Repair information is the instructions mechanics use to figure out what’s wrong and how to fix it. It usually includes the exact steps and sometimes special settings the car needs after a repair.
They’re saying the information isn’t just “how to fix it,” but also how to figure out what’s wrong first, and then how to set the car back up correctly after the repair.
“Shop management” refers to the software and workflows a repair shop uses to run the business side—like writing estimates, repair orders, invoices, and purchase orders. It may also include scheduling, payroll, and other accounting tasks, which is why it’s broader than repair information.
Modern cars are controlled by computers and sensors. If you don’t have the right official info and tools, you can’t confidently fix what the computer is doing.
A clutch is what lets the engine and transmission connect and disconnect. If it’s worn, the car may slip or shift poorly, and fixing it usually takes a lot of labor.
This is a toothed wheel on the engine that helps the crank sensor “read” engine speed and timing. The computer uses that signal to run the engine correctly.
The crank sensor tells the car’s computer where the engine crankshaft is and how fast it’s spinning. That helps the computer time spark and fuel correctly.
A flywheel is a heavy rotating part attached to the engine. It helps the engine run smoothly and it’s involved in clutch work, so removing it can affect sensor-related parts.
Indexing means the exact alignment between the sensor’s trigger marks and the engine’s reference point. If that alignment shifts, the car may need a relearn so it times things correctly.
A pickup is a sensor that measures something happening in the engine and turns it into an electrical signal. If it’s not set correctly, the car may get inaccurate information.
The control module is a computer in the car that reads sensor data and makes decisions. If the sensor signal is wrong, the computer can make the wrong adjustments.
The Right to Repair Act is a law meant to stop car makers from locking repair information away. It pushes manufacturers to share the data needed for repairs, especially for emissions fixes.
“Proprietary” means the manufacturer says the information is theirs and they don’t want others to use it. In repairs, that can mean you can’t get the full details needed to diagnose or fix the car.
Reverse engineering means taking apart or analyzing something to learn how it works. The speaker says manufacturers worry that shared software or coding could be used to figure out their methods.
Some car brands don’t share the detailed “how to diagnose” information unless a shop is officially approved. To get it, the shop has to buy specific tools, get training, and follow the brand’s rules.
They mention Chevrolet Blazers as an example of a recurring problem. The takeaway is that the fix often comes from the manufacturer’s official guidance (like a TSB) once the issue is recognized.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom is a very expensive luxury car made for maximum comfort. It’s designed to feel smooth and quiet, with lots of high-end features. People bring it up because it’s one of the most well-known “top level” cars in its class.
A TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) is a manufacturer’s “here’s how to fix this known problem” document. It only applies to certain cars, usually based on production dates and vehicle ID numbers.
The manufacturer limits the fix to cars built during certain dates. That’s because the problem might only exist on vehicles made in a specific production window.
A TSB is a fix guide, but it’s only meant for certain cars. If your car wasn’t built in the same way or time window, the dealer may not be able to use that bulletin for your repair.
A relay is an electrically controlled switch that uses a small signal to turn a higher-power circuit on or off. The segment mentions a relay being confused with another similar relay, which can cause multiple vehicle systems to malfunction. This is an example of why correct parts identification matters when diagnosing issues.
A service writer is the dealership employee who takes your vehicle’s information, writes up the repair request, and communicates with technicians and the service department. In this segment, they suggest making the TSB-related request to the service writer so it’s properly documented and routed for consideration.
Production date (or production range) is the manufacturing window used by OEMs to define which vehicles a TSB applies to. Two cars can be the same model year but have different production dates, which can change whether a bulletin is considered applicable. Here, they’re advising to reference the bulletin’s issue even if you’re outside the listed range.
A customer service hotline is a manufacturer contact channel for owners, typically used to ask questions about coverage, documentation, and next steps. In this segment, they mention using a hotline listed in the owner’s manual to pursue a TSB-related repair even when the car is outside the original scope.
Term
technical... hotline
They’re referring to a manufacturer-provided technical support phone line (often used by dealers) for guidance on diagnostics and warranty/TSB applicability. The point is that if a car is outside the bulletin’s stated scope, calling the manufacturer can help determine whether the fix should still be pursued.
Part numbers are the specific identifiers for the exact components used in a repair. For TSB-related claims, having an invoice that lists part numbers helps prove what parts were installed and ties the work to the bulletin’s recommended components. The hosts recommend ensuring the invoice includes part numbers.
Reimbursement is when the manufacturer pays back money for a repair that was previously done, often after coverage is expanded or approved. In this segment, they emphasize keeping receipts and part-numbered invoices so the repair can be matched to the later bulletin coverage.
Sometimes the car maker later decides a problem affects more cars than they first said. If that happens, they may update the bulletin so more vehicles qualify. Keeping your paperwork helps if the rules change later.
This is the computer that controls the transfer case—the part that routes power for 4WD/AWD. If it isn’t set up correctly, the drivetrain may not behave as intended.
They’re talking about a 2016 Ford Ranger. The lesson is that if you skip a required setup step during repair, the truck can end up with a bigger issue.
Limp mode is when the car “protects itself” after it finds a problem. It usually reduces power so you can get to a repair shop, even if the car feels sluggish.
It’s the plug-in port under the dashboard where a mechanic connects a computer to your car. That computer can read error codes and sometimes help with programming.
The shift fork is a part inside the transmission that helps move gears into place. If it’s worn or damaged, you can get weird shifting or noise even after other work.
Repair procedures are the official step-by-step instructions for a job. They’re important because they tell you what else should be replaced or checked so the problem doesn’t come back.
A diagnostic hour is how shops bill for figuring out what’s wrong with the car. The point here is that the first part of that time should be used to research the right fix.
Concept
tech tip
A tech tip is a quick helpful suggestion for mechanics. Here it’s being used to mean “use the right guidance before you start,” so you don’t redo the job.
Mitchell is a computer program mechanics use to find the right repair instructions for a specific car. Even though it’s organized, you still have to know how to find the correct section fast.
“Spin your wheels” is used here to mean wasting time because you can’t quickly find the correct information or procedure. In a shop context, it highlights how navigation and familiarity with the repair system affects efficiency.
A “common visual” means the software shows repair info in a consistent layout. That way, mechanics don’t have to learn a totally different screen style for every car brand.
Information licensing is the legal permission rules for using the carmaker’s repair documents. Even if software wants to standardize the format, it has to follow what the OEM allows.
The speaker is talking about Chrysler’s repair instructions for their cars. They feel Chrysler’s information is harder to use because it’s laid out in a confusing way or has gaps.
The point is that having information isn’t the same as having help. Mechanics need the data organized into clear instructions they can actually use to repair the car.
OEMs are the companies that actually make the car (and many of its parts). Their repair info helps shops follow the correct steps for that exact vehicle.
They’re comparing digital repair information to paper pages. It’s a rough way to show that the amount of repair data keeps growing even though it’s stored electronically now.
Owner’s manuals are the manufacturer’s instructions for operating and maintaining a vehicle. The hosts note that these manuals are getting larger and are moving toward electronic formats, which changes how owners access information.
Pro Truck is a version of Mitchell 1’s repair info aimed at truck work. It’s meant for professionals who repair trucks and need the right procedures and data.
In this context, DIY means a version of the repair information made for people who work on their own cars. It’s not the same as the tools meant for professional shops.
They’re using a Chevrolet Suburban as an example of how the repair info is tied to a specific vehicle. The idea is you can look up the right repair information for that exact model.
Concept
sure track
“Sure track” sounds like a professional forum/community where mechanics share answers to repair questions. In the segment, it’s only available to professional users, not DIY.
Electric vehicles run on a battery and electric motor instead of a gasoline engine. Because the systems are different, mechanics often need different training and repair instructions.
Term
vehicle manufacturers
Here, “vehicle manufacturers” means the car companies themselves. They decide how repair instructions are provided, and sometimes that information isn’t fully available to independent shops.
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start your enginies. The Car Doctor is in the garage
and ready to take your call.
So I've got some great stuff for you this segment coming up here. Hello, welcome on Ananian at your service
once again. You know, it was good week this week
in the shop where I had somebody email me with some questions about their eighty six Ford and they were using a printed manual, and I thought to myself, my gosh, how times have changed, right, you know, back you could use a printed manual, you can't really do that anymore on a newer car. And I thought we would talk
about it here and the need for information. You know,
we recently talked to Tim McDonald from Mitchell one about the management side of life, and I thought I would reach out to Mitchell one once again and the good guys that they are. Ross Whiteley is joining us this hour.
He is the manager for Repair Info. So let's talk
about repairing the vehicle. Ross, Welcome to the car doctor, sir.
Happy to have you.
Thank you, Ron, It's pleasure to be here.
So what is repair information software and how is it different from shop management? And I just want to ask
that question because, you know, as simple as that seems, I want to make sure we don't blur the lines repair information manager information. What's the difference there?
Well, the basic difference is repair information is the step by step process to diagnose, repair, calibrate whatever on your vehicle.
Is the information from the original equipment manufacturer on how they expect you to repair or maintain your vehicle. Shop
management encompasses everything accept the vehicle repair, meaning writing estimates, writing repair orders, writing invoices, writing purchase orders, conducting up cells.
Shop management handles all of that stuff. Shop management can
also cover some accounting areas or you know, time scheduling, payment, payroll, things like that. Very very broad compared to what we
provide as far as repair information.
So it's really repair information is hey, we're talking about fixing the car, not necessarily billing the job.
Right exactly exactly, so you.
Know, on the how to fix the car side of business, not how to run the shop side of business. That's
kind of the difference, you know, So this is really if you're a technician, you really need some kind of repair information.
In today's world. Yes, if if you're not using some
form of OEM information, you are setting yourself up for a pretty decent fall.
I think I think the answer to this question is kind of obvious, but let's just put it out there so you know, you know, some technicians will sit there and say, well, I never have time to look anything up.
I don't look anything up. I just take it apart
because I'm a good mechanic and I don't need I'm just counting on my experience. But isn't he isn't he
or she kind of shooting themselves in the foot.
In today's world. Yes, you know, I'm an I'm an
older guy. I turned wrenches forty fifty years ago. You know,
back in those days, there wasn't but six wires on the car, and you had an engine and carburetor and transmissions.
Very straightforward. You could take it apart and visually understand
how things worked. Today's car doesn't work that way. Today's
car is not a car. Today's car is a computer
on wheels. Most of the function of the car is
not visible. You cannot see what is going on in
the operation of the vehicle. If you don't have information
in tooling to make that stuff visible, you cannot fix the car. It's just impossible. Right.
We had a we had to do a clutch in a Subaru this week in the shop, and yea, I'm pretty straightforward. Twenty nineteen cross track put a clutch in it,
and I noticed that subarum mounts the tone ring or the reluctor wheel to trigger the crank sensor, which for everybody out there tells the tells the computer how fast the engine is turning over so it can make calculate for fuel and spark and so many other things. And
when you pulled the flywheel off, the tone ring or the sprocket for the crank sensor was kind of loose and flopping around and it had a little bit of slop and it gets bolted up with the flywheel, but there's a little bit of give and take. And when
we got done with that clutch repair, we looked at Mitchell, is there a crank sensor relearned? Because you're thinking to yourself,
you know it changed, the indexing changed a little bit, and there wasn't. But I've run into cars where there
is and that's what made me look for it. And
you know, so if you don't have that procedure, what can happen to that car?
Well, here's here's an example. Okay, just throwing one out.
I've seen tons of them. You've got that car, there's
no adjustment for that mac pi that mad neet to pick up you know on the crank cheft, right, Those are usually what you call it dead set or a drop set. You know that you you bolt them all
the way in and it's a preset distance that doesn't usually work very wellful. A lot of people come in
with an adjusting bolt on that so that you can set depth. If that depth isn't right, you're building in
an error in your signal that is being reported to your control module. So, like you were saying, if that
if that pickup was moving around a little bit, that signal that it's sending to the control module is changing you virtually every revolution. Okay, Now, if that is a condition,
then ninety nine percent of the time that's an adjustable component and you should have a procedure for it. That
doesn't mean you'll find it, right, Oh really, Oh absolutely, there's I'm gonna I'm gonna throw this one in here as a caveat for you, because everybody ought to know that this is what happens out in the world. All
of us that provide information get our information from the same place. We get it from the OEM, right right,
The OEM gets to decide what we get.
Wait a minute, and there's time. Yeah, wait a minute. So,
first of all, OEM original equipment manufacturer. For everybody that's
that's listening, that may be a lame late lay person, right, so you're getting it from GM or Ford to Chrysler or Nissan or Toyota, et cetera.
We approach them and say, we would like to buy your data and do this with it, and they license it to us, but they are under no obligatione and whatsoever to give us one hundred percent of the data generated for the repair of any particular model vehicle.
We're about to skew to the right. So now wait
a minute. Under the Right to Repair Act, Yeah, favorite, yeah,
under the Right to Repair Act, you know, if it's an emissions related repair, they're supposed to give you provide everything.
Right unless that information has been deemed proprietary.
Who deems it proprietary?
The manufacturer? Well, this is our custom coding is we're
not going to share it because other people can reverse engineer it. So you're not going to get access to it.
Isn't that like letting Dennis the Menace watch the cookie jar.
You'll get the cookie jar, you just won't get no cookies.
So is that why? Okay? And like I said, we're
going to really skew to the right here.
Oh yeah, we're going way right. I'm gonna throw this
one out here. There are certain manufacturers who will not
provide diagnostic information unless you are a authorized shop using authorized equipment from that manufacturer. Sure, Okay, does that make sense?
Means you've got to go out and do all the work to become a certified shop that can repair brand X right. But to do that, you have to meet
vehicle brand x's of standards, minimum requirements. They get the standards,
they set the requirements. So you've got to have all
of our equipment, you've got to have all of our training, you've got to use our parts suppliers. And once you've
done that, then you can rent our scan tool for X amount of dollars and you will get access to the diagnostics. But for that privilege, you're going to be
paying us, you know, through the NOES. So how they
control the flow of information to the independence?
So is that why? You know? Sometimes sometimes you'll go
to a dealership and you'll get your car service. Then
they'll try explaining something to you and maybe they'll give you a c of a bulletin and then that customer will take it and stop buy and see Ron, Hey, Ron, I've got this bulletin from the dealer on my brand EX automobile and it says that if it does this, this and this, I need to do this, this and that.
Do you think that's right? And they won't have maybe
the whole bulletin, So I'll try and go look it up and I never find it, and I'm like, where did you really get this from? Is that a proprietary
manufacturer bulletin? I'm going to coin that word.
Probably not. Here's the thing on tsb's When a TSB
is written for an issue with a vehicle that is highly visible out in the user world. Okay, Chevy Blazers
had this phantom wipe thing going on with their wiper blades for years and it never disappeared. The reason is,
you know, when they when they see a problem starting, they say, Okay, we're gonna we're gonna grab every car from this ven number and this manufactured date and go to this ven number and this manufactured date and everything in between is going to be covered by this TSB.
So if it ever rolls into a dealership, they can go ahead and fix this problem that we didn't see during manufacturing. Not all the vehicles are affected are included
in the scope of the written TSB.
So does that give them no I'm gonna hold you up here a second. Does that give them the ability
to they just don't have to release the TSB it's.
It's well, it's released, but it's only to release to the owners of the vehicle within the date range or vin range that the TSB is written for.
Here's the cantat, Holy Count. I'll tell you why before
you wait, before you give me the caveat. Ross, wait
a minute, I want to give this some due time.
Let me pull over and take a pause because I think I think we're gonna blow everybody's mind. Where we're
going to go next with this. We're here with Ross Whiteley.
He is the manager for repair Info for Mitchell One.
I'm Ronning Innie in the Card Doctor. We'll both return
right after this. So when we pulled away, Oh, ron
An Innie in the Card Doctor. Here with Ross Whiteley
and Mitchell One, manager of repair Info. Ha ha ha.
We almost forgot to do that, right, Ross, got to get the radio housekeeping out of the way. You know,
when we pulled away, we were talking about I mean, you were kind of blowing our minds with technical service bulletins.
Can you recap that where we were?
Yeah, you know, we were talking about why a person can hear of a TSB and then they go to the dealership and they say, well it doesn't apply to your vehicle. TSB is written for a certain scope of
a run of vehicles. It can be a large scope
or be small, but it is a finite group that they write a TSB for. I have seen where ATSB
will correct an issue with a vehicle that is outside the scope of the TSB. This presents a couple of problems.
Your mechanics at the dealerships will know that this TSB may fix your car, but since your car is not included in the scope of the TSB, the dealership's not going for The manufacturer's not going to pay for it on your vehicle without some variance, without the dealership doing some work on the background.
So the dealership is sort of at the mercy of the manufacture. At that point, the manufacturer says, well, it's
only these production dates and these VENs. But yeah, maybe
the vendors slipped in one or two, three weeks after the fact, and we have to sure.
You never know how you know how the lines are running.
At the manufacture, they could say, okay, from this vehicle, yes, but you've got forty others that already have been configured in that way that haven't made it to this stage. Yet,
So it's not it's not a line in the sand.
It's really a kind of a gray area. I will
say that a lot of the OEMs will extend the TSB to a car outside of range, but you know it has to be requested by the dealership, right, But that's that's why. Hey, you know, Hey, you've got this car.
I heard about this thing where this relay would looked like this other relay and you can mix them up and it caused all kinds of problems. Oh but it
doesn't work on your car because your car is a year older.
So wait a minute, So is that a hidden gem there? Ross?
And we're talking with Russ Whiteley from Mitchell One. He's
the manager for Repair and Foe for those of you just joining us, is that a hidden gem there? Ross?
That if they you know, if I've got Brand X automobile and it's doing the exact thing the bulletin says, but I'm outside that venner or production date, that I should go to the dealership and make that subtle suggestion to the service writer. Hey, listen, the.
Worst they can do is tell you no, right, right right?
I mean, when it comes down to it, the worst they can say is no. Our hands are tied on
this one. You're always better off asking, right, and you're
always better off asking in person with your car sitting there in the drive.
Right.
Hey, it's really easy to tell somebody no over the phone.
Is it is? It? Is it something? Where if the
dealer gives us a know and I just want to push the envelope a little bit, I'll call up the manufacturer because there's always a technical eight hundred number hot line, not technical, but absolutely customer service hotline in the back of my owner's manual that I want to call and say, hey, I've got this bulletin and you know, maybe maybe.
It happens my car is doing this. It's outside the scope.
It's absolutely worth pursuing, especially some of these tsbs can run into some significant cost of repair.
And if they do get it, if they do get it fixed, you know, my suggestion is always keep a copy of the TSB, keep a copy of the receipt, Make sure the invoice shows part numbers so that you can say, hey, I had this, because three years later when they widen the scope, all of a sudden, we're up for reimbursement.
Absolutely right. The problem there is that percent of the time,
they won't widen the scope right, well, they will. They
are more likely to create a second TSB for the same issue on a different segment of cars.
So suffice it to say, bulletins are a completely different type of exotic animal to be dealt with on a case by case basis, sometimes.
Very much so, very much so. And they are also,
I like to use this term, the tsbs are the pointy end of the stick. Okay. These are the things
that the dealerships and the OEMs have discovered about the car post production. These things are out on the road, right,
so they've.
Got to They've got to do something to deal with it.
I'll tell you what. Let's pull over and take a pause.
When we come back, I want to take a deeper look into that, and I also want to know think about this. Can you give us a real world example.
We're missing one step in the repair process causes a comeback or a bigger problem.
You do that.
I'm going to do this. I'm running any in the
car doctor. I'm here with Russ white Lee, the manager
for repair and full at Mitchell One will both return right after this.
Ayther, keep your.
Yeah, he's a con doctor.
Cars.
Ronnie and the Car Doctor here with Russ Whiteley, manager for repair Info for Mitchell one Ross. We were talking
about and we've been talking about a lot this hour.
But you know, you're working on a vehicle and maybe you miss a step. Maybe you don't need to look
at repair information because you're a genius and or so you think, and you know you miss step six, or you just missed that step for whatever reason and it causes a problem. You got any real world examples of that.
There's a lot of them out there. I see it
quite a bit. I admin our community, so I watch
people asking questions about this kind of thing. Twenty sixteen
four Ranger has an internal transfer case controller. That transfer
case control has to be pre programmed to shore installed, and there's a couple of different settings on it. And
it's a very very small note that people miss all the time. And the only reason I bring it up
is because people slap that thing in there. They try
to program it through the data link connector and it won't take the programming, and the car never gets out of limped home mode and now you're taking the transfer case back out out. Yeah.
Yeah.
Another another one dude was doing a clutch on a scion was getting some chatter post clutch didn't bother to look at the shift fork or the pivot for the shift fork, says right in the repair procedures, replace both when doing the clutch. Put the clutch back in catter
on takeoff, clutch came all the way back out for a pivot and a clutch for it. You got to
have the instructions.
Otherwise you're a minor.
But you're doing a job twice for not reading a fifteen second statement in a repair procedure. That's why I
always say use something, have owen something. You know, they
pay these engineers a lot of money and most of the time they're pretty darn.
Close write a procedure.
But you know, if they're saying, hey, replace this, we've seen a problem with it, they've probably seen a problem with it. It's just why they're telling you to replace it, right,
is it?
React to this statement? You know, you bring a car
to the shop, You bring a car to my shop, and you know it's it's hey, we're on diagnosed X y Z. You know it's a diagnostic hour. We typically
charge up to an hour, but it's the first fifteen to twenty minutes of that hour might be might be spent reading a procedure, a bulletin, a repair information you know, a sure track tech tip fix. You know, are we
wasting the customer's money? And are we? Are we just
you know, we're just we're just standing there.
But okay, let's let's go. Let's let's address that in
this manner. And I think I mentioned this to you before.
I don't know if we were on the air. We've
got about three hundred billion bits of data in our program.
You show me one mind on this planet tech and remember all of that. I will show you the world's
best technician. There's no way, with the complexity of the
vehicles today, anyone can be expected to remember every step of every procedure. Right now, take that the other direction.
I'm a clutch guy. I only work on clutches, and
I only work on clutches on toyotas. Okay, you're going
to get to a point where you know what you're doing.
You may not need to look at clutch procedure every time, but that's the outlier. You know, the standard mechanic is
going to work on anything that rolls into his bay.
And even if you're just a GM guy. What is that?
Fifteen models over thirty years, four hundred and fifty variations on how to do things. You're still needing as much
help as you.
Can get well. And I'll tell you why you want
to still read information and not just because of the need, Because you want to have a you want to have a procedure. You want to be procedure. I have a
very good friend who's a top automatic trans tech at a local dealership, And every time I call Kevin or talk to Kevin, he's reading something. He's been doing it
forty years. Kevin, don't you know, he says, Ron, there's
always a bulletin. There's always a procedure, there's always a change,
there's always something going on that I have to know the process. And you know, to your point, you can
box yourself into a little corner and then all of a sudden you've got to start. You know, you've got
to kind of get in the flow of the program right, all the repair information programs. As much as Mitchell will
for example, we're talking Mitchell right. As much as Mitchell
one will filter and make everything try to look the same, you still have to know where to look and you still have to have a sense of the layout of the land, otherwise you're going to spin your wheels that time.
You have to Oh my gosh, I gotta go look up information? Now what do I do?
And that that is why we spend so much time trying to develop a fast engine, because you know, it's going to twenty seven or twenty seven different locations for the same item, depending on what car you're looking at, you know, And I've got to get the technician the data now right. Hey, he's not making any money. Now
there's another caveat that goes along with that statement, But technicians traditionally make money when the wrench is on a bolt.
So right, So wait a minute, Back up a second.
You're talking about repair information. When that tech is looking
that repair information up? Where is that information? If we're
using Mitchell and we're online, right, is that actually at Mitchell one headquarters out in California or are you? Are
you pulling it right from the manufacturer.
What we do is we pull from the manufacturer and then we aggregate the information into a common visual for lack of a better description, so that the data looks similar in our program across all the manufacturers. God is okay,
because you know, if we put it in there the way it came from the OEM, you're learning to read twenty seven different.
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
Right, to keep it as uniform as possible while staying within the restrictions of the information licensing right yeah.
No, I get that. We were doing some consulting for
Nissan at one point and they gave us access to their dealer level software and I would I would look at it. It was like I was reading Chinese. Oh yeah, yeah,
it was. It was just so different, and it just.
You know, I worked, I worked at a shop that did Chrysler and Subaru and try bouncing between both of those OEMs, right yeah, talk about a migraine waiting to happen.
Well, And I got to tell you Chrysler seems to be not to pick on a car company, but Chrysler's repair information, now I understand it. Uh after listening to
you talk today, is you know their their repair information, the way some of it's laid out, and the way it's missing, and the way it's I think Chrysler does a terrible job of presenting their information. It's it's that's
my impression and I you know, I get it, I really do. It's it's so, you know, let's do this.
Let's pull over, take a pause, you know, so when we come back on our last segment, I want to talk a little bit about, you know, raw data doesn't fix the car. It's it's usable info. And I want
to talk maybe about, you know, what Mitchell one does to do that for us. And then I want to
also talk a little bit about, you know, the sense of scale. How much repair information exists today, you know,
and if you could tell us, you know, if is there a way to gauge how many pages a day do you think it's added to this growing database.
I've got some. I've got some numbers for you, kind
of give you an eye opener on what's happening with the information systems related to repair.
Right, So let's do that when we return. Right after
we take this pause, I'm run anaming in the car Doctor.
I'm here with Ross Whiteley. We're chatting this hour about
repair information. He is the manager for repair info for
Mitchell One. We'll both return right after this. We are
here today run a naming the card Doctorator services always.
We're here today with Ross Whiteley in case you're just joining us. He is the manager of Repair Information for
Mitchell one. And yet we're talking about so many things
and ross as we try and recap and count down to the end of our time together. Today hit us
with the number, you know, how many pages if we could print out this database of repair that the OEMs provide and and you know that Mitchell one works with and information providers work with. How many pages are in
this database? And how fast does it grow?
It's an excellent question. The data being generated is kind
of crazy. Just to give you a little bit of scope,
Back in nineteen eighty, industrywide US market repaired data somewhere between two hundred and three hundred thousand pages in nineteen eighty in nineteen eighty for new model year. Okay, fast
forward to twenty twenty. Now we've got a few extra
models on the road. But we don't generate in page
any longer because it's all electronic. But a page equivalent
twenty to fifty million pages. Wow, And that is not
a linear growth as exponential growth. That is just increasing
radically year after year after year.
Well, look at look at how thick the owner's manuals have gotten in cars right.
It's it's its owner's manuals will become electronic within the next four to five years.
Yeah they well, and they're starting that now.
But yeah, I mean you can't. You can't keep you know,
a ten thousand page Odre manual in your car.
Why not? The apartment's too small, it can't.
Yeah, well they won't sit in the trunk. And another
another little tidbit just to add to that. You know,
we've been talking a lot about tsb's Back in twenty eighteen, the high end of the TSB list was about thirty six thousand. Twenty twenty four seventy five thousand.
So it's doubled.
It's doubled a little more than double.
So if you're a if you're a repair shop out there listening to us today, or you're a di wire as we know we have we have both, and you know as a mix, where am I going to get information?
Where do I go to look at Mitchell one?
Is it?
Is it online? Can I see it? Can I try it?
How does it allow?
All of the products are online. We have four repair
products for the professional segment that would be Pro Demand, Shop Key, pro Truck, Pro Demand for your heavy duty vehicles and the Sun Collision for the collision industry. These
are restricted licenses. You have to be a shop to
license that data. To offset that, we have an electronic
auto repair product product called do it Yourself or DIY, and that is strictly designed for guys like me now that work on their own cars. You can buy a
family group of a vehicle your make model for a week, a year, four years, twenty to sixty dollars, but you get only the vehicle you're interested in working on.
If it's an old Force Chevy Suburban, you're going to get everything that a shop would get for an O Force Chevy Suburban.
Correct. Short of what we call our community information, we
run what's called sure track, which is a professional community that exchanges information about repair questions. That product is only
available in the professional services offerings. It does not come
with DIY, But then again with DIY, it's probably not something you would lean into, right.
So actual web addresses Mitchell one dot com.
To actually pro demand dot com, shop shop keypro dot com, eautorepair dot net for the do it yourself product, or you can call into Mitchell one on the eight hundred number and talk to anybody about any of these products.
Okay, give us eight hundred number.
Do you know what, I don't ever call it?
Well, I'll tell you what. Yeah, I'll tell you what.
I'll go ahead.
It's eight eight eight three.
Thou got it? Okay, crazy stuff. Ross. It's been a pleasure, sir,
it has.
Been an absolute joy. Ron. Thank you very much for listening.
When you come back, I'm just gonna warm you up when you come back, because I'm going to have you back.
I want to talk about repair information on electric vehicles because that's a whole nother animal. So that's a whole
nother animal.
I'm down, all right that conversation.
All right, Bro, you'd be well enjoy enjoy the rest of your day. I'm running ding in the car. Doctor.
I'm back right after this. I want to thank our
special guests this hour, Russly for Mitchell one repair information and the conversation. We actually had a couple of questions
that we sort of laid out. We said, let's see
where this goes, and it just kind of took off on its on, which it did. The interviews always seem
to just kind of have a life of their own.
The sheer numbers of repair information that Ross brought to us today in terms of the number of pages and the effort that it takes to produce all this, you know, understand what he was saying. Just to review it real quick,
There's twenty seven vehicle manufacturers that Mitchell One represents or has information for in their database, and those manufacturers all come to market, all come to display their information completely different than the other. So you would have twenty seven
different indexing and category systems and lookups and styles to look at if it wasn't for companies like Mitchell One, where they take the information, filter it and try to present it in the most consistent, similar manner throughout the line.
But the problem that we're going to be up against in a very short period of time, if you didn't catch it during the conversation, is that the vehicle manufacturers are making it more difficult. And they are and you know,
there are cases where that bulletin is not there, that piece of information is not there because the manufacturer has withheld it. It's not that the distributors, which is what
Mitchell want is they are a distributor of information, is withholding it. It's been withheld from them. So you know,
time When you hear those buzzwords right to repair, when you hear conversation about should we be able to work on our own cars, you get involved in those and I think you'll see you know is the best way to hopefully turn things around for us. So but in
any event, I hope you got something out of today.
I did. I sure learned a lot and I appreciate
it being able to take and spend the time with you and with Ross. I'm ronning ay in the car, doctor,
reminding you till the next time. Good mechanics aren't expensive,
they're priceless.
Doctor curR.
Advice, dotor right
About this episode
Ross Whiteley and Ron Ananian dig into why modern repairs depend on OEM-backed information, not memory or guesswork. They contrast repair data with shop management software, explain how manufacturers control access to diagnostics and bulletins, and show why TSBs can still matter even when a vehicle falls outside the printed scope. The conversation also highlights how repair data has exploded in volume, how Mitchell 1 organizes it for technicians, and what products the company offers.
In today’s vehicles, fixing the car isn’t just about turning wrenches—it’s about having the right information at the right time. In this hour of Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor, Ron sits down with Ross Whiteley of Mitchell 1 to explore how modern repair information systems are shaping the future of automotive diagnostics and service.
From factory procedures and wiring diagrams to technical service bulletins and real-world fixes, this conversation dives into where repair data comes from, how often it changes, and why even the most experienced technician needs to rely on accurate, up-to-date information.
If you’ve ever wondered why some problems are harder to diagnose than others—or why your repair shop spends time researching before picking up a tool—this episode explains it all.
Whether you’re a consumer, a DIYer, or a professional tech, you’ll walk away understanding why in today’s world, information isn’t just power—it’s the repair.
