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Information is everything today. autotechnician asks users of the TecRMI online information system about their experiences
Access to data is absolutely vital for any independent that wants to stay competitive and stay ahead. There are number of systems available, so it’s important to pick the right one to suit your requirements.
About TecRMI
TecRMI from TecAlliance provides technical information on vehicle servicing and repair for the independent aftermarket. The web-based application can be configured to suit each user’s needs. The company offers TecRMI CAR and TecRMI TRUCK, and there are a range of add-ons for each if required.
TecRMI CAR includes five modules. TecADJUST provides setting and repair data, while TecMAINTENANCE includes vehicle-specific work lists along with service times and spare parts as specified by the manufacturer. TecMANUALS has detailed repair information with illustrations. TecTIMES gives you scheduled work times with automatic compound calculation. Lastly, TecWIRING gives you wiring diagrams, as the name suggests.
GCS Engineering
GCS Engineering are a West Sussex independent co-owned by Tim Chandler and Jez Parsons. The company specialises in German marques and has been a TecRMI user since 2008.
Tim swears by it: “It’s a fantastic tool. It enables us to speed things up. You can look up technical information, you can look up parts – it’s just really useful. I would recommend it to any garage.
“You put a part number in and it comes up with umpteen suppliers that gives you more choice. We fit a lot of OE stuff, but sometimes if you’re buying a radiator that’s £400, there’s also a radiator from HELLA that’s £180. You can offer the customer both choices and it can mean the difference between getting the job and losing it.
“The information on times is also very useful.”
It saves time for GCS according to Tim: “Someone just came in now to ask about the oil quantity on a car – you can go straight ahead and get it, rather than wade through a book. It’s over in a few seconds. Before we had it we used a lot of books. We’ve still got all the old stuff but it’s out of date.”
Tim adds: “The support from TecRMI is good as well, with particular mention going to Jason Mead. He and the whole company has always been very reliable, and very quick with any queries.”
Pistons & Components
Glasgow-based factor and garage Pistons & Components recently switched to TecRMI from another provider. Commenting on the system, sales manager and workshop co-ordinator James Trotter says: “This is probably the best system I have tried. It’s got everything we need. It has bulletins and fixes in it, which is good.
“Some others are just standalone systems. With this it’s linked to the parts catalogue as well”.
Commenting on the automatic creation of spare parts packages offered by the system, James says: “When you are looking at something to change, and the repair times, it will actually tell you the part number. If you are looking at an ignition coil, it will tell you the time and the part number for that ignition coil. Obviously it gives you repair time, and it’s got a drop down menu and you ‘add part’ and you just click it and up comes all the relevant parts that you require – which is quite clever. No other system that I’ve tried offers that.”
Apart from the quality, there was also the price that drew Pistons & Components to TecRMI: “It was half the price of our previous system but just as good,” adds James.
