We went to the NEC in Birmingham on Tuesday for the opening day of Automechanika, a 3-day trade event focused on the automotive aftermarket. As consultants in Vehicle Systems Forensics, it made sense to see what was on show. Here are the highlights – and some info tailored for people working with vehicle systems, diagnostics, and data.
The event filled three halls at the NEC, with everything from chamois leathers to aftermarket parts, bodyshop kit, paint systems and repair tools. We were there for the digital side, so we skipped most of the traditional stands – useful gear, just not our focus. (Although we did spot a decent-looking bench that might make a good stocking filler). There was a noticeable number of stands offering Chinese parts and decals – a clear sign of the growing influence of Chinese manufacturers in the UK market.
ECU Check
The first stand that really caught our attention was ECU Check – a new product launched at the event. It's designed to identify whether an engine ECU has been remapped, which is something we're often asked in serious collision investigations. ECU remapping can affect insurance validity, and in some fatal collisions we've worked on, it's been a factor. It's a difficult area to investigate without manufacturer support, and this tool could help fill that gap. It's early days, not every Engine ECU out there is covered – but they've got a decent support of the market already.
The tool connects via OBD to read the engine ECU, but if OBD isn't an option, you can power up the ECU on a bench and read it that way. The file is then uploaded to their portal and checked against a stock calibration to confirm if it's been modified. It also flags deleted fault codes, which is a big plus in fraud cases.
It doesn't show when the modification or code deletion happened, which would be useful, but even confirming that changes exist could be enough to support a case. Pricing is subscription-based at around £300/month, with minimum terms. We're hoping to get our hands on one soon to test it properly, so watch this space.
Diagnostics
Next up was diagnostics. All the main players and well-known resellers were there. We had a good chat with the team at Maverick Diagnostics about dealer tools, which gave us some useful insight. For those of us who don't use dealer tools daily, it's unrealistic to think we could buy them all and stay fluent in each with only occasional use. But the conversation did give us something to think about – maybe specialising in one tool per year to build a broader knowledge base over time. Credit to the Maverick team for taking the time to walk us through it.
As for the big all-rounders, they were all there: Launch, Autel, Texa, Snap-On, Bosch, Delphi, Think, TopDon… you get the idea. We've used diagnostic tools for a while, and like most people in the trade know, there's no perfect tool. Each has strengths and gaps – it's always a compromise, and you often need more than one.
Secure Diagnostic Access (SDA) is a hurdle for the aftermarket and you can see vendors having to work hard to smooth this process out for end users.
One useful feature we spotted came from Texa – a scan mode that quickly pulls mileage and VIN from ECUs. That's a handy addition to the global scan, especially for dealers handling trade-ins or finance companies checking for mileage tampering or stolen components. We've used a standalone tool (Abrites) for this before, but having it baked into a diagnostics platform as a second-button press is a smart move. Worth checking whether other tools offer it too (we didn't get chance to ask other vendors but didn't see anything obvious from display units) seems like tool makers might finally be responding to real-world issues flagged by insurers and finance firms.
We also picked up a Topdon Phoenix Lite 3 to test. It caught our attention because it includes a visual network topology layout on the interface – potentially a good teaching aid for our students on our module 2 course. We'll post a review once we've had time to use it properly.
Training and cybersecurity
On training – still nothing out there focused on Vehicle Systems Forensics. As some of you know, we've developed our own programme, but it's clear it needs a proper platform in the automotive sector and at events like this. The training landscape still feels split between automotive and digital, with neither quite connecting yet. Something we'll keep pushing on – maybe time to reconnect with the Institute of Motor Industry (IMI) and Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISEC) and see what more we can do.
Lastly – no sign of automotive cybersecurity. Secure diagnostics were mentioned, but mainly in terms of how tool manufacturers are getting around OEM restrictions for the aftermarket. There was nothing visible on broader cyber threats or protections. Maybe the aftermarket isn't there yet, but from our point of view, it was a notable gap. (Unless we missed it – caffeine levels were dropping.)
All in all, a good day out. If you get the chance to go, it's worth it. We will cover some of the tools we saw in more detail in future blogs and vlogs.