Technological advances such as adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning systems are becoming more common. Neil Jones, Aftersales Manager at Border Motor Group knew he needed to invest in his workshop to ensure it could continue to service modern vehicles properly. What’s more, with an ageing wheel alignment system that frequently got damaged and took more than 45 minutes to deliver initial results, he knew he needed to speed up his internal processes.
“Our old aligner was causing us several concerns,” he explains. “Firstly, the expensive sensors kept getting dropped by our technicians, meaning not only was it out of action regularly; it kept costing us to have it repaired. Secondly, it was not capable of meeting the servicing requirements of systems such as lane departure and adaptive cruise control. And finally, it was just taking far too long to use!”
Indeed, the business only allocated 1½ hours of labour to complete a vehicle PDI check, but the alignment check alone was taking over 45 minutes.
Having taken the time to review several systems on the market, Neil decided to invest in a Hunter HawkEye Elite TD aligner from Pro-Align.
“We chose the Hunter for several reasons,” he continues. “The biggest advantage of it is the setup time. With the [QuickGrip] targets on the wheel, rather than the expensive bits, it is quick and easy to use and avoids any expensive damage. With the new system, we complete a Quick Check on all of our new cars which takes just 5 minutes, this means that not only is our GP going up, but if the car isn’t set up correctly, the warranty pays for this.”
Despite admitting that he’s still not using the new aligner to its full potential, Neil is already more than convinced about the success of the Elite TD.
“The new aligner has brought us up to date and also has future-proofed the business. If anyone else were considering buying an aligner, I’d advise to spend the extra and invest in the Elite TD.”
