System and Method for Service Assessment

1 . A system for service assessment, the system comprising:

an input circuit structured to receive at least one fault code of an engine control unit (ECU);

a root cause determination circuit structured to determine at least one root cause based on the at least one fault code of the ECU;

a labor time estimation circuit structured to determine an estimated labor time for fixing the at least one root cause; and

an output circuit structured to output the at least one root cause and the estimated labor time to a display.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the input circuit is structured to receive the at least one fault code from an on-board diagnostic (OBD) system coupled to the ECU.

3 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a fault code analyzing circuit structured to analyze more than one fault codes and prioritize the more than one fault codes.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein multiple fault codes are received, and wherein the root cause determination circuit is structured to:

assign a priority number to each of the multiple fault codes; and

designate a fault code with the highest priority number as the root cause.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the labor time estimation circuit is structured to:

collect historical data of labor hours;

sort out history data of labor time associated with the at least one root cause; and

estimate the labor time by statistically analyzing the historical labor time data associated with the at least one root cause.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the historical labor time data includes data collected from historical warranty claims.

7 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the estimated labor time is at a predefined percentile for the historical labor time data associated with the at least one root cause.

8 . A method for service assessment, the method comprising:

receiving at least one fault code of an engine control unit (ECU);

determining at least one root cause based on the at least one fault code of the ECU;

determining an estimated labor time for fixing the at least one root cause; and

outputting the at least one root cause and the estimated labor time to a display.

9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising scheduling a service event to fix the at least one root cause based on the at least one root cause and the estimated labor time.

10 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising analyzing more than one fault codes and prioritizing the more than one fault codes.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the determining the at least one root cause includes:

assigning a priority number to each of the multiple fault codes; and

designating a fault code with the highest priority number as the root cause.

12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein estimating the labor time includes:

collecting historical data of labor hours;

sorting out history data of labor time associated with the at least one root cause; and

estimating the labor time by statistically analyzing the historical labor time data associated with the at least one root cause.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the estimated labor time is at a predefined percentile for the historical labor time data associated with the at least one root cause.

14 . A user device comprising:

an input port structured to receive at least one fault code of an engine control unit (ECU);

a controller coupled to the input port, the controller structured to:

determine at least one root cause based on the at least one fault code; and

determine an estimated labor time for fixing the at least one root cause; and

a display coupled to the controller, the display structured to display the at least one root cause and the estimated labor time.

15 . The user device of claim 14 , wherein the input port is structured to receive the at least one fault code from the an on-board diagnostic (OBD) system coupled to the ECU.

16 . The user device of claim 14 , wherein the controller is structured to analyze more than one fault codes and prioritize the more than one fault codes.

17 . The user device of claim 14 , further comprising a memory storing a look-up table that maps fault codes to priority numbers, wherein the controller is structured to designate a fault code with the highest priority number as the root cause.

18 . The user device of claim 14 , further comprising a memory storing a look-up table that maps fault codes to labor hours, wherein the controller is structured to determine the estimated labor time based on the look-up table.

19 . The user device of claim 14 , further comprising a transceiver structured to transmit the at least one fault code to a remote server, and receive the at least one root cause and the estimated labor time from the remote server.

20 . The user device of claim 14 , wherein the user device includes a smartphone or a tablet.