What should an electrical thermography survey cover at a car dealership workshop and showroom?

Short answer: the whole electrical supply that keeps the site trading: the incoming main board, the workshop distribution boards feeding vehicle lifts, compressors and diagnostic bays, the supplies to EV chargers, the valet and wash bay, and the showroom lighting and air conditioning boards. It is surveyed live on a normal trading day, so the workshop keeps working.

Why a dealership is a busy electrical site

A modern dealership packs several different loads behind one front door. The workshop runs two-post and four-post lifts, a compressor, wheel and tyre machines and diagnostic equipment. The forecourt and workshop now carry EV chargers, often added in stages as the brand’s range has changed. The valet bay runs pressure washers in a wet area. The showroom runs long hours of lighting and air conditioning. Most of it hangs off boards that were sized for the site as it was when it opened.

What is surveyed

Incoming supply and main board: the main switch, busbar and outgoing ways.
Workshop boards: circuits feeding lifts, the compressor, tyre equipment and MOT or diagnostic bays.
EV charger supplies: the boards, isolators and terminals feeding each charger, where the site can open them safely.
Valet and wash bay: supplies to pressure washers and dryers.
Showroom and offices: lighting boards, air conditioning supplies and the server or comms cabinet supply.
Outdoor kit: forecourt feeder pillars and external lighting supplies.

When to survey

Thermography needs current flowing to show anything useful, so the survey is planned for a normal weekday when the workshop is booked up, the compressor is cycling and chargers are in use. Boards are opened one at a time by the site’s electrician or an authorised person. Nothing is switched off, and customers and technicians carry on as normal.

Reading the images honestly

A compressor and its motor run warm, and a pressure washer heats its own water. That heat is normal and is not reported as a fault. Bare metal on lifts and busbars can reflect heat from elsewhere, and outdoor pillars pick up sun, so readings are taken from surfaces that give a true reading and compared like for like with a matching connection on a similar load. Each finding is given as the measured temperature and the difference in °C, with the board, circuit and load recorded. Ti reports what was measured; your electrical contractor decides what to do about it.

What you get

A report you can hand to your insurer, your landlord or the brand’s property team, with a thermal and visual image for each finding, its location, and a list of anything that could not be opened or seen on the day. Surveys are carried out by ITC Level 3 thermographers, and Ti is a Level 3 certified company. For a group with several sites, the same layout is used at each one so results can be compared year to year.

Frequently asked questions

Do the lifts need to stop?

No. The survey is done with the workshop working. The lifts running is what puts current through their circuits.

Are the EV chargers themselves surveyed?

The supplies to them are: boards, isolators and terminals the site can open safely. Inside the charger is a matter for the charger maintainer.

How often should a dealership be surveyed?

Most sites build it into their annual electrical PPM. Insurers and landlords may ask for evidence of it; the policy or lease says what they need.