Exterior cameras are extremely common on new cars, trucks and SUVs, and by 2018, backup cameras will be mandated on all new vehicles sold in the U.S. So what does this mean for you, your car wash and your customers?
A broken camera isn’t going to be cheap to fix, and with most cameras mounted in or around the front and rear bumper area, or in the grille, there’s a chance that they could be damaged by brushes or other equipment.
That may sound scary, but the good news is the chance is small, at least according to automakers and an operator we spoke with.
Of course, there’s still a chance of damage from a careless customer or employee who rear-ends another vehicle or backs a vehicle into the one behind it, but cameras are meant to prevent just that sort of thing.
The rise of cameras raises a few questions: How often do they get damaged? Who is liable? How much damage comes from equipment and how much from human error, such as accidental bumper cars in the car wash queue in vehicles driven by employees? Do automakers give much thought to potential damage or do they simply worry about selling cars with the latest tech features, figuring repair shops and service departments can handle damage down the road?
To answer the first and third question, one operator said he hasn’t yet seen any damage claims. That’s a good thing for the industry, but it doesn’t mean automakers aren’t aware of how car washes can affect their tech. To answer questions two and four, we spoke to the public-relations department of a couple of different automakers. Virtually every brand has made cameras available on most vehicles in their lineup, and of course, backup cameras will be standard in two years.
Sam Locricchio, a spokesman for Lincoln, said automakers do test for how cameras might deal with the intense water pressure of a car wash, at least in a way.
“All Lincoln (and Ford) vehicles are put through extensive and extreme testing in car washes; as well as in a special ‘rain’ chamber that tests everything from potential rain noises, leaks, etc.,” Locricchio said. “Simulated rain is hit on the car from all angles including the bottom up early on in the pre-production and production process.”
That sort of testing isn’t necessarily specific to onboard cameras, but it stands to reason that “extensive and extreme” testing in car washes should reveal any problems or trouble spots. At least one Lincoln, the MKX, is designed so that its camera is hidden under a badge, where in theory it would be protected from potential damage when not in use.
“I can say that in the MKX, the front camera is placed under the Lincoln badge; the badge moves up to expose the camera when in use. The badge covers the camera when not in use,” Locricchio said. “This innovation is not only functional but also pleasing from a design aesthetic, so the front design is not hindered by a camera.”
Locricchio also said that rearview cameras and other types of parking-assist cameras should decrease parking-lot fender benders, because if they’re being used correctly, they are meant to help drivers see what they wouldn’t normally be able to.
Nissan, which heavily markets its Around View monitor camera systems available on Nissan vehicles as well as models sold by its luxury brand, Infiniti, offered a similar tack.
“Nissan camera systems, including our world’s first Around View monitor, are developed to operate in a variety of real-world conditions and environments,” said Dan Passe, senior manager, Nissan Product Communications.
He added that product designers at original equipment manufacturers do think about these issues during the design process.
“The design of the mirrors, truck lids/liftgates, grille areas and more are all adjusted to accommodate for camera placement, which includes concerns regarding aerodynamics and cleaning functions,” he said. “On Titan and Titan XD [full-size trucks], for example, there’s a gear system on the towing mirrors that keeps the camera in the same place despite the mirror’s ability to be pulled out or folded in depending on whether there’s a trailer.”
Like with automatic emergency braking and other technology aids that lead to assisted or even semi-autonomous driving, automakers, car wash owners and operators, and customers are still figuring it out.
But one thing is clear: Cameras are proliferating.
Rearview cameras started the trend, and as the price dropped they became available in more and more cars. Cameras that show 360-degree views like Nissan’s Around View system are becoming more common, as are front-view cameras.
Dropping prices for the tech is part of the reason, while consumer demand for safety is another (not all cameras are used for safety’s sake — some trucks offer cameras to help drivers hook up to trailers). And, as noted, the federal mandate means that all cars will have rearview (aka backup) cameras by model year 2018.
As long as car washes and cars exist (even if cars become fully autonomous someday, people will still want to wash them, and they’ll almost certainly use camera systems as part of the self-driving technology), car wash owners and customers may have to deal with damage to cameras, even if evidence so far shows its minimal. Automakers say they’re doing what they can to prevent it, and that the cameras themselves can stop some of that damage, but accidents (and the accompanying damage) do happen.
