It happens every Christmas. A child gets a new toy or gadget, and theadult is challenged to build it regardless of the disclaimer, “SomeAssembly Required.”
Then, every “smart” adult does the samething – he or she pitches the instructions and tackles the task ontheir own, sans detailed guidance.
In the past, a similar scenewas sometimes repeated in the service bays of many auto and tiredealerships. Whether it was a time factor or some other issue, atechnician might disdain instructions for intuition or his own personalexperience.
However, these days, the smart, certified technicianknows that the guidelines, instructions and manuals can actually savehim or her time – and money. This is especially true when dealing withthe relatively new issue of tire pressure monitoring systems, TPMS.
“Manualsare not just discretionary items in an auto service area any more,”said Todd Nelson, U.S. editorial manager for AutoData, a leadingworldwide publisher and supplier of technical information forautomotive professionals. “Every shop should have a current manual thatprovides detailed and updated guidelines for each area that theyservice.”
That’s nice if you have the luxury of plenty of room,but tire dealers especially value space in their bays and most areunwilling to add a library annex to their buildings. “All of ourmanuals also are available on CD or DVD,” said Nelson, whose companyboasts of its AutoData Information Service (IS).
Regardless ofthe format, if you are dealing with TPMS issues (or any high techautomotive component), a manual is a mandatory shop tool these days. AutoData has been in North America only since the mid 1990s, butstarted its business in Europe in the 1970s and today offers printedand electronic media-formatted automotive manuals in all majorlanguages. It is a relative newcomer to the TPMS manual business.
“Ourfirst TPMS manual came out in 2008, but we have an update that will beavailable in October,” said Nelson. He added that AutoData’s TPMSmanual has targeted a specific market. “Some of our competitors supplyinformation to the bigger companies, but our focus right now is towardthe small or independent technician.”
What makes it attractiveto that market, among several things, is the price. At $89.95, it’s oneof the least expensive manuals on the market. “It’s a relativelycompact manual, too,” Nelson said. “It’s 896 pages, 9×7 inches and canfit in a small tool box drawer.”
But lest you think AutoData isan automotive service neophyte, Nelson and his team of seven technicalwriters – who have more than 175 combined years of automotive expertise– came mostly from auto dealerships, and all of them are ASE certified.
“Ourobjective in developing the TPMS manual was to have everythingavailable to the tire technician – all the information they need toreset TPMS systems,” Nelson said. “This includes mount/dismountinformation and torque specs for valves and lug nuts.”
Specifically, the AutoData TPMS manual covers:
• System Identification
• Sensor Removal & Replacement
• Warning Lamp Operation
• System Resetting
• Tire Changing Procedures
Asthey say, the product is only as good as what’s fed into it. These daysit’s difficult for AutoData and most publishers of service manuals toget required information from the original equipment manufacturers.“We’re especially having trouble getting updated information fromChrysler and General Motors,” he said. “But we understand the issuesthat they are dealing with right now.”
Fortunately for Nelsonand his team, they don’t rely on the manufacturers’ terminology. “Wehave our own copyrighted material,” he said. “It’s not on themanufacturers’ format. Our writers put the material into as readabletext and accompanying graphics as possible. As a matter of fact, ourgoal for the new version is to make the terminology more consistentthroughout.”
Nelson adds that his product has been well receivedso far. “The feedback has been excellent. It is better than we hadanticipated and several want to license it now.”
BesidesAutoData, there are, of course, other noteworthy offerings in the worldof TPMS instruction manuals. Certainly there are several, but one ofthe most popular is the long-time giant, Mitchell1.
Mitchell1has been in the manual business since 1918 with its Reed ElectricalManual, but today, Mitchell1 manuals have evolved into TeamWorks, thecompany’s integrated family of software-based solutions anchored by theproduct that is recognized as a standard for automotive repairinformation: Mitchell1 OnDemand5.
However, a standard Mitchell1TPMS Guide – 5101, lists for $119.99, and the company claims it is a“must have” for any shop that performs tire service on late-modelvehicles equipped with TPMS.
The popular guide contains TPMSdescriptions and operation specifications listed by vehicle make, modeland year. This includes activation, reset and re-learn procedures,dismounting and mounting instructions and special tool requirements foreach vehicle. They recommend ordering individually.
Mitchell1 also produces a variety of CRM and business-related manuals and software.
MostTPMS system and tool manufacturers also produce guidelines for theirproducts. However, one notable company, SmartWave, that manufactures aTPMS system specifically for commercial vehicles, provides a 69-pageowner’s manual in a downloadable PDF format.
If you don’t have a TPMS manual (for tools, scanners or systems, etc.), contact your component supplier.
