The MaxiTPMS ITS600 is a sleek, lightweight touchscreen Android tablet that performs every aspect of TPMS service, including activation of all-known sensors, system diagnostics, 1-Sensor programming providing 99 percent vehicle coverage, and displays vehicle-specific position Relearn instructions. Autel’s TPMS tools’ interface has for years enabled technicians to perform these tasks easily and consistently. The ITS600 gracefully improves upon the efficiency of TPMS services and only increases Autel’s merit as a comprehensive TPMS solution provider especially when used with the dual-frequency 1-Sensor that continues to offer technicians the most efficient and cost-saving sensor solution in the industry.
Still, the ITS600 offers shops more. The tablet’s Tire Identification Number (TIN) scan and DOT tire registration feature (available with a separate CIMs tire registration subscription) 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 six to 13 numbers or letters marked on the tire sidewall following the letters DOT identifying among other things, the week and year the tire was manufactured.
The manufacture 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 if he should 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 tire information and the customers contact information, and tap submit.
Still, the ITS600 offers more. Purchase the TBE200 Tire Brake Examiner for laser-enabled measurement of tread and depth and brake disc wear analysis. Pair 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 Examiner 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 TBE200’s 1.65” high resolution AMOLED touchscreen full-color graphical display illustrates wear and provides service recommendations, including tire and brake disc replacement, tire rotation, and 4-wheel alignment. It’s time to bring serious attention to getting vehicles with bald and expired tires off the road. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) research found that of the 11,500 passenger vehicles they inspected, almost half had at least one tire with only 50 percent tread remaining. An additional 10 percent had at least one bald tire. Via the TBE200’s 4-megapixel macro camera and 8-megapixel zoomable cameras, the technician can document tire wear and damage and scan the TIN.
Inspect the vehicle brake disc without having to remove the tires. The user fixes the TBE200 (with the embedded magnet) to the disc to inspect the disc. The tool emits a scanning laser over the surface of the disc. Wear images and service recommendations display on-screen.
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.
