Chief Automotive Technologies has added its Upper Body Bar as standard equipment to its Velocity computerized frame measuring system at no extra charge, the company announced. The Upper Body Bar extends the reach of Velocity’s laser measuring capabilities to cover the entire vehicle, including roof, trunk, strut towers and windows and to facilitate steering and suspension realignment.
Chief measuring systems equipped with the Upper Body Bar are the only products available that can simultaneously measure a vehicle’s steering axis inclination (S.A.I.) on both sides, as well as the vehicle’s lower structure, live, Chief says.
"Many modern vehicles allow little or no adjustment of the front-end geometry angles other than toe, so the only way to restore their steering and suspension performance is to ensure that any misalignment is diagnosed and corrected during the vehicle repair," said Mike Cranfill, vice president of collision. "Using Velocity and the Upper Body Bar, technicians can accurately and easily measure suspension angles and lower ball joint locations to identify any suspension damage. This allows them to identify components that should be replaced. As a result, repair quality improves, comebacks from the alignment shop are minimized, and profitability goes up."
Velocity’s Upper Body Bar measures multiple points at the same time. Technicians can use it to compare two upper body reference points against OEM specifications simultaneously. It can generate comparison measurements for deck lid openings, suspension angles and roofs. It can also measure caster.
Velocity continues measuring in real-time while technicians make repairs, so they don’t have to stop and measure after every pull. Shops using Velocity can print full-color inspection reports showing all vehicle damage before, during and after repairs.
Like all Chief measuring systems, Velocity uses the company’s exclusive vehicle specifications. Chief personnel measure every vehicle with the frame anchored and the suspension unloaded in order to provide "real world" accuracy. Chief specs cover more vehicles than any other system.
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Chief Automotive Technologies
