Page 30 - Australasian Paint & Panel Magazine Sep-Oct 2020

Recalibration Systems • Texa
30
PAINT&PANEL SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2020
ADAS – SHOULD I OR SHOULDN’T I?
THE QUESTION OF REPAIRING ADAS FITTED VEHICLES IS NOW ONE OF, IF NOT THE BIGGEST, CHALLENGE FACING THE REPAIR INDUSTRY SAYS TERRY GOLLEDGE OF TEXA.
These companies including TEXA are global leaders in diagnostics and in most advanced countries we are heavily in- volved in the collision, mechanical and glass repair industries where our sys- tems are specifically made for these in- dustries.
The major issue smash repairers have is in choosing an inhouse or sublet ar- rangement. For those choosing to go to an inhouse solution there are several major considerations apart from the reg- ulations and OEM ‘propaganda’.
• SPACE REQUIRED Vehicles are now re-
quiring up to 15 metres in front with a minimum of 1m around the vehicle to work in. These are minimums and will impact your workflows.
• TRAINING Both initial and ongoing training is require. Understanding the diagnostic system can be complex for radar and requires a dedicated re- source and technical support from your system provider.
• VOLUME For an outlay from $20k to $50k there is a volume requirement to be a profitable operation.
• LIABILITY If you have chosen the right supplier, your work will be verified and approved by the vehicle’s system giving you confidence.
For those looking at subletting the work to either an OEM dealership or a dedicated diagnostic technician there are now choices for you. Obviously the OEM dealer gives you the easy choice where full responsibility for the service can be passed to them - that is if they have the capability. We have found many dealers do not have the full cali- bration systems.
As predicted there are specialist align- ment and calibration centres starting to open with a view to supplying both an onsite and inhouse service.
These centres are fully outfitted with equipment meeting the requirements of the OEMs along with trained technicians in the diagnostics field. There are manu- facturers of this equipment who supply guarantees that their equipment will suc- cessfully calibrate cameras and radar and TEXA is one of those companies.
T
ABOVE: You need a lot of space and a decent amount of volume for recalibration.
HE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
agreed earlier this year to
regulate that all new vehicles from 2022 must have ADAS in the minimum form of braking as-
sist, lane departure and rear vision. From 2024 even older vehicles must also abide by this. In the USA there is information to suggest that 2022 will also see the advent of the requirement of all vehicles having the same basic
ADAS features.
Standard fitment of autonomous emer-
gency braking (AEB) has increased rap- idly on cars in Australia and back in Oc- tober last year had risen from 18% to 54% over just two years. ADAS is here to stay and by 2024 over 60% of the vehicles in your shop will be equipped with some ADAS features.
There has been enough information from manufacturers and suppliers for us to gar- ner some form of knowledge on the subject, yet the issues surrounding the actual re- pairs are much more difficult to navigate.
Every state in Australia has varying de- grees of regulation for the repair indus- try. However for ADAS repair and cali- bration there are very few guidelines for the repairer to work to. You are left with the insurance companies and the OEMs to make the decision for you. However there are alternatives and given all of the major manufacturers of diagnostic tools and software are represented in our country, enough evidence and support exists for repairers to enter this new and exciting industry.