Repairify and NAPA recently announced the release of its asTech Mechanical tool, which the companies say can access a majority of original equipment (OE) tools to perform operations such as programming, calibrations, and vehicle health checks on a pay-by-use basis. 

“Instead of needing to spend tens of thousands of dollars to purchase every OEM tool, or rely on a sublet, a shop can use asTech Mechanical with their current aftermarket device to remotely access the authentic OEM tools they need,” Repairify said in a prepared statement to Repairer Driven News questions.

The new Mechanical tool, which the company says is a separate line of business from its collision products, works specifically with remote OEM tools. 

“asTech Mechanical is a separate line of business from our collision products. The Rules Engine (and its related testing) is specifically designed for our collision line of business,” asTech replied in response to questions involving how their Rules Engine testing aligns with the Mechanical product.

“asTech Mechanical is an expansion of our remote OEM solutions for general automotive repairers. It enables shops to remotely connect to OEM tools, operated by a certified technician, to perform programming, calibrations, and vehicle health checks.”

For many years, asTech similarly positioned their collision repair business on a distinguishing factor of providing remote OEM scans.

In July 2021, the company announced a patent for “industry disrupting technology, delivering 100% accuracy to select correct OEM & aftermarket remote diagnostic tools.”

The company now states to customers on scan reports that “asTech OEM Compatible scans are certified to be equivalent to scans performed by an OEM scan tool.”

It is unclear who certifies the claimed equivalency, but the Kinderhook Industries portfolio page for Repairify additionally addresses “validated OEM- compatible technology.”

“By providing revolutionary OEM tool and validated OEM- compatible technology, services, and intelligence, Repairify helps automotive professionals run better businesses through improved diagnostics, calibration, programming, and workflow,” the page says.

When asked, CCC said its integrated partners must classify scans as either aftermarket or OEM. 

“An OEM scan is a scan performed using OEM licensed software,” CCC said in an emailed statement. “Any scan that is not performed using OEM licensed software is classified as aftermarket.” 

Repairify was asked if the presence of a third-party indemnifier influences the different strategies between collision and mechanical. It was also asked if the absence of insurance pressure allows the company to focus on only OEM solutions in mechanical. The company did not respond to the questions by deadline. 

GEICO announced an agreement for standardized pricing with asTech last month.

The announcement to the GEICO Auto Repair Xpress (ARX) network was instantly met with criticism from independent collision repair shops on social media and during a Collision Industry Conference (CIC) meeting held in Denver.

Concerns about the agreement attempting to establish “standardized” or prevailing market prices for scanning and calibration operations have been raised. Another criticism is that it appears GEICO will prioritize the recommendation of asTech’s Rules Engine on whether an aftermarket scan is a sufficient replacement for an OEM scan. 

“This new agreement with GEICO and their trust in the asTech Rules Engine, which works exclusively with the All-In-One device, reinforces the importance of OEM scanning when it is required for a safe and proper repair,” Repairify said in a statement. “This is the first time an insurer is using an empirical data-driven decision-making process to assist them in determining when an OEM scan is necessary.” 

asTech did not provide direct response to RDN about how repair facilities who are certified by an OEM and intent on following the manufacturer requirements within a certification program might remain compliant.

But readers have suggested that asTech communications at a shop-level, and feedback as passed through OEM network interactions have indicated that there may be administrative mechanisms in place to establish rules that would allow for defined outcomes. For example, a certified facility wishing to remain compliant to OEM certification requirements might set an administrative rule for OEM to be required on pre and post scans.

asTech did not reply to questions from RDN by deadline on if this means the rules engine output may be more subjective, based on the settings, rather than empirical, as suggested in the statement.

“We do acknowledge there are concerns but we are dedicated to working with our customers and GEICO to ensure fair and reasonable pricing agreements that benefit all parties involved,” Repairify said in its statement. “This pricing agreement is very comparable to the current standard pricing across all our customers.” 

The company again did not respond to follow-up questions asking if asTech recognized that many of the concerns stem from the work to reach pricing agreements on their customers’ behalf.

During a Collision Industry Conference (CIC) meeting in Denver last month Bob McSherry, owner of North Haven Auto Body in Connecticut asked asTech representatives, “Why would you enter into an agreement on my behalf with an insurance carrier?”

McSherry said he would no longer be a customer of asTech’s after hearing the news.

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