So, you are looking to buy a new tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) tool for your shop. You want one that can activate and read every TPMS sensor out there. One that displays the Relearn procedures for each specific vehicle and can perform OBDII relearns for the mostly Asian vehicles requiring it. You want one that offers a sensor programming solution so you can easily replace damaged or failed sensors once detected. And you want a tool that can diagnose the module itself and its associated antennas and wiring.
OK, TPMS is covered, but those pressure sensors don’t just come through the bay doors on their own; there are tires attached. Why not get a tool to address the condition of the tires head-on? That tool is the MaxiTPMS ITS600. In fact, what truly separates this tool from Autel’s preceding TPMS tablets, besides its Android operating system upgrade and a lighter and slimmer design, is the tool’s inclusion of much needed industry solutions to overall tire safety.
The ITS600 Tire Identification Number (TIN) scan and forthcoming DOT registration feature produces a real-time safety check for the customer’s current vehicle tires and a method to ensure your shop is in compliance with government regulations when selling new tires. The TIN is the string of 6 to 13 numbers or letters marked on the tire sidewall following the letters DOT (Department of Transportation) identifying among other things, the week and year the tire was manufactured.
The date, of course, is vitally important as tire makers recommend that a tire six years or older be replaced—and a quick scan and the subsequent display of the tire’s last four digits quickly identifies the age of that tire and advises the technician to recommend a tire placement to the customer.
TIN registration is another matter and one whose responsibility has shifted over the years between seller and consumer. But in 2016, the FAST Act made it mandatory that the tire seller register just-purchased tires on behalf of the customers. The goal, of course, is to alert customers of a tire recall and to get those tires off the road. Eighty-five percent of recalled tires are believed to be still out there. The ITS600 brings the capturing and registering of the TIN into the modern age, eliminating the hassle of mailing in postcards and reducing the possible transcribing errors (40 percent of registrations are invalid because the TIN was incorrectly written). The ITS600 makes compliance easy: Input the customers contact information, scan the tire and tap submit.
Still, the ITS600 offers more. Purchase either the TBE100 or TBE200 Tire Brake Examiners for laser-enabled measurement of tread and depth and brake disc wear analysis. Pair either of these tools with the ITS600 to generate detailed customer reports advising of depth and disc wear. Here again, Autel takes thread depth and wear measurement into the modern age. (Surely, it’s time to move on from the Penny test.) The Tire Brake Examiners enlists a laser to scan the surface of the tire and generate a real-time image of the tread depth and overall tire wear. The tools display color-coded values or tire images (TBE100 and TBE200, respectively) alerting the tech to needed tire replacement. In a similar manner, the TBE100/TBE200 produce detailed analysis of disc wear. With both tests, the technician need not remove the wheel.
Regardless of the industry, the best tool investment should offer opportunities. Make sure the next TPMS tool you buy enables your shop to measure its success with improved efficiency, greater customer satisfaction and a flourishing bottom line.
