AirPro Diagnostics is now a Ford-authorized calibration service provider within the Ford Certified Collision Network (FCCN) and Ford Certified Glass Network (FCGN). Ford has not endorsed any specific AirPro tools.

“This approval is yet another example of AirPro’s commitment to meeting OE approvals,” said Josh McFarlin, AirPro president and COO.

During a Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit session at this year’s SEMA Show, McFarlin said AirPro ensures the right technicians use the right software to perform the task at hand.

“We do that day in and day out and we’re focused on providing the best possible service to our customers using the right tool for the job,” he said. “A calibration result of ‘pass’ or ‘complete’ or ‘successful’ does not necessarily mean it was done correctly.”

That’s because the equipment trusts that technicians took OEM service information into account and followed the appropriate procedures including correct measurements and target placement.

To become part of Ford’s FCCN and FCGN, AirPro’s Ford brand specialists were sent to I-CAR’s training center in Chicago to meet hands-on training requirements.

Ford has lists of approved third-party providers on its Entegral Platform FCCN and FCGN portals, which are updated as providers meet certification requirements, according to Ford.

Collision repairers won’t be required to do anything other than verify they are part of the FCCN and/or FCGN to use AirPro’s services on Ford vehicles. McFarlin told RDN the primary benefits for repairers will be speed, access to brand specialists, and controlled costs.

“The speed is about our 10-minute response pledge, which is our commitment to accept the service request and begin providing service within 10 minutes,” he said. “On any given day, our average response time is approximately a minute and a half. Speed is also a factor with our overall handle time. We will be done providing service and disconnected from the tool in generally around 15-20 minutes though some services are more involved and require more time.

“Speed also refers to the impact on cycle time. By keeping the vehicle in your shop and not waiting on a mobile service or a trip to and from the dealer, cycle time will be improved. This is all accomplished with our brand specialists. We have teams of brand specialists for each OEM that focus on specific brands and service types, all in the interest of efficiency. Controlled costs are achieved because we are covering the subscription costs for the software.”

The new agreement follows the conclusion of a two-year end-user license agreement (EULA) lawsuit filed against AirPro by Ford.

In January, U.S. Eastern District of Michigan Judge George Caram Steeh ruled in favor of Ford regarding claims of breach of contract, copyright infringement, trademark violations, and improper transfer of the OEM’s diagnostic software. However, Ford’s claims of false and misleading designations of origin as well as unfair competition violations under Michigan law remained until a mutual dismissal agreement was reached in May.

RDN asked both companies on Tuesday what they learned from the case that could be helpful moving forward with the new relationship.

“Ever since the lawsuit was resolved we have been able to get back to working with Ford on a business-to-business level and finding ways to bring value to one another,” McFarlin said. “This announcement is just one positive example of that business-to-business relationship and we expect more in the future.”

In a written statement emailed to RDN Ford said, “We amicably resolved the legal matter some time ago and reached a resolution with AirPro. At that time, AirPro obtained a license agreement from Ford. We have continued to work together because we want to ensure Ford vehicle owners and their service providers can count on the source of diagnostic software they rely upon. AirPro followed the normal process for becoming certified for FCCN and FCGN. AirPro being Ford-certified ensures that our vehicle owners and service providers can be confident of the quality of the diagnostic software.”

AirPro’s scan tools are approved OEM options by General Motors, Honda, Nissan, and Subaru for repair center use. AirPro is also an authorized calibration service provider by those OEMs.

Images

Featured image: AirPro logo provided by AirPro Diagnostics

Ford logo provided by Ford Motor Co.

More information

Is the repair industry equipped for ADAS calibrations, prepped for what’s to come?