Many collision shops have alignment systems; many do not.
If your shop is in the second group, what follows are reasons to change that. If you’re in the first, we have a suggestion for making them more efficient and profitable.
Numbers tell the tale. Somewhere between 40 and 50 percent of vehicles coming into regular service shops will need alignment work. Almost by definition, that percentage will be much higher for collision shops. The more smashed-up the vehicle, the more likely it needs an alignment.
So, if you look for alignment work, you’ll always find it. But you don’t have to look for it. You just have to open the door.
And that’s good news, because alignments are on the short list of the highest-margin services you can perform. With the right equipment, you – not the shop you sublet to – can inspect and complete the work in well under book time, all day, every day, year after year.
Keeping alignment in-house keeps the profit. That’s the real tale the numbers tell.
Before, not during. Speaking of looking for things, if you’re not looking for something, will you find it anyway?
Probably, but not in a good way. Because the time to uncover hidden problems is before, not during or after.
When it comes to alignments, the key is knowing where the problems might be hiding. Hunter’s Collision Alignment System shows technicians where to look.
This matters, because what’s appropriate for a typical maintenance wheel alignment won’t always be enough for a collision scenario. Primary measurements, such as toe, camber and caster, only get you halfway to where you need to be. Possible hidden damage remains hidden.
The Collision Alignment System helps techs finish the job, thanks to specific collision workflow procedures to ensure they take essential in-depth measurements to uncover damage right away – rather than as a surprise during the alignment at the end of the repair process. Or worse: missing it altogether.
What you’re hunting. The five collision-specific diagnostic measurements provided in Hunter’s system are:
- Toe out on turn
- Maximum steer
- Ride height
- Suspension body dimension audit
- Symmetry and setback
Frequently, a vehicle can check out fine with the usual primary measurements. What the tech would not find without looking would be things like a damaged subframe or unibody, damaged lower control arms, shifted axles, bent spindles or other affected components that would slip under the radar.
Not only will the system provide a more complete blueprint of the necessary work, but it also makes the tech’s life easier by walking him or her through the process. Instead of hunting and pecking all over to find additional measurements, Hunter’s award-winning WinAlign® software guides the tech through the procedures step by step with minimal interaction.
By finding hidden problems at the start of the process instead of the end, a complete estimate can be written that will require no later adjusting. Easily decipherable documentation clearly communicates the nature of the work to be performed. And once it is performed, the paperwork is ready to be handed over to the insurance company.
Easy integration. For collision shops interested in doing ADAS work instead of subletting it, the system integrates with Hunter’s ADASLink® diagnostic scan tool, capable of guiding the technician through ADAS calibrations for millions of vehicles.
When you don’t know what you don’t know, it’s like walking around in the dark. The Collision Alignment System sheds light and allows you to retain your customers by maintaining your usual standard of quick and accurate service.
For more information, https://www.hunter.com/collision#process