Augmented reality is changing the way automotive technicians communicate and maintain modern vehicles, ensuring vehicles are repaired faster and more accurately.

In today’s market, the technology and vehicle development process have outpaced the technical training and certifications needed for the service department staff at many dealers. This could mean a modern electric vehicle in need of service might have to sit and wait for information to be shared between the dealership and the automaker headquarters before technicians can do the service. This is an unacceptable wait for the owner of said vehicle and not something that needs to take place.

Our Connected Technological World to the Rescue

The fast-paced, ultra-connected world we live in is sometimes mired with challenges that make us not want to be as connected as we are. That’s not the case when it comes to vehicle service. Typically, when a service tech at a dealership needs expert advice regarding a problem they’re facing, a call must be made to the engineers at the automaker’s headquarters. Sometimes a call is all that’s needed, but other times, a field tech much come out and advise the service tech on the next steps and what to do. This can take a long time, but that time is reduced using modern connected technology.

The Ford Team Figured it Out

With the new electric vehicles offered by Ford, the Mustang Mach-E, and F-150 Lightning, there will be issues those automotive technicians run into they’ve never seen before. This is when the use of augmented reality can come in extremely handy. Instead of making the phone call or asking a field tech to arrive at the site, a headset with a small screen and camera can be used to allow the engineers in Detroit to see the same things as the service tech. This shared information advances the communication needed and allows the technician to finish the job and get the vehicle back to the customer much sooner.

SWIS is Working for Ford

Ford is calling the new communication system SWIS, which stands for “See What I See.” This system isn’t only used in the United States and Canada but for Ford service centers in South Africa, the UK, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, and Australia. The idea is simple enough. The headset has a camper and microphone, which allows the service technician to share what they see in the vehicle with the Technical Assistance Center in Dearborn, MI. The engineer in Michigan can then send images and speak directly to the technician in real-time. This ensures issues can be diagnosed and resolved quickly and efficiently.

This New System Allows for All Kinds of Fixes

It’s possible that direct communication with the team in Dearborn might need a little tweaking. Using this augmented reality system, one automotive technician showed the vehicle couldn’t recognize the low tire pressure sensors, but he was using the wrong programming tool. This is something the technician in the next bay could have helped with, keeping the experts at the TAC free to handle more important issues.

An example of a more important issue could be a warranty repair with the engineer needing to see the part to sign off on the repair as part of the warranty coverage. The SWIS tool also allows the experts at the TAC to train new technicians on the spot using this technology. The engineer can walk the new tech through each step in a repair process and explain what and why things are done the way they are. This hands-on/hands-off approach could allow a single person in Dearborn to train several new techs at the same time, provided they have the same situation in front of them.

How Does this New Tech Improve Ford’s Bottom Line?

Certainly, the new augmented reality devices used by the automotive technicians are expensive; how does this help Ford save costs? The fact that a field technician isn’t needed as much and eventually won’t be needed at all cuts down on the travel costs to the company. Considering these costs often involve not only air fair but hotels and meals as well, this can be significant savings for Ford. This is a direct bottom-line benefit to the company.

Of Course, There’s an Even More Important Benefit

More important than saving money sending field techs all over the world is the fact that this new technology saves time in the repair process. The faster a problem can be diagnosed, repaired, approved, and completed, the sooner a customer is back on the road. With the advanced vehicles heading to the market, technicians need to be more versatile, and the SWIS system allows them to do that. With faster repairs should come more positive online reviews for the dealership and the service center, improving their online reputation and bringing in more customers.

Don’t Think Ford is the Only One

Although Ford does lead the way in many facets of automotive technology, they aren’t the only automaker using AR for their dealership techs to communicate repair challenges. Mercedes-Benz is working on a way to use Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 the same way. OEMs aren’t the only places we see AR being used, either. Some independent shops have communications set up with automotive parts and tools manufacturers, such as Bosch and Snap-On Tools, to communicate using AR to make necessary automotive repairs. Using this technology doesn’t only aid these techs with repairs to modern vehicles; it can help with any repair that seems to be an issue outside of the technician’s scope of expertise.

Phone Calls Are Becoming Obsolete

You might like your neighborhood mechanic and have always gotten great service from them, but if they’re still fixing cars using phone calls, pen, and paper for notes and information, they probably won’t for much longer. The use of augmented reality has made it to dealership service centers, and Ford automotive technicians are reaping the benefits. Next time you need to bring your Ford in for service, it could be back to you much faster than ever before because your tech used a SWIS system to communicate their need and handle any trouble spots that came up.