OnDemand5.com/ShopKey5.com Newsletter
May 2013   

Welcome to the OnDemand5.com/ShopKey5.com newsletter.

This newsletter is provided to share information about our users, their shops, automotive industry news, things going on at Mitchell 1 as well as tips for using the OnDemand5.com and ShopKey5.com products. If you have questions or comments about this newsletter, or ideas for what you'd like to see in it, please .

In this issue:

Missed a previous edition or want to read an article again? Just go to the Newsletter Archive page for a list of links to past headlines.


NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW

ProDemand™ and ShopKey®Pro Now Available

Click here to request your free upgrade.

FASTER, EASIER, SMARTER

ProDemand and ShopKey Pro are now available to all OnDemand5.com and ShopKey5.com subscribers at no additional charge. For more information and to request ProDemand™ or ShopKey®Pro to be added to your account, click the link below:

Click here to request your free upgrade to ProDemand or ShopKey Pro.

  • FASTER - eliminating the need for multiple information look-ups. By returning relevant content in one look-up, ProDemand and ShopKey Pro quickly give the technicians everything they need to complete the job.
  • EASIER - allowing the technician to effortlessly navigate from procedures to TSBs to specifications to wiring diagrams and more. ProDemand and ShopKey Pro bring the information to the technicians so they can focus on the vehicle.
  • SMARTER - intelligently cross referencing components, phrases, and codes in the database. Technicians don't have to know the OEM specific term because ProDemand and ShopKey Pro will find the information regardless of term entered.

Want to know more before you sign up?

Join us at one of our training workshops where we show you how the new product works. Workshops are held twice per day, every weekday at 12pm Eastern/9am Pacific and 5pm Eastern/2pm Pacific. You only need to attend one 45 minute session. Click the appropriate link below to visit our training site and to sign up for a workshop.

Now Includes Improved Estimator/Quotes module, VIN Decoder and SureTrack Preview

Click here to request access to ProDemand or ShopKey Pro.






New Mitchell 1 Shop Connection Blog

Click here to visit the Mitchell 1 Shop Connection Blog

Mitchell 1 has a new blog site dedicated to providing the latest updates on our products as well as interesting and informative industry news and stories. Much the same content as you're used to getting here in the OnDemand5/ShopKey5 newsletter but expanded to cover more products.

Contents include:
  • Product Highlights
  • Product Update Information
  • Product Tips & Tricks
  • Quick Product How-To Videos
  • Industry News and Insights
  • Automotive Repair Articles from Motor Age and Other Sources
  • And Much More

Click here to visit the Mitchell 1 Shop Connection blog now.


Internet Explorer 9 or 10 Compatibility

Before installing or upgrading to Internet Explorer 9 or 10, please read our page of information detailing what to do and issues that may occur with this update. Some users will get IE9 automatically from Microsoft.

Click here for more information.


General Motors Oil Life Monitor Update

Update affects over 770,000 2010-2012 vehicles equipped with 2.4L engines.

General Motors is providing a software update for certain 2010-2012 vehicles equipped with a 2.4L engine (LAF/LEA). This update enhances the engine oil monitoring system and in most cases reduces the oil change interval. This update is to address warranty issues that have occurred because of premature wear of engine components. Note that the owner's manual recommends changing the engine oil and filter at least once a year, regardless of mileage.

The affected vehicles include the following manufactured before the production change:
  • 2010-2011 Buick LaCrosse
  • 2011-2012 Buick Regal
  • 2010-2012 Chevrolet Equinox
  • 2010-2012 GMC Terrain

Owners of these vehicles are being notified of the change and the program is in effect until February 28, 2015.

The full text of the campaign, #12312, and customer letter are available in your OnDemand5.com or ShopKey5.com system.




3 Ways To Troubleshoot Key-off Battery Drains

Motor Age -- Your customer has their car towed to your shop after it wouldn't start that morning. You check the battery and see it's pretty low, and you do what's correct. You charge the battery and test its condition.

It passes with flying colors.

You reinstall the battery in the car and the car starts immediately. You check the starting and charging systems and still no culprit is uncovered. Being the professional auto service technician you are, you know there is only one other logical explanation. Something on the car is not turned off when it should be and it's draining the battery down to a point there isn't enough left to spin the engine.

But finding the parasite that is causing that drain can pose a few challenges. Increasingly common are electronic control modules that insist on staying on, or "awake" when they should time out or "sleep". The traditional method of monitoring current while removing fuses one at a time can often cause the offending module to reset, and the problem to temporarily disappear.

One method you can use to find the cause of a key-off battery drain without intruding on the circuits is to measure for the presence of voltage drop across the vehicle's fuses. The fuse is a resistance, isn't it? And according to the laws of electricity, voltage will be used to overcome that resistance resulting in a drop across the fuse we can measure with our meter.

And that's only one way you can catch the parasite without having to open the circuit.

In this edition of The Trainer, we'll show you how to test for a "key off" battery drain using a few different methods; first, using the ammeter and voltmeter of your digital multimeter (DMM) and second, using an amp clamp and a digital storage oscilloscope (DSO). Knowing a few different ways to test for these parasites should make those challenges a bit easier to handle!

Source: Motor Age




SHOP PROFILE   ^  

How To Get Featured In The Newsletter

Your picture here. Would you or one of your techs like to be profiled in the newsletter? How about your shop? We're looking for techs and/or shops to feature in this spot. This is an opportunity to let other techs know about you and your shop. You can share information on what your specialties are, what special conditions you have to deal with in your area, anything interesting about your shop or even what you like to do in your free time.

We will also list your shop's information such as location, phone number, web site, or any other information you'd like to provide.

  • Send your story and photos for consideration to . Please also include your account number.
  • Click here for an example of a past Tech Profile.
  • Click here for an example of a past Shop Profile.


Did you know...
When you post a tip or question in the OnDemand5/ShopKey5 Live Tips system, there is a spell checker available. It is the right-most button on the tool bar above the text box. Just click the button before you click the post button.

Click here for more hints on using OnDemand5 and ShopKey5.


TIP CONTEST WINNERS   ^  

OnDemand5/ShopKey5 Live Tip Contest Winners

Click here for the tip contest rules. Mitchell 1 is running a tip contest for a limited time in OnDemand5.com and ShopKey5.com. Below are the latest winners of the contest. Each of these tips earned the tech a $100 prize. Click the links below to see the complete tips and for more information on how you can enter.




Click here to visit the Mitchell 1 product users forum.
Want to discuss subjects on running your shop?

Join the free Mitchell 1 product users forum today. Click here to check it out.



Click here to visit the RepairCert.com web site.
Click here for information on training resources available for OnDemand and ShopKey repair users.




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