Remote Diagnostics - Description And Operation : Notes
Mobile Repair Possible: N/A
Description
Customer Initiation
Vehicle Pre-conditions
Fleet Management Portal
Connecting to a Vehicle
Warning Messages
Reading Diagnostic Trouble Codes
Accessing Logs
Resolving Vehicle Faults
Customer Next Steps
Troubleshooting
Description
Remote Diagnostics, refers to a system for VinFast personnel to remotely connect to a vehicle to receive information on faults which may be detected within the vehicle. The purpose of Remote Diagnostics is to assist the customer in resolving faults quickly, if possible, or to assist in determining the appropriate next step, which may include Roadside Assistance or booking an appointment for a service. Remote Diagnostics also allows service technicians to prepare for a service appointment by having advanced notice of the faults detected by the vehicle.
VinFast personnel who are authorized for Remote Diagnostics will have access to an online portal, through which they can connect to a vehicle via the mobile phone network, and retrieve information on the warning messages which the customer can see displayed, and also the Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC) which are present in the vehicle. To connect to a vehicle the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) must be known.
A Remote Diagnostics session can be started while the vehicle is off and unattended. The Remote Diagnostics request shall power on the vehicle to collect the diagnostic information, then power down the vehicle again once complete. A session can also be performed while the vehicle is being driven.
Remote Diagnostics is a useful tool to improve the customer experience in dealing with any issues which may arise with their VinFast vehicle.
Customer Initiation
The first step in the Remote Diagnostics process begins when the customer receives a warning message on the touchscreen of their vehicle. On seeing the warning message the customer may choose one of the following actions:
- Call the Customer Support Centre, either using the vehicle's in-built call feature, or using their own phone.
- Submit a Roadside Assistance request using the touchscreen.
- Submit a Book Service request using the touchscreen.
If the customer calls the Customer Support Centre, a customer service representative will answer their call, confirm the reason for their call, and direct their call to the appropriate customer service representative or service technician to start the Remote Diagnostics session.
If the customer submits a Roadside Assistance request, a service technician reviewing that request may wish to start a Remote Diagnostics session in order to gather more information on the state of the vehicle. This assists in assessing the priority of the request, and the type of mobile vehicle which may be required to be dispatched.
If the customer submits a Book Service request, a service technician who is preparing for the service appointment may wish to start a Remote Diagnostics session in order to gather more information on the state of the vehicle. This may assist in determining which parts and equipment may be required for the appointment.
Vehicle Pre-conditions
Remote Diagnostics can only be performed while ALL of the following vehicle pre-conditions are met:
- High Voltage Battery state-of-charge is greater than or equal to 20%
- 12V Battery voltage is greater than 11.5V
- The vehicle is connected to the internet, either via Wi-Fi or via a mobile network.
- A Remote Software Update (FOTA) is not currently active, or suspended.
Remote Diagnostics can be performed while the vehicle is being driven.
If the vehicle is off when Remote Diagnostics is started, the vehicle shall power on automatically and Remote Diagnostics may be performed. Once complete, the vehicle will power down again. During such a Remote Diagnostics session the touchscreen will remain off.
Fleet Management Portal
Customer service representatives and service technicians perform Remote Diagnostics using the VinFast online Fleet Management portal, which can be accessed using the below link:
www.connected-car.vinfast.vn
Login using the username and password you have been provided. Please contact VinFast IT by emailing evsupport@vinfast.vn to arrange access to the Fleet Management Portal.
Once you have logged in, select "Remote Diagnostics" from the left-hand menu to expand the menu, then select "Vehicle Connection".
Connecting to a Vehicle
In order to connect to a vehicle to perform Remote Diagnostics you must provide a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) for the vehicle. Depending on how the customer calls for assistance, the VIN may be provided by the Dealer Management System (DMS) or you may need to ask the customer to provide the VIN. The VIN number may also be referred to as the VinCode.
Enter the VIN into the input field and select "VIN Connect".
Once "VIN Connect" is selected it may take a few minutes for the Remote Diagnostics Session to be established. Once established, the customer will receive a notification on the vehicle touchscreen that a Remote Diagnostics session is active, and the notification will give the customer the option to end the session if they choose to. The customer may end a Remote Diagnostic session at any time.
If the customer is also logged into the companion smartphone app, they will receive the notification via the app as well. The customer will also be able to end the session from the app.
Each Remote Diagnostics session will have a 20 minute expiry time, therefore if the service technician has not ended the session within 20 minutes, the session will timeout and end automatically. If a service technician wishes to continue after the session has expired, they can simply initiate a new session.
Once the session is established, the "VIN Connect" button will change to a "VIN Disconnect" button, and you will also see information in the Connection Log window.
The Connection Log Window shows the current status of the connection to the vehicle. If there are any issues with the Remote Diagnostics connection, relevant messages will be displayed in the Connection Window, and also as popup messages in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
For more information on connection issues and troubleshooting, please see the Troubleshooting section below.
Warning Messages
The Current Warning Message window on the Vehicle Connection screen shows a list of the warning messages which are currently present on the vehicle touchscreen. This list of warning messages is likely to include the warning which the customer observed and then called for assistance to resolve.
When warning messages first occur within the vehicle they will show as a large warning to the driver. The driver may then choose to minimize each warning. Therefore, even though they are included in this list, the driver may not be seeing the warning on their screen at the time you are talking with them.
If multiple warning messages are present, the touchscreen will cycle through each one.
The list of warning messages displayed on the Vehicle Connection screen will update every 5 seconds as long as the connection to the vehicle is maintained.
These warning messages are a useful source of information for you to assist the customer in diagnosing the fault they are experiencing. Many simple faults may be diagnosed using the warning messages alone.
Please see below for a description of the information shown in each column of the Current Warning Message window:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Symbol Telltale | A picture of the telltale or symbol that is shown on the driver's display. |
| Title | The title of the warning message. |
| Summary | The short summary text for the warning message which appears on the driver's display. |
| Sender | The Electronic Control Unit (ECU) which is requesting the warning. |
| Service Code | A code indicating the level of repair required to resolve the fault. The possible code values are shown below: S0 - Not service relevant S1 - Customer Self-fix S2 - Need to book a service appointment S3 - Need to call roadside assistance |
Reading Diagnostic Trouble Codes
In addition to warning messages, Remote Diagnostics also allows you to read the Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) that have been recorded in the vehicle. The Electronic Control Units (ECUs) in the vehicle are continually checking for faults, and when a fault is detected they record information on the type of fault that has occurred. Using Remote Diagnostics you can request the status of DTCs from all ECUs, and they will respond with the DTC information.
Once you are connected to the vehicle, you can enter the Dealer Management System Case ID for the call on the Vehicle Connection screen, and select "Global DTC Read". The DTC information is then requested from the vehicle.
It may take several minutes for the vehicle to respond with the DTC information, during which time you will see the Live System Analysis screen:
Once the DTC read is completed the Live System Analysis screen shall display a grid in which each rectangle represents one ECU in the vehicle. They will be colour coded according to the following:
- Grey - no response received from the ECU.
- Orange - DTC read was not successful.
- Green - DTC read was successful, no DTCs reported.
- Red - DTC read was successful, one or more DTCs reported.
If a DTC is reported by an ECU and is displayed as red, you can then select that ECU and you will see a list of the DTCs reported by that ECU shown on the right-hand side of the screen.
For each DTC reported the following information is available:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| DTC | The Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) number and Failure Type Byte (FTB) that the ECU has reported. For example: U0146-87. |
| Failure Type Byte | The hex value of the DTC Failure Type Byte and the associated description. The Failure Type Byte indicates the type of failure that has been detected for the relevant circuit or function. |
| Status | The status of the fault: Current - the fault is currently active at the time of the DTC read; History - the fault has occurred in the past but was not active at the time of the DTC read. |
| Status Byte | The hex value of the status byte which the ECU reported for this DTC number. The status byte indicates when certain failure criteria, or pass criteria have been met for each DTC. |
| Description | The DTC Name associated with the DTC number. |
For each possible DTC a Guided Repair Instruction has been prepared that provides further definition of the DTC, the failure criteria for being reported, and recommended repair actions. The Guided Repair Instructions can be found in Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) List - All Vehicle Faults , and general information on how to use the Guided Repair Instructions can be found in DTC Repair Instruction - Guidance .
For a full list of all the Failure Type Byte values and their descriptions, please refer to Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) Failure Type List - All Vehicle Faults .
The list of DTCs reported for each ECU can also be exported to a PDF by selecting the Export PDF link at the top of the list of DTCs.
Once a DTC read is completed successfully you have the option to either Re-Scan the vehicle for DTCs by selecting Re-Scan, or clear DTC information received by selecting Clear Session. Both of these options are shown below the Case ID field.
Every DTC read which is performed on a vehicle is stored in the Fleet Management system so that it can be reviewed at a later date, therefore there is no need to "save" each DTC read if you wish to review it later.
Accessing Logs
You can access previous vehicle DTC reads at any time, regardless of whether you are connected to a vehicle or not. This allows you to follow up on previous cases, and prepare for upcoming service appointments without the need to start a new Remote Diagnostic session.
Simply select Vehicle History from the left-hand menu, enter the VIN number and press enter, and a list of previous DTC logs will be displayed. You can also search by Case ID and also the date range for which the DTC read was performed.
Selecting the Case ID of any of the DTC logs will then display the DTC Summary screen, which shows you a list of all DTCs reported in that DTC log, and a visual indication of which ECUs reported DTCs.
As with a live connection to the vehicle using the Live System Analysis screen, you can select each ECU in the grid to view the reported DTCs on the right hand side of the screen. Alternatively, the table shows all DTCs recorded in the vehicle during that DTC read, with an indication of the DTC number and Failure Type Byte, the DTC name and the DTC status.
Please note that the vehicle warning messages as shown on the Vehicle Connection screen are not logged for reviewing after a vehicle connection has ended.
Please also note that you are unable to navigate directly to the DTC Summary screen and view information. You must first go to the Vehicle History screen and select a DTC log, which will then take you to the DTC Summary screen to view the DTC log you have selected.
Resolving Vehicle Faults
There are a small number of vehicle faults which may be able to be resolved by the customer with your assistance during your call with them. These issues are categorized as "Self-fix" and the Current Warning Message table on the Vehicle Connection screen will indicate which warning messages have the Self-fix service code.
Please refer to the VinFast Owner's Manual at the below link for more information on how to resolve self-fix items.
https://om.vinfastauto.com/
Customer Next Steps
For all warning messages and DTCs reported which require a VinFast service technician to resolve, a booking for a service appointment should be made with the customer, if this has not already been done. Please offer to book an appointment for the customer yourself. Alternatively the customer can make a booking themselves either through Service section of the settings menu in the touchscreen, or using the VinFast companion app on their smartphone.
In cases where the vehicle is not considered safe to be driven, or is inoperable, please assist the customer to arrange suitable road-side assistance, if this has not already been done.
Troubleshooting
While using the Remote Diagnostics system you may encounter a number of error messages if the session is not successful. The below tables describe each of the possible error messages, and the next steps that should be taken.
There two types of error messages you may receive, pop-up messages in the top right-hand corner of the Remote Diagnostics screen, and also error messages that are displayed in the Connection Log window.