Jul. 12, 2010 – A Sea-Doo scanner tool

SBT has released the Scanner Tool 101, a portable diagnostic tool that will allow independent PWC dealers to accurately diagnose and troubleshoot Sea-Doo four-stroke engines.

According to SBT, the tool will read and erase fault codes, perform live diagnostics and add or remove Digitally Encoded Security System (DESS) keys. Previously, only Sea-Doo and an aftermarket European company offered such a tool. Sea-Doo’s B.U.D.S. tool is available only to authorized dealers, and the European tool has proven prohibitively expensive for many independent shops. The introduction of an affordable, third-party Sea-Doo diagnostic tool is seen as a boon for smaller shops with no manufacturer ties.

Annual Licensing

According to SBT, the New Scanner Tool 101 will work on all Sea-Doo 4-TEC engines up to the 2009 model year. It will clear the maintenance required prompt on the Sea-Doo information display, and clear maintenance hours. In addition the tool reads, explains and clears all sensor codes, and performs diagnostic features, like firing fuel injectors, disabling spark plugs and activating fuel pumps. It also will give historical maximum/minimum values for engine and exhaust temperatures.

Yet another feature that makes the Scanner Tool desirable for independents is it will actually allow them to make new digitally-encoded lanyards. Until now, a consumer’s only alternative was to go to an authorized Sea-Doo dealer for a replacement.

SBT is making the tool available to its dealers only, and not to the public. Shops that do more than $10,000 in annual purchases from the company (Level 1) will receive the hardware for $295 with free ground shipping, and free software for 2010 and every year thereafter. Level 2 dealers ($5,000-10,000 in annual purchases) will be offered the hardware for $295 with free ground shipping, the software free in 2010, and a yearly $300 license renewal. Level 3 dealers (less than $5,000 in annual purchases) will receive the scanner tool for $295, free ground shipping, free software for 2010, and a yearly license renewal of $600.

System requirements include a Windows PC with a 1 GHz or faster processor, 256 MB (512 MB preferred) RAM, USB Version 1.1 or higher, Windows XP & Service Pack 3 Operating System, and a CD/DVD drive. The program will not work on any 64-bit OS. SBT will offer a complete system with carrying case to those that are interested.

Future Releases

According to SBT founder Greg Pickren, the tool is a game changer.

“Sea-Doo only provided its tool to authorized dealers,” said Pickren. “This kept all the independents from being able to provide service. For example, an independent service shop could change the oil, but he could not make the ‘maintenance required’ light stop flashing. Now he can with our tool.”

Pickren notes that SBT developed the tool with a company that specializes in scanner tools for trucking, heavy industry, military and automotive applications. While the first release of the product is aimed specifically at Sea-Doo four-strokes, future releases will support Sea-Doo two-strokes, DIs and both Yamaha and Kawasaki product.

As previously noted, SBT’s scanner tool is not the first commercially available Sea-Doo diagnostic tool. A Spanish company currently produces a tool dubbed the Scan-Sea, which was introduced two years ago. With a retail of nearly $4,000, however, it’s prohibitively expensive for an independent shop. Little English-speaking tech support is also unsettling for customers in the United States and reviews on popular enthusiast Web sites have been mixed. That would seem to leave the door open for SBT to enjoy success with the Scanner Tool 101, especially given that early reviews have been positive.

“Our strategy was to bring an affordable scanner tool to market for the thousands of independent shops that service PWC,” said Pickren, “and we are the first to do that.

“At our price point, we think there are thousands of independent shops that will be able to justify purchasing an SBT Scanner Tool 101. The response in the marketplace to our new tool so far has been great and we are getting lots of inquiries and orders.” psb