Is Your Automotive Service Equipment Telling You the Truth?–A National Field Evaluation of Automotive Test Equipment

Rational research and development of advanced inspection, analysis, and diagnostic equipment cannot proceed without reliable quantitative information about the service equipment now in use. Although new equipment specifications are readily available, there is comparatively little data on the performance of equipment in use, and much of that is considered proprietary.

This paper presents information on the condition, accuracy, and repeatability of automotive service equipment in use. This information was derived from on-site data obtained at a national sample of 307 auto repair/diagnostic facilities. Over 6,000 pieces of some 24 types of equipment, ranging from tire pressure gauges to computerized engine analyzers, were subjected to a detailed field engineering evaluation.