Is this one of the signs of a new era, the repair workshop without anyone to do the repairs? The people at API promise a no-contact axle alignment inside of 5 minutes, during the filling out of the customers forms. The customer must only wait for a moment, while his/her car is being driven onto the hoist and the type and year of manufacture are entered into the data-bank. There is then enough time to sort out the customer's problems, because the equipment works fully automatically.

You may ask, how the adaptors are attached to the rim, and if the correct wheel runout compensation has been dropped. All this is no longer necessary, because the wheels are turned by shifting the 'road surface' and at the same time, are scanned. In fact, only one readings recorder is needed per side, because this moves from one wheel to the next. Of course, there is no contact with the rim at all, so no damage can occur.

The special feature of this test-bench is it's versatility. The readings recorder moves independently along the length of the vehicle. At the same time, the wheels can be turned by the 'road surface', which also moves along the length of the vehicle. Only in the case of a possible trailing and splay control, must the mechanic turn the steering wheel, as always he has an optical display as well.

In the end, the display once again resembles that of a customary tester. 'OK' is also shown in green and 'damaged' in red. On the other hand, what other test-benches do not offer, is the possibility of having the repair done directly on site, because the necessary equipment is hidden in the longitudinal rails of the hoist. It is a wonderful solution for the mechanic. However, the calculation of whether such a test-bench is wothwhile, may be a lot more difficult. 02/11