Check before and after

23 December 2013  

You have recently said that techs need to check vehicles with diagnostic equipment when fitting ZF components. What do you mean?

Might the data give you an incorrect analysis if taken in isolation though? We’re thinking of faulty DMS giving crankshaft position errors and the like…

What we recommend is that you run a diagnostic check both before and after you’ve changed a DMF. If the DMF is worn out then the vehicle will try and adjust itself. It is a bit of a chicken and egg situation – so the recommendation from us is that you run a check before and after. If the problem is still there, then the DMF will soon wear out again.

What other ZF components require the use of electronic tools?

PAS steering systems need to be coded back into the car and depending on what system you have depends on how much coding you can do. If you don’t code the rack in then you won’t have a ‘fully optimised’ steering system. Most steering racks will have a base code which is OK but not fully optimised so you’ll need some extra programming. It’s a bit of a problem because internally we run diagnostic systems which are not available to the market. There are so many parameters inside the steering system we have to try and get this information into the market without releasing safety critical information. The different settings are to give the steering different characteristics depending on the car.