Is purchasing alignment equipment right for you?

Post by Pat O'Neill, August 15, 2019, Products, Tips

Chesapeake Automotive Equipment offers some food for thought on keeping the alignments inhouse rather than subletting them. Owning and operating the alignment equipment is easier and less complicated with all the high tech equipment that does the work for you. Check out how owning your own Hunter Engineering Equipment can benefit your shop.

Many collision shops don’t have the equipment needed to perform wheel alignments or change or balance a tire. As a result, they typically outsource these services to specialty shops. Not only does this stretch out the cycle time, but it also sends potential revenue out of the door with the vehicle. Completing vehicle alignments on-site can help reduce operating costs and improve cycle times. Cost is often cited as a barrier to purchasing alignment equipment, but consider the cost of not having it inhouse.

Why give up repair control and potential revenue? Wheel service is a vital part of auto body repair. Many collisions can cause some type of suspension damage. That means the repair process will likely require a wheel alignment. The alignment itself takes almost no time at all, but transporting the vehicle and driver can be tied up for hours getting the vehicle to an alignment shop. Shops need this vital piece for repairs and why give that revenue to another shop? An upfront investment could spell great ROI in the long run for time and monetization.

When you take in your customers vehicles to your body shop for repair, they are trusting you to do whatever necessary to make it look and drive like new again, as quickly as possible. After spending hours straightening the frame or unibody, replacing parts and giving the vehicle a nice new coat of paint, then you need to hand it off to another shop to complete the wheel alignment. So, you send the vehicle off hoping the techs at the other shop perform an accurate alignment and get the vehicle back to you quickly so you can return it to the customer when you promised without damaging the new repairs.

Having the capability to perform wheel alignments in-house also allows you to control the quality of the repairs to make sure they are done correctly. Adding wheel alignment equipment lets you check every vehicle during the estimating process to determine if it will need a wheel alignment, which will likely lead to your shop performing more alignments and making more money.

Choosing mobile wheel alignment systems will allow technicians to perform alignments virtually anywhere in the shop, which keeps your bays open for new business. Having the capability to do all the work needed without taking the vehicle off the rack improves efficiency, saves time and improves the accuracy of the repairs. Using pulling and measuring equipment alone to complete structural, suspension and steering work doesn’t ensure that the suspension and steering components can be put back to OEM specifications. If the structure isn’t returned to OEM specifications, the wheel alignment may not be correct and would need to be redone after the structural issues are addressed. Having the equipment inhouse will ensure you can complete it quickly after the final repairs are finished.

Subletting Wheel Alignment services could be costing your body shop. Call one of our sales reps at 800.604.9653 to discuss how we can help you boost R.O.I. with a Hunter Engineering Company Corporate Alignment system or visit https://chesautoequip.com/services-and-support/products-and-equipment/alignment/

Chesapeake Automotive Equipment provides top-of-the-line general shop and automotive equipment to commercial automotive-related businesses ranging from independent mom and pop auto collision and repair shops to heavy-duty repair facilities to auto dealership groups along the East Coast. We serve customers in Maryland, Virginia, Metro D.C., West Virginia and Delaware. Contact our sales team at 800.604.9653 to find the right solution for your business.