Professional Distributor - S10

COLLISION REPAIR DIAGNOSTICS

The importance of asking "why?"
with ADAS repairs
Highlighting key elements needed for a proper calibration.
by Sean Guthrie, Contributing Editor

e c h n i c i a n s t a ke n o te :
Advanced driver assistance
systems (ADAS) are here with
more on the way. There is significant
benefit to the general population
with increased implementation and
increased ability of these assistance
systems. By all accounts, these
systems will result in a decrease in the
quantity of collisions, and hopefully
reduce vehicle-related casualties.
This will come with an increase in
the cost and complexity of
repairs, however, and it is vital
to understand how crucial
accuracy is in every aspect of
the job.
As humans, we desire to understand. The question of "why?" is
undeniably important now. In
meetings with my team and/or
with sublet vendors I like to play
the part of an unwise, uneducated
individual. I like to ask "why?" a lot.
I want them to give me explanations
beyond the textbook answers they
simply memorized and are repeating. It is important that we all think
for ourselves and seek answers; neither this article nor any other article can
answer all of the "whys" we are going to
have. What I am hoping for is that I can
give some foundation that will allow for
further answers.

THE ELEMENTS OF A PROPER REPAIR
When we dig deeper into the actual
implementation of repairs on ADAS, there
is a huge gap between the current status
quo and a proper repair. We are asked to

10 I Collision Repair I August 2020

spend more time performing operations
that can be difficult to accomplish. It can
be difficult to quantify the time required
for such repairs, and a challenge to receive
fair compensation. Along with time and
expense, these operations demand more
understanding to accomplish and subsequently teach to others, and they require
more knowledge to negotiate.
The hurdles for shop estimators are
three-tiered. First, they have to believe
in the need to write for the operations;

In order for all the systems to
work, all systems have to be in
alignment. The body must be
straight; tires must be straight
to the body, and the sensors
must be calibrated to the
same straight line.
secondly, they then have to ensure the
technicians understand and will perform the operation; and lastly, they
have to be knowledgeable enough to
negotiate payment.
Many times technicians are taking
on the responsibility of the research
aspect, knowing that they are held
responsible for the repairs. For the technicians, their burden includes having
to negotiate with their managers, teach

their fellow teammates, and overall raise
awareness. Knowledgeable insurance
adjusters have their own struggles; they
face the difficulty of getting shops they
work with to comprehend and acknowledge the need which will likely present
enormous adversity.
As we continue to explore new territory, the foundation of accuracy will
remain and the demand to do it just as
the OEM specifies will be increasingly
imperative. Currently, we know that most
of these systems work in a similar
fashion and so far, all of the new
systems continue to work in the
same way. As we all figure out how
to create a process that works, we
must also consider that it is feasible
to believe that the way these systems
function will evolve, just as the ability of these systems evolve. That may
make some repairs easier and others
more difficult. Regardless, the foundation of accuracy will be critical.
One step that is nearly always
required to properly calibrate ADAS
is ensuring correct suspension and
body alignment. This step may not
be listed on all the repair procedures for the ADAS calibration. A lack
of alignment verification may be due to
the assumption, made by manufacturers,
that the calibration is being done on an
undamaged vehicle.
Another reason why this may not be
in the repair procedure for the ADAS calibration is because many OEMs have special procedures that must be performed
on every repair. "Inspections required
after a collision" is a prerequisite for every

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