips from the Automotive Management Network to get inside secrets on managing your shop and increasing your bottom line.

Join instructor Bill Fulton in this tip clip excerpt from the AVI training program “GM Antitheft” as he talks about Pass Lock Systems Status and modes of operation of these systems.

In this tip clip excerpt from Running a Zoo, an AVI class for services managers and shop owners, AMI approved instructor George Witt discusses “Seagull Management.” George hates to tell you this, but there’s far too many business owners that do this to their workers. Watch the clip to learn more and find out how to avoid being a seagull manager.

Check out the latest tech tip from Delphi. Take a look at the engine management system and common types of oxygen sensors and how they work, as well as common failures and faults.

For all 2012 model year vehicles, stability control is standard. For model year 2008, the majority of vehicles sold were sold with ABS and optional stability control. Most of these systems have something in common, sensors that measure the dynamics of the vehicle and the intentions of the driver.

The Automotive Training Managers Council, a member of the ASE family of organizations, was formed in 1984 by original equipment and aftermarket automotive training professionals. Recently, ATMC members gathered together for their annual conference and exchanged training ideas and strategies helpful to both technical and sales/marketing training professionals.

AVI will soon be releasing a P2: Parts Specialist program, this video will get your knowledge up to speed on everything parts. In this program Tom Dayton joins AVI for […]

By Andrew Markel. A smoke machine may seem like an expensive piece of equipment if it is just used for testing EVAP systems. But, if you factor in other diagnostic tests it can perform, it is a worthwhile investment. The following are 10 tests for smoke machines not involving the EVAP system.

By Andrew Markel. While there are many times where you will be able to repair a vehicle’s brakes without a scan tool, you only have to run into one car that needs this to make it worth having. The reality is that if your customer’s vehicle is 10 years old or newer, there’s nearly a 100% chance that you could need a scan tool to perform some sort of test/repair on the brake system.

Learn the latest in gasoline direct injection service and fuel trim data analysis with AVI instructor Bill Fulton in the new Gasoline Direct Injection Diagnostics class Now Available from AVI. Gasoline Direct Injection offers a 15-20% increase in fuel economy, a 40% reduction in emissions, and a major increase in volumetric efficiency of the engine: knowledge of theory, fundamentals and service procedures are yet another tool you will soon need to have in your toolbox of knowledge.

AVI and AAPEX have joined forces to bring you TWO exciting events at ONE time! AVI will bring their world class technical training to AAPEX at Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas for 2012. Head out to Vegas for industry week for top-notch training and more at AAPEX October 29th – 30th 2012. All classes will be geared towards the needs of the installer/technicians/shop owners to help them be more efficient with diagnostics. Join our amazing instructors, awesome vendors and more for a dynamite training event right in the heart of industry week! Technicians will be able to take advantage of all the valuable industry events at the same time and place!

AVI and veteran instructor Dave Hobbs bring you the ultimate training for the ASE A4 test with the newly released Complete A4 Test Prep Program. Dave not only helps you master the Suspension and Steering test, but also gives you valuable insight on challenging problems coming into your bay on these systems.

In this tip clip from the Vehicle Stability Control class, instructor Dave Scaler measures the DC bias voltage of a wheel speed sensor and shows you how understanding these sensors will make active wheel speed sensor testing much easier.

Bill Haas outlines how to develop an advertising strategy for Generation Y in this tip clip from Marketing to Generation X & Y. Bill tells you what media works best to reach Generation Y and why traditional media doesn’t successfully reach them as it did previous generations.

By Andrew Markel. The overall response to the 7 Brake Myths Busted article was huge. I took a lot of abuse, but that was the goal of the article. Too many times technicians get stuck in a mindset that leads to false diagnoses. The point of the article was to shake things up in your diagnostic thinking.

Training, that is. You’re going to get trained one way or the other. When it comes to business, you can do it the hard way or you can do it […]

Gasoline Direct Injection offers a 15-20% increase in fuel economy, a 40% reduction in emissions, and a major increase in volumetric efficiency of the engine. Learn the latest in fuel trim data analysis with AVI instructor Bill Fulton in the soon-to-be-released Gasoline Direct Injection Diagnostics class from AVI.

With the ever-changing technology in automotive repair, having a solid foundation of knowledge is crucial to learning more advanced diagnostic and repair procedures. Learning the fundamentals of each system is just the beginning. The NEW Basic Essentials Training bundle from AVI is the perfect supplement to your automotive repair education.

In this short video clip from the A4 Suspension and Steering class, Delphi instructor Dave Hobbs discusses and shows some basic tips and knowledge to help you better diagnose alignment issues based on tire wear helping you more quickly and accurately use the alignment machine to put everything in spec.

Join Bob Pattengale in this video tip clip as he works on a 2007 FJ Cruiser with an EVAP code. He uses the scan tool to discover a leak in the system. Using a smoke machine, the Bosch SMT 300 to look for the leak he demonstrates and discusses how to quickly and efficiently use smoke to diagnose EVAP codes.

By Andrew Markel. There are some myths about brake pads, rotors and hydraulics that need to be busted. These myths can hurt and hinder a technician’s ability to diagnose and solve some brake problems and customer concerns. On the surface, some of these myths make sense. The logic can seem sound and explain a problem, but they do not resolve the real issues with a brake system.