PartsTech Setup Instructions

Q. How do you setup PartsTech with Maxx?

Answer:

Follow this instruction guide to setup PartsTech integration with MaxxTraxx:

PartsTech Setup Instructions

The PartsTech integration allows shops to do a part search thru multiple vendors at virtually the same time. It is now available in beta version 7.8.349.0 for those shops who have requested it.

Setup:

• Go to the PartsTech website https://www.partstech.com/getstarted which will explain the step by step procedures to register. There is a link on that page to take you to the sign up page (https://www.partstech.com/mechanic/signup.) (If problems are encountered with the on-line setup, call PartsTech Support at 866-308-5193.)
• Read the entire Get Started documentation before clicking on the “Click here” link to go to the sign-up page.
• Find the drop-down list where you can choose the vendors you want to be able to order from.
• PartsTech will set those vendors up for you on their side.
• You will be given a User ID and Key from PartsTech.
• In MaxxTraxx, you will click on Setups/Electronic Ordering.
• Check the box for PartsTech and click the button to change setups.
• With the PartsTech radio button tagged, enter the credentials PartsTech gave you.
• (The other two radio buttons, Bosch and Bridgestone, are branded affiliate sites on PartsTech. For shops that are a Bosch dealer, they get credentials that will take them to the branded site. They have the Bosch working, but Bridgestone is not ready yet, and so that button is disabled for now.)

That’s all there is to setting it up.

Use:

• In an open RO, when you choose to add a part to a labor, choose “Parts from PartsTech”. This will launch the PartsTech site.
• It works best in full screen but can be used in a window. (The difference is that the list of vendors, in full screen, are all displayed across the top, making it easier to switch between vendors. In the windowed screen you must first click on the “Change Supplier” button then choose the vendor you want to search.)
• Once you have searched each of your vendors to find the availability and best price, click on the “Add to Cart” button to the right.
• After adding the part from one vendor to your cart, you can change vendors and order other parts from different vendors during the same session.
• Once you have found and added all the parts you need for this job, click on the “Proceed to Checkout” button, which will take you to a screen displaying all your parts to order.
• There is a “Remove” button, if a mistake was made, in the lower left corner of each vendor’s list.
• From this page you can choose to Continue Shopping if you forgot something, or Submit Quote to place the parts onto the RO. (If somehow, you don’t already have a vendor created in MaxxTraxx that is in your PartsTech group, when you Submit the Quote, you will be given the opportunity to add the vendor to your list.)

Ordering Parts:

• Once the parts are on your RO, and are displaying as short (over sold), when you save the RO, you will spin out as always to the PO Notice page.
• The changes here are that in the left column under Vendor Name, the first item will be “All Parts”, and will be displaying all the short parts.
• You won’t be able to tag in the Order column while in this view, because the parts may be from different vendors and each would create a different PO to the appropriate vendor.
• Click on the name of the vendor to allow the PO to continue.
• From that point, creating the purchase orders is the same as before…except for one important difference.
• In PO, the ”Add Line Item” button is disabled. You cannot add to the PO when ordering thru the PartsTech function.
• Stock orders need to be started from the Order Parts button. The reason is that all parts brought over thru PartsTech are coded so that PartsTech is credited for their sale. Parts ordered directly from your inventory list are not credited to PartsTech.

Conclusion:

This is a very cool and efficient new integration. There’s no extra charge for it, so why wouldn’t you use it? It is beta, remember, so there will be additional changes to the feature no doubt, as we receive feedback from you, but essentially should stay much the same as it is now.

As you are now a Beta Tester for the new feature, we would appreciate your feedback. And please report to us any problems you run into in the use of it. Generally speaking, once you have chosen PartsTech from the RO, and are logged into the PartsTech site, you have left MaxxTraxx and problems experienced there we would expect to be problems with the setup they did. We will, in those cases, probably refer you to the PartsTech Support number listed above.

Connection Error on Win 10 SQL Server 2003 with Windows Defender

Q. When getting a connection error on a Windows 10 workstation with a SQL Server 2003 server the issue is the Windows Defender

Answer:

The issue is Window Defender and it needs to be disabled  but just turning it off won't work.  You need to install AVG or Avast to override the Windows Defender.  Installed the free version, add the MaxxTraxx path to the exception.  MaxxTraxx now opens.

NAPA ProLink Vendor Setup Instructions

Q. I need to set up NAPA as a vendor in my MaxxTraxx shop management system. How do I do this?

Answer:

There are a few steps required to get this done successfully. Please review the following points below and complete the ones that apply to you.

1. First and foremost, you need to have a Napa TAMS account set up with your local Napa store. The information you need comes from them.
2. If you have a Napa TAMS account, then they may have already assigned you a TAMS customer ID or account number. You may or may not know it yet. Your customer ID always and only starts with either a capital letter “D” or “P”, which is then usually followed by about 5 numbers. With your store number with them at the end. For example, your “account number” or the store number that the local Napa shop assigns to your business might be ##. Therefore, your TAMS customer ID would translate to something like, D0000##.
3. Next, we need to have the Napa TAMS store number for your local Napa store. This number is always a 9-digit It is usually structured with a beginning number followed by 4 zeroes, then 4 other numbers, which is their store number with Napa corporate. It will look something like, 60000####.
4. If you do not have these numbers yet, please stop now and contact your local Napa store that fulfills your orders. This is where your account is housed. Tell them you need your Napa TAMS customer ID and their TAMS store number. Once you have this information you will be ready to input this information into your Napa vendor setup area in MaxxTraxx.
5. To get your Napa Prolink Account added to MaxxTraxx we need to access 2 setups locations.
6. The first one is located at the very top menu. Click on Setups, then click on Electronic Ordering. On the window that pops up, double-click on the NAPA On the next window that pops up, change the selection from NAPA Integrated Part Lookup to NAPA PROLink Web Interface. Make sure to fill out the contact information, then save and close.
7. Once that’s done, click on the Vendors selection at the very top menu. Then, click on Accounts Payable Vendors List. If Napa is not already added here as a vendor, then please click the Add Vendor
8. The minimum required entries here are the Company name field at the top and the Vendor Code. The vendor code is something you create and is 6 characters max.
9. Then, to the left of that click on the Catalog
10. On the next window, in the Catalog drop-down menu, select NAPA.
11. Below that, input your local NAPA store’s NAPA TAMS store number into the NAPA Store Number field and then your TAMS Customer ID into the Account
12. Once that info is in place and BEFORE you say “Ok”, please press the Add Store to NAPA ProLink button below. It should give you a “success” message. Once that’s done, you can click the “Ok” button.
13. That should do it! Now go test your NAPA credentials by trying to source and place a NAPA order online through MaxxTraxx.
14. IF you get an error message with a “99…” in it, that means that there’s a mismatch between what you have input and what the NAPA store has in their system for you. Contact your local NAPA store first to verify your info with them.
15. If you need further help after completing the above, then please call MaxxTraxx Support line at: 800-996-9777

Important Info: Napa PROLink Support Phone: (800) 742-3578 (Option 3, then 3 again)

MaxxTech Application for Android devices

Q. How to install the MaxxTech Photo Application for Android Smartphones and Tablets

Answer:

The MaxxTech App for Android Smartphones and Tablets is designed for technicians to be able to enter vehicle odometer readings and take photographs with their Android device that will attach to the Repair Order they choose.  These photographs can then be printed on the Repair Order for the customer to see.

Below are the detailed instructions to install this application.  It will have to be installed in two places.  First into your MaxxTraxx folder on your fileserver and second into your Android device.

MaxxTech App Installation Instructions

Q. What are the instructions to install the MaxxTech Photo Application for Android Smartphones and Tablets?

Answer:

MaxxTech App installation instructions

1. This application only works on Android Smartphones or Android Tablets.  We do not currently have an Apple application.
2. Look for a folder under the MaxxTraxx folder named "Web".  If it doesn't exist, add a new folder under MaxxTraxx Pro and name it “Web”.
3. Download...  MaxxTech App  to your computer and unzip it into the "Web" folder you just created.
4. Be sure these two files are in the newly created Web folder: index.html and maxxtech-beta.apk
5. Copy MCServer.exe file that unzipped into the "Web" folder into the MaxxTraxx Pro folder.
6. Create shortcut in Startup Folder to automatically run MCServer.exe when the computer is logged into each day. MCServer must be running on the main computer for this app to work.
7. Run MCServer.exe this one time to continue the setup procedure.
8. In Android phone or tablet, go to Settings and then Security and check the box that says something like “Allow Unknown Applications”. In my experience, in Samsung devices, there is no setting for this in the Security section. If this is the case, Android will ask the question on the fly during the next step of installation.
9. Connect your android device to the shop wifi. Open your internet browser on your Android device and type in the IP address of the computer that MaxxTraxx is installed on and then put a colon after that and type 8033. (Example: 192.168.1.101:8033)
10. A MaxxTraxx web page should come up. Click Download on that page. In some devices, it will take you to the installation page and continue the installation of the MaxxTech App. (Samsung devices sometimes will prompt you to “Allow Unknown Apps” or "Allow Unknown Sources" On other devices, after the download, you will go to Settings and then Storage and find the file that was downloaded and click on it to install it.
11. Once installed, open the app and then click on the 3 little dots in the upper right corner of the screen. Type in the IP address (Example: 192.168.0.1) of the computer that MaxxTraxx is installed on and click “Done”.
12. That should take you to a login screen. Type in the login name of any employee in the MaxxTraxx Employees section and then click “Sign In” to continue.
13. You should see all the scheduled appointments on the screen.
14. Click on any appointment to continue. After clicking on one, you should have the option of “Take Photo” or enter the “Odometer” readings. It should also show you the customer, vehicle and RO information. After taking a photo, it shows you the picture you’ve taken on the screen and gives you the option of deleting it, saving it or taking the photo again. This varies on different versions of Android. In some cases it will just be an “X” or “checkmark” and on others it may say “Delete”, “Save” or “Take Again”. It seems to depend on the Android version.
15. If you Save the picture, you then have the option to type in a description of the picture and then click “OK” or you can leave it blank.
16. It should then take you back to the appointment screen to take photos of the next vehicle.
17. Good Luck

Written By: Mark Giraud