Apart from giving the driver a wider view when driving, a thermal camera for car can also be used to detect car maintenance issues. Thermal imaging camera have proven to be a non-invasive and effective method of inspecting and evaluating vehicle components.
When you use infrared light to measure temperature variations, their devices allow car technicians to determine if more work should be conducted hence speeding up the process of repair. Thermal image inspection has other benefits such as helping pinpoint defects and trouble areas, assisting in diagnostics, creating transparency, presenting status reports on systems and providing verification throughout the entire repair process.
This technology will soon become commonplace at some point as handheld temperature sensors. Currently, thermal image cameras are costly and technicians can use other techniques and tools to provide similar results. This brings us to the question – are they worth it?
It can be one of the tools that sit around in the shop but when you want to use it, it can be very useful. Thermal imaging equipment reveals differences in temperature. These cameras show cold and hot temperatures as colours. This means they can be used to troubleshoot issues related to catalytic converters, heated seats, drivetrain components and more. They provide a visual inspection to see if there is a lot of work involved and if your intuitions are accurate as well as get rid of unnecessary steps when finding problems with your vehicle. Night vision equipment can also be used by drivers when driving at night.
Thermal inspection applications
Knowing when and how to use thermal imaging equipment can boost your return on investment and speed up your diagnostic process. Let us assess the systems, areas and components of commercial vehicles that can benefit from the use of thermal imaging devices. This way, fleets can easily determine if these cameras will be useful.
Tires, wheels, and brakes
After a road test, technicians need to inspect tires for any irregular heating. Heat spots could indicate inflation variations, defects in the tire and vehicle misalignment. Inspecting brakes with thermal imaging cameras can reveal problems. The thermographic load should spread evenly throughout the entire brake disc with no rings or grooves showing.
Technicians measure the temperature of the brake on the driver’s side followed by the brake on the passenger side across the same axle and proceed to compare the results. The temperature needs to be within a few degrees of every side. There may be an issue with the brake fluid if they are ten, twenty and thirty degrees off.
A thermal camera for car can detect nuanced differences in temperatures out of reach for each technician, such as around the calliper. This could indicate a mechanical failure. Also, stuck pistons may cause one calliper to stick and cause abnormal wear and tear and heat on one rotor. The same might be true for a struck parking brake that has a damaged cable. These situations should be visible in thermal imaging because of the heat they generate.