A1 reports demand surge for diagnostics, ADAS

A1 Remote Diagnostics has reported a surge in demand for its remote and mobile diagnostic and ADAS services.

A1, part of the A1 ADAS Solutions Group, said the increase in demand is due to reduced key-to-key times — which it said is an ongoing problem for technicians, as the complexity of modern vehicles makes diagnosing fault lights and accessing secure gateways increasingly difficult.

Managing director Iain Molloy said: “We’re now seeing workshops struggle with something as basic as resetting the service light on a VW ID3. A garage may feel its only option is to take the vehicle to a main dealer, but this can easily add a week or two onto what should be a five-minute job.

“We’re changing the game for garages and bodyshops by working with them to make jobs that once took days, take minutes.”

Molloy cited the case of Leo Jayawardena at Ansam Autocentre, an independent garage in Croydon, who reported a diagnostic scan carried out on a Peugeot 3008 after a problem was reported with its lane assist system.

The total interaction time with A1 for the resulting job was just 30 minutes. The alternative would have been for the vehicle to spend a week or more at a Peugeot main dealer, according to Molloy.

“I estimate the garage’s profit margin on the job was increased by around 50%. By dramatically reducing the key-to-key time, the customer’s invoice was cleared earlier too.

“It’s vital that workshops have access to a combination of services such as ours. The car parc’s original tranche of mainstream technically-equipped vehicles are now out of warranty. It’ll only be a matter of time before their electronic components fail.”

Photo: Leo Jayawardena (left) and Nathaniel Henriques