How to Find and Use Your Dealership Approved Equipment Catalog
Every automotive manufacturer maintains a dealership approved equipment catalog that lists every tool, lift, alignment system, AC machine, and diagnostic device their franchise dealers are expected to use. These catalogs are not suggestions. They are tied directly to warranty reimbursement rates, facility audit scores, and in some cases, vehicle allocation decisions. If you are building or renovating a service department, the approved catalog is where your equipment list starts.
We are Auto Lift Services, and we supply and install equipment from manufacturers that appear across multiple OEM approved programs, including Hunter, Rotary, Challenger, RobinAir, and Mahle. We work with general contracting partners including our partner construction companies to deliver complete dealership builds with a 2-year warranty on the building and all equipment inside it. Our role is to cross-reference your brand’s catalog with what your service department actually needs and handle procurement and installation as part of the total project.
This article walks through the major OEM equipment programs, what they cover, and why getting this right during construction saves money and headaches during your first facility audit.
How OEM Approved Equipment Programs Work
Every manufacturer runs their approved equipment program slightly differently, but the structure is similar across brands. The OEM partners with a catalog administrator or a network of authorized vendors. That administrator maintains a searchable database of approved tools and equipment organized by category: lifts, alignment, tire and wheel, brake service, air conditioning, diagnostics, fluid handling, exhaust extraction, and shop supplies.
Dealers access the dealership approved equipment catalog through a brand-specific portal. Some are open to the public. Others require a dealer login. The catalog lists specific makes, models, and part numbers that meet the OEM’s specifications for that equipment category. Some programs list multiple approved manufacturers for a given category. Others mandate a single vendor.
The critical detail is that approved equipment is not just about quality or brand preference. OEM auditors use the catalog as their checklist during facility inspections. Equipment that does not appear in the catalog can result in audit findings, which can affect your facility compliance score and downstream consequences like incentive eligibility.
Major OEM Equipment Catalogs by Brand
General Motors runs the GM Approved Special Tools program through Kent-Moore at gmglobaltools.com. This catalog covers every special tool and piece of shop equipment GM considers necessary for warranty-compliant service on Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac vehicles. The catalog is extensive, covering everything from EV battery service tools to alignment specifications.
Toyota operates its Approved Dealer Equipment program through Snap-on Industrial at toyotatoolsandequipment.com. This catalog is one of the more prescriptive programs in the industry. Toyota specifies not just equipment categories but particular models. The Toyota ADE program covers lifts, alignment, tire and wheel, ADAS calibration, and diagnostic equipment for both Toyota and Lexus dealerships.
BMW runs BMW Center Solutions through Bosch at bmwcentersolutions.com. This program covers the full range of service department equipment and reflects BMW’s facility standards, which are among the most detailed in the industry. Equipment selection ties directly to the BMW facility audit process and the brand’s image program compliance requirements.
Ford manages its approved equipment through specific vendor partnerships rather than a single centralized portal. Ford dealers work with their zone representatives to identify approved equipment for new construction and renovation projects. The approved equipment requirements are integrated into Ford’s Dealer Facility Standards program.
Honda and Acura maintain their equipment requirements through the Honda Dealer Network. Equipment specifications are communicated through facility planning documents provided during the construction approval process.
Hyundai and Kia run equipment programs that have expanded significantly as both brands have grown their dealer networks and facility standards. Equipment requirements are tied to each brand’s image program compliance timeline.
Stellantis covers Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Alfa Romeo, and Fiat under a unified facility and equipment program. The approved catalog for Stellantis brands includes heavy-duty lift requirements for Ram truck service, which is a consideration many dealers underestimate during construction planning.
Why Non-Approved Equipment Creates Problems
The consequences of installing equipment that is not in your brand’s approved catalog range from minor inconvenience to significant financial impact.
Warranty reimbursement. Some OEMs tie warranty labor time calculations to the assumption that dealers are using approved equipment. If an auditor finds non-approved equipment, the dealer may face reduced warranty reimbursement rates or be required to replace the equipment to restore full rates.
Facility audit findings. OEM facility audits check equipment against the approved catalog. Non-approved equipment is flagged as a finding. Depending on the brand, findings must be corrected within a specified timeline. Repeated or unresolved findings escalate to more serious compliance actions.
Facility audit scores. Many OEM programs use a scoring system during facility inspections. Equipment compliance is one of several scored categories. A low score in equipment can drag down an otherwise passing audit even if your showroom, signage, and customer areas are perfect.
Vehicle allocation. In the current market, vehicle allocation is the lever OEMs use most aggressively. Dealers who are not in compliance with facility and equipment standards may receive fewer vehicles, particularly high-demand models. The financial impact of reduced allocation often dwarfs the cost difference between approved and non-approved equipment.
Equipment Categories Covered in Most Catalogs
A typical OEM approved catalog covers the following service department categories. This is not exhaustive, but it represents the categories most relevant to new construction and renovation projects.
Vehicle lifts. Two-post, four-post, inground, scissor, and specialty lifts. Most OEM programs approve lifts from Rotary and Challenger for standard passenger vehicle service. Heavy-duty programs for truck dealers often specify higher-capacity models.
Wheel alignment systems. Hunter is the dominant approved brand across most OEM programs. Hunter HawkEye Elite and the newer alignment platforms appear in nearly every major OEM catalog. Some programs also list Rotary alignment equipment.
Tire changers and wheel balancers. Hunter and Rotary equipment appear across multiple OEM programs. Tire changer specifications include requirements for low-profile tire capability and TPMS sensor handling.
ADAS calibration. This is the fastest-growing category in OEM catalogs. Hunter ADASLink and Ultimate ADAS platforms appear in most programs because they cover the broadest OEM calibration database.
AC service equipment. RobinAir, Mahle, and Rotary AC machines appear across OEM programs. Refrigerant handling requirements have become more specific with the transition to R-1234yf, and some OEMs now require equipment capable of handling both R-134a and R-1234yf.
Brake service. Hunter brake lathes are the approved standard in most programs that specify on-car brake service equipment.
Exhaust extraction, fluid management, and air systems. These categories are less brand-specific in most catalogs but are still subject to audit. Functional exhaust extraction, clean fluid handling, and adequate compressed air are baseline facility requirements.
How We Use the Catalog During Your Project
When we scope a dealership construction or renovation project, the first step is pulling your brand’s current dealership approved equipment catalog and identifying every piece of equipment your service department needs. We match each category against approved manufacturers we carry — Hunter, Rotary, Challenger, RobinAir, Mahle — and build the equipment package from there.
This approach eliminates the problem we see regularly: a dealer builds a beautiful new facility, orders equipment based on price or a distributor’s recommendation, and then discovers during the first OEM audit that two of their lifts and their alignment system are not on the approved list. The cost of replacing equipment after installation — pulling lifts out of concrete, running new electrical, reconfiguring bays — is three to five times what it would have cost to specify the right equipment during construction.
We have completed projects where the equipment package alone exceeded $226,000 for a 24,805-square-foot vehicle maintenance facility. At that scale, every piece needs to be right the first time. Our 2-year warranty covers both the building and the equipment, which means we are invested in getting the specification correct from day one.
Cross-Brand Dealers and Multi-Franchise Equipment Overlap
Dealers who carry multiple franchises under one roof face an additional challenge: reconciling two or more OEM catalogs into a single equipment package. A dealer with a domestic brand and a luxury import brand may find that both catalogs approve Hunter alignment equipment (overlap) but specify different lift types or AC machine models (conflict).
We handle this by building a unified equipment matrix that maps every catalog requirement from every brand the dealer carries. Where catalogs overlap, we specify the shared approved model. Where they conflict, we specify equipment that satisfies the more restrictive standard, which typically satisfies both.
This cross-referencing work is detailed but essential. Multi-franchise dealers who skip it end up with equipment that passes one brand’s audit and fails another — and they discover this only when the second brand’s auditor arrives.
The Bottom Line
Your dealership approved equipment catalog is not optional reading. It is the foundation of your service department equipment plan, and it should be the first document you pull when planning new construction or a renovation. Every lift, alignment machine, tire changer, brake lathe, AC machine, and ADAS calibration system in your service department needs to trace back to an approved catalog entry.
We make this process straightforward. We carry equipment from the manufacturers that appear across the most OEM programs, we cross-reference catalogs for multi-franchise dealers, and we install everything as part of a complete project with general contracting, architecture, and a 2-year warranty. If you are planning a build and have not pulled your catalog yet, contact us and we will walk through it with you.
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Josiah Ragsdale
Founder, Automotive Lift Services
Josiah has been installing, repairing, and inspecting automotive lifts since he was 18 years old. He founded Automotive Lift Services in 2019 after years of seeing lifts installed wrong, never inspected, and putting technicians at risk. His team now services all 50 states from their Iowa headquarters. Read more
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