May_2022 - 26

TOOL BRIEFING
Back to basics for tire service
Modern vehicle ride quality and handling dynamics are becoming increasingly refined and
sophisticated. As a result of this, even seemingly minor issues at the road wheels can result in
a poor driving experience.
By Christopher Groff, Contributing Editor
A
p Figure 1- Having access to service
information is a critical component to proper
maintenance, service, and repair.
* SERVICE INFORMATION SYSTEM
* DIE GRINDER
* TORQUE WRENCH
* TPMS TOOL
* SUSPENSION WEAR INDICATOR
* ADJUSTMENT TOOLS
* ALIGNMENT SYSTEM
utomobiles and trucks
have been intertwining
various vehicle systems
to better account for changes
under varied operating conditions.
A solid first step in
almost every modern repair situation
is performing a full system
code scan, using a capable
scan tool. This allows the technician
to quickly view any systems
that are reporting faults
(real or perceived) and evaluate
what effect (if any) these faults
have, concerning the customer's
complaint. If there are no faults
present (such as ABS, traction/
stability, TPMS, or ADAS-related
faults), then we can continue
with a visual inspection, followed
by a road test, and any other
needed testing and evaluation.
Gathering this information is very
important but without the proper knowledge,
it doesn't give us a lot of direction.
That is why continuing education (both
classroom and self-guided, with service
information) is the single most important
tool in conducting any diagnostic and
repair work. One needs to know the system
and its intricacies before a complaint can
26 PTEN MAY 2022 www.VehicleServicePros.com
be properly evaluated, and the best course
of action and tooling decided upon.
It should go without saying that every
shop needs access to one or more sources
of service information (Figure 1) be it
ALLDATA, ProDemand, Motologic, or
OEM websites. Consulting the service
information is the primary way to ensure
that any procedures are being performed
correctly and in the correct order, so that
these complex systems continue to function
as designed. Something as simple as
raising or lowering vehicle height, through
suspension modifications, or just a heavy
load can start to have a snowball effect.
Wheel and tire service is something we
all perform daily, and often don't think too
much about it. After all, in the past there
weren't a lot of strange issues that popped
up and challenged a technician, assuming
some basic best practices were followed.
Modern automotive design and tighter
tolerances have made these basics even
more important as well as adding new
techniques, to quickly locate the problem.
As far as basic best practices go, I'd like
to re-introduce (and perhaps introduce
for the first time, to some) the concept of
R.I.S.T; something I first learned about
while working in a truck shop early in my
career. R.I.S.T. is an acronym for the proper

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May_2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May_2022