Static calibrations: What does ‘flat and level’ really mean?
Static calibrations demand precision, and one of the most critical and misunderstood requirements is having a floor that is both flat and level. But what exactly does “flat and level” require?
In a recent Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) Quick Tip video, SCRS Board National Directors Josh McFarlin (AirPro Diagnostics) and Andy Tylka (TAG Calibrations/TAG Auto Group) break down the meaning and why it matters when setting up a calibration environment.
McFarlin said while the words “flat” and “level” seem simple, there’s more to it than that.
For instance, “flat” means the vehicle and the calibration targets must be on the same plane.
“The reason that’s important is you’re going to take measurements to affect the target height out in front of the vehicle,” McFarlin said. “Those measurements are meant to square that target up or align that target with the vehicle. If there are differences in height that you’re working from, the work surface, the floor, then that’s going to affect your target setup and you’re going to do it incorrectly.”
“Level” is a bit more complicated, with OEMs defining slopes differently. Repairers should also keep in mind that floor drains shouldn’t be in between the vehicle and the calibration targets.
“Now what you’ve got is you’ve got a target that is actually starting to look down at the floor in front of the vehicle… it’s no longer squaring that target up with the vehicle,” McFarlin said.
Tylka noted that another area of the shop where calibrations should not be conducted is in parking lots.
“Parking lots are not level,” he said. “Parking lots are meant to shed water, be slanted away, just like indoor drains… You want to make
sure that when you’re establishing your environment that you’re creating something that is consistent. So you’re using the same space, and you’re making sure that it is flat and level. By doing so, you want to make sure that you’re measuring the space. You want to make sure you’re measuring from one side of the space to the other and making sure that that variance in millimeters is abiding by the OEM procedures because several OEMs have different standards for what ‘flat and level’ is.”
As SCRS points out, by measuring the space, understanding OEM tolerances, and establishing a consistent calibration environment, repairers can demonstrate compliance with manufacturer requirements. And when the space doesn’t meet those standards, knowing when to send the vehicle to a facility that does is just as important.
The “Flat and Level” Quick Tip is a continuation of tips provided over the last seven months, including “Calibration Documentation,” “ADAS Target Tolerance?,” “Researching failed calibrations,” and “Is a ‘successful’ calibration always a quality calibration?”
When discussing whether a “successful” calibration is a quality calibration, McFarlin said scan tool or diagnostic tool software operates based on the assumption that the technician who set up the target has done so correctly — that they’ve followed instructions and used a tape measure, lasers, levels, strings, or plumb bobs to measure.
“We could also throw into the mix the variable of the environment that you’re doing it in, the right environment, too, that allows for all of
those conditions to be met,” McFarlin said. “What it’s not accounting for is that there’s a tolerance allowance and that errors on the technician’s part can be introduced into that tolerance.”
He added that tolerance is allowed to account for any imperfections in the glass, camera bracket placement, or the camera lens.
“Just because the tool says it was successful doesn’t mean it necessarily was,” McFarlin said. “That’s why you hear a lot of people talk about the need for a road test or a dynamic system verification test after you’ve completed the calibration. You need to go validate that the vehicle is
operating correctly.”
Images
Featured and secondary images: SCRS National Directors Josh McFarlin and Andy Tylka discuss proper calibrations. (Provided by SCRS)