In case you missed this article from our May June edition
There is an alarming tendency for eyes to roll or glaze over when it comes to talking about ADAS. Sam Street and Jason Trewin from I-CAR examine the issues.
Having spoken to the recalibration experts who appear in this feature one thing is clear, this emerging industry faces onion-like complexity with layer upon layer of technical, operational and regulatory issues that need addressing. On top of that they have an enormous education task to widen understanding of what they do, why it must be done and when it must be done with both repairers and the insurance industry.
It’s safe to say that to ensure that for all of the safety systems encompassed under the umbrella of to ADAS perform as they were designed to after taking a bumper bar off or replacing a windscreen is a highly technical process and a daunting one for an independent repairer to embrace.
The requirements for recalibrating safely in house grow more onerous and expensive every year. You need a proper techie tech whose eyes light up at the thought of interpreting lines of code, access to actual OEM repair methods and software and sometimes hardware, plentiful spare space, the right light, an even floor, a wide array of targets and the odd lazy hour if a dynamic recalibration is required. That’s before you put your hand in your pocket for the high tech, and commensurately high priced kit, to carry all of this out (well over $200,000 to service a decent sector of the vehicle parc).
Even if you are in the understandable ‘I’ll leave that to the experts” mode, your technicians still need to be across what’s involved so that the car is fully prepared for the recalibration process and that the work is properly quoted for.
Coming up for 40% of windscreen replacements now need recalibration and that number will only head north. If you outsource windscreens you need to ensure that you are working with a company that has expert technicians rather than just a ‘fitter’.
With third party recalibration offerings there are many approaches. Repairify has a digital offering, there are remote calibration options, sending the vehicle to a centre or having a mobile operator to come your businesses. The industry is currently unregulated which is something the AutoGlass Association, AAAA and the major players in the market are working to correct.
In addition to all of the equipment costs and the high level of skill needed to carry out calibrations on a variety of brands, there’s the cost of acquiring all of the OE software and in some cases, mandated diagnostic equipment. Not only do the OEs not like selling this equipment to unknown independents but they have no obligation to support the aftermarket if they run into problems. It seems like doing your own can be a big can of wriggling worms.
Why scanning is vital
I-CAR’s Trewin says: “There is still a lot of ignorance in the industry about diagnostic and recalibration requirements which can lead to customers having their car returned to them after repair with safety systems that won’t work as the manufacturer intended.
“A pre-scan should be standard practice in every collision repair and estimate. However, there is the issue that many technicians who carry out those pre-scans don’t understand the results. At least if the pre-scan is undertaken and there’s a problem at the end of the repair an electrical engineer will be able to work out if it was a pre-existing issue. Scanning is also essential if you are using a third party to recalibrate your vehicles.
“To provide the most accurate damage analysis of the vehicle at estimating phase, it’s imperative that you consult with OEM repair instructions to determine the level of ADAS the vehicle may be fitted with and perform a pre-scan of the system to understand what may have been compromised.
“Scanning is only one step that is critical to ensure all the ADAS features perform post repair, ensuring accurate dimensional correctness of the body of the vehicle has an even larger influence on performance of any ADAS. We are not just talking chassis rails and structural components. For instance if the rear quarter panel is damaged around where the cross-traffic alert radar mounts to and is not rectified correctly during repair then the radar will not read its environment correctly and provide false information to the driver.
“Given that you need to take into account digital scanning, three dimensional computerised measuring and even accurate wheel alignment all at the start of the estimating phase, do we have the knowledge and skills to be able to cope with these fast moving advancements in technology?”
Upskill in just one hour
None of these technologies and skills were covered in the apprenticeship that the majority of estimators will have undertaken. I-CAR has a number of on-line courses which only take around an hour each to upskill technicians which will ensure more accurate estimates. Basic electronics for estimators allows you to learn to identify electrical damage following a vehicle collision and identify parts of a basic circuit. Introduction to diagnostics and scan tools ensures technicians are up to date with the latest safety systems and tells you how to undertake effective scans. Other useful one hour courses are Requirements and Considerations for achieving accurate ADAS calibration and Damage discovery for ADAS sensor mounting locations.