Automotive News Canada - December 2019 - F12

FIXED OPS JOURNAL

ADAS

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industry alliances. "UTI will work directly
with them to integrate brand-specific training
into our program curriculum."
Trish Serratore, a senior vice president at
ASE, says that as more and more driver-assist
features roll out, fixed ops directors must decide which technicians have enough experience and skills to service the equipment.
Some automakers ASE works with haven't
given clear guidance about who should be
trained in such repairs, she adds.
"It's still a bit shaky as to who does what,"
Serratore says. "Is it simply a calibration test,
or does it require the higher-level skills of a
master tech?"
Robert Bosch, the auto industry's top global
supplier and a major manufacturer of advanced driver-assistance systems, warns that
even repairs to parts of a vehicle that do not
directly involve driver-assist equipment -
such as a radiator or windshield - still need
properly trained technicians to calibrate driver-assist components.
For instance, a camera mounted in a grille

or sensors installed in a bumper might have to
be disconnected and removed to provide access to a damaged or faulty part in an advanced driver-assist array. These parts must
be reinstalled and then correctly positioned
and calibrated.
Some dealerships employ specialists who
work solely on vehicles equipped with the
technology. At each of LaFontaine Automotive Group's 17 dealerships, a specialist tech
either makes repairs or works with other technicians on those jobs, says company spokesman Max Muncey.
LaFontaine, of Highland, Mich., uses the
same strategy at its seven collision repair centers, Muncey adds. Advanced driver-assist
specialists work on multiple brands of vehicles. They have the highest level of certification from the Inter-Industry Conference on
Auto Collision Repair.
Not all techs need to be proficient in driver-assist diagnosis and repair, says Lorenzl of
EY. But he notes: "You need some master
techs who understand the technology really
well and who don't just depend on the error
code that the car spits out."
Service departments can take several steps

to offset projected revenue losses once advanced driver-assist, autonomous and electrified vehicles start to sell in large numbers,
says Mark Colosimo, vice president of data
and analytics at Urban Science, an automotive consulting firm in Detroit.
Urban Science projects there will be 18.7 million or so EVs operating in the U.S. by 2030. Because they will require less service than internal-combustion vehicles, they will drain
around $5 billion in annual revenue by 2030
from dealership service departments - roughly $450,000 per store, Colosimo estimates.
Like M5's Harkins, Colosimo says dealerships can compensate by persuading more
customers to continue to come to the dealership for service when their factory warranties
expire, usually after five years or so.
"The sweet spot for vehicle ownership we
want to get back for service is really six to 10
years," Colosimo says. "They are out of warranty
at that point. The owner has to make a decision
to come to us for service. That gives us an opportunity to sell them their next new vehicle,
plus they are going through bigger repairs. They
need tires, batteries and brakes - things that
are much more expensive than oil changes." 

Automotive News Canada - December 2019

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