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International Automotive Technicians' Network (iATN)

by Larry Carley, Copyright 2002



When you run into a diagnostic dead end, where do you turn? Often times, the help you need can't be found in a shop manual or in a technical service bulletin. If you're stumped and nobody else in the shop can help you figure it out, you might call a manufacturer's hotline, a local new car dealer, a parts supplier or your Uncle Bob. Maybe you will get the repair help you need or maybe you won't.

The point is you can waste a lot of valuable shop time trying to diagnose vehicle problem you've never encountered before.

That's where the International Automotive Technicians' Network (iATN) comes in. Launched in 1995 by Brent Black as an online forum for automotive technicians to share their problems, experiences and concerns, iATN has become a real Godsend for those who use it. Membership has exploded from a handful of users (50) in 1995 to over 40,000 active members in 126 countries.
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In a nutshell, here's how iATN works. There are over 20 different web forums for posting requests for help, comments or replies to other technician's posts. Comments are organized by date and by topic (called "threads"). Once you register, you can access the forums, read the posts, subscribe to various forum emails and post problems and replies of your own. This part is free to all technicians.

Users who wish to advance to the next level and become a "sponsoring member" for a small fee, get full access to the iATN FIX Database (an archive of TechMail messages, searchable by make, model, system, VIN and symptoms), all forum archives, a waveform library and TechNight transcripts (online discussions of various problems and issues).

So why knock your brains out trying to solve a problem that somebody else may have already figured out? By joining iATN, you can tap the collective experience of thousands of other technicians worldwide and often find the help you need when faced with a diagnostic dilemma.

For more information, visit the iATN website at www.iatn.net
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