Technical Service Bulletins
Here’s a rundown of the top technical service bulletins related to TPMS. These TSBs should be analyzed by every technician that services TPMS. Audi TSB Number: 4413382034445/1 Models: 2010-14 A4/S4, A5/S5 and Q5 Summary: This TSB addresses TPMS MIL lights that are not related to a loss of pressure. The TPMS light may illuminate if
Who Regulates Brake Pads?
Everybody wants safe brakes, right? You want the assurance that any brake linings you install on a customer’s vehicle will provide adequate braking and meet all applicable safety standards. But guess what? There are no federal safety standards for aftermarket brake linings. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) 105, 126 and 135, which are issued
BYOBP Brake Jobs: This Has To Stop
A few years ago, I was sent a link to a TV commercial on YouTube for a mobile brake business. The commercial featured a puppet claiming that the business could save a driver $500 on brakes because shops mark up brake parts by 30%. Not that I don’t trust puppets in commercials, but this was
Choosing the Right Brake Pad for the Right Customer
There is one simple piece of advice I try to live by: “Know what you know, and know what you don’t know.” This simple credo can save you from making mistakes and looking like a complete idiot. I am often asked for my opinion of a certain brand or application of brake pads, or which
Reading Tire Wear Patterns
A tire can tell you a lot about a suspension. Most specifically, it can tell you if the angles, inflation and components are within specification. Here are the most common wear patterns and what causes them. Over-inflation Wear Tire wear in the center of the tread pattern tells you that the inflation patterns are too
Hybrid Fluid Service 101
Does the phrase “hybrid fluid maintenance” scare you? It shouldn’t. With more than 3 million hybrids on the road, and many of your customers considering purchasing one, servicing hybrid vehicles is in your future. Some special procedures must be followed when working on a hybrid. Most dual-mode hybrids do not use a conventional starter attached
Air Ride Logic: How to Diagnose Common Behaviors
There is a logic to air ride systems. Air ride systems can control vehicle ride height, passenger comfort and improve handling. How they operate and work with the rest of the systems on the vehicle is part of the embedded logic of the control system. Written in this programming are three main edicts: preserve the
Pulsation and Judder: Ask the right questions to improve your sales and diagnostics
Whenever a customer comes to your shop for any brake repair, you need to know why they are there in the first place. Just writing a ticket for a brake job because the customer requested it can lead to a comeback and an unsatisfied customer. There is one golden question every service writer must ask
Understanding Toyota’s direct and indirect TPMS
Toyota has installed direct TPMS united in the following Toyota and Scion models: 4 Runner 2004-12 Avalon 2007-13 Camry 2007-15 Corolla 2007-09 FJ Cruiser 2008-15 Highlander 2007-15 Land Cruiser 2005-15 Matrix 2007-13 Prius 2006-15 Rav4 2006-15 Scion tC 2007-15 Sequoia 2004-15 Sienna 2006-15 Solara 2007-09 Tacoma 2005-15 Tundra 2005-15 Venza 2009-15 Yaris 2008-15 The direct
Inside Brake Noise, Vibration, Harshness
What does your shop Do when a brake noise complaint enters the service bays? Does it end up hurting productivity for the rest of the day as a technician randomly applies lubes, pastes and sprays to the brake system hoping that the problem will be at least temporarily solved? Brake systems are complex and require
Wheel Bearing Lessons
Wheel bearings are either of the ball or tapered roller variety. Front-wheel bearing applications are an angular-type ball bearing, which will accept greater thrust loads than a Conrad-type bearing, and will accept a 100% load in the radial or thrust position and any combination of a 100% load. A tapered roller bearing will accept both
Regenerative Brakes
A hybrid vehicle is a different animal than many of us are used to seeing. After all, if the engine of a typical vehicle stalled out at a traffic light, the driver would know something was wrong with it. If that same vehicle still drove with the engine off, then that would mean they were
