The car slowed but didn’t stop as it approached the service shop at Banister Nissan of Chesapeake. Lights flashed as it drove under an arch of AI-sensors and cameras. Six seconds later, four beeps signaled the system had done its job.
A lot happened in those few moments.
The UVeye system took several thousand photos of the Subaru Legacy’s exterior, tires and undercarriage. It scanned the images and flagged potential issues like worn tire tread, missing parts, leaks, scratches and dents. It sent those images directly to the service provider and driver.
The service center at Banister has been using UVeye for a few years for regular service, rentals, trade-ins and inspections, said general manager Brian Pinckney. The only other place that uses the technology in the state is its sister dealership, Banister Nissan of Norfolk.
One of the biggest benefits is customer service, Pinckney said.
“Instead of us just saying, ‘Hey, you need tires,’ we're actually showing them something they can actually see,” he said. “And then just that transparency alone, it creates trust.”
The tool also saves time, Pinckney said. Without it, a mechanic would have to manually lift the vehicle, take images and process them. That takes 15 to 20 minutes per vehicle and would yield the same information the UVeye system gets in just seconds, Pinckney said.
Drivers in Virginia are required to get their vehicles inspected every year. The Virginia State Police’s Safety Division requires 24 points of inspection, including headlights, tires, wheels, brakes and windshields. AI can streamline some of this process and help drivers understand what’s going on with their vehicles, but it can’t do it all.
Virginia State police spokesman Matt Demlein said inspectors can use AI as long as humans are the ones confirming the results and determining the safety of the vehicles.
They also cannot charge more than the state’s maximum inspection fees, he said. For most cars and trucks, that maximum is $20.
The report the system generates is a jumping off point, said Devin Pugh, manager at UVeye.
“This type of technology is meant to be a co-pilot,” Pugh said. It’s not meant to replace human expertise, he added.
He compared the system to an MRI. It takes snapshots of the whole vehicle and shares them with the driver.
But also like an MRI, Pugh said the results need to be reviewed by professionals.