august2023 - 25

COVER STORY
Turning up
the pressure
The demand for TPMS tools is on the rise. Find out what
factors technicians and shop owners should consider before
buying their next tool.
By Kayla Nadler, Associate Editor
S
ince the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability, and
Documentation (TREAD) Act passed in 2000, requiring all vehicles
manufactured on or after September 1, 2007 to be equipped with
a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS), automotive shops across the
country have seen an uptick in tire and wheel services over the years.
" There's a demand for TPMS tools, "
Cornwell Quality Tools dealer Frank
Orphey states. " Shops are finding it's
best to invest in TPMS tools because
the first time they have a vehicle leave
their shop and there's a liability issue
or concern, it's going to cost them way
more than the tool ever would have. "
Orphey has been a tool dealer for
over 11 years, covering the Arizona white
mountains, the Gallup area in New
Mexico, and the southern part of Navajo
Nation. His stops range from truck shops
and body shops to tire shops, dealerships,
and ma and pop shops.
For Orphey, TPMS sales come
weekly.
" I'm selling something once a week,
whether it's a full on bidirectional
$3,000+ scanner or a $200 handheld
- or somewhere in between. "
When selling TPMS tools, one
might think tire shops would be their
biggest customer. For Orphey, it's
his body shops that have the highest
demand for TPMS tools.
" I bet half of the TPMS tools that I
sell go to either body shops or guys that
do bodywork in some form or fashion, "
he says.
Mainly for two reasons, he notes.
One, insurance companies now require
pre- and post-inspection reports and
having a TPMS tool to provide adequate
readings covers them. And secondly, a
lot of times tires and wheels come in
bent, cracked, or trashed and must be
replaced. Therefore, body shops need
to put in new TPMS sensors.
Although body shops may buy more
TPMS tools, that's not to say his other
shops are not interested.
" There's a market for them, " he
says. " No good shop only has one TPMS
scanner. Even if a shop already has one,
I'm finding more and more shops like
having two different ones. "
WHEN THE LIGHT GOES ON
When a tire's air pressure drops below
25 percent of the recommended pressure
of a TPMS system, the TPMS
malfunction light on the vehicle's dash
will illuminate.
On some vehicles, not only will the
light turn on, but it may turn another
system off.
" What we're starting to see in the
last five years is that some vehicles -
mostly higher-end vehicles - will have
some sort of a restrictive security system
that will be enabled when their TPMS
light comes on, " says Yanick Leduc,
global technical training manager at
Schrader TPMS Solutions.
" To give an example, when the
TPMS light goes on, some vehicles
might deactivate traction control, " he
says. " It's not just tires anymore. TPMS
is part of the whole vehicle diagnostics. "
Offering TPMS service may no longer
be an option for shops.
" If a shop services passenger cars
and/or trucks, they will, no doubt, at
some point have to reset or recalibrate
the TPMS, " says Scot Holloway, CEO
of Bartec USA.
Even for shops that handle basic
tire operations such as tire rotations,
having TPMS capabilities is necessary
and not only adds another potential
revenue stream but aids in the customer's
safety and ensures the car is
functioning properly.
Professional Distributor I August 2023 I VehicleServicePros.com 25
http://www.VehicleServicePros.com
august2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of august2023
