Professional Tool And Equipment News - May 2020 - 34

Kaleb Silver, the director of product
management at Hunter Engineering,
states that 70 percent of vehicles manufactured after 2012 require some type
of a reset during or after the alignment
process. If these are not completed
properly, the vehicle alignment is not
complete and can result in a pull, tire
wear, or issues with ADAS or other safety systems. Don't forget - if the vehicle
has electronic power steering, a re-calibration of that system along with others
will be required after an alignment. The
use of a scan tool, or a dedicated tool to
be used in conjunction with an aligner,
is required for most resets.
Another problem that can occur after
aligning is again related to technician
training. Many alignment machines
have step-by-step directions on how
to adjust the vehicle to meet alignment
specifications. The machine will list the
digital value. In some cases, the specifications are shown as green/yellow/red,
indicating if the measurement is in or
out of parameters. These machines are
great and fast, but without teaching a
technician what to do if the vehicle is
within specifications but still has an
issue, problems can occur.
Another thing to keep in mind is
that some newer vehicles have opened
up their specifications over the past few
years. The tolerances between a value
being within the limits are now greater
than they once were on many vehicles.
For instance, if the camber specification

p This screen capture of a brake rotor from
Snap-on's EETH 300 Diagnostic Thermal
Imager shows a higher temperature and
may indicate a sticking caliper.

p A thermal image from the left brake shows
a temperature that is a little over 30
degrees less than the right side.

was 1.5-2.5 degrees and the left side was
adjusted to 1.5 degrees, and the right
was at 2.5degrees (both sides within
limits) the variance of one degree would
likely cause a pull to the right.
According to Oscar Ferreyra from
The Bear Outlet, Innova Corp., problems with slip plates on alignments are
a somewhat common cause of pulling
issues. If the rear slip plates are worn or
rusted, the suspension is not unloaded
properly; when the technician makes
adjustments, the values represented
on the machine are not accurate to the
vehicle. Replacing the slip plates with
turntables can eliminate this issue.
Alignments were once accomplished
with handheld gauges to measure the
vehicle and the tools required to adjust
the vehicle. Even though those same
tools could be used today on some
vehicles with varying degrees of success,

they would need to be used by a very
good alignment technician. The electronic systems in use on vehicles today
require a technician to interact with the
vehicle to assure every system is working
within its parameters and is calibrated
correctly. With almost every vehicle
requiring a four-wheel alignment, a late
model machine is necessary.
Even some alignment machines
that are only a generation or two old
are not as efficient or accurate as some
of the newest technology. Purchasing
a late-model aligner could provide a
very quick ROI. If you are considering
a new aligner purchase, calculate the
ROI on the equipment, but don't forget
to include the cost of training your technicians and the potential increased sales
of steering and suspension components
- typically one of the highest profit centers in a shop.

RELATED TOOLS FOR THIS REPAIR
OEMTOOLS
Thermal Imager

Circle 142 on card, or
enter at "e-inquiry" on
VehicleServicePros.com

OTC
Suspension Bushing Tool
Circle 141 on card, or
enter at "e-inquiry" on
VehicleServicePros.com

34

PTEN

MAY 2020

www.VehicleServicePros.com

Coats
885 Wheel Balancer

Circle 143 on card, or
enter at "e-inquiry" on
VehicleServicePros.com
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Professional Tool And Equipment News - May 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Professional Tool And Equipment News - May 2020
