Identifix. Thoughts?

[dreamer2355]

Hey all,

I am not sure if any of the techs that post in this section have access to Identifix or not but what are your thoughts?

In the long term, do you think it takes away your critical thinking skills? as i see allot of techs rely on that site way too much when trying to troubleshoot certain problems.

Or, do you think its a money maker (research the issue first on the vehicle your working on) giving you the most common cause/answer enabling you to move onto the next vehicle on your bay?

Topic

[jethro29]

I use identifix both at work and at my home shop,it is a very great resource when used correctly and I would recommend it to everyone.

[Cliff Mennenger]

I’ve used it. I like it. Cost is about $130 a month. I have used a few other web based services as well. The new Motologic system is good. Still in the beta stage. Also utilize OEM contacts for tough repairs and a forensic approach. Doing mostly fleet work the fleet managers require very detailed reports about symptoms and repairs. Good to have OE specs and diagnostic trees for many makes and models in one spot. Definitely helps with flat rate work. The iatn web site and forums is very similar to identifix.

[Jake]

Identifix in my shop is good and bad. It’s good if you have the knowledge, capability, and caring to actually try and diagnose problems. Some techs use Identifix to throw parts at a problem and then when it comes back they end up saying something like “Oh it’s the timing belt, it broke and this is and interference motor or it needs a PCM,” since my shop doesn’t do major anything work (i.e. timing belt replacement yes, engine replacement no, PCM no, etc.. I’ve asked how they figured it out being interested in learning more to be told “Well that was #3 reason on Identifix”. It in some ways supports laziness.

[Kurt Kennedy]

I get paid per job…if I can use a resource that can lead me in the right direction right off the bat, and allow me to correctly diag. a car faster….Hell yes I am all over that. Who wouldnt be?! Call it whatever you want, ill call it a fat pay check!

I ve used it before, it is VERY helpful, has factory repair manuals, Service bulletions and other publications. VERY helpful. Not only will it Give you confirmed fix’s but also how to confirm whatever you are testing is faulty in case you are not familiar with that make/model/part.

[leonard]

I think anything that helps the tech to solve problems is good
it cost to subscribe, but this would cost you more in the long run, getting schematics,service bulletins ect
and the time it takes to search for information is considerable

i was in the tv trade for 20 years ,and in europe we have a company in Germany, called Euras,
Costs around €20 per month, but it was well worth it, for free service manuals, tech bulletins, common faults,
idenifix is similar, i looked into it, but its not relevant to Ireland

[Victor Ugalde]

It is as far as Info. Except techs are allowed to post information such as what test procedures they did and What Actually the Fix was for your code or problem. It helps narrow down your problem and a huge time saver.

[Kevin Criswell]

[quote=”wysetech” post=69724]We have Indentifix at the shop I work at. It’s a sister company to IATN. We use both as well as Michell and Alldata.

Some of the Techs go to it right away while others like myself only use it if we get stuck. It’s pulled me out of some real head scratchers and wasted my time on others but it points you toward a pattern failure type fault or to something unusual. It’s up to you weather you follow their test procedures or your own.

I kinda like it.[/quote]

I liked Identifix, but personally found IATN to be much much better. You can still brainstorm with other techs on IATN, but my favorite feature is the waveform library and the training modules.

[Nick Warner]

[quote=te]

I liked Identifix, but personally found IATN to be much much better. You can still brainstorm with other techs on IATN, but my favorite feature is the waveform library and the training modules.[/quote]

I’m with you there, especially with IATN being $15 a month. Got a subscription back when I bought my scope and its a pretty nice thing to have.

[Kevin Criswell]

The other problem I had with Identifix is their biggest selling point is that you can see pattern failures and common failure points. But with today’s proliferation of information is you can find the exact same failure patterns and points by doing a Google search. I would bet that almost all techs use Google search doing any drive-ability diagnosis.

[Jeremy]

I have worked in shops using Identifix and shops that don’t. I have to say if you have the volume of diagnostics to support it, it’s worth it’s weight in gold.

Identifix gives you more than just common fixes, it’s invaluable if you’re working in the aftermarket and not a dealer. It gives you TSB’s, recall information, and excellent component and wiring diagrams (I appreciate some of their simplified system diagrams myself). More than that, many issues will list test procedures which are critical to proper diagnosis… which we all know is the game changer at the end of the day. For those of you that believe that you know everything about every system on a modern car I ask: Are you getting factory training? Are you staying up to date on all the new systems added each year by all the new manufacturers? I don’t know about you guys but I have a family that I not only support, I even like to spend time with them every now and then 😆 I work 6-7 days a week to pay the bills and the company I work for doesn’t send me to school every six months… or ever for that matter.

Things are different at a dealer for sure, especially for some of the mfg’s that really focus on factory training. In the aftermarket Identifix is not guaranteed to line your pockets right away, but learn to use it for a few months and tell me it hasn’t taught you a thing or two. Yes you may be able to find a pattern failure or valid repair procedure from a google search eventually, but you have to sift through a multitude of garbage posts by people who are not professionals and often have no idea what they’re talking about. The internet is a good resource but Identifix is tech to tech, not public to tech. We all know every minute you spend diagnosing is a minute you aren’t turning more hours. It’s dollars off your paycheck. So yes, Identifix. Good.

[Kevin Criswell]

The problem I have seen Fix is that many shops have lost the capability for good diagnostics and end up using Identifix like this

And like I stated earlier, most of the info found on identifix can be found on IATN also.

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