Among the many tools that mobile enhancement technicians use, one of the most valuable is ProDemand from Mitchell1. If you’ve spent any time in the automotive service industry, you’ll recognize the classic brown-and-yellow Mitchell service books. The information in these paperbacks is now available to automotive and electronics technicians through a web interface. Let’s look at why it’s smart to choose a retailer who has access to ProDemand’s vehicle information service.
Vehicle Information Access Improves Efficiency
Whether you’ve bought a new car audio system or a remote starter or are having a blind spot monitoring system installed, the technicians working on your car will need to complete several electrical connections to make the product function properly. ProDemand provides the location and color of the wires required to complete the installation. This information eliminates the need to test multiple wires and can help ensure the reliability of the products you’ve purchased. Access to this data is as important to a tech as owning a good digital voltage meter and a set of quality wire strippers.
With vehicle manufacturers working hard to reduce buzzes and rattles, it’s harder than ever to disassemble a vehicle. ProDemand provides technicians with step-by-step procedures for removing panels. Images typically show the location of retaining clips and screws and the correct disassembly order to access radio tuner packs, amplifiers, body control modules and much more. This saves time and dramatically reduces the chance of anything being damaged.
Automotive Electrical Troubleshooting
Imagine that you’re getting ready to leave for work and you see that the factory backup camera on your Ford pickup truck is foggy and washed out. Many dealership service departments charge as much as $800 for a new backup camera. Worse, you still need to pay to have it installed, and its design has proven that it may fail again. A mobile enhancement retailer who has access to vehicle information resourced by Mitchell1 ProDemand can typically integrate a new backup camera into your factory display for dramatically less than a dealership would charge.
General Service Information
Every now and then, a problem with a vehicle can be confused as a side effect of an aftermarket upgrade. Take, for example, the General Motors ignition switch recall in early 2014. More than 12.8 million vehicles worldwide were susceptible to spontaneous engine shutdown because the ignition switch could move out of the run position too easily. Imagine the number of enhancement retailers who had installed remote starter or security systems, only to be blamed for vehicles not functioning properly. ProDemand includes a feature that allows technicians to look up problems common to a vehicle. If your Cobalt or G5 had shut down, but 100 other similar vehicles without any aftermarket equipment reported the same problem, it would likely have been a vehicle manufacturing defect as opposed to a product or installation issue. Armed with this information, you would have known that the dealership needed to fix the ignition switch.
Dedication to Customer Service
You should treat the process of choosing a mobile enhancement retailer to work on your vehicle the same as if you were choosing an artist to paint a portrait or a photographer to shoot wedding photos. You want to qualify their skills and make sure that they have the right tools to deliver the project on time with a level of quality that meets your expectations. Many retailers who use ProDemand include a brief demonstration of the information available to potential clients as part of their shop tour. A retailer’s investment in this resource is a definite sign of their commitment to quality and excellent customer service.
This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.
One of the most recent source unit introductions from Sony Car Audio is the 
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Another unique feature that’s exclusive to Sony is the ability to feed volume control commands back into a factory amplifier. Say you have a Toyota with the factory JBL amp. You can configure the AX210SXM and the Maestro RR to use the volume control built into the factory amplifier while the source unit provides a clean, clear signal. The result is amazing sound quality without distortion or clipping. This unique feature also gives it the ability to integrate with all MyFord Touch (or MyLincoln Touch on Lincoln vehicles) features.
The XAV-AX210SXM includes Android Auto and CarPlay smartphone integration technologies to let you make phone calls, listen to text messages and dictate responses safely and efficiently while driving. These systems also include support for myriad entertainment options like Pandora, iHeartRadio, Google Play Music, Apple Music and Tidal, as well as many options for podcasts and audiobooks.
The Sony XAV-AX210SXM includes an AM/FM receiver, will play CDs or DVDs and has a rear USB port for digital media playback or smartphone connectivity. Digital audio file playback includes MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC and WAV formats, and the system will play Xvid, MPEG-4. WMV, FLV and MKV video files at resolutions up to 720×576 pixels (depending on the format). Bluetooth audio streaming is also included. An SXV300V1 SiriusXM Satellite Radio receiver comes with the radio, and Sony has worked with SiriusXM to provide a free 90-day trial of the service to get you going right away.
The XAV-AX210SXM features an easy-to-use and intuitive rotary volume control that doubles as a quick-access button to equalization functions. A built-in 20 watts-per-channel amplifier will drive your factory-installed speakers, or you can upgrade your vehicle with an external amp using the 4.0 volt-capable front, rear and subwoofer preamp outputs. Built-in high- and low-pass crossovers further enhance the system design and tuning options that are available. The rear chassis of the AX210SXM is not as tall as a full-size 2-DIN receiver to make it easier for your technician to mount the system in your dash.