New Vehicle Tech Continues to Change Car Repairs
The past decade has brought so much change to the automotive industry. From the tech installed in each new car to the efficiency of engines, great progress has been made in car engineering. All of those improvements create a more fun, efficient and secure vehicle for you to drive, but also create new challenges to car repairs if you’re in a collision. It's our job to stay ahead of all of the new tech unveiled with new models each year.
NEW VEHICLE TECH
From start to finish, new cars are embedded with technology. Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) offer tons of convenience for drivers, as well as improved safety. These systems can include:
GPS Many cars today come already equipped with built-in GPS systems to get directions easily while you’re driving.
Adaptive cruise control keeps your speed consistent on the road and gives your foot a break from the gas pedal.
Collision avoidance systems. Some new cars will alert the driver when an obstacle or pedestrian is detected – and some even automatically brake the vehicle for the driver.
Rearview cameras. These make it easier to back up by showing a view to the driver of what’s around the car and beeping if the vehicle’s bumper comes too close to an obstacle.
Smartphone integrations. Bluetooth has become commonplace, making it easy to connect your smartphone to your car’s audio system. Some cars also offer mobile WiFi for passengers.
CAR ACCIDENTS CAN DAMAGE ADAS TECHNOLOGY
Many ADAS features rely on sensors embedded within the auto body of the vehicle to operate. The newer your vehicle is, the more sensors it will likely have, and these sensors are susceptible to hidden damage because of where they’re located: your bumpers. Sensors that are damaged in a collision – even if it is a light fender-bender – can cause these ADAS features to malfunction or fail. This damage can be costly to repair, but it’s important to fix it so that your car is safe to drive when you get back behind the wheel. Losing your car’s Bluetooth or navigation capabilities might be inconvenient, but when collision damage causes adaptive cruise control or collision avoidance systems to malfunction, that creates a serious safety risk that could potentially lead to another collision.
TRUST A LOCAL AUTO BODY COLLISION REPAIR EXPERT
One way to tell if your car has hidden damage that will impact your ADAS systems is to get a diagnostic scan at a local collision repair shop like Golden Hammer Collision Center in Cedar Rapids. A professional technician can connect their diagnostics tool to your car’s computer system and check to see if there are error codes indicating that a sensor is damaged. Find out why we're The Shop with the Golden Touch!