Page 49 - Australasian Paint & Panel Jan-Feb 2020

PAINT&PANEL JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2020 WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
SENSORY OVERLOAD
AS IF GETTING TO GRIPS WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT JOINING TECHNIQUES REQUIRED BY NEW AUTO CONSTRUCTION METHODS AND MATERIALS WASN’T ENOUGH, NOW THE REPAIR COMMUNITY IS HAVING TO EMBRACE ELECTRONICS IN THE FORM OF DIAGNOSTICS AND RECALIBRATION. EDITOR SAM STREET HAS BEEN TALKING TO KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS ON THE SUBJECT.
SCANNING AND RECALIBRATION
W
HEN IT COMES TO PRE AND
post scanning, every shop
should be carrying this proce- dure out on vehicles over a cer- age. When I’ve asked shop owners why they don’t do this, the usual response is: “the insurers won’t pay for it,” and “why should I invest in this equip- ment?”. Firstly insurers do pay for it (whether you consider it enough is another matter) and secondly the investment is minimal. If you are just scanning for faults and don’t want to clear them, diagnostic units start out at well under $1000 for a ba- sic model. You wouldn’t take on a job with- out identifying what body damage is not related to the accident the car was involved in, the same goes for electronic systems. Pre-scanning is a blueprint for electronic damage discovery and provides you with an indication of systems that are faulty at the beginning of the job, not at the end. Apart from pre-scanning being essential in identifying the ADAS systems the car is fit- ted with, information which isn’t always available from the VIN number, pre and post scans cover your backside with both
insurers and customers.
After talking to insurers, I-CAR and
manufacturers it is clear that diagnostic ca- pability is as essential in the repair process as an appropiate welder or a spraybooth.
The pre-scan is a vital part of the repair plan and will tell you, among other things, if any electronics systems are faulty, that calibration is required and most important- ly when the problem has occurred. Is it a result of the accident, or was it previously there? Insurers have told me anecdotally that some repairers who don’t perform the pre-scan are sending cars off for expensive dealer recalibration when it wasn’t neces- sary. On the other hand if you are up
against an assessor who is telling you the car doesn’t need recalibration, they can’t argue with a diagnostic print out which says otherwise. Customers are hyper- aware of their car after an accident with the refrain of “it wasn’t like that before’ a com- mon one. The post scan is essential, espe- cially if you have unplugged safety related components. When you hand over the car, explaining the pre and post scan report will not only prove what the state of play was when the car came into the workshop but also futher reassure the customer that the repair has restored their vehicle to pre- accident condition.
Pre-scanning is also a golden opportu- nity to upsell. If you identify fault codes that can be cleared or can undertake ap- propriate mechanical/electrical work need- ed to clear them, this can be offered to the
customer at an extra cost which is cheaper and more convenient for them than if they were to make a separate trip to their me- chanic. In NSW, ACT and WA, the scan- ning can only be undertaken by a qualified person. If you don’t undertake mechanical repairs in-house (and if you have space, then I’ll suggest you are missing an easy profit and cycletime booster) and don’t have anyone qualified on staff, then you can always have one of your technicians undertake the necessary training unit rath- er than subbing it out.
Skills for Australia has been consulting with the industry to include scanning and recalibration training among other updates to vehicle body repair qualifications.
Some insurers, including IAG, mandate pre and post scanning where relevant (IAG’s mandate was issued back in Octo-
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Audi’s Adaptive Cruise Control uses camera and radar, if these are a fraction misaligned the system could cause an accident.