Autel’s dominance in the TPMS market cannot be overstated. Its MX-Sensor 1-Sensor has been the best-selling programmable aftermarket sensor for several years. Autel TPMS tools have routinely garnered industry awards for innovation, and tire and rim, mechanical, and even collision shop technicians list them as their go-to tools.
It’s not by accident that Autel TPMS solutions are so popular. Technicians recognize the tools for their intelligently designed interfaces that work the way they do, and shop owners purchase the tools and sensors because they allow the shop to garner efficiency and increase profits with every use.
Since Autel launched its first sensor activation tool in 2009, two years after the TREAD ACT mandated automakers to install pressure monitoring systems in their vehicles, it has continued to develop TPMS solutions unmatched by its competitors.
So, the question Autel sales and support agents often get is not Why Autel?— it’s Which Autel? Let’s review each tool and see which is best for you and your shop.
The TS508WF is Autel’s most rugged TPMS tool. So much so that technicians often post and call in with their TS508 survival stories. But its durability does not distract from its functionality. With this handheld button-driven tool, technicians can activate, read, and relearn all known TPMS sensors and program the 1-Sensor to replace 99% of the TPMS sensors on the road today. The 508WF features the at-a-glance color-coded status screen that allows technicians to identify the fault in the system quickly—is a sensor battery dead, or was it not relearned correctly the last time a vehicle had its tires rotated, or is there a TPMS module problem? The technician never needs to guess; he knows the next step in the service with the 508. Software updates, which are free for the life of the tool, can be easily downloaded via Wi-FI; no PC is required.
With the ITS600, Autel designed its most comprehensive tire service tool. It’s a handheld, wireless touchscreen Android tablet with a clean and straightforward interface that enables technicians to perform any tire service task quickly. The ITS600 makes TPMS service easy. Activate and read all known sensors, program the dual frequency 1-Sensor to replace 99% of the sensors on the road today, and quickly Relearn sensor IDs and positions; the tablet displays vehicle-specific relearn instructions and offers the most extensive OBD II relearn coverage in the industry. The ITS600 offers four most commonly used service functions: Oil Light Reset, Battery Management System, Steering Angle Sensor calibration, and Electronic Parking Brake reset. What truly separates this tool from other TPMS tools, besides its Android operating system upgrade and a lighter and slimmer design, is the inclusion of much-needed industry solutions to overall tire safety.
The ITS600 Tire Identification Number (TIN) scan and DOT registration feature produces a real-time safety check for the customer’s current vehicle tires and a method to ensure your shop complies with government regulations when selling new tires. The TIN is the string of six to thirteen numbers or letters marked on the tire sidewall following the letters DOT (Department of Transportation) identifying, among other things, the week and year the tire was manufactured. Date, of course, is vitally important as tire makers recommend that a tire six years or older be replaced—and a quick scan and the subsequent display of the tire’s last four digits quickly identifies the age of that tire and advises the technician he should recommend a tire placement to the customer.
TIN registration is another matter whose responsibility has shifted over the years between seller and consumer. However, in 2016, the FAST Act made it mandatory for the tire seller to register just-purchased tires on behalf of the customers. The goal, of course, is to alert customers of a tire recall and to get those tires off the road. Eighty-five percent of recalled tires are believed to be still in use. The ITS600 brings the capturing and registering of the TIN into the modern age, eliminating the hassle of mailing in postcards and reducing the possible transcribing errors (40 percent of registrations are invalid because the TIN was incorrectly written). The ITS600 makes compliance easy: Input the customers contact information, scan the tire and tap submit. A CIMS subscription is required. The tire registration enables the tire manufacturer to contact the customers if a tire is recalled.
Purchase an upgrade to take the tool up to a pro version that extends the service menu to forty tasks and enables the tablet to perform an all-system scan, erase codes, view, and graph live data, and perform Active Tests and Special Functions.
The TS900 is the newest tool release in the Autel TPMS segment. Straight out of the box, this 8-inch touchscreen wireless tablet tool combines complete TPMS service capability with an expansive bidirectional scan tool platform. This tool is tremendously capable, including component activation, service bay tests, code scanning, live data, and 40 service functions on U.S., Asian, and European vehicles in 1996 and newer. There is no better value in an entry-level scan tool, period. The TS900 is the perfect choice for a shop or technician performing tire service, general repair, and maintenance. The TS900 also report management innovative features usually found only in more expensive scan tools, such as detailed pre- and post-scan reporting and cloud-based report management that not only frees up space on your tool for vehicle coverage updates but also allows report sharing across your shop technicians and invoicing team. The TS900 and the ITS600 are also authorized by AuthAuth for security gateway access, now required for most diagnostic and service functions on newer Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Fiat, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, and Nissan vehicles. Visit Autel.com or AutoAuth.net to learn about creating an AuthAuth account and purchasing a subscription.
You can be confident that a one-year limited warranty and free technical support for the life of the tool cover the Autel TPMS tool you choose.
Visit autel.com to learn more.
