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Articles by Mitch Becker
Experience: The Missing Ingredient in ADAS Calibrations
You hear this phrase in a lot of environments and jobs or careers. It’s a basic truth that the automotive repair industry has learned along with every other industry. Experience matters. Technicians coming out of college still need experience in automotive repair. I know there are exceptions, but in the majority of people coming into collision, mechanical, glass or any other facet of the automotive industry, there is a lack of experience. Where do they get that experience?
Scanning and DTCs
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: I get many e-mails and phone calls from various auto body shops and technicians with questions about challenges they encounter during vehicle repairs. Many of these questions surround vehicle electronics such as advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and other features and vehicle manufacturer diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) that appear during scans.
Wheel Alignment is Critical Before ADAS Calibration
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: ADAS and any vehicle electronic system are only as good as the data they receive. When an engine sensor goes bad, it’s replaced to bring the engine back to normal operation. A scan tool is used to diagnose the problem and verify it’s running correctly post-repair. This type of repair will occur in the course of the normal wear and tear of driving a vehicle.
Align to the Facts: Wheel Alignment is a Critical Step Before ADAS Calibration
ADAS and any vehicle electronic system are only as good as the data they receive. When an engine sensor goes bad, it’s replaced to bring the engine back to normal operation. A scan tool is used to diagnose the problem and verify it’s running correctly post-repair. This type of repair will occur in the course of the normal wear and tear of driving a vehicle.
ADAS Calibration: Chasing the Bar
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: When you look at all the changes happening in the collision repair industry, many are feeling the apprehension that comes with the thought, “How do I keep up?” The change from a car to a computer with wheels has proven to be a tremendous challenge to not just collision repairers but mechanical and auto glass repairers as well.
ADAS Calibration: Chasing the Bar
When you look at all the changes happening in the collision repair industry, many are feeling the apprehension that comes with the thought, “How do I keep up?” The change from a car to a computer with wheels has proven to be a tremendous challenge to not just collision repairers but mechanical and auto glass repairers as well. This is especially true for anyone entering the business of vehicle electronic repairs (or any segment of automotive repair, for that matter).
Vehicle ADAS Calibration: Static or Dynamic?
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: ADAS systems involved in repairs will need to be calibrated or go through relearning or a re-zero process, depending on which terminology you wish to use. There are two types of ADAS calibrations: static and dynamic. How do you know which to do in which situation? Let’s explore.
Vehicle ADAS Calibration: Static or Dynamic?
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: ADAS features have been around for a minute now and, as a result, the repair industry is getting more familiar with the process of repairing a vehicle that’s equipped with these systems — and learning how important following every step is in that repair process.
Vehicle ADAS Calibration: Static or Dynamic?
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: ADAS features have been around for a minute now and, as a result, the repair industry is getting more familiar with the process of repairing a vehicle that’s equipped with these systems — and learning how important following every step is in that repair process.
Vehicle ADAS Calibration: Static or Dynamic?
ADAS features have been around for a minute now and, as a result, the repair industry is getting more familiar with the process of repairing a vehicle that’s equipped with these systems — and learning how important following every step is in that repair process. At the same time, however, the electronics manufacturers who are building and designing these sensors and computers as well as algorithms are changing and making improvements to the vehicle electronics every day.
ADAS Calibration: Garbage In = Garbage Out
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: Vehicle electronics, particularly advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) components, are improving in how they “see” and react to situations drivers encounter every day on the roadway. ADAS component manufacturers are improving that reaction time by increasing the speed at which the sensors and computers recognize and communicate.
ADAS Calibration: Garbage In = Garbage Out
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: Vehicle electronics, particularly advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) components, are improving in how they “see” and react to situations drivers encounter every day on the roadway. ADAS component manufacturers are improving that reaction time by increasing the speed at which the sensors and computers recognize and communicate.
Scan Tools: Seeing Inside Vehicle Electronics
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: Scan tools have become a necessity when repairing vehicles. The complexity of vehicles today and what will be coming through your door tomorrow has changed every aspect of automotive repair. Being able to “see” what’s going on inside the vehicle’s electronics suite is a critical piece to repairing and diagnosing any vehicle issues.
Scan Tools: Seeing Inside Vehicle Electronics
Scan tools have become a necessity when repairing vehicles. The complexity of vehicles today and what will be coming through your door tomorrow has changed every aspect of automotive repair. Being able to “see” what’s going on inside the vehicle’s electronics suite is a critical piece to repairing and diagnosing any vehicle issues. Having the right tool is important to every shop; having the right person is critical to success.
Vehicle ADAS Technology: Aligning with our Sensors
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: We’ve all been repairing, coding, programming and calibrating vehicle safety systems for a minute now. As vehicle electronic systems evolve into a complex network of sensors and modules that communicate with vehicle software, we’re all learning to provide a vehicle that can respond to not just hazards but many situations a driver or passenger may encounter.
ADAS Calibrations: Follow the Instructions
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: How many times have you purchased an item that needs to be put together? How many times have you taken the pieces out of the box and just started assembling the item without looking at the instructions? Then, you go back and read the instructions to fix what you messed up. I recently purchased a shoe rack that I thought would be so simple to put together but turned out to be a real pain.
ADAS Calibrations: Follow the Instructions
How many times have you purchased an item that needs to be put together? How many times have you taken the pieces out of the box and just started assembling the item without looking at the instructions? Then, you go back and read the instructions to fix what you messed up. I recently purchased a shoe rack that I thought would be so simple to put together but turned out to be a real pain.
Why Every Repair Matters
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: I’ve written many articles on what it takes to do calibrations or relearning processes correctly. In these articles, I reference following the OE service information, using correct equipment and creating the environment required that can be found in the service information to complete the calibration.
Vehicle ADAS Technology: Aligning with our Sensors
We’ve all been repairing, coding, programming and calibrating vehicle safety systems for a minute now. As vehicle electronic systems evolve into a complex network of sensors and modules that communicate with vehicle software, we’re all learning to provide a vehicle that can respond to not just hazards but many situations a driver or passenger may encounter.
The ADAS 'How' Can Be Easier To Learn Than The 'Why'
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: I’ve written many articles on what it takes to do calibrations or relearning processes correctly. In these articles, I reference following the OE service information, using correct equipment and creating the environment required that can be found in the service information to complete the calibration.
ADAS Safety Features Are Changing How We Drive
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: I’m amazed at how much vehicle electronics have changed our everyday world. I was recently driving a newer rented Nissan Altima in Seattle and noticed how much the greenery and mountain scenery were taking my attention from driving.
Don’t Assume One Procedure Fits All
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: Don’t assume the process to repair all vehicle ADAS systems is the same. Make some time to think about what you are doing when repairing advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) electronics on a vehicle.
Protecting Drivers Starts in Your Service Bay: Mastering ADAS Calibration
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: Make some time to think about what you are doing when repairing advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) electronics on a vehicle. A vehicle that was not calibrated at all or calibrated incorrectly creates the same hazards not only to the driver of the vehicle you repaired, but also to other drivers and families on the road. I hope this is a sobering thought to all who are reading this.
ADAS Camera Calibration and System Accuracy
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: Most of us use the camera feature in our phones at some point. To the user, it’s a simple device: Just point and shoot. Many of us also remember when phones with cameras first came out. Looking at the photos those cameras took, we realize that, compared to today, the quality of the cameras has improved.
What (and Who) Makes The Perfect ADAS Tech?
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: I was recently asked, “What makes the perfect technician?” Before I could answer, I had to think about whether we were talking about a forward-facing camera specialist in the glass industry, an ADAS technician or a diagnostic technician for vehicle electronics. Was the person who asked me that question seeking a wish list of skills or a description of what I would want in that person?
ADAS Repairs: Why OEM Service Information Matters
Vehicle manufacturers build vehicles. They put years of research and design into every vehicle and model they sell. The manufacturers stake their brand and personal reputation on that platform rolling off the assembly line. They believe that through research, design and testing, their complex vehicle designs will perform as intended for the owners and their families while driving down the road, even in the unfortunate incident of a crash.
ADAS Calibration and Repairs
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: Vehicle manufacturers build vehicles. They put years of research and design into every vehicle and model they sell. The manufacturers stake their brand and personal reputation on that platform rolling off the assembly line.
Answering the ADAS Calibration 'Why' for Your Auto Body Shop
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: I’ve written many articles on what it takes to do calibrations or relearning processes correctly. In these articles, I reference following the OE service information, using correct equipment and creating the environment required that can be found in the service information to complete the calibration.
Answering the ADAS Calibration 'Why' for Your Auto Body Shop
I’ve written many articles on what it takes to do calibrations or relearning processes correctly. In these articles, I reference following the OE service information, using correct equipment and creating the environment required that can be found in the service information to complete the calibration.
What Makes the Perfect ADAS Tech?
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: I was recently asked, “What makes the perfect technician?” Before I could answer, I had to think about whether we were talking about a forward-facing camera specialist in the glass industry, an ADAS technician or a diagnostic technician for vehicle electronics. Was the person who asked me that question seeking a wish list of skills or a description of what I would want in that person?
What Makes the Perfect ADAS Tech?
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: I was recently asked, “What makes the perfect technician?” Before I could answer, I had to think about whether we were talking about a forward-facing camera specialist in the glass industry, an ADAS technician or a diagnostic technician for vehicle electronics. Was the person who asked me that question seeking a wish list of skills or a description of what I would want in that person?
What Makes the Perfect ADAS Tech?
I was recently asked, “What makes the perfect technician?” Before I could answer, I had to think about whether we were talking about a forward-facing camera specialist in the glass industry, an ADAS technician or a diagnostic technician for vehicle electronics. Was the person who asked me that question seeking a wish list of skills or a description of what I would want in that person?
ADAS Calibration: Garbage In = Garbage Out
Vehicle electronics, particularly advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) components, are improving in how they “see” and react to situations drivers encounter every day on the roadway. ADAS component manufacturers are improving that reaction time by increasing the speed at which the sensors and computers recognize and communicate. All of this makes it challenging for the repair industry to keep up with all the changes in the computers we call vehicles.
Opening an ADAS Calibration Business
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: A given in the repair industry is that the world of vehicle electronics keeps changing. With change, new challenges reveal themselves in the automotive repair industry every day that reshape how we look at vehicles and repair them. This is not only apparent in the collision and auto glass industries but also mechanical and trucking/transportation.
Opening an ADAS Calibration Business
A given in the repair industry is that the world of vehicle electronics keeps changing. With change, new challenges reveal themselves in the automotive repair industry every day that reshape how we look at vehicles and repair them. This is not only apparent in the collision and auto glass industries but also mechanical and trucking/transportation. New electronics are being added to vehicles with every new model year.
In-House Calibrations: Lessons Learned …and Still Learning
Repairing vehicles in today’s world can be very rewarding but also infuriating to technicians, managers and shop owners as well as customers. Aside from the fact that sourcing parts is changing in all industries, including collision, mechanical and glass repair, you’ve also got repair shops frustrated over research and equipment as well as the training necessary to complete procedures for all the changes being made by electronics manufacturers in the vehicles being sold by automakers.
ADAS Secrets- What Are The Senses Telling You?
Make some time to think about what you are doing when repairing advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) electronics on a vehicle. A vehicle that was not calibrated at all or calibrated incorrectly creates the same hazards not only to the driver of the vehicle you repaired, but also to other drivers and families on the road. I hope this is a sobering thought to all who are reading this.
Static and Dynamic Vehicle Calibrations: Are You Following the Process?
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: Calibrations in the repair industry have been going on for a minute now, and we’ve had some time to see the abilities and sophistication of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) features evolve. This has required repairers to closely examine how they repair these systems and what is necessary today … and what will be necessary tomorrow.
Vehicle Scanning & Calibrations: DTCs
I get many e-mails and phone calls from various auto body shops and technicians with questions about challenges they encounter during vehicle repairs. Many of these questions surround vehicle electronics such as advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and other features and vehicle manufacturer diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) that appear during scans. With today’s vehicles, the complexity of repairs has created an interesting conundrum that the entire industry is facing.
Creating Your ADAS Vehicle Calibration Space
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: A lot of change has been happening in the automotive repair industry regarding calibrations of vehicles equipped with advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) features. There are so many questions pertaining to when and why a calibration is needed. The education is out there, but many people in the industry either aren’t seeking it out or, in some cases, just ignoring it for various reasons.
When Vehicle Calibrations Fail
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Published: In our world of automotive repair, we’ve all learned that things will go wrong at any time. It’s the nature of the industry as we learn to work with new metals, electronics or mechanical aspects of automobiles. The daily driving environment of a vehicle is pretty rough.
Auto Glass: An Industry Shattered
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family The auto glass industry, like all segments of the automotive industry, has changed over the past few years due to advancements in electronics technology in vehicles, particularly advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). With the proliferation of these systems in vehicles today, auto glass has had to rework the business model it has followed for many years.
Get to Know Your DTCs
The old adage I grew up with that’s always in the back of my mind is Murphy’s Law, which states, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” Some add “… at the worst possible time” to it. Because of my experience with Murphy’s Law being true so many times, it has shaped my thought processes in many ways. I’m generally a positive person, but I always prepare for the worst — which sounds a little contradictory. I want to think positive thoughts, but Murphy’s Law and my experience hold me back.
The Basics of Successful ADAS Calibrations
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) calibrations are pretty much the topic when you talk to any shop, insurance company or even vehicle owner. Questions as to why they’re necessary, what the cost is and what it takes to do one whirl around, no matter who you talk to.
Laying Out Your Shop for ADAS/EV Repairs
Skip to content Main Navigation Advertisement Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family What does it take to set up a shop for the vehicles of today and tomorrow? I was recently asked this question by a shop owner, but like many questions about the future of our industry, it’s kind of a loaded question, as there are so many particulars to discuss that make the answer very long. Business and technology changes are shaping our industry for some big transformations in how we operate.
Laying Out Your Shop for ADAS/EV Repairs
Skip to content Main Navigation Advertisement Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family What does it take to set up a shop for the vehicles of today and tomorrow? I was recently asked this question by a shop owner, but like many questions about the future of our industry, it’s kind of a loaded question, as there are so many particulars to discuss that make the answer very long. Business and technology changes are shaping our industry for some big transformations in how we operate.
ADAS Technology and Vehicle Alignment
Skip to content Main Navigation Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Vehicle alignment has always been a critical piece to the repair and safe operation of any vehicle. In years gone by, we all experienced a customer who would return after repairs were completed with concerns about the vehicle pulling or not staying in the center of the road. Although it happened, it was not all that common because any issues that would affect the alignment were usually found during the repairs.
ADAS and Vehicle Alignment
Skip to content Main Navigation Advertisement Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family Are You Aligned with the Repairs? New vehicle ADAS and autonomous features all rely on the alignment being exactly as it should by OEm specifications for the driver-assist features to perform correctly. ehicle alignment has always been a critical piece to the repair and safe operation of any vehicle.
Vehicle Electronics: The Future Is Much Closer Than You Think
Automotive repair in today’s world requires a different mindset than it did in the past. Shops caught in the mindset of, “We’ve always done it this way”, may be dealing with the stress of issues that could have been prevented. It’s one thing to take care of a customer when something goes wrong such as a quality issue or delivering a vehicle on time, but it’s an entirely different train of thought that addresses why this happened and how to prevent it from happening again.
Vehicle Drive Cycles: Are We Failing Our Customers?
Skip to content Main Navigation Advertisement Social Connect Resources Our Brand Family I recently read a report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) titled, “Consumer Experiences with Crash Avoidance Feature Repairs,” which focuses on consumers’ dissatisfaction with repairs done to their advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).
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