Atlas Platinum Alignment Kit: the one that comes off for cleaning

Almost every four-post alignment lift on the market recesses its turntables and slip plates into the runways, flush with the surface the wheels roll on. It looks purposeful and it creates a maintenance problem that shortens the life of the parts. Everything a car carries in — road salt, grit, brake dust, degreaser, water — ends up in the recess, and the recess is exactly where the rolling and sliding surfaces live. Once that mixture is packed into a slip plate, the plate does not slide freely, and a plate that does not slide freely reports an alignment reading that is not the one the suspension is actually holding.

The Atlas Platinum Alignment Kit mounts above the runways instead. That single decision is what this kit is for. The moving parts sit where you can see them, reach them and wash them; and even when the kit is permanently mounted, undoing the bolts lifts the whole assembly off so the turntables and plates can be stripped, cleaned and greased properly rather than poked at through a slot.

It bolts on to an Atlas Platinum PVL14 four-post lift, and to other commercial-grade four-post lifts, turning a storage-and-service lift into an alignment lift.

Will It Fit?

Two questions decide it, and only one is about the lift.

• The lift. The kit is specified for the AP-PVL14. It is designed to bolt to other commercial-grade four-post lifts, but "commercial grade" is not a measurement. Send us the make, model and runway dimensions of the lift you own and we will confirm compatibility in writing before you order — this is the single most common reason an alignment kit goes back.
• The vehicles. Maximum wheelbase is 154 inches. Measure the longest vehicle you expect to align, not the one in the bay today.
• Turntable recess. The front turntables need a recess between 1 1/2 inches (40mm) and 2 inches (50mm). If you are cutting or building that recess into your runways, those are the two numbers to work to.
• Turntables supplied measure 17 by 17 inches.

Checking that the kit suits your lift and your vehicle range is the buyer's responsibility, and we would rather answer the question before the crate ships than after.

Why the rear plates use roller bearings

The rear slip plates run on 1 inch diameter steel roller bearings. Rollers rather than a plain sliding surface matter for a specific reason on an alignment rack: the rear wheels have to be free to move sideways as the front geometry is adjusted, otherwise the suspension is fighting friction and the numbers on the screen settle to whatever the friction allows rather than to the alignment you set. Larger steel rollers keep that movement free under a loaded axle, and they are far more tolerant of the dirt that ends the life of a fine sliding plate.

Removable is not the same as temporary

The kit can be mounted permanently or fitted only when it is needed, and both are legitimate ways to own it. A shop doing alignments daily bolts it down and leaves it, and gains the service access described above. A shop doing them a few times a week keeps the runways clear for general work and puts the kit on for the job — which also means a four-post lift bought for storage or service does not have to be replaced to start taking alignment work.

Perfect For

• A shop already running a Platinum PVL14 and adding alignment as a service.
• A general repair shop that wants alignment capability without committing a bay to a dedicated alignment rack.
• Any shop in a salt-belt climate, where the recessed-plate maintenance problem is worst.

What is in the box

Per this page's feature list: a set of heavy-duty ball-bearing slip plates, two heavy-duty turntables, and the ramps and spacers needed to fit them. Not included, and worth stating plainly: the alignment measuring system itself — the heads, cameras or targets and the software — is a separate purchase, as is the lift. This kit is the mechanical half of an alignment bay.

Certification

Atlas lists this as an ALI certified accessory. Read that precisely, because accessory certifications are frequently over-read: a certification held by an accessory is granted for the accessory in the configuration it was assessed in — here, on the Platinum lift it is specified for. Fitting it to a different manufacturer's four-post lift does not carry that assessment across to the combination. If your insurer, your fleet contract or your local authority asks about the status of your alignment bay, ask us in writing and we will get the scope of the listing from Atlas rather than paraphrase it.

Shipping and delivery

This is a freight shipment inside the lower 48 states, quoted live at checkout rather than printed here, because freight rates move. Two things decide whether delivery day goes well. First, unloading is yours to arrange: a freight truck will not lift the crate off the trailer for you, so you need a forklift, a skid steer or a comparable machine at the delivery address, or you take the shipment at the carrier terminal instead. Tell us which before it ships. Second, inspect before you sign. Walk the crate, look for crushed corners, punctures, shifted banding and oil marks, and write anything you find on the delivery receipt before the driver leaves. A signed clean receipt is the carrier's proof that the freight arrived undamaged, and a concealed-damage claim raised afterwards is a far harder argument than three words written on the paperwork. Residential delivery is available and carries a residential fee. Warehouse pickup is available at our stocking locations if you would rather collect it.

Warranty

No warranty term is published for this kit in the product data on this page. We are not going to invent one. Ask us in writing before you order and we will get the current term from Atlas — and if something does fail, contact us before you dismantle the assembly, because a stripped part is the usual reason a valid claim is declined.