Fineman: ‘Invest in diagnostics to survive’

Bernie Fineman of Channel Five’s Classic Car Rescue recent said investment in diagnostic tools is essential to the survival of independent garages in the automotive aftermarket.

Fineman’s garage, Steiner Automotive in Golders Green, London, serves a very diverse vehicle parc and uses the Launch X431 GDS diagnostic tool, which covering more than 42 vehicle manufacturers.

“There’s no excuse now for garages not to get involved in diagnostics as there are a wide range of options available, both in terms of product and payment. A diagnostic product is now an indispensible tool in any workshop and as important as any other piece of equipment,” Fineman commented, adding with reference to the X431 “the tool is so versatile, supporting petrol, diesel, LPG, hybrid and light commercial vehicles. It gives us OE-level functionality when performing vehicle diagnostic tasks and offers one-click updates via its built-in Wi-Fi and LAN connections.”

Dave Richards, Launch UK managing director, said: “Launch products are designed by engineers for engineers and the X431 GDS features lots of sophisticated technology that’s been developed in conjunction with our customers. This makes it a tool that is perfectly suited to the needs of those that are using it.”

The Launch X431 gives garages the ability to complete the following tasks: Vehicle VIN and ECU recognition, DPF status and regeneration, SRS crash data, resetting and configuration, read/clear fault codes, live diagnostics data stream in numerical or graph format and, print out diagnostic reports using the built-in thermal printer.