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Home / Collision Repair News / When Mother Nature Changes the Repair

When Mother Nature Changes the Repair

Posted on 20 October 2017 | Share: | Print Print

With winter months right around the corner, repair facilities need to be prepared for the inclement weather that is sure to come. Although ice and snow are great for the collision repair industry as far as bringing work in the door, it interferes with some aspects of the repair. Let’s take a look at how bad weather can impede the repair process.

There are many advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that require a calibration at some point during the repair process. Some of these calibrations can be done statically (in-shop), so the weather conditions outside will not affect the calibration. However, many vehicles may require dynamic (on-the-road) procedures to calibrate.

Dynamic calibrations require specific weather and road conditions. There are many things that winter weather brings that can make calibration impossible. Things like snow or ice can stick to and block sensors or cameras. Snow can also cover critical lane markings from the camera lens. Sunny conditions may even stop calibrations in the winter. The sun may glare off of the snow, blinding the camera.

Just because you don’t live and work in the snow belt, doesn’t mean that you are out of the woods. Moisture in front of a camera can block the camera’s ability to see. Even precipitation, such as rain, can prevent dynamic calibration. Also, mud and road debris thrown up from wet conditions can block sensors.

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