MOTORONE subsidiary Autogroup Solutions has become one of the first independent workshops in Australia to start ADAS calibrations on Zeekr models.

The move means Autogroup uses Zeekr factory OEM equipment and technical access to make it an alternative to the service workshop of a Zeekr dealership.

Autogroup Solutions general manager Gonzalo Haddad told GoAutoNews Premium that his company was currently scanning and calibrating a Zeekr 7X in its workshop in Melbourne.

Gonzalo-Haddad

“This is a milestone for us,” he said.

“It’s not a generic workaround but factory-backed information that came about because of the right to repair legislation.

“We deal mostly with panel shops, so a damaged vehicle will come to us after being repaired and we would then calibrate the ADAS.

“For Zeekr, we now have the Zeekr OEM diagnostic platform which gives us genuine OEM access to the technical data needed so the car is calibrated exactly as it was when Zeekr made it.”

He said that prior to Autogroup having factory access to the equipment and calibration tools, all serious diagnostic and ADAS work on Zeekr in Australia had been sent to the dealer network.

“For Australian repairers and insurers, the practical takeaway is that Zeekr 7X jobs no longer have to bottleneck at the dealer,” added Mr Haddad.

“There is now an independent option in this country that can complete the full ADAS calibration loop to manufacturer standard, which means faster turnaround, cleaner repair files, and a vehicle that leaves the workshop performing the way it was designed to.”He said that genuine OEM access means front radar, surround cameras, and lane keeping and blind-spot monitors can be calibrated “to the values the manufacturer actually published, and not the best-guess from a generic tool”.

“For a brand built around a heavy sensor stack, anything less than OEM-grade calibration leaves real safety performance on the table,” he said.

Mr Haddad said that after an accident, changes to repair the ADAS calibration included ensuring that the car’s cameras and radars align.

“One degree out on a forward radar after a light front-end knock, or a camera initialisation skipped after a windscreen swap, and the entire driver assistance package starts behaving in ways the customer can feel,” he said.

“With the real OEM software in front of us, every target value, every initialisation routine, every torque value, and aiming spec is exactly what Zeekr engineered the car around.”

ADAS calibration has become a vital part of a crash repair program in newer cars.Cars that earn crash test star ratings have achieved them not just through passenger cell integrity, but other factors including electronic safety features such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane keeping, blind-spot monitoring, and emergency lane keeping that all work exactly the way the OEM signed them off. 

“Every single one of those systems has to be calibrated back to spec, or that five-star sticker on the window starts to mean a lot less,” explained Mr Haddad.

“Our job is to get those systems back to where ANCAP tested them, not just back to where the warning light turns off – there is a difference.”

Mr Haddad said the car is generally taken to its workshop in Keysborough, however there were some cases – such as having compatible equipment – where the calibration and scanning could be made remotely Australia wide.