• Discount Tire of Scottsdale, AZ has opened its first location in Pennsylvania, the company’s 36th state. The store in Pittsburgh will service customers across Allegheny County.
• Federated Auto Parts has added a series of videos to its YouTube channel. The videos, titled “Car Care That Works,” focus on the importance of routine vehicle maintenance, service and repair, providing motorists with tips on how to “Be Car Care Aware.” Among the vehicle system topics covered are brakes, air filters, alignments, oil changes and batteries.
• The Timken Company has launched new “Tricks of the Trade” videos focusing on commercial and light vehicles. Each video has a corresponding TechTip that can be printed. You can view the entire video series here.
• Mitchell 1 has announced a new release with more features for its ProDemand auto repair information, including interactivity that connects wiring diagrams directly to component information. This allows technicians to access component repair information from inside the diagram without having to initiate a secondary search.
• Mitchell 1’s first Shop Management Workshop of 2020 will take place April 30 to May 2 at the Rosen Center Hotel in Orlando. The event is designed for shop management software users who want to learn more advanced capabilities, shortcuts and new features. Sessions will cover strategies to compete against dealerships, maximize maintenance and repair opportunities, and enhance customer relationships. For more information, click here.
• Michelin North America has notified its dealers of an upcoming price increase of as much as 7% in the United States and as much as 5% in Canada for select Michelin, BFGoodrich, and Uniroyal brand products in the passenger and light-truck tire categories. The increase will be effective March 16. Price changes may vary across specific products within each brand portfolio.
• Yokohama Tire Corp. has revamped its longstanding consumer associate dealer program, Advantage. Revisions include increased payouts, as well as the return of “Tier+” with a new lower minimum unit requirement. For more information, click here.
• The Hunter Engineering Company now offers a data-driven productivity tool, HunterNet Trend Reports, that shows shop equipment use and productivity trends over a seven-day period as well as daily. This allows shops to identify presented and missed opportunities for alignment and tires.
• Hunter Engineering has announced an integration with GoMoto, a provider of virtual service adviser kiosks that streamline the check-in process for vehicle dealerships. When a customer drives through Hunter’s unmanned alignment inspection system, Quick Check Drive, total toe and camber results are automatically sent to the GoMoto kiosk, ensuring that alignment check results are presented to customers. If misalignment is identified, vehicle owners can choose to add alignment service to their repair order via the kiosk.
• Irving, TX-based Tire Profiles Inc. (TPI) has released new software, TraXtion, that allows auto dealers to manage and act upon the data that TPI’s drive-over TreadSpec technology provides. TreadSpec is wheel alignment diagnostic equipment. The TraXtion software provides information on tire wear and tread depth that consumers can review themselves or with a service writer.
• Toronto-based Dealer-FX is now an approved partner for Kia Motors America’s Service Lane Technology program. With Dealer-FX’s ONE Platform, Kia dealerships across the United States get a digital technology that integrates with Kia data, third-party technology providers and various DMS providers. The goal is to improve parts sales, CSI scores and customer retention.