Tire pressure.

[rover1]

My boss just informed me that i have to check tire pressure on every car i work on. even if i choose to not do it i have to write 32psi on every repair order. My boss says this is a mandate by the B.A.R. and every repair shop has to do it. Does anybody have some insight on this issue? also are ther any 02 owners out using Nitrogen in ther tires.

[jgerock]

I've never heard of this requirement and cannot recall what the service tickets from my daily drivers have on them (if there is a place for the tire pressure). Tire places like NTB should have them on the receipt.

All (newer) cars must have a tire pressure sticker somewhere on them. Most newer cars have a sticker in the door jamb. Some are on the glove box lid.

For 2002's, just lift the hood.

[c.d.iesel]

check the air - oil level and washer fluid on ALL CARS THAT PASS THROUGH ANY SERVICE CENTER !!! if you don't your not doing the right thing.

That rule has been in effect since the charriots

if you have an objection to it - your in the wrong job.

Happy Safe Motoring

[Napes]

I don't know about Calif. regs., but, for some insight, our chapter of the BMW CCA ran a service program annually for women victims of domestic violence for eight consecutive years. We'd change their vehicle's oil & filter, top up ATF, battery water, and brake fluid, and look for any obvious dangerous mechanical situations and advise them to have the repairs soon. We'd also check their tire's air pressure and you'd be amazed at some of conditions we encountered.

In one case one front tire had 68# of pressure and the one on the other side had 16#. WTF was all we could say. We found tire pressures all over the spectrum - many times as much as 20# difference from side to side or front to back, usually on one side only.

So, regardless of the regulations, you're doing a valuable service for not only the owners of the vehicle, but for others who share the road with them. Keep up the good work.

Bob Napier

[gastephens]

I got my car back from an alignment shop. The pressures were perfect when it went in and 45# LF, 27# RF, 27# LR, and 42# RR. I thought they had done an awful alignment job because the car drove like crap. Talk about bad cross-weights!

Just out of happenstance did I check the air pressures because there was no reason I can think of that they needed to mess with them. Whoa, that made a huge difference.

Shops that mess with stuff and give it back to you in a bad condition really annoy me. That also goes for the shops that insist on pumping the tires on my '02 or Miata up to 32 psi because they know what is best for me.

[dubois]

My boss just informed me that i have to check tire pressure on every car i work on. even if i choose to not do it i have to write 32psi on every repair order. My boss says this is a mandate by the B.A.R. and every repair shop has to do it. Does anybody have some insight on this issue? also are ther any 02 owners out using Nitrogen in ther tires.

I have never heard of that requirement, but doesn't mean that it down't exists. The BAR book is thick, and extremely disorganized. I once tried to read it from beginning to end, and I gave up. Most of it deals with permits, disclosures, contracts and legalities.

The BAR requirement may say that you must write tire pressure, but it probably doesn't deal with the accuracy of measurement and how long that measurement should be good for. In real life that changes, so how could you even enforce that?

A side bar comment: your boss can't tell you to lie, if you didn't check the tire pressure, don't just write 32 in the repair order. You are solely responsible for your written statements. It is probably a bull shit law, and I can understand your bosses frustration, but he should have just told you what you are required to do.

[cj]

My boss just informed me that i have to check tire pressure on every car i work on. even if i choose to not do it i have to write 32psi on every repair order. My boss says this is a mandate by the B.A.R. and every repair shop has to do it. Does anybody have some insight on this issue? also are ther any 02 owners out using Nitrogen in ther tires.

Law went into affect in CA back in Sept.

[Grover]

How, if at all, is recommended psi impacted by non standard wheel and tire sizes? For example, I'm running 205/50/15s.

[thaddeussmith]

also are ther any 02 owners out using Nitrogen in ther tires.

i am in my wife's ford fusion.

[gastephens]

I see the benefit of nitrogen in my racecar but seems a waste of effort in a street car.

[thaddeussmith]

agreed - but it was an already dealer installed option in the car when we bought it. *shrug*

[dubois]

My boss just informed me that i have to check tire pressure on every car i work on. even if i choose to not do it i have to write 32psi on every repair order. My boss says this is a mandate by the B.A.R. and every repair shop has to do it. Does anybody have some insight on this issue? also are ther any 02 owners out using Nitrogen in ther tires.

Law went into affect in CA back in Sept.

yeap, you're right. It is CARB the one that wrote not BAR.

here is what I found:

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2010/07/california-air-resources-board-carb-mandates-tire-pressure-checks.html

[Guest]

check the air - oil level and washer fluid on ALL CARS THAT PASS THROUGH ANY SERVICE CENTER !!! if you don't your not doing the right thing.

That rule has been in effect since the charriots

if you have an objection to it - your in the wrong job.

Happy Safe Motoring

Check water level, too, please. Thanks.

[gwb72tii]

I see the benefit of nitrogen in my racecar but seems a waste of effort in a street car.

new bmw's use nitrogen

i believe it doesn't change pressure as much as "air" when heated and thus doesn't give false readings to the tire pressure sensors

[TobyB]

Good way to kill a Bug/ Corvair driver.

Also Suzuki Samurai/Sidekick driver.

Those cars are all designed to have pressures radically

different than 32 psi. (due to dumb suspension design, but whatever...)

Whoever made up that law should be shot.

If you've ever driven a Bug with the proper 19f/ 32 rear, then

changed it to 32/32, you'll know what I mean.

Doing anything other than what the manufacturer's sticker says

is bad news. And potentially dangerous.

t