Fix radar sensor by independent shop?

JoshFK7

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I was driving 70mph on the freeway when I hit an object, which ended up knocking the driver side front bumper garnish. This ended up knocking my radar sensor out of line and now none of the Honda Sensing except for Lane Keep Assist work. I had the issue diagnosed by the dealer and they want to charge me $384 for diagnose, replacement of a bolt, and recalibration of the sensor.

I want to see if this is possibly a cheaper fix elsewhere. Has anyone had their radar sensors repaired by a non-dealer, independent repair shop? Is this even possible since I know that special equipment is required to calibrate the sensor to work properly.
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it’s possible but it’s not an easy job, I too hit road debris and the body shop finished the body stuff (mostly under car cover) under 1 week. They then proceeded to keep the car another 2 weeks and 3 different technicians to deal with sensing.
 
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JoshFK7

JoshFK7

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it’s possible but it’s not an easy job, I too hit road debris and the body shop finished the body stuff (mostly under car cover) under 1 week. They then proceeded to keep the car another 2 weeks and 3 different technicians to deal with sensing.
Damn, not what I want to hear. I know this kind of fix is quite specialized. I'll be calling around to Honda specialist shops, but if they have to keep it for longer than a day I don't think it's worth for me.
 
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JoshFK7

JoshFK7

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UPDATE: Just wanted to add this info for future reference. The dealership instructed me to take back the car since their radar calibration machine was not available for another 2 days. I took my car without leaving and have an appointment for this Friday.

2 days after the dealership I drove my car to work and all of the lights and warnings went away. I am able to use the ACC and it works perfectly fine as if nothing ever happened. Works at low speed and normal speeds. The CMBS also seems to appear to be working normally. It flashed me to "BRAKE" when I was approaching a stopped car too fast. My plan is to cancel my following appointment with the dealership and hopefully, I won't get charged for the "diagnose" that they did.

I did end up inquiring at independent shops about doing the repair and the consensus was that it is possible but equally as costly for an independent shop since most require an external contractor to calibrate the radar
 

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The dealership instructed me to take back the car since their radar calibration machine was not available for another 2 days.
The radar is aimed using our HDS laptop (standard) and a small aluminum pyramid on a stand at a set distance from the radar unit. There is no special machine, not sure what is happening here. Most likely the tech who knows how to use it was gone.
 


DRUSA

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2 days after the dealership I drove my car to work and all of the lights and warnings went away. I am able to use the ACC and it works perfectly fine as if nothing ever happened. Works at low speed and normal speeds. The CMBS also seems to appear to be working normally. It flashed me to "BRAKE" when I was approaching a stopped car too fast. My plan is to cancel my following appointment with the dealership and hopefully, I won't get charged for the "diagnose" that they did.
I would really have this radar unit aimed properly. This may just be dumb luck, such as the radar is pointed away from the car in a general direction that it is not coding up. The calculated distances for the LKAS/ACC/CMBS may be off, notifications and actions the car may take during CMBS may not be correct. I've seen cars brake unintentionally and set of warnings unintentionally as well as a result.

Afaik, only shop with access to HDS software can do this procedure with the aiming target. Independent shops bring us cars all the time, they just sublet the service and bill the customer without them knowing we did it.
 
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JoshFK7

JoshFK7

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I would really have this radar unit aimed properly. This may just be dumb luck, such as the radar is pointed away from the car in a general direction that it is not coding up. The calculated distances for the LKAS/ACC/CMBS may be off, notifications and actions the car may take during CMBS may not be correct. I've seen cars brake unintentionally and set of warnings unintentionally as well as a result.

Afaik, only shop with access to HDS software can do this procedure with the aiming target. Independent shops bring us cars all the time, they just sublet the service and bill the customer without them knowing we did it.
I appreciate your replies, especially given that I see you're a Honda Master Tech!

I've actually been using the LKAS/ACC/CMBS for 2 days now and it seems to be working exactly as how it did before. The ACC keeps the same follow distance as it did before. It may be dumb luck as you mention, but I'll monitor the radar functionality for a bit to see if it acts up and if it does I'll get it repaired immediately.

I'm wondering if removing and placing the front bumper garnish back may have fixed the issue since it could've have been slightly misaligned from the impact. I'm not sure how sensitive those sensors are to that panel.
 

Joetanks

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I would really have this radar unit aimed properly. This may just be dumb luck, such as the radar is pointed away from the car in a general direction that it is not coding up. The calculated distances for the LKAS/ACC/CMBS may be off, notifications and actions the car may take during CMBS may not be correct. I've seen cars brake unintentionally and set of warnings unintentionally as well as a result.

Afaik, only shop with access to HDS software can do this procedure with the aiming target. Independent shops bring us cars all the time, they just sublet the service and bill the customer without them knowing we did it.
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Hi, may I know what is the contact information like phone and address of the workshop who can provide the replacement and repair if necessary?

Thanks, Joe
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