Annual Tire Balancer and Vehicle Alignment Equipment Preventative Maintenance
NNA Parts & Service is implementing an annual tire balancer and vehicle aligner Preventative Maintenance (PM) program for all Infiniti and Nissan dealerships.
Drivability issues are a significant source of customer dissatisfaction. Vehicles equipped with Low profile tires and advanced suspension technology have resulted in very tight tire balance and alignment specification requirements. Extensive field investigations of dealership alignment results, equipment condition, adjustment procedures and aligner calibration found three important issues were leading to poor alignment results:
- Aligner lift condition and adjustment
- Adjustment procedures and practices
- Equipment calibration
To address these findings and help dealerships correct these issues and align with existing Assurance Products Resource Manual (APRM) policy, Nissan and Infiniti have implemented a PM reporting certification requirement for all dealerships.
The PM reporting requirements include tire balancer; aligner and aligner lift equipment, and will be coordinated by SPX, Inc. under the TECHMATE program. Each dealership’s individual equipment manufacture’s local service representative must perform each equipment PM to meet Nissan/Infiniti specifications. If the aligner lift is a different brand than the aligner, the aligner lift PM must be performed by the corresponding aligner lift manufacturer to meet specifications. (Example: The Hunter rep performs the PM on a dealership’s Hunter Visualiner-3900 aligner and Hunter GSP 9700 RFV Tire Balancer, while your Rotary rep performs the PM on the dealership’s Rotary M756 Aligner lift).
To help increase the effectiveness of the PM requirement, Technical Service Bulletins were released reviewing the best practices and procedures for obtaining accurate alignment results. Additionally, updates in Electronic Service Manuals (ESMs), and enhancements to Technician Technical training, enhancements to step-by-step on screen aligner information and communications in TechTalk will help you stay informed on maintenance and best-practices.
On an annual basis, dealership service managers will be contacted by their equipment manufacture’s local service representative to arrange the required PM. Your equipment manufacture’s local service representative will report PM compliance via SPX/ TECHMATE to Nissan/Infiniti.
Items reviewed will include:
- Calibration history
- Condition of balancer, rack and aligner equipment
- Maintenance routine
- Technician skills and training
Dealerships that currently sublet their tire balances or alignments are still obligated by Nissan to ensure that their provider’s equipment is properly maintained. Dealerships without in-house equipment must make arrangements to have the PM performed at their sublet facility.
If issues are found with a dealership’s equipment, the service manager will be provided a complete report of issues that need to be addressed. A copy of this report will also be provided to the dealership’s Fixed Operations Manager (FOM) for awareness and consultation to help ensure compliance.
Dealerships that are already performing compliant manufacturer-based annual maintenance on their equipment will experience no change in service, with the exception of the Periodic Maintenance reporting requirement.