Automotive diagnostics is something the collision repair industry didn’t have to deal with 22 years ago. Vehicles with ADAS first appeared in the U.S. in the 1950s, believe it or not, but they took off in the early 2000s, with the 2000 Cadillac DeVille with Night Vision, and 2000 Toyotas with Dynamic Laser Cruise Control.
Now, every auto body shop needs to work with a third-party or train someone in its crew to do calibrations. That’s where Launch Tech USA, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of diagnostic tools and equipment, has truly filled a void.
JJB Auto Glass
Location: Atascadero, CA
(805) 459-5631
Company At A Glance...
Type: Auto Glass and Calibration
Facility Employees: Five
In Business Since: 2017
Number of Locations: One
Production Space: 5,000 square feet
Lee Swindell, owner of JJB Auto Glass in Atascadero, CA, is an ADAS expert. He taught auto diagnostics for two years, works hand in hand with the glass industry on many levels, and is a master certified technician with the Auto Glass Safety Council. He also just launched the Auto Glass Technical Institute, to train people from all over the world.
How did Swindell get started in the diagnostics game? By pitching in, like everything else.
“Interestingly enough auto glass was my first job,” he said. “I was paid to sweep up the broken glass, but I wasn’t really allowed to do much more than that. I have now been in this industry for 19 years.”
Knowledge is king when it comes to ADAS diagnostics, and that gives Swindell a distinct advantage over his competition. Working with Launch Tech USA also enables him to perform precise calibrations.
“Ultimately, you can have the best tool in the world, but you’re lost without knowing how to use it. When it comes to performing diagnostics, you’re only as good as your education. So, we’re very big on education and everything that we do.”
Swindell opened JJB Auto Glass in 2017, when diagnostics were still a gray area.
“As the owners of a glass company, we began seeing an uptick in vehicles that were coming in our shop with cameras,” he said. “That was really the first thing that hit the market. Back then, there were still a lot of things that we weren’t able to calibrate, which meant that we had to send cars to the dealership.”
A lack of knowledge has been one of the largest problems within the auto diagnostics field.
“Back in the day, some of the dealers told people you don’t have to necessarily calibrate this or that,” Swindell said. “If you don’t unplug the camera, you don’t have to calibrate, they told people. Well, ultimately that’s false. It boils down to a lot of the dealerships actually don’t have the technology or know how to use it. Who are you going to believe---the dealership you purchased the vehicle from or the glass shop that will replace your windshield? I truly understand why they would believe the dealership. And that’s just a lack of education.”
It is truly a family business at JJB Auto Glass. Tiffany, Lee’s wife, was a hairstylist for 23 years, but now she is one of the finest automotive window people in the industry.
“So, we got her out of the hair chair and she then came on full time here at the glass shop,” Swindell said. “Oh boy, she’s the big boss around here now, not to mention that she is a silver medalist in windshield repair. She actually competed in the Auto Glass Olympics last year in Florida, and she brought home a silver medal.”
When Swindell first saw the Launch Tech equipment at a local diagnostics center, he wanted it immediately.
“They were using Launch Tech USA and they did a Toyota calibration in about seven minutes. Then they did another calibration on a Honda and it took 10 to 12 minutes. I just thought, how soon can I have this equipment? I had it within a week, one of the smartest things I’ve ever done.”
Swindell currently has Launch Tech USA’s ADAS Pro Plus Premium package, a mobile unit, and recently ordered the Launch Tech USA HD package to do calibrations on larger vehicles, like Freightliners and heavy duty trucks.
Swindell appreciates Launch Tech because he gets updates like clockwork and the company’s support is over the top.
“Launch Tech gets us all of the updates into everyone’s hands on the newer vehicles faster than any other company,” Swindell said. “As long as our tablet is connected to WiFi, we will automatically get the upgrades. There’s a little icon on our tablet, so I always look at it when I come in each morning. It will tell us if there are three or four new updates and you simply just click and it takes a couple of minutes, and you’ll have the newest and greatest technology instantly to your tablet."
Launch Tech USA
Ontario, CA
(562) 463-1580
www.launchtechusa.com
Facebook: @LaunchTechUSA
Twitter: @launchtechusa
LinkedIn: @launch-tech-usa
YouTube: @LaunchTechUSA
To read more auto body shop profiles from the October 2022 Shop and Product Showcase, click here.
