aloa.org May 2024 Keynotes 41 diagnostic tools, service information access and technician training. Our industry, while related, may not have been the primary focus. I reached out to Donny Seyfer, execu- tive officer of NASTF, for his side. “SDRM was created in 2007 so automakers could provide immobilizer data to indepen- dent repairers necessary during module replacement events. The program initially was a contractual joint effort between NASTF, NICB, ALOA and ASA on the aftermarket side with most automakers participating. During the development process and prior to launch, California passed a law requiring that key and pin codes be available to locksmiths 24 hours a day, seven days a week so vehicles could be entered and made to run again when keys were lost. This law was passed with the backing of the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (www. bsis.ca.gov) who licenses locksmiths in their state.” That same SDRM model did not come without challenges, as a lack of standardized access to immobilizer data prevented locksmiths from being able to work on a wide range of vehicles with ease. It’s important to note that while this started in California, issues arose when expanding this program nationwide. At the time, “less than 20 states had lock- smith license requirements. This meant NASTF had become the de facto lock- smith credentialing organization even though the program was being adminis- trated by first ALOA and later ASA. The buck stopped with NASTF if there was misuse or car theft,” Seyfer said. The Aftermarket Tools It’s no secret that many OEMs would prefer to keep all work in house, and while not all are as extreme as Mer- cedes FBS 4 systems, the aftermarket tools have had to work to service their existing customer base. Without direct support from the automakers, compa- nies like Autel, XTool and Advanced Diagnostics have developed tools and software to access immobilizer data to prevent our customers from having to visit a dealership for spare keys. One major difference between the service department and us is the ability to offer mobile service, especially in all-keys-lost situations (although there are a couple OEMs currently starting mobile service, we still offer services they can’t, whether it’s the ability to make keys to a vehicle older than 10 years or make a key when a vehicle has been rekeyed). The ultimate goal, regardless of OEM, dealer or locksmith, is to keep the cus- tomer mobile. The automotive locksmith industry operates in a unique position related to automotive service and/or repair as a whole. Concerns and chal- lenges we face may not always align with those of traditional automotive techni- cians. The best OEM service information available won’t tell us what transponder is used in newer cars; we rely on friends with dealership connections to refer- ence new part numbers and FCC IDs. It won’t tell us there was a change in pro- gramming protocols from a 2011 Subaru Impreza to a 2012, and if you try to pro- gram the 2012 on the old system, it will “brick” the car. Historically, the limited information shared by OEMs has only increased the need for the toolmakers to work harder to “crack” newer, more difficult systems. At this point, any automotive or even commercial locksmiths who are on social media should be aware of the great NASTF ban of 2018. Overnight, hun- dreds of LSID (which later was replaced by VSP) accounts were suspended. I asked Donny for an explanation, again, from their side on what happened. “In early 2018, NASTF and automakers, due to widespread issues with account sharing, identified over 1,700 SDRM accounts with unrealistic transaction counts and multiple email accounts associated with them on automaker web- sites. After spending considerable time in cross-referencing, it was determined there were a number of bad actors in the registry who had taken over the accounts of hundreds of VSPs who had shared their credentials with them. The only way to flush out the bad actors was to turn off a total of around 1,375 accounts, all at the same time in June of 2018, and perform a forced audit on all of them.” At the time, a few code broker services required (or at least asked for) a user to input their LSID credentials to create an account. This was a direct violation of the terms and conditions of NASTF. As a family-owned Pop-A-Lock location, my father and I each had separate LSIDs. We did attempt to sign up with one of these code brokers in 2015 under their “LSID” option but did not input an LSID. When the broker asked for it, we explained we signed up using that option, but we weren’t going to share it, as it violated the terms of service with NASTF. The response? They “will go ahead and pro- cess your application. I just wanted to make sure that you are indeed a NASTF member (many people sign up through that option without even knowing what NASTF is).” That was the response sent in mid-2015. With the aftermarket scan tool validation program, it is in the best interests of NASTF, OEMs, insurance companies and the toolmakers for this process to work, and work well.
