Autodata aims to demystify ESP fitments
After more than two years of waiting, the European Commission’s mandatory requirement for vehicle manufacturers to fit systems to detect and avert skidding on all new cars and vans will come into force on 1 November this year. Whether they’re called ESP, ESC, VDC, VSC or any of the many other proprietary names, the proportion of new cars fitted with these systems will jump from 60 per cent of those driving off dealer forecourts (at present) to 100 per cent.
That substantial increase in the fitment will make understanding ESP and the details of each of its many variations a must for all service and repair workshops. No two systems will be exactly the same from one manufacturer to the next, and variation can also be expected between settings on a car maker’s mainstream and performance models.
That’s where diagnostics and related software come in. A spokesman from Autodata, Europe’s leading provider of technical information, said: “The fitment of ESP, with its proven track record for reducing the number of road deaths, is a welcome development for road safety but to be effective it must be maintained correctly. That places the onus on service and repair technicians to be familiar with the technology, to be competent in its maintenance or repair and to be equipped with the latest up-to-date information on whichever derivation they are presented with. If they haven’t already, service repair workshops need to gear up for ESP’s mandatory fitment right now.
“Autodata has already made the information needed by service technicians available through our range of products. Our technical data comes directly from the manufacturers and is constantly reviewed and updated to ensure the best possible information is delivered to the technician, whether they are independent or franchise.
Dr. Werner Struth, president of the Chassis Systems Control division at Bosch, has said of ESP: “ESP can prevent up to 80 per cent of all skid-related accidents. After the seat belt, the system is therefore the most important safety technology in the car.”
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