OnDemand5.com/ShopKey5.com Newsletter
July 2014   

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

Access ProDemand or ShopKey Pro Using Your Existing Login

ProDemand and ShopKey Pro are now available to all OnDemand5.com and ShopKey5.com subscribers using your existing username and password. You no longer need to request an updgrade. It's now easier than ever to start using the new product. Just click the appropriate link below to give the new product a try.

Click here to log into ProDemand. Click here to log into ShopKey Pro.

Want to know more about ProDemand or ShopKey Pro?

Join us at one of our training workshops where we show you how the new product works. Workshops are held each week at varying times. You only need to attend one 45 minute session to learn the basics of using the program. There is also a question and answer session at the end to help you with anything else you need to know. Click the appropriate link below to visit our training site and to sign up for a workshop.

Informative ShopConnection blog posts about the new product:


Reserve Your SureTrack™ Username Now

Click here for more information on SureTrack.

SureTrack adds to the power of ProDemand and ShopKey Pro with an exclusive combination of expert knowledge and detailed parts replacement records, all wrapped in an interactive community. Designed to help automotive shops increase accuracy and efficiency from diagnosis to completed repair, the industry's most comprehensive repair information resource is just a few clicks away.

Since SureTrack is a tool for the individual tech, you will need a separate username and password in order to ask questions, share tips or upload content. It is very easy to set up your SureTrack user account by just launching SureTrack from ProDemand or ShopKey Pro and then clicking the Create Account link at the top of the SureTrack screen. Remember that you can use your existing OnDemand5 or ShopKey5 login to access the new repair programs.

  • Click here for help with signing onto ProDemand or ShopKey Pro.

Key Advantages of the SureTrack Community
  • Notification system lets you know when someone has replied to your question.
  • Easy to find your own content.
  • Follow posts and get notified when replies are made.
  • Key additional data provided when you search for tips and fixes.
  • Ever growing collection of waveform and PID graphs, upload your own too.
  • All users who participate must set up a profile. No more anonymous posts.
  • Your profile can travel with you if you change shops.
Click here for more information on SureTrack.



Click here to log into ProDemand. Click here to log into 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
  • SureTrack Real Fixes
  • 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 Newer Compatibility

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

Click here for more information.


Troubleshooting Parasitic Electrical Drains

Like any other problem, following a solid process will ensure your success.

Albin Moore/Motor Age -- How many times has a vehicle come to your bay with a new battery, new starter, new generator -- and the vehicle owner complaining of the battery going dead if the vehicle is not driven every day or so? From time to time I read about problems like this, and see them in my shop quite often. Most times the vehicles have had many new parts installed, wiring harnesses cut apart and modules unhooked, all in an attempt to find where those elusive electrons are going.

The key to the diagnostic process is to get the problem to come to you instead of you chasing the problem. I would imagine that most of you folks own a cell phone and have lost it a time or two. When it comes time to find it, what path do you take? Do you start looking for it, turning the room upside down and searching, or do you grab another phone, call your cell phone number and then follow the sound of the ringing phone to its hiding place? So it goes with any diagnostic process; learn how the system works, do the appropriate testing, and use the testing results to find where and what the problem is.

The Challenge Has Changed.

Parasitic draw problems have changed a lot over the years. Back before electronic control modules were used on vehicles, there was nothing to draw current from the battery once the headlights, accessories and ignition switch were turned off.

Fast-forward to today, and the places on a vehicle that can cause battery drain are endless. Today's vehicles have many electronic modules that draw current at all times, with some modules that can draw current for several hours even after the ignition switch has been turned off. With the advancement of electronics and the seemingly endless electrical systems, parasitic draw problems are getting to be more common all the time.

Back in the day, using a bulb or test light to complete the ground circuit of a battery was a great way to do the testing for a parasitic draw problem. If the bulb glowed, there was some current flow; when the bulb no longer glowed, the problem was fixed. This tried and proven test is no longer of value, since there is always some current flowing from the battery, powering internal "clocks" and the Keep Alive Memory (KAM) of the Engine and Transmission Control Modules (ECM and TCM).

So far, I have not yet seen a test light with a calibrated bulb (or a tech with a calibrated eye) that could tell the difference between a 2 milliamp (mA) draw and a 4 MA draw. Relying on this outdated method will only lead to frustration and continued comebacks from misdiagnosis.

Source: Motor Age



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.


SURETRACK REAL FIXES   ^  

SureTrack Real Fixes

Mitchell 1's long running a tip contest ended on July 31, 2013. We will be focusing on the new SureTrack system available in the new ProDemand and ShopKey Pro programs and will probably have a contest there in the future. We would like to express our gratitude to all have participated in the tip contest in the past. If you have not tried the new products and SureTrack, click here request your upgrade.



  • Click here for the archive of OnDemand5/ShopKey5 tip contest winners.


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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Click here to visit the Mitchell 1 web site. Click here to visit the Snap-on web site. Click here for more info on the workshop. Click here to register for the workshop.