Innovative product range from Bosch set to reduce vehicle workshop costs and inconvenience for customers

When combined with Bosch ESI(tronic) software, the equipment diagnoses electronic vehicle faults, particularly in motor management, safety and comfort electronic systems. Its features enable automotive workshops to quickly and accurately diagnose vehicle faults and rectify them.

At a press conference held today, Ian Barrand, Regional Manager for Test Equipment, Bosch Middle East, Automotive Aftermarket, said: "The digital revolution in the automotive industry has not bypassed the workshop. Vehicle components and their networking systems are becoming increasingly complicated and the modern car is becoming a 'mobile computer', using more sophisticated technology to ensure safer driving without compromising on comfort. Manufacturers place great emphasis on developing their products to meet growing consumer demands and, as a consequence, develop highly technical, electronic systems to ensure they stay competitive in a consistently growing market."

"These highly specialised electronic systems make it extremely difficult for mechanics to diagnose problems. The biggest danger of electronic faults being misdiagnosed is that other parts, that are working exactly as they should, are replaced unnecessarily as the mechanic troubleshoots. The disruption of parts operating as they should, can lead to further faults," added Ian Barrand. "The KTS diagnostic tester now means that the mechanics can diagnose a fault in the electronics of any vehicle quickly, efficiently and most importantly, accurately. Workshops and their customers will benefit from a reduction in labour time and costs."

Lebanon, U.A.E. and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have the highest user rates of the KTS diagnostic tester in the region, with other countries following. There are a growing number of vehicles on the roads in the Middle East and automotive parts, accessories and components constitute a multi-million dollar trade in the region. Consumers are demanding a high level of competence from workshops as they are spending more on the vehicles they drive. This leads to an increased emphasis on diagnosis equipment that pinpoints faults quickly and efficiently.

The KTS tester can diagnose a wide variety of electrical faults in the majority of vehicles. It provides detailed information on how to rectify faults and the equipment can be used with all brands of cars. It is compatible with more than 50,000 vehicles worldwide. The unit masters all current diagnosis protocols including ISO systems of European vehicles, SAE systems for American and Japanese vehicles and CAN protocols for testing state-of-the-art CAN bus systems in new vehicles.

Bosch ESI(tronic) software is a comprehensive collection of technical and commercial information, which enables each workshop to form an individual programme for their specific needs. The software includes the full range of Bosch automotive equipment, a modular system for vehicle diagnosis, SIS (Service Information System) troubleshooting instructions, features relating to automobiles and circuit diagrams. ESI(tronic) software updates are supplied four times a year, to ensure the latest information is supplied to workshops throughout the year.

The easy-to-use unit plugs into the diagnostic socket of the vehicle and can immediately read the data and report the fault. Vehicle owners can rest assured knowing that the repairs carried out are accurate, reducing human error and ensuring that only parts that need replacing are tampered with. On average over 10MB of data is inputted each day onto ESI [tronic] and more than €100 million has been invested on the development of software. The KTS diagnostic tester can print out a report on each vehicle, detailing the faults found, the vehicle details, the customer name and a break down of costs.

The KTS 650 is portable and can be used anywhere in the workshop or in a vehicle on a test drive. The touch screen display is clear and bright, even where light conditions are poor. The unit is also compatible with networks and multimedia and is highly durable, oil and brake fluid resistant, heat resistant and shock resistant.