September 2017 Archives - Brake & Front End
10 Years Of TPMS

September 2017 marked the 10-year anniversary of mandatory tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS). During these past 10 years, more than 147-million vehicles were sold with TPMS. If you multiply the number by four, it means that there are more than 590-million tire pressure sensors that will need replacement in the future.

TPMS tools
The Dynamic Alignment Perspective

One of the most difficult concepts for any technician to grasp is how alignment angles change when a vehicle is accelerating, braking and cornering. The view seen when the sensors and targets are on the vehicle in the alignment bay is just a small snapshot into the suspension’s geometry.

alignment
Getting Better At Eliminating Brake Noise

If you are trying to eliminate a noise, you could try to stop it from moving the air around it. This is not possible with brakes because they do not operate in a vacuum and they cannot be separated from the vehicle.

Tech Tip: Land Rover Squeal From High-Performance Brake System

On 2014-’17 Range Rover models equipped with the High-Performance Brake Package with 380 mm front brake rotors, the customer may complain of squeal noises when the brakes are applied under light stops.

Toe And Tie Rods

Toe is the most critical alignment angle. It is also an angle that can change as the weight of the vehicle is transferred to the front or rear wheels. Engineers can tune the suspension geometry and toe to make the vehicle more stable under braking or initial turn in.

Piecing Together The Air Ride Diagnostic Puzzle

Air ride diagnostics can be just as complex as any ABS or fuel injection problem. The diagnostic process should start with questions about the system rather than the parts.

How To Diagnose NVH Complaints In Drivetrain Components

Thanks to advanced technology, modern vehicles operate with fewer noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) complaints than ever ­before. Consequently, when a NVH issue arises, it’s most likely caused by worn drivetrain components like universal joints, constant velocity joints or wheel bearing hub assemblies. In any case, NVH complaints can often be the most challenging to diagnose when you can’t duplicate the driving conditions under which they occur.

Smile, You’re On Dash Cam

The price for a decent dash cam is less than $100 these days. These devices can capture hours of video and audio that can document a crash or an act of vandalism. But, a dash cam can also be used to capture a technician working on or test driving a vehicle.

dash-camera
How Artificial Intelligence Is Teaching Vehicles How To Drive

Artificial intelligence, or machine learning, is one of the hottest topics in the tech industry right now, and it is certainly spilling over into the automotive world.

Self driving autonomous intelligent cars
Understanding Diesel Exhaust Filters

The Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) is a ceramic filter that has thousands of tiny channels or honeycomb-shaped openings that trap the soot onto the channel walls and prevent the particulate matter (down to 1 micron) from exiting out the tail pipe.

Diesel Exhaust Filter
How Accurate Are Reviews?

According to some surveys I’ve seen, over 80 percent of the buying public relies on reviews as a way to determine if a product or service is a worthwhile investment. The problem is that it can be difficult to tell when those reviews are a true depiction of the business or product and when they’re

Do You Want To Sleep In The Bed You’ve Made?

In this industry, it’s easy to get caught up in the parking lot full of cars that need service or worry about the diagnostic training that the next generation of vehicles will require. But if you won’t take the time to be thorough with the basics today, how can your customers trust you when they need that $3,000 head gasket replacement tomorrow?