January Newsletter from CAS

Monthly Content Summary

Happy New Year!

This month we discuss how CAS can help with setting up a Successful 2024 for your shop. Additionally, it's time to file for your part of the Merchant Services lawsuit!

Jeff Lemay tells us in his From the Field article about secure gateways. Dave Odoski is this month's employee spotlight, one of our longest-employed salesmen.

January's tech tip comes from Jenn and Harry in the main office, helping you to understand which Chrysler subscription you need!

Onward and upward!

New Year's Tune-Up: Setting up a Successful 2024

"Change is inevitable, growth is optional."

John Maxwell

One thing people often find themselves struggling with in everyday life is the concept of change.

Changing routines, changing perspective, but most importantly, remembering to write the new date on checks when the year changes.

This simple harmless mishap of pen scribbles teaches us that change is not inherently bad and that the quicker we can adjust to it the better off we are (and less crossing out we're forced to do).

At CAS we are here to help you start your year off right with the tools and equipment you need to experience growth throughout the year, rather than merely adjust to the changing of dates.

Bay Banners

One thing our customers have felt useful when it comes to expanding their business is our bay banners that advertise one of the six major carlines they service in their shops. These banners are included in a turnkey package and will reflect the line whose software you're purchasing.

Streamlined Customer Support with TAS

At CAS, we understand the importance of reliable support in the automotive diagnostic field. That's why we offer Total Annual Support (TAS), a comprehensive support plan you can purchase for any tool you own with each subsequent tool added to your account for a lower price than the initial investment. This support plan offers 3 tiers of support for customers:

1) The first tier involves direct assistance from your dedicated CAS representative, ensuring immediate help for basic troubleshooting.

2) If the issue is more complex, it escalates to our in-house tech support team, who bring advanced expertise to resolve tougher problems.

3) For the most challenging cases, we facilitate direct support from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), ensuring that specialized queries are addressed by experts.

This integrated approach of TAS and tiered support means you receive the right level of service when you need it, allowing you to focus on your business without worrying about technical difficulties.

Remote Diagnostics

CAS has two tools with different flavors of remote diagnostics: the Zenith 5 (Z5) and the iScan 3. Having one of these multi-line scan tools is essential for auto shops that want to work on lots of different carlines without breaking the bank on OEM software.

The Z5 has a feature called EZ-Remote. It lets you do tricky jobs like ADAS calibrations and work on newer cars using our special software making the Z5 flexible and useful.

The iScan 3 is useful for all and equipped with Support-On-Demand, which is perfect for remote programming. This is helpful if you see a lot of European cars in your shop.

Both the Z5 and iScan 3 are smart choices because they save you money, offering remote diagnostics so you don't need to buy different software for each kind of car you fix or issues you run into.

Merchant Services: Time to claim your money!

In a sooner-than-expected update to an article we ran in November regarding a Visa Mastercard lawsuit, the time has come to file for your reimbursement. Filing for your fair share of this $5.5 billion settlement does not require a third party's assistance and we encourage you to visit the official site's FAQ page to answer any questions you may have.

Here is a quick reminder of the case:

The lawsuit is about claims that merchants paid excessive fees to accept Visa and Mastercard cards because Visa and Mastercard, individually, and together with their respective member banks, violated the antitrust laws. All persons, businesses, and other entities that have accepted any Visa-Branded Cards and/or Mastercard-Branded Cards in the United States at any time from January 1, 2004 to January 25, 2019 are eligible to register.

Registration is available by clicking here, and there are three ways to do so: Entering Claimant ID, providing your TIN, or logging into a previously created account.

Make sure to file sooner rather than later, the deadline is May 31, 2024, and consider using some of your newfound savings to purchase more tools or services from us. Almost like a finder's fee, except it's a normal transactional exchange. (For legal purposes this is a joke)

Anyway, the official website link is down below. File now!

Payment Card Settlement | Official Court-Authorized Website - Home

'From the Field' - Secure Gateway access on Hyundai/Kia

This month's 'From the Field' article comes from Jeff Lemay, a long-time CAS field rep who covers Rhode Island and Southeast Massachusetts. In speaking about OEM scan tools, the subject of Secure Gateway Access came up.

Jeff mentions the Zenith 5 as one of the only known aftermarket scan tools that can access the secure gateway on the Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis car lines.

"Yes, CAS does sell the OEM tools for these three car lines, however, I tell my customers that the Z5 with its ability to access SGW on these vehicles makes it an excellent value when trying to improve a shop's ability to scan these car lines. Without SGW access, procedures as basic as performing a brake job are impossible as the tech can't retract the calipers."

Jeff also points out the actual value proposition in that the cost of the three factory tools exceeds $15,000 and then there are the annual subscription renewals. With the Z5 the out-of-pocket cost is just under $3,500 and renewal costs when compared to the 3 OEM tools is 1/10th the cost."

"To me, it's a no-brainer for shops when considering servicing H/K/G car lines!"

Jeff Lemay can be reached by e-mail at JeffL@oemtools.com or call the CAS offices toll free @ 877-263-4897.

Employee Spotlight - Dave Odoski

As one of the longer-term CAS field reps, Dave Odoski has built quite a large following of repair shops that depend on his support. Dave started with CAS in 2006 and has covered Western PA for all those years. Recently he also took on covering West Virginia.

With stints in the earlier years with both Bear Equipment and Allen Test Products, Dave is a wealth of information on all things automotive from diagnostics to reprogramming to TPMS service and more.

When asked what's the most popular tool from a sales standpoint, Mr. Odoski says, "The Ford IDS is the clear winner. More shops start out with the IDS as their first OEM factory tool, then they seem to add on from there."

In his free time Dave spends time restoring a 1924 Georgian Revival design home he lives in and occasionally taking trips to do some saltwater fishing.

Dave can be reached by e-mail at DaveO@oemtools.com or by calling the CAS offices at 877-263-4897.

Tech Tip - ATTN: Subscription Customers!

This month's tech tip comes to you courtesy of Jenn in the CAS Order Processing department and Harry in CAS Tech Support. Jenn and Harry are involved in resolving Chrysler order issues.

When purchasing wi-Tech and Tech Authority subscriptions on our website, it's important to know whether your tool already has a yearly subscription in place.

Your wi-TECH2 tool may not be letting you finish a job because you need a Flash Token, rather than a 3-day Tech Authority Subscription. Please note that purchases made online are 'assigned' to the account of the e-mail and Micropod serial number you input!

When making these purchases, make sure you're using the correct Wi-tech log-in e-mail address and Micropod serial number. Any orders with missing or inaccurate data can't be processed by Chrysler until we manually correct any errors. Orders that come in after 5:00PM EST with data errors typically will not be processed until the next business day after the error gets corrected! If you're ordering on a weekend, error correction does not happen until the following Monday.

If you're ever unsure which purchase you need or the status of your subscription, give your rep a call and avoid the hassle of waiting for an order to process.