Some people in the automotive aftermarket and the garage industry may have heard the word OSCA buzzing around occasionally and as one of their primary distributors we wanted to provide a guide into how the OSCA cable can help your business grow. The OSCA cable can help with a myriad of the automotive aftermarket industries’ diagnostic needs, including: automotive locksmiths, tow bar installers, body shops, ADAS technicians and general garage professionals. So, in this brief guide we will outline the benefits you can expect from adding an OSCA cable to your business’s arsenal.
Easy to use
Using the OSCA cable couldn’t be simpler. Compared to other diagnostics tools, it is simply a case of plugging in the cable and connecting it to your local WIFI network. Once connected, all you need to do is open the OSCA android app for the original OSCA cable (retailing at £599.99+VAT without a subscription) or the OSCA 2.0 (retailing at £899.99+VAT without subscription). For a clearer understanding of the process. you can read OSCA’s user guides here or rely on their excellent customer support where the OSCA team will be more than happy to help!
The difference between OSCA and OSCA 2.0
OSCA has released two variants of their cable, the original OSCA cable and OSCA 2.0. So what’s the difference? Well, the original OSCA cable requires an Android device in order to access their expansive range of services through the OSCA app, which is only available on Android devices. The OSCA 2.0 cable, however, can be used on any device and provides a more stable connection to OSCA’s team of master technicians. It generally has less steps required in order to set up an initial connection and is more reliable.
Another key distinction is that the OSCA 2.0 cable can be used on vehicles with 4 CANBus lines, as well as being DoIP and CAN FD ready. This means that it is future-proofed for working on the most modern vehicles, and as vehicular technology advances this may be a valuable asset for garages wanting to stay on the cutting edge. Both, however, currently provide the same expansive range of dealer level diagnostic functions and expert advice from some of the UK’s best technicians.
Subscription or no subscription?
If you intend to use your OSCA cable frequently, you may benefit from an OSCA subscription and we at 3D Group really don’t know why you wouldn’t frequently use a tool that caters for all your diagnostic needs without the need of the dealer being involved! So, here is OSCA’s subscription model.
The subscription costs £14.99 +VAT a month and is a massive cost saving for particularly busy garages, body shops, automotive locksmiths and tow bar installers that will use the cable regularly. It will most certainly be a wise investment as it can save you up to £7.50+VAT per job, which adds up if you are doing many jobs each and every month. There is also the opportunity to save even more with OSCA’s multi-job discount. You can contact the OSCA team for details on how you can save here.
Without the subscription each job cost £7.50+VAT more than if you had a subscription, but if you don’t use the cable particularly often it might be not be necessary. The subscription is suitable for garages that have a high demand for diagnostic jobs. So, for instance, with a subscription the ‘New BCM Programming’ procedure on an Audi A1 (8X) costs just £59.99+VAT whereas without a subscription the cost is £67.49+VAT.
Time saving
An OSCA cable can save both time and money due to the relative simplicity of use. All your technician may be required to do during module programming is to run through an ignition cycle a few times and OSCA’s technicians do the rest. So, you will have more free staff to do your bread and butter jobs and if they need any extra support, OSCA’s technicians are on hand to help them every step of the way. This is a significant benefit given the shortage of skilled automotive technicians in the UK at the moment. So your garage can still thrive even if you are short of skilled mechanics, thanks to OSCA’s technicians.
A final timesaving benefit is that once your OSCA cable is plugged in you can simply sit on your laptop and wait for prompts from the OSCA team, freeing you up to do paperwork, marketing or anything else to further the growth and success of your business.
Beat the dealer & reduce your bottom line
We think all garages, ADAS technicians, body shops, tow bar installers and automotive locksmiths should be able to thrive in this challenging economic climate. We want to encourage all garage owners to diversify their offering in order to keep the industry afloat in these tough conditions.
So, here is little on how OSCA can save you money. Firstly, if you are paying the main dealer for module programming you are likely to be taking a massive financial hit with dealers’ hourly rates on average being in excess of £120+VAT. Dealers are slow and can often take days if not weeks to complete the job, whereas on OSCA’s application list the most expensive job is £97.49+VAT for an Abarth 500 used ECM module reprogramming and that is without a subscription! Most jobs come in at around £50 to £60. Additionally, you will be able to save money on the towing cost to and from the dealer.
OSCA gives a significant advantage over your competition as not only will you not have to pay exorbitant dealer fees for simple module programming, you will also save time as the average wait time for dealer services has increased to weeks during the pandemic. The OSCA team has all the expertise to offer a dealer-level service at a fraction of the cost and in a recession, who doesn’t need to save a little bit more money?
This will all contribute to increasing profits, revenue and return on investment for your business, whether you are operating as a Body Shop, ADAS workshop, an automotive locksmith, Tow bar installers or a normal garage. The bottom line is an OSCA cable will save you both time, money and the cost of expertise.