Electric power steering common on today’s vehicles but garages are missing out

Shaftec explains virginalising process and urges garages to be aware of need for diagnostic programming

Electric power steering common on today’s vehicles but garages are missing out
Steering production at Shaftec.

Shaftec has this week revealed the latest advances in electric power steering (EPS) and what market trends garages should be aware of.

Shaftec say electric power steering is pretty much standard in vehicles rolling off today’s production lines.

The components are lighter in weight and more durable, require less maintenance, give a better response at different speeds and require less fuel consumption.

This has been happening gradually over the past 20 years and now a large majority of vehicles which fall into the aftermarket sphere for service and repair are fitted with EPS parts – and yet, there still seems to be a reticence to deal with them effectively.

Missed opportunity

According to Shaftec, some independent garages are missing out on business because they have taken on a job they aren’t prepared for and don’t have the knowledge and equipment to deal with the repair from start to finish.

If they don’t know up front which particular parts need specialist equipment in order to reprogram them, and then find they don’t have the correct equipment, they may have to call in the expensive services of the main dealer who does – clearly increasing cost.

This means they make less on the job than they anticipated, or worse still, have to explain to their customer that the job will be more expensive and take longer than they had quoted.

Software programming

Shaftec area sales manager, Joe Toakley said: “With electric power steering becoming more and more prominent in vehicle repairs, this means there’s a lot of software involved and unequivocally, a lot of programming.

“At Shaftec we have a stringent process of formatting the software on the EPS units.

“Known as ‘virginalising’ this means that the part, when they take it from the box, is ready to effectively ‘work’ in another vehicle.”

Another system Shaftec has in place is the addition of a ‘tamper’ label to every component, showing that the product is virginalised before it leaves Shaftec.

In the unlikely scenario of a garage receiving a component with a damaged/broken label, they should source a replacement from their local motor factor.

“The bit we can’t physically do for our customers is the actual reprogramming,” Joe added.

“Some parts can be reprogrammed using generic diagnostic tools – which forward thinking garages really should invest in.

“Certain steering systems, however, require bespoke vehicle manufacturer equipment in order to be successfully programed for fitment and it helps massively if the garage is aware of which parts these are.

“What we do at Shaftec as expert remanufacturers, is inform our customers where specialist equipment is necessary, as standard, and provide comprehensive guidelines which walk the technician through the process if they have do happen to have the equipment. 

“The top and bottom of it is that to remain competitive and successful in a world where even basic components such as some brake pads and batteries need reprogramming, garages need to be prepared.”

With 2019 demand for its new-to-range electric steering parts far surpassing traditional variants, Shaftec is reaping the rewards of investing in machinery to speed up the EPS remanufacturing process.

Shaftec director, Tom Curtis said: “At Shaftec, we recognized the growth opportunities of EPS very early on, and knew that to remain competitive and secure growth, we had to develop in line with this and invest back into the business.

“Knowledge is power when it comes to steering systems.“The better you know your product, how it operates, its features and benefits, together with how to maintain it the better equipped you will be to assist your customers.

“In turn they can better assist their customers with component advice in terms of value for money, safety, quality and performance.”

For further information about Shaftec, select ‘more details’ below.

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