How Digital Inspection Works

Gone are the old days, when vehicular inspections were conducted by a person holding a clipboard and examining every inch of your car. Physical inspections have been replaced by digital inspections, and the clipboard and inspection forms have been replaced with tablets or smartphones with applications that are specially built for this purpose.

Paper-based inspections were the norm for many decades, especially because there was no alternative to it. Thanks to the advent of technology, digitalization has made its way into many businesses and industries, and digital inspections are used everywhere.

A downside to paper inspections is that a standardized process wasn’t set to make sure that inspections can be fair, no matter who does them. This problem is resolved with digital inspections, where all of the data is recorded into a shop management system (SMS). This is an application that provides you with an user-friendly interface, where you can record the entire service data of any vehicle.

Let’s have a brief look at how digital inspection works in the context of vehicles.

1. Gathering Information

The first step to any digital inspection is to gather all the information you can about the vehicle, which includes the make, model, registration number, odometer reading, registration year, and much more. All of this information is recorded in the system, which runs on a smartphone or tablet that is specially used for inspection.

Recording this information is highly important for complete diagnostics and required repairs. Moreover, this data can also be used in the post-inspection process to check whether the vehicle’s systems are the same as when you brought in the vehicle to the workshop. It also helps with insurance matters, in case there has been any damage to the vehicle.

2. Test Drive

After all of the relevant information about the vehicle has been added to the system, the technician will also note down the complaints or problems that the owner is facing with their vehicle. The next step involves an inspector or technician performing a test drive of your car, preferably for a few kilometers.

This helps them find out if there are any performance issues with the car, or if there’s any noise in its suspension, braking system, alignment issues, and any other problems. It also allows them to understand what needs to be fixed inside the vehicle, and the problems are recorded in the system.

3. Exterior Inspection

After the test drive, most of the problems inside the vehicle are identified and added to the system. What comes next is the exterior inspection. The technician checks the vehicle from the outside, and this includes examining the entire body, lights, windshield, windows, and side mirrors for any cracks, scratches, or damage.

They also check all of the warning lights, such as brake lights or check engine lights. After this, they also check the heating and cooling systems. If any problems arise from the inspection, they are entered into the system.

4. Engine Inspection

After the exterior, the technician moves to the engine and checks for the fluid levels, as well as the various components of the engine. The battery is also tested to see if it has juice or not. One by one, every part is checked and then updated on the system.

Next, the vehicle is checked from the underside by using a hydraulic lift. The technician inspects all the pipes and parts that are fit underneath the vehicle and check for any leakage or damage. This data is entered into the system with proper details.

5. Inspection Review

Once the digital inspection is complete and all of the pointers are completed, the technician completes the inspection report and forwards it to the service department. Thanks to the internet, the report is sent within seconds, and it also allows them to record every update as the car is fixed or maintained.

Once the service department is done, they provide an estimate about the services and send the inspection report to you via email.

6. Post-Service Inspection

Once all of the repairs are completed and the car is ready to be handed over to the owner, the technicians carry a final inspection of the entire car to make sure each and every part works perfectly. If this step is completed without any problems, the service report is successfully closed and the car is handed over.

This is a basic rundown of how digital inspection is carried out, but the steps can change from industry to industry. As you can see, digital inspections bring about excellent benefits for both auto service providers and vehicle owners, and make sure that things are done much faster, with money also being saved.

If you also own a car workshop, it’s high time that you take your paper-based inspections to a digital level. Not only will it speed up things for you, but also help you serve more customers during the day, thus leading to higher revenue.