Understanding Digital Vehicle Inspection Data with Hunter… – Tire Review

While digital vehicle inspection can take on many different forms with a variety of equipment, one company that is leading the way in giving wheel dealers data literally at their fingertips is Seeker Engineering. You’ve probably seen or heard of Hunter’s Quick Check inspection gear that takes tread depth and alignment measurements within seconds. To dig into the type of data Hunter’s inspection products collects, new features this debuted this year and how it integrates with other equipment in the shop, we sat down with Pete Liebetreu, vice president of marketing at Hunter Engineering, during Industry Week in Las Vegas this year.

In this interview for What’s Treading along with Tire Review, presented by AAPEX , Pete delves into:

• Data points Hunter collects through its DVI tools (0: 45)
• Enhancements Seeker has made to the inspection devices that debuted at industry week this particular year (2: 14)
• How inspection reports can lead to store efficiency plus transparency with customers (5: 05)
• Exactly how dealers can realize ROI with an investment in DVI apparatus (8: 43)

Subscribe to the audio podcast on  Apple Podcasts ,   Spotify  and  Google Podcasts.   You can also read the full interview below.

Madeleine Winer, Editor, Wheel Review: We’ve seen the lot associated with new machines and upgrades to existing equipment from your booth here, so I wanted to talk about the particular inspection equipment that Hunter has on display, namely Hunter’s Quick Examine inspection systems. I know these inspection techniques collect tons of automobile data and allow for a few selling opportunities for car tire dealers. So can a person give me a good idea of some associated with those important data factors that these types of systems collect for tire dealers?

Pete Leibetreu, vice president of marketing, Hunter Engineering: Sure. The Quick Check suite of products primarily revolves around positioning opportunities and tire possibilities. So what we’re going to read is the position condition associated with the vehicle as it pulls into your shop. So very quickly, you just drive via, there is no touching anything, no mounting any sensors plus so forth. You just drive through. The equipment is going to get a picture of that alignment. We’re likely to compare this to actual vehicle specifications for that vehicle. I

The tread reader—the Fast Tread Edge—is going to give you the picture associated with the follow depth upon all four tires. Not just within points, but actually across a patch of the tire. You’re likely to get an image and then a number of data points for the particular tread. We all know that tires have a certain tread level that is DOT capable, or DOT legal, but also, you need in order to advise your customers if they’re getting near the DOT danger point. That’s the kind of information our gear can give based on knowing exactly the particular vehicle [you have in your bay].

Winer: So I understand there are several enhancements to the Quick Check examination system. Can you go over some of the brand new things, or the enhancements rather, that a person guys have at this year’s SEMA Show?

Leibetreu: Sure. Therefore we’ve had the tread measurement plus alignment angle measurement for a couple of years for passenger cars. There are some enhancements to that but what I would like to highlight first is that we went full commercial with the Quick Verify Edge and the positioning inspection– our system can measure Class A trucks, too, but there’s a middle space that a lot of people, wheel dealers in particular, operate in, and that is dual wheel vehicles, like a 450 pickup truck or even one of these larger transit vans. So we’ve combined the particular hardware and have the position inspection from the passenger car, light trucks plus the wide follow capability. Within a sense, it’s sort of the hybrid system that’s capable of handling light duty up to medium duty plus really gives a tire dealer the big spectrum. The particular tire seller couldn’t inspect his own rollback carrier with regard to tread depth previous to this, as an example, in case they do towing.

That’s the biggest hardware enhancement. There are also some software-based enhancements. Those have to do with the particular tires that are coming out on the roads. There are newer asymmetric patterns out there, and we always want the particular visual image we obtain of the car tire to represent the actual tire on the automobile. That builds authenticity and trust. A person want in order to be able to sell a customer needed wheel work, and the best way to do it is to show them their own tires along with their readings. So those are really the big improvements for this 12 months.

Winer: So , instead of showing any car tire tread, is it closer in order to what the picture from the real tire tread and follow depth on the customer’s actual vehicle?

Leibetreu: Right. When we scan the tread, all of us measure its depth plus 3D model it. All of us want that will model to match really what you look with around the rubber. So as new tire tread designs come out, we have our work cut out for us. We’ll do it. Trust us, we’ll get it done.

Winer: Awesome. That leads me to my next question about inspection reviews. I understand whenever we did the tour of the particular Hunter presentation area here, you were saying that having the actual image of the follow design helps with that selling portion, if you will, associated with that inspection report. So can you tell me personally how examination reports add to store efficiency, how those are usually produced, and can you produce an example of the particular shop efficiencies that are obtained due to the fact of those?

Leibetreu: Certain. Unfortunately, a lot of shops simply operate upon a, “We’re going to perform the function the customer asks us to do” motto. And some shops even think that’s the right thing to do. But what clients need today is they need to be knowledgeable from the work that needs to be done. Therefore , rather of investing time gathering data factors, all the dealer must do will be drive the particular customer’s automobile through the Quick Check out inspection program. As you generate through, you’re likely to get the alignment condition as well as the tire condition. Both are usually super important for your client. If the particular alignment is usually off, their particular tires that will may be new are going in order to wear quickly. They’re not really going to get a great value. For the consumer, the RETURN ON INVESTMENT on just doing alignment is so great when a set of 4 tires might be $1, 000 today. So, informing your customer of a needed service is important.

Same with the tread level. If you’re telling a client that they need tires, they just require tires. That is the actual information says. It’s just a fact. You’re not selling them something… You are just telling them therefore they may make a decision nowadays or a decision three months within the future when the first snow falls or whatever their choice might be.

With regard to your shop efficiency, you are not trading any time to inform the customer regarding an essential consideration. Then you will find all the soft points about that, right?. The well-known fact that the 1st person who offers to sell somebody tires and describes the particular need usually gets the need [the sale]. Yet you’re furthermore describing that will need regarding tires with an image—an picture that develops trust in your organization. You’re doing the same thing with alignment. This is not me telling you based on feeling the particular top of your tire that you need alignment. This is a laser instrumentation that has read your own alignment, compared to the specs [to OE] and is definitely telling all of us [you need an alignment].

These are trust-building opportunities as well. But ultimately, it’s about making sure that every opportunity that comes through your shop can be transitioned to work, right? Plus that’s another portion of the inspection stuff –connectivity to our HunterNet portal.

Winer: Of course.

Liebetreu: Okay. So, along with HunterNet, you can see everything. So , you can look on it as a shop manager or owner plus say, I’ve got a hundred vehicles. I saw 40 opportunities [for a certain service], and We sold five. That’s not really a good day, right?

Winer: Right.

Leibetreu: You want in order to see that a person sold 30. That tells you your shop can be running at maximum efficiency. So, with our Quick Check system and HunterNet system, we actually feel like it helps everyone, informs customers and assists shops sell needed function while keeping everyone within good maintenance on their vehicle. If they’re [customers] are already in your store, it’s less inconvenient for them to take care of this [whatever service they need] now.

Winer: Very true. It serves as an educational and consultative opportunity with customers, yet you’re also saying stores can capitalize on the service while the customer’s there with all this data. So, Pete, with the particular inspection program that you guys sell, that’s a big price tag for a tire dealer, right? So I’m curious, how may a tire dealer who invests in Hunter’s examination equipment plus software realize ROI upon that products?

Leibetreu: Right. Actually, their ROI is really amazing for inspection equipment. Typically, it’s within the three-to-four-month window, which for capital equipment is certainly [amazing]… Most rules of thumb [say ROI should be achieved in] less than one year. It is [Hunter equipment] a no-brainer. But most of our users can achieve their own ROI in three to four months, depending on their vehicle count and their dedication to ensuring that will they at least present each opportunity in order to use the tools. It’s really interesting, as well, because it’s actually not that difficult to do. We typically just recommend that you put a large monitor within the wall, we call it the flag board. And almost all you do is interact with the client about their particular automobile. There’s a picture shown. There are their positioning readings, there is their tread depth, and you just present that. If you present it, your possibilities go method up.

We know position, it’s known within the business as one of the most profitable services that you can perform. It’s so efficient these days that alignments in 20 to thirty minutes are common. And then tires are usually why a tire dealer is in business, so you should be selling tires. Taking that opportunity is great.

ROI is spectacular. The particular only people who are challenged with it are the ones that struggle to maintain that will selling opportunity, which will be why we all recommend putting yourself upon HunterNet, obtaining what we call our own push reports. So even if you’re a non-present owner or not present every day, you may get the notification twice a day regarding what your own [selling] opportunities are and exactly how many have been capitalized on. Maybe a person have to make a phone contact [to the shop] the first couple of weeks, but I actually bet you won’t after that.