The Garage 299

38
Technical
TEASER
It’s a conundrum most repairers have faced at least once in their career
– a vehicle’s battery going flat overnight, seemingly for no reason at all.
Initial checks may draw a blank, leaving technicians confused and the
customer not only frustrated but, potentially, out of pocket.
Below is a technical teaser from a genuine enquiry handled by Auto
Education Academy’s Technical Helpline. We challenge you to find the
solution within just 20 minutes.
Problem...
The helpline was recently presented with a 2018 plate Audi RS4, which
was having calibration issues. The technician’s first step was to run
diagnostics to understand the fault. This presented error messages
galore. Most relating to incorrect calibration data, so the technician then
attempted a calibration. The calibration failed with a result of “incorrect
distance to calibration panel”. The distance and setup were checked,
and the calibration was tried a second time.
The technician was presented with the same problem; rare for such a
new vehicle. So, what caused the problem – and what was the solution?
Think you’ve got it?
See if you’re right with the answer below.
THE SOLUTION
It’s all too easy for workshops to get caught up in
high level technical details. Sometimes, it’s quicker
and easier to simply ask the motorist if they’re
aware of any recent changes to the vehicles that
are not detailed on the logbook. Afterall, nobody
knows a car better than its driver.
In doing so, the technician found that the vehicle
recently had a new windscreen fitted. Further
investigation revealed the bracket of the camera
required to operate the ADAS was mounted too
high up on the new windscreen, meaning it could
no longer see the board. As a result of this find, the
vehicle owner had to have a new windscreen fitted,
and the camera refitted. Successful calibration was
achieved with no issue after this fix was enacted.
TECHNICAL HELPLINE
Struggling with the problem? You should consider
signing up to the helpline.
When you do, you’ll have access to experienced
master technicians, seven days a week, saving you
time and money. If you can’t find a solution in 20
minutes call our team and let us do the hard work
for you.
The Technical Helpline provides troubleshooting,
repair/diagnostics assistance and technical
information on any vehicle or manufacturer.
The helpline has access to repair manuals, circuit
diagrams, parts catalogues and component
locations for any vehicle that comes into your
workshop.
For more information about the service, please visit:
www.autoeducationacademy.com/helpline/
38 Tech Teaser News.indd 1 27/08/2019 10:22