Bermuda-based automotive dealer HWP has gone truly state-of-the-art with the take-up of a new online diagnostic technology to service Volkswagen (VW) vehicles on the Island.

The technology uses real-time processing of immobiliser codes, instant transmission of diagnostic information to engineers in Germany, and on-demand updates of electronic control module software, making the servicing of automotive vehicles much faster and more efficient than ever before.

"Imagine this new technology like a visit to your doctor," said Lenny Henderson, technical trainer with HWP.

"Your doctor can assess symptoms and based on those symptoms suggest a course of action, but lab results are needed to provide a complete picture. Our automotive technicians are like the doctors, and VW engineers in Germany are the lab.

"Together, we get a fuller understanding of what may be wrong with a vehicle and what needs to be done to fix the problem. This new technology makes the whole process of fixing a vehicle easier and faster."

With the new online diagnosis system, a diagnostic tester unit used by HWP staff is linked online to the VW AG central server, thus considerably extending the scope of the diagnostic tester unit in Bermuda. HWP in Bermuda is one of the first companies in the Caribbean and Latin America to benefit from this technology which will be used to service all VW vehicles that HWP sells, including the new VW Golf A5 Hatchback arriving at the dealership in May.