I was asked to go out and look at a 2011 Vauxhall Insignia, which by all accounts had issues with the rear end electrics on the car.

On arrival at the garage, I found out the background to the issues. Along with the abnormalities it was displaying. There had evidently been water ingress into the rear, which had tracked down the loom. This had in turn corroded two pins off completely that terminated at the power tailgate module.

Somehow or other we still had comms with the power tailgate module, but limited information after that. The customer already had a new module ready for fitment. So I plugged it in, and at this point we no longer had comms or the ability to do anything with the new module.

So now I had two options with regards getting the module online. I had time on my side that particular day, so I opted to go the manufacturer Pass-Thru route. Having not used Pass-Thru before, and only having seen clips. I thought it best to have time, and a helping hand! I decided to call Alex of Impact Diagnostics. Alex has been fantastic with supply of numerous tools when I went it alone late last year. He has also gone way beyond that, with help and advice over the phone ever since!

I got Alex dialled in over Team Viewer on to my laptop, and we went through the process together. This involved getting logged into the dealer portal. Buying the necessary ’slot’ we needed to carry out module coding. Then on to the business of correct vehicle I.D. Once this was all done, I was guided through the menu system by Alex. We located the specific module, and ticked the relevant boxes as to the task we wanted to perform. A few short moments, and percentage complete icon bars later. We were in business. The unit was coded, and operational. A couple of minor “comfort” settings done with the tailgate buttons on the car. For how the customer needed the tailgate to work, and that was it!

The process was very straightforward, and on reflection actually cheaper than the other tooling option I could have used. I feel much happier in using Pass-Thru again now. The support given was needed, and I thank Alex for that! A great learning exercise, and time well spent to make life easier in the future.

Stuart Lawson (Autotech Cumbria)
​