Break down repair steps to get a better grasp on calibrations

Oct. 3, 2019
What follows are the OEM repair steps for recalibrating the cameras for popular GM products.

An old saying declares that “football is a game of inches.” Replace football with collision repair and game with job and the statement is still true. You also could swap out inches with millimeters and the statement is just as accurate. Exact measurements are one of the keys to a proper, safe repair job.

These measurements go well beyond where you attached parts. They’re also at the core of proper calibrations.

Nowhere is this truer and arguably more of an issue than with the cameras — especially the backup camera — on today’s vehicles. A number of repairers have raised this issue with ABRN. Randy Drury, owner of Full Service Auto Stop in Houston believes there are two chief reasons for difficulty recalibrating these cameras. One, lack of training and experience and, two, failure to follow the OEM repair steps to the letter.

(Photo courtesy of GM Media)  The steps for calibrating the cameras on GM vehicles such as the Cadillac CTS are remarkably similar, but there typically will be some significant differences between models.

“I call it death by degrees,” says Drury. “When you’re calibrating anything, you have to follow the repair instructions exactly. I think there’s too many folks flying through this work to get it done quickly and ignoring things like checking the tire pressure so the vehicle is sitting right and especially working in an area where bright shops lights aren’t distorting the image.”

With so many motorists relying on accurate backup and other cameras to safely move their vehicles, a poor job here can have some significant consequences. Drury says shops could do themselves and their customers a huge favor by reviewing the steps for this work with their techs well beforehand to point out steps they may be overlooking and to better organize the repair plan.

What follows are the OEM repair steps for recalibrating the cameras for popular GM products. They’re reformatted here to help shops better focus on some vital, small details that can make a huge difference between an insufficient and quality repair.

Calibrating the cameras on a 2019 Cadillac CTS

Note: This is the calibration process for the Surround Vision Camera system. When the Video Processing Control Module is replaced, calibration must be performed.

If the following occurs, calibration is recommended but not required:

  • If a camera is replaced
  • If mirrors or fascia are replaced, removed, or physically adjusted.

Video Processing Control Module: What you need to know

The calibration procedure involves having the Video Processing Control Module learn new cameras and their positions. The calibration is performed automatically by the Video Processing Control Module.

A new Video Processing Control Module will have built-in default values for camera learn. However, the Video Processing Control Module will automatically calibrate in order to adapt to the vehicle.

Setting the stage

Prepare the work area and the camera by attending to the following:

  • Properly inflate all tires.
  • Place the vehicle on a level surface.
  • Fold out all the mirrors.
  • Wipe the camera lens clean.
  • Interfering objects or glare from overhead lighting will fail an alignment. Make sure all are removed, and the lighting is either lowered or turned off.
  • All points of access to the inside of the vehicle must be closed, including hood.
  • Note again that if any one of the cameras on the Surround Vision Camera System is replaced, the displayed image may not be correctly stitched due to a change in the location or orientation of the camera. The only way to correct an incorrectly stitched image is to perform the calibration procedure.
(Photo courtesy of Dodge Media) Customers have grown increasing reliant on technology like backup cameras. When not properly calibrated, these systems put vehicles, their occupants and pedestrians in harm’s way

Calibration background information

Before beginning the calibration steps, note all of the following:

  1. The image will be slightly distorted at all times since the camera(s) lens is a fish-eye lens meant to capture as much as possible.
  1. If calibration does not start automatically or if manual initialization is desired, calibration can be initiated by selecting Video Processing Control Module Camera Learn in the scan tool.
  1. The left side of the screen displays where the EL-51372 Camera Calibration Mat should be located for each step. The right side of the display is the view from the camera that is being learned during that step.

Mat position reference

Note: Not all apply to each variant

  • Position A is the left front.
  • Position B is the right front.
  • Position C is the left rear.
  • Position D is the right rear.
  • Position E is directly in front of the car, centered side to side.
  • Position F is directly behind the car, centered side to side.

Mat setup and scan tool guidelines

Note: Diagnostic Aids must be followed prior to calibration

To set up the calibration mat and use the scan tool properly, follow all these guidelines until calibration is complete:

  • Vehicle must be ignition ON or Vehicle ON.
  • Follow the on-screen instructions with regards to EL-51372 camera mat placement.
  • The Camera Calibration Mat location is critical. If the image displayed is heavily distorted, the mat position was not correct. For correct mat location, refer to the box EL-51372 came in. Place the mat 50 cm from the vehicle when performing calibration or camera learn. For Fore/Aft alignment, place the mat so the distance from the closest edge of the center square, to the bumper, is 70 cm.
  • The Camera Calibration Mat must be as flat as possible. Wrinkles in the mat will cause a distorted view for the camera.
  • An exclamation point (!) appearing on the radio display indicates the camera learn was not completed or there was an error. To clear, press Retry.
  • At any point where the calibration is stuck and radio display does not show any camera images, click Cancel from the scan tool learn screen to resolve the issue and return to the previous learn position.
  • If at any point in the calibration procedure the alignment process is interrupted, clicking Retry from the scan tool learn screen will cancel the current learn process and the procedure can be restarted.
  • Do not click Finalize prior to step 7 in the calibration steps.
(Photo courtesy of Dodge Media) Technology like cameras are typically part of more advanced vehicle safety systems. Understanding how all these components work together can aid in your knowledge of calibration.

Sequence of Camera Alignment

Front Cameras Alignment Learn - Captures an image at Position E

Rear Camera Alignment Learn - Captures an image at Position F

Calibration steps

  1. Using the scan tool, select the Front Cameras Alignment Learn OR Rear Camera Alignment Learn to calibrate.
  2. Click Initiate on the scan tool learn screen. This starts the calibration process.
  3. The radio display will show the desired EL-51372 camera calibration mat position.

Note: Mat must be flat on the floor

  1. Place the EL-51372 camera mat in the position shown on the display. Use the box EL-51372 came in as a ruler to align the mat with the vehicle correctly.

Note: In an event of an error, click the Retry button to reset the image and try a new capture

  1. Once the mat is correctly positioned, click Capture on the scan tool learn screen to capture the image.
  • If a red “X” is diplayed, correct the EL-51372 camera mat position.
  • If a green checkmark is displayed, the image was accepted.
  1. Leave the EL-51372 camera mat in that position until the camera display prompts for it to be moved to the next position or if calibration is complete.
  2. Once the last camera image has been captured, click Finalize on the scan tool learn screen. This completes the learn. Finalize is the very last step since it saves all the data from the alignment.

Error Codes during alignment

Final step: Test drive

To allow the Video Processing Control Module to complete calibration more quickly, drive the vehicle. Ideal conditions to reduce calibration time include:

  • All moving points of vehicle access (doors, trunk/liftgate, fuel door, hood, etc.) must be closed.
  • Drive the vehicle on a reasonably flat and straight roadway for at least 0.3 miles.
  • Then drive the vehicle speed at speeds of 6-19 mph.
  • Keep the steering wheel angle less than 0.5 degrees.
  • Vehicle should not be within 5 feet (1.5 meters) of a curb or roadside
  • Test in dry weather, preferably with a cloudy but bright sky.

The vehicle should be, by all counts, in proper working order now as far as the cameras are concerned.

Consider exactly what this repair involved: Staging the vehicle in the right format, in a flat properly lit area; setting up the mat as instructed and then using the scan tool to help direct the calibration steps. None of this should be complicated at all, and yet this repair can become a difficult chore if a shop doesn’t give the full instructions the attention they need.

One other important point to note here is that this procedure tends to be very similar from one model to another within the same brand though with key exceptions such as the sequence of camera alignment. In other words, never take for granted the details even after you’re familiar with the work.

Do all that, and you’ll handle every calibration task every time. Those wins are all a matter of inches, millimeters, degrees and so forth.

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