What Is ADAS Calibration
And Does My Car Need It?
ADAS calibration is aiming a car's driver assistance cameras and sensors back to the manufacturer's position after a repair has disturbed them. Without it, systems like lane keeping and automatic braking can read the road slightly wrong while the dashboard shows no warning.
What ADAS means
ADAS stands for advanced driver assistance systems. On most cars built in the last decade that means a camera behind the windshield reading lane markings, radar behind the front bumper watching the car ahead, sensors in the mirrors or rear corners for blind spot warning, and cameras in the bumpers for parking and surround view. They only work if they are aimed exactly where the manufacturer put them.
Which repairs disturb them
Collision repair moves almost all of those positions. A new windshield moves the forward camera. Removing or replacing a front bumper moves the radar. Repairing a quarter panel or mirror housing moves a blind spot sensor. Even an alignment matters, because changing the thrust angle changes where the car is pointed relative to what the radar measures.
Why a clear dashboard is not proof
A camera can sit slightly off and report no fault at all, reading the lane a little to one side of where it really is. That is the failure calibration exists to prevent, and it is why the step is not optional on a car that carries these systems.
Calibration follows the manufacturer's procedure for that vehicle. Some systems are set up with targets at fixed distances in the shop, and others need the car driven under specified conditions. The vehicle is scanned before the repair and again after it, so faults that were already present are separated from anything the repair introduced.
How a calibration job runs
In The Shop.
Related Reading And Services
More on this topic from the shop:
What Is ADAS Calibration,
Answered.
Will a warning light tell me my sensors are out of position?
Not reliably. A camera or radar can be aimed slightly off and report no fault. Calibration is how the aim is checked and corrected.
Which repairs usually need ADAS calibration?
Windshield replacement, front bumper work, mirror and quarter panel repair, and alignment changes can all move a camera or sensor. We work out which systems a repair affects when we write the estimate.
Is calibration done at Precision?
Yes. We recalibrate driver assistance cameras and sensors following collision repair, using the manufacturer's procedure for the vehicle.
Cameras Or Sensors Disturbed?
Free estimates. No pressure. We handle everything, including your insurance claim.