Automotive Video, better known as Team AVI has launched a complete ASE Test Prep website to help automotive repair technicians prepare for the ASE A2, A6, A8, C1 and L1 certification exams.

Automotive Video, Inc., also known as Team AVI has updated the website for the 2010 AVI Training Conference with the class lineup and other information. This three day event will take place January 14-17, 2010 at the Beautiful Pink Shell Resort and Spa on Fort Myers Beach, Florida.

I sure hope the average tech prepares very well before he or she starts to work on a hybrid car. A large spark that would sometimes make a tech jump and a co-worker laugh may not seem so funny if the technician is hurt or, worse yet, dead. The safety issues are real. Read this carefully and pass it on to each associate in your shop.

If we take a look at a shop that survives slow times and another shop that closes its doors we will find the difference is typically in several key numbers. And, contrary to what many believe, those numbers are primarily due to the choices and the decisions of the shop owner.

In this program, Dave Hobbs provides extensive information on GM safety restraint systems to help you with issues in steering column repair. He tells you what to do and what to avoid when working on and handling airbags while providing plenty of tips and test procedures on these systems.

Mode $06 has become a mainstay in automotive diagnostics these days, but many technicians still struggle with determining DTC sources. In this program, Jim Wilson will show you detailed steps to show you how to access the most intuitive tests through Global OBD II and Mode $06.

Back in the days of my youth, a new set of tires that offered a different tire circumference meant a slower or faster speedometer and a trip to the dealership for a new speedometer cable gear to prevent a possible speeding ticket.

If you remember the three critical points of a secondary waveform discussed in our previous article (March 2002), it’s time to continue what we learned and apply it to Distributorless Ignition Systems, (DIS) now known as EI systems.

On a daily basis we hear the words “how can I afford training if I can barely afford payroll?” Although this year was predicted to be a good year for automotive repair shops, car counts are still low and you can hear a pin drop in many service bays across the country. There is an end in sight, however, as business has begun slowly picking up over the last couple of months for many repair shops that we do business with.

In an effort to update their brand image, Automotive Video, Inc., also known as Team AVI launched a new e-commerce website last week. The website is equipped with exciting new features, tracking software and a more modern look than the previous website.

I think of the Ford/International 6.0L platform as a “bridge” because it spans the gap between the 7.3L with electric-over-hydraulic injectors and the coming 6.4L common rail engine. Common rail injection, made possible by today’s powerful on-board microprocessors, will be the industry standard for a long time to come. The fuel rail pressure, ranging from 5,000 to more than 20,000 psi, is controlled by the electronic control module (ECM). The operation of the injectors is very simple: They still pop, but high fuel pressure on top of the injector piston prevents it until the ECM or fuel injection control module (FICM) sends about 90 volts to operate the injector solenoid, which opens a pressure bleed in the chamber above the piston.

Since the laws of inductively charging the primary circuit and capacitively firing the second circuit have not changed much, I can’t help but wonder why a quick secondary scope check is not part of most modern-day technicians’ diagnostic strategy.

How you communicate, verbally and non-verbally, is very important in conveying a sense of importance and recognition to customers. They want to be understood, and be recognized as important to you and your business.

This updated air conditioning clip on what’s different on the TXV systems is just what you need to keep your customers cool this summer. These tests procedures are universal for most of the vehicles you are working on today, check it out and learn more today.

Automotive Video, Inc., Team AVI, will be in Anchorage July 7-8, 2009 and in Fairbanks July 9, 2009 hosting two live Ford training seminars. Instructor Mark Dekoster, former Ford Corporate trainer will provide live hands-on training on Ford Technology and Power Stroke diesel engines.

Automotive Video, Inc., TEAM AVI is proud to announce the Train the Trainer program in support of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) certified schools.

Automotive Video (Team AVI) has teamed up with MACS to produce a long awaited DVD version of the MACS Mobile A/C Update. This program was released this week, just in time for the busiest season for A/C technicians.

Automotive Video, Inc., TEAM AVI has recently released the 2008 ATSG Seminar in a series of 3 training DVDs along with the ATSG Red, White and Blue manuals.

Team AVI, Automotive Video, Inc., a leader in DVD training, has released their newest diesel diagnostics for the Duramax 6.6L engine.

Since 2007 tire pressure monitoring (TPMS) systems are required on all vehicles in the US. At the Techno Auto Educational Trade Show in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico April 4 and 5, 2009, Automotive Video (Team AVI) will unveil a new TPMS DVD training program in Spanish. This course with Spanish instructor Sergio Fernandez was created to help Spanish speaking technicians understand the procedures and strategies for the various TPMS systems on vehicles today.

Scan tools are only part of the key to the diagnostic process, knowing when to use them is equally important. If a vehicle comes into your shop with a drivability complaint, should plugging in your scan tool be the first step in diagnosing the problem? Probably not — keep in mind that even though modern engines have sensors and computers that monitor just about every aspect of their operation, deep down they’re still machines that require air, fuel, and oil to run. Remember — a reflash won’t fix everything.

What tools do I need to get into hybrid repair? That is a good question. It all depends on what you have now. What should a technically aware shop have at this time for equipment? A pair of Class O 1000 volt safety gloves with leather protectors, a good digital volt ohm meter (DVOM) rated CAT III @ 1000volts, a lab scope with that same rating, good technical information, and the proper scan tool. There are other hybrid related tools for specific models as well.

By George Witt. Yellow pages, direct mail, newspaper, coupon book or Newsletter? Many shop owners agonize over the best way to bring business to their shops. Heaven knows, a ton of money can be mowed through in a short period of time seeking the answer.

The potential for hearing loss in your shop is very real and not something to be ignored. Sam Bell shares his personal experiences, and offers some good advice on this important topic. His report, which follows, provides “sound” advice to anyone who’s exposed to high levels of noise in the workplace.

Fort Myers, FL – March 23, 2009 – As businesses struggle to stay afloat in this tough business climate, AVI has released a management training video series with AMI approved instructor George Witt, to help independent auto repair shops survive. The series How to Survive in Tough Times and Prosper consists of three DVD’s: Critical Components of the Front End, Eat Your Competition Alive, and Secrets of Running a Zoo.

Click below to check out more great EVAP training videos and learn more about your smoke machine.

By Ryan Kooiman. How many times have you been scrolling through your scan tool, and somehow run across a screen that said something like:
TID $01 CID$11 Min:$01E1 Max:NA Cur Val:$02DC Result:Pass
This was my first experience with Mode $06.

I call it the “bonehead cycle” of the Independent Repair Shop. Workers in the average Independent Auto Repair Shop are sick of being treated like dirt, working in poorly lit and ill-equipped conditions on junk cars that “just need to be fixed so they can get by.” The boss constantly complains that the workers are making more than he is and they ain’t making much.

Fort Myers, FL – January 26, 2009 – The 2009 AVI Training Conference which took place January 15-18 at the Pink Shell Resort in Fort Myers Beach Florida was a great success. Even with the turbulent state of the economy, attendance was up from last year and there were more vendors than previous years. Sales were up for both AVI and the vendors who attended, which is a testament to the fact that in this fragile economy, the automotive aftermarket is not in as much trouble as much as other industries. More people are fixing the cars they have rather than buying new vehicles. ASA predicted that 2009 would be a great year for this industry and it seems they were correct.

By Scott Holloway. As a vehicle service and maintenance provider, you are no doubt aware that with the model year 2008 all cars and light trucks sold in the United States have a Direct Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). These systems actually have been in use for better than ten years and have only recently shown up in the repair centers with a resounding thud! We all know that with change comes opportunity, and TPMS represents huge opportunity for the tire service centers and auto repair garages alike.

By Charlie Fewell. Face it; you have no control over the state of the economy or the potential loss of revenue and profits that may occur when times are tough. You do in fact have total control over your behaviors during any economic slowdown. Many companies pull back and reduce overall spending in an attempt to preserve the bottom line.

Get some quick tips from Dave Hobbs as he shows us how to use a smoke machine and scan tool as a diagnostic dream team. Learn the basics of EVAP systems and how they work so you can better use your scan tool and smoke machine together as a better team for diagnosing EVAP related codes.

By Craig Van Batenburg. In the beginning of hybrid car development the air conditioning systems were R143a systems that shared all the same components as a typical gasoline motor vehicle. The early hybrids were the Honda Insight, Civic Hybrid, Ford Escape, and Classis Prius (2001-2003). All hybrid A/C systems are really climate control. Only the Insight had A/C as an option, and it was a climate control system as well. Every other hybrid to date has factory climate control for some very important reasons.

By Dave Hobbs. Car audio? Been more interested in R.P.M.s than in watts R.M.S.? Better rethink that philosophy with today’s factory car audio and entertainment systems. The technology that used to be a handful of simple circuits like “power, ground, speaker and antenna” and totally independent of other electronic systems has given way to vehicles sprawling with wires and data busses interacting with the audio system.