What Subaru says about repairing the 2019 Subaru Legacy – Information for New Jersey Subaru owners

If you’re a New Jersey driver currently needing repair on your 2019 Subaru Legacy, look no further. There are new repair procedures technicians must follow when repairing your Subaru that will ultimately mean the difference between a safe and dangerous repair. However, not every autobody shop in New Jersey will ignore these procedures and will get right to work on your car.

Here at Autotech Collision Service, we make it a point to let New Jersey drivers know about the various repair procedures out there for their cars. Cars today like the 2019 Subaru Legacy are incredibly complex and if a technician doesn’t follow exactly what the manufacturer tells them, then your safety will be at risk, let alone anyone else riding in your car.

Calibration requirements for Subaru:

Subaru has different procedures for repairing their vehicles to make sure everything is working the way it was designed to after a collision repair.

In order to perform a proper repair of the various sensors on your Subaru Legacy, a technician will have to perform something known as a calibration. According to AAA, “an ADAS calibration is a process carried out to correctly align the cameras and sensors of a car so its ADAS systems can work as intended.” Calibration requires specialized equipment and tools performed by highly trained technicians capable of adjusting or setting these systems. 

On a Subaru, the ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) systems are known as EyeSight. Because the 2019 Subaru Outback has several different sensors placed throughout the car, calibration is a requirement to make sure everything is working the way it should. If you don’t see calibration on your repair estimate, then your safety is at risk. 

Here at the different sensors located on the 2019 Outback: 

  • Two camera sensors located on the rearview mirror, part of Subaru’s EyeSight system. This system is designed for adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, pre-collision braking, and throttle management. 

Since these two camera sensors are attached to the windshield, the cameras will require calibration if the windshield is removed or replaced. 

  • Parking-assist sensors might be located in the rear bumper, part of Subaru’s reverse automatic braking system. 
  • The blind-spot detection sensors might also be located in the corners of the bumper, with indicator lights in the side mirrors. 

If any of these sensors or the bumper is removed, the sensors will need to be calibrated. 

  • Inside the trunk lid is the backup camera, which will require an aiming (alignment) procedure if it’s removed. 

Additional reasons why following Subaru repair procedures are required: 

Obviously, your car isn’t only sensors and is structurally made up of a body of different pillars. These are the vertical supports on a vehicle, critical for holding the glass in place and make up the overall structural integrity of any car, including the roof. Subaru has specific requirements depending on where a technician is cutting, welding, replacing, or sectioning. They need to look up the repair procedures because certain areas on the Legacy, like the outer B-pillar, have a partial part replacement procedure. However, the inner B-pillar and the B-pillar reinforcement require a full part replacement. The B pillar is the part of the car that the front door latches into and rear doors are mounted onto if it is a 4 door. It is a structural component.

You might be wondering what any of this means? It means that on the outside of the b-pillar, it is ok for us to cut the damaged section out, and weld a replacement panel in. However, if the damage to the B-pillar includes the inner B pillar, then the whole B pillar will have to be replaced.

Additional Post-repair requirements for Subaru:

Subaru also created what’s known as a “Post Repair Safety Inspection” for repairers to ensure nothing gets missed and everything is working correctly. Even if the airbags didn’t deploy or you were in a minor fender bender, the steering column must be removed and inspected and is a required part of this particular safety inspection

Now say you were in a fender bender. There might be additional damage to your car that isn’t visible without further inspection. But if it’s something like a camera sensor knocked out of alignment, this can create significant problems in your vehicle. A camera sensor that’s off by a mere degree can mean total failure in the ADAS systems. 

This is just one of the most critical reasons why Subaru stressed that whatever needs to be repaired, replaced, or the size of the damage, “ALL repairs must undergo the Post Repair Safety Inspection.” 

Where you take your car to be repaired matters:

Here in New Jersey, automotive repair technicians aren’t legally required to have a license to work on your vehicle. This means they can ignore the Post Repair Safety Inspection and calibration requirements for your Subaru, giving you a repair that is nowhere what you need. Let alone what you deserve out of a body shop. 

Why trust us with your Subaru repair needs:

Here at Autotech Collision Service, we have dedicated ourselves to becoming experts in all things regarding Subaru repair that we are a Subaru OEM certified autobody repair shop. Since January 2019, over a thousand body shops have strived to achieve this certification. We feel very lucky to have ours so we can help New Jersey drivers with all of their repair needs. 

It’s critical you take your Subaru to be repaired somewhere that knows how to repair your car the right way and follows the latest requirements that put your safety at the top priority. We feel quite confident we can provide you with the repair that you need. 

We have been proudly serving Southern New Jersey for nearly 30 years and aren’t stopping anytime soon because our customers are our number one priority. We pride ourselves in providing Southern New Jersey drivers with the highest quality OEM repairs because that’s what you deserve out of an auto body repair shop.

If you’d like to schedule an appointment or to get an online quote, click any of the buttons below! Or, feel free to give us a call at (856)-232-1833. We look forward to hearing from you!