Sensor sensibility: Adopt a new philosophy for repair and calibration

(Photo courtesy of GM Media) Complex driver safety systems are front and center on the minds of your customers. Make sure your approach to handling sensor work guarantees it’s performed thoroughly and accurately.

The two stories, though aimed at different audiences, share an intersection that shops need to consider as they handle sensor work. On one hand, incomplete or flawed work has demonstrated its potential to produce disastrous consequences that can ruin lives and businesses. There are no excuses for anything short of excellent service. On the other, consumers are now well-informed on sensors and will be more energized than ever to examine – and obsess over - their repaired vehicles for any issues related to ADAS or other areas utilizing sensors.

Meeting professional and customer expectations for repairs involve sensors is thus more challenging than ever. You need a repair approach that ensures your shop does top-notch work every time. Use the following insights from experts, along with up-to-date repair and calibration steps available from GM, to build your new plan targeting sensors.

Take the simple path

Start by considering two questions:

1.     What are the most difficult sensor issues to locate and diagnose?

2.     What are the most common mistakes made when calibrating sensors?

You may have quick responses to both, but focusing heavily on your biggest sensor challenges isn’t the most productive path to take for formulating an overall plan, at least according to former shop owner and current consultant Scott Baumgardner. He says shops can be blindsided if they get caught up focusing too much on their hardest problems instead of creating a more holistic approach.

“It’s good to learn from experience where your trickiest diagnostic puzzles are going to be since you can use that knowledge later,” Baumgardner explains, “But the way vehicle design is constantly evolving, you’re always going to be handed something different each year, which can get exhausting.” Also, taking such an approach also can be problematic since the experience of each repairer is going to be different based on the most common makes and models each services, making it difficult for trainers and consultants to help.

Instead, Baumgardner recommends creating a more basic, manageable path of first determining where sensors are located (and for what purpose) for the brands a shop sees most often, and then drilling down into the details with the OEM repair procedures. Not only does taking this path work best for those models, says Baumgardner, it provides a framework for working on something different that rolls through a shop’s doors.

While that might seem much easier said than done, Baumgardner says GM has taken an important step in helping that he and others hope more OEMs will adopt. In May, GM released its Drivers Assistance Systems document, a three-part guide which describes (1) each assistance system, (2) the location of each and (3) whether a component needs calibration. In short, it provides a framework for the basics of sensors that can then be dealt with through the specific steps and points in the OEM repair procedures.

(Photo courtesy of GM Media) The 2020 Chevy Silverado might be the image of brute force toughness, but it relies on a series of complex sensors to keep it out of harm’s way and its occupants comfortable and connected to their electronic devices.

With the ADAS sensors addressed, Baumgardner says shops can more easily deal with other vehicle systems that have been impacted by a collision, most notably convenience features that customers are more likely to take immediate note of following the return of a vehicle.

For brands that don’t yet provide the kind of help GM provides, Baumgardner suggests a two-step repair philosophy:

1.     Quit multitasking.

2.     Break down the work.

Multitasking elsewhere in your operation makes sense since it’s one of the best ways to make you more efficient. Baumgardner believes multitasking makes complicated work even more difficult, opening the door to any number of quality issues. When dealing with sensors, he says techs (and shops) should focus completely on the task at hand and not couple work on any single sensor with any other task(s).

From there, break the work down into parts, with each part comprising the steps that all contribute to a single purpose. Baumgardner notes that procedures typically are organized in just such a way, but too often techs approach the work as a continuous list of instructions. “When they do that, there’s a better chance that details are lost since they’re focused so much on mechanical steps, they lose sight of the intent of the repair,” he says.

Baumgardner explains, “They need to realize how the instructions can be broken down into blocks of procedures, usually beginning with notes and considerations followed by the repairs steps and completed by quality checks or troubleshooting checks.” When shops take that approach, he says, the work becomes clearer and therefore more manageable.”

Putting your plan to work

The following steps describe repairs to the long-range radar sensor module for a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado, a common and vital repair area for a popular vehicle most shops will see. The procedure divided into three blocks (noted in red highlighted text). Note how simply performing this small extra step adds significant clarity.

Repair notes and considerations

Note: An ADAPTIVE CRUISE TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE message may be displayed on the driver information center if this calibration procedure is required. The B233B Radar Sensor Module – Long Range may have become misaligned.

After replacing and programming the B233B Forward Range Radar Sensor - Long Range, it is necessary to perform a calibration procedure to align the radar. This is indicated by DTC U3000 54 being set as current. Calibration is performed while driving the vehicle with the scan tool connected. Calibration is initialized using a scan tool and the scan tool must remain connected until calibration is complete. During this time the SERVICE DRIVER ASSIST message will be displayed on the driver information center. Once the procedure is complete, the message will turn off and normal operation will resume.

Calibration is not required if the existing B233B Forward Range Radar Sensor - Long Range was only programmed. Calibration needs to be conducted if the B233B Forward Range Radar Sensor - Long Range was replaced or removed and re-secured.

If calibration is not successful, it could be due to improper driving environment, radar and bracket assembly bent out of position, or incorrect radar mounting. A typical driving environment is usually sufficient to calibrate the module within 10–30 minutes. Visually inspect for damaged, bent, or broken B233B Radar Sensor Module – Long Range bracket. Brackets out of level more than 2 degrees will not calibrate or self-learn. Discuss with the customer about vehicle history and possible past accident. Replace bracket if damaged.

(Photo courtesy of GM Media) Recalibrating cameras is just one challenging sensor calibration chore. Modern vehicles provide a growing number of sensor challenges that are best handled by some patience and an effort to simplify repair tasks.

Repair steps

1.        Verify no other DTCs, except for DTC B101E 4B, are set.

·      If other DTCs are set

Diagnose any other DTCs first. Refer to Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) List - Vehicle.

·      If no other DTCs are set

2.        Prior to driving the vehicle make sure the surface in front of the B233B Forward Range Radar Sensor - Long Range is clean. Also, verify the mounting area is not damaged and allows the B233B Forward Range Radar Sensor - Long Range to face the intended direction.

3.        Prepare the scan tool to be mobile for Long Range Radar Calibration driving phase. The scan tool needs to stay connected during the driving phase of the calibration.

4.        Engine running.

Note: Once calibration has begun, do not back out of screen or press any other buttons on the scan tool until the calibration is complete.

5.        Select Long Range Radar Sensor Module Learn on the scan tool and follow any on-screen instructions. The driver information center will display the SERVICE DRIVER ASSIST message during calibration.

6.        Drive the vehicle within the following conditions for 10–30 minutes or until calibration is complete. The SERVICE DRIVER ASSIST message will turn off when calibration is complete.

·       Drive at speeds greater than 56 km/h (35 mph)

·       Minimize tight curves

·       Avoid extreme acceleration or deceleration

·       Follow one or multiple vehicles. Typical vehicle traffic is sufficient, but vehicles 30 – 50 m (100 – 165 ft) away are most effective at decreasing the calibration time.

·       Drive in an environment that has stationary objects on the side of the road (street signs, guard rails, mail boxes, fences, etc.)

7.        Verify proper calibration by observing that the SERVICE DRIVER ASSIST message turns off within 10–30 min of normal driving.

·      If the SERVICE DRIVER ASSIST message fails to turn off

Refer to If Slow to Calibrate below and repeat the calibration procedure following recommended operating conditions.

·      If the SERVICE DRIVER ASSIST message turns off

8.        Drive at speeds greater than 40 km/h (25 mph) and verify engagement of adaptive cruise control.

·      If adaptive cruise control will not engage

Check vehicle for DTCs and correct as required.

·      If adaptive cruise control engages

9.        All OK.

Quality checks and troubleshooting

If Slow to Calibrate

The ideal calibration condition is driving on a freeway or two-lane road with medium traffic. One or more of the following conditions may increase the length of time required to complete the self-calibration procedure:

·       Visually inspect for damaged, bent, or broken Long Range Radar bracket. Brackets out of level more than 2 degrees will not calibrate or self-learn. Discuss with the customer about vehicle history and possible past accident. Replace bracket if damaged.

·       Heavy traffic – following too close behind vehicles for long periods (more than 40 min)

·       Stop and go or very slow traffic

·       Mountain roads

·       Constant sharp curves in roadway

·       No traffic – if no traffic is available, you may need to add vehicle ahead to support calibration

·       Limited or no stationary structures on side of the road — need structures such as street signs, guard rails, mail boxes, parked cars, etc.

·       Driving in tunnel.

Simply recognizing how OEM repair instructions are organized might seem obvious or intuitive. Repairer Mike Conley, owner of Conley’s Auto Collision in Cincinnati, Ohio, says shops shouldn’t make that assumption. Rather, they need to realize that their techs are basically “drowning” in repair information, leaving many to take short cuts or operate like automatons who simply perform a long series of steps without fully grasping how or why a repair works.

“In either case, you’re risking quality and efficiency since you’re bound to miss something,” he says.

Moving forward

Feeling like you’re a bit better prepared to handle sensor repair and calibration? This work, like most tasks in collision repair, promises only to become more challenging as OEMS add to an ever-growing array of electronic functions for both driver safety and convenience. The irony here is that handling this sophisticated work doesn’t necessarily mean your systems have to become more complicated. A simple, logical approach can more easily deliver the results you, your customers and business partners expect – one that will keep your good name out of the news.