ACtronics, a Dutch company that specialises in remanufacturing automotive electronic components, is providing Irish garages with access to a high quality more economical option to electronic component repair and replacement.

 

The increasing use of complex electronic components on modern cars has been a growing trend for many years. A combination of factors will cause such components to fail over time, with items such as ECUs, Electronic Throttle Bodies, and Instrument Clusters being particularly vulnerable. In most instances, technicians assume that failure of such items means they must be replaced with new parts, at considerable expense, which is usually only available from the vehicle manufacturer. ACtronics provides another option.

    In particular, ACtronics rebuilds and refurbishes ECUs, ABS ECUs, Electronic Throttle Bodies, Instrument Clusters and Displays for all major car makes. Thijs Jasink of ACtronics explains that the service can provide a fast and effective solution to electronic component issues. He says, "We have great expertise and highly specialised equipment for remanufacturing and testing components. This means that we can offer exceptionally fast turnaround and very considerable cost savings over buying new replacements.” Thijs points out that remanufacturing time, excluding transportation, for 90% of all products is just 24 hours, while the other 10% take only 2-3 working days. The costs savings are in the region of 50% over new components and with these parts generally very high value items, these savings can be very substantial.

    All of the remanufactured parts come with a full two year warranty, reflecting the emphasis placed on quality at all stages of the rebuild process. Thijs comments, "Throughout the remanufacturing process, the emphasis is on replacement rather than repair of sensitive electronic components, often with product versions which represent an improvement on the original. Careful replacement of defective components and stringent testing ensures that all ACtronics products meet the highest original standards and have a long life span.”

    ACtronics has seen a rapid growth in demand for all of its remanufacturing services in recent years, but it is in the field of ECUs where this has been the most dramatic. ECU failure is a common problem that garages encounter. Replacing these high value components is often beyond the budget of many drivers, so effective and economical rebuilding is an increasingly popular option. In order to detect the defect in an ECU and be sure that the repair has been successful, ACtronics has designed and developed special in-house ECU testing equipment. This communicates with the latest CAN, LIN and J1850 bus networks. In addition, the ECU testing software is so sophisticated that during the final tests the ECU’s anti-theft system unlocks.

    Thijs says that throttle body rebuilding is also now much in demand. He points out that conventional electronic throttle bodies are usually fitted with a mechanical TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) which is one of the main parts that is prone to break down, causing rapid malfunction of the unit. ACtronics has designed a contactless version for many of these sensors which is less likely to wear out, and so offers a much longer life. These units are also fully calibrated on a very sophisticated testing machine.

    With regard to instrument clusters, Thijs says ACtronics expertise can be especially beneficial. He comments, "Our experience means we know all the common design and manufacturing defects on popular instrument panels. We therefore replace not just defect parts, but also components that are prone to failure. We also replace known weak parts with stronger versions.” ACtronics is also in a unique position to provide replacement non-electronic products such as gears, pointers, pointer motors and plastic frames. These components are not available on the open market, but are specially designed and produced by ACtronics, due to the high volume of instrument repairs it carries out.

    Thijs says the ACtronics remanufacturing service is quick and easy to use. Garages just fill out a remanufacturing order form from the ACtronics website and send in the part, or call to arrange collection. It will then be rebuilt and fully calibrated before being express couriered back to the customer. The cost saving is considerable and with these specialist components often special order items as new, the whole process can often be quicker than a new replacement.

    Contact ACtronics on 0044-1206-849920, or visit www.actronics.eu.