How Many Vehicles Need Calibrations?
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are becoming standard in modern vehicles, with features like lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and automatic emergency braking designed to enhance driver safety. But what happens when these systems are disrupted by repairs, collisions, or even routine maintenance? The answer is clear: they often require calibration to function properly.
Research shows that more than 30% of vehicles in body shops require some form of ADAS calibration. This could include recalibrating sensors, cameras, or radars to ensure they align with OEM specifications. However, many of these necessary calibrations are being overlooked during the estimating process, leaving vehicles vulnerable to safety risks on the road.
The reasons for this gap vary, but one of the primary issues is awareness. Many body shops and repair facilities don’t have systems in place to consistently identify calibration requirements. Additionally, with OEM requirements frequently changing, keeping up with the latest standards can be challenging without the right tools.
With more vehicles on the road equipped with ADAS features, ensuring that calibrations are completed after repairs isn’t just about compliance—it’s about safety. Missing a required calibration can result in faulty system performance, putting drivers and passengers at risk. Understanding how often these calibrations are needed is the first step toward closing the gap and ensuring every repair is completed to the highest safety standards.
How Sensative Are ADAS Componenents?
ADAS components, such as cameras, radars, and sensors, are incredibly precise—but also extremely sensitive to even the slightest misalignment. Take a front radar, for example: if it is off by just a couple of centimeters during installation or after a repair, this small error can translate into a difference of several feet in the radar's detection range on the road.
This might not seem like much at first glance, but the consequences can be significant. A radar that is slightly off may misjudge the distance to the vehicle ahead, causing systems like adaptive cruise control or automatic emergency braking to respond too early, too late, or not at all. Even a minor deviation can impact the timing and effectiveness of these safety systems, potentially leading to dangerous situations.
This level of sensitivity highlights why calibrating ADAS components to exact OEM specifications is critical. Without proper calibration, these advanced systems cannot perform as intended, undermining their purpose of enhancing safety. Ensuring these components are aligned correctly and function accurately is essential not just for the driver, but for everyone sharing the road. It’s a clear example of how small errors can lead to big risks—and why ADAS calibrations should never be overlooked.
Why Are Calibrations Still Being Missed?
Despite the growing prevalence of ADAS-equipped vehicles and the critical role calibrations play in ensuring safety, many required calibrations are still being overlooked in body shops and repair facilities. The reasons for this gap are multifaceted, but a few key factors stand out.
One significant issue is lack of awareness. Many shops aren’t fully informed about which repairs trigger the need for ADAS calibrations. For example, replacing a windshield, removing a bumper, or performing a wheel alignment might all require recalibrating ADAS sensors or cameras—but these steps are often missed during the estimating process simply because they aren’t obvious.
Another contributing factor is the complexity of OEM requirements. Manufacturers frequently update their calibration guidelines, and keeping up with these changes can be daunting for shops without dedicated tools or resources. Without a system in place to track the latest requirements, it’s easy for necessary calibrations to slip through the cracks.
Time and cost pressures also play a role. Shops operating on tight schedules might skip calibration checks to save time, especially if they don’t have the right equipment or partnerships to perform them in-house. Additionally, some shops might avoid suggesting calibrations altogether if they believe customers will push back on the added expense, even though these services are essential.
Finally, there’s a lack of streamlined processes for identifying and documenting required calibrations. Without tools like ADAS Find to automatically identify calibration needs, shops are left to manually research requirements—an inefficient and error-prone method.
By understanding why calibrations are being missed, shops can begin to address these gaps and adopt systems and processes that ensure every necessary calibration is accounted for. Closing this gap is essential for improving repair accuracy, customer safety, and the overall reputation of the shop.
The Resolution
The reality is stark: while over 30% of vehicles in body shops typically require some form of ADAS calibration, only a fraction of these are being properly identified and completed. Many shops are unintentionally missing calibrations due to a lack of tools, awareness, or streamlined processes. This gap represents not only a significant safety risk for drivers but also a lost revenue opportunity for body shops.
ADAS calibrations are critical for ensuring that safety systems like lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control function as intended. A missed calibration means these systems may not operate correctly, putting drivers, passengers, and everyone on the road at risk. Beyond the safety concerns, shops that fail to identify and perform necessary calibrations are leaving thousands of dollars in potential revenue on the table each year.
This is where ADAS Find bridges the gap. By integrating directly with estimating systems like CCC One through Secure Share Auto, ADAS Find automates the process of identifying calibration requirements. Shops no longer need to manually research OEM guidelines or worry about missing a crucial calibration. ADAS Find generates detailed, OEM-compliant reports for every vehicle, ensuring that no required calibration is overlooked.
Not only does this improve repair accuracy and safety, but it also streamlines the shop’s workflow and boosts profitability. Shops that adopt a routine of using ADAS Find with every estimate can capture more revenue by consistently billing for calibrations that might otherwise be missed. This added efficiency allows shops to handle repairs faster while maintaining the highest safety standards.
In a competitive market, body shops that embrace tools like ADAS Find gain a distinct advantage. They protect their customers by delivering safer vehicles while growing their bottom line through increased revenue opportunities. By resolving the ADAS calibration gap, shops can ensure they’re operating at the highest level of professionalism and care.