Do I need to have my car’s safety systems recalibrated?

Advanced driver assist safety systems such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane keeping assist fitted to vehicles today not only help avoid or mitigate damage and injury but are the placeholders for a fully autonomous driving future.

You might think that the only maintenance such technology would require is the occasional software update or camera clean.

Yet these systems, which come under the umbrella of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), can need a more involved service intervention than that.

A bit like a vehicle’s wheel alignment, these camera-based systems can easily have their cameras or radars fall out of adjustment.

This might be due to new parts fitted, unrelated repairs necessitating camera removal/replacement or repairs for physical damage, whether major or minor.

Indeed, even the vehicle’s wheel alignment or other suspension changes can affect the ADAS steering-based systems.

Without specialist recalibration, a vehicle’s ADAS system will either flag warning lights, possibly disabling the system, or worse still, function but not with the accuracy needed to be effective.

While vehicle manufacturer service departments often have dedicated recalibration equipment, the aftermarket has become involved too.

For example, Robert Bosch Australia introduced a recalibration system for workshops about 18 months ago called the DAS 3000.

Bosch claims that it is the first system that can handle front camera, rear camera and radar recalibration all in one.

Steve Oudshoorn, product manager at Robert Bosch Australia, says ADAS recalibration is “the buzzword of the car industry at the moment”.

“The sales of DAS 3000 units is following closely in the footsteps of what wheel alignment machines did,” he said.

“It started largely in dealerships and OEMs [car-makers], followed largely by the crash repair industry, then into chains and independent shops.

“We’ve seen the creation of some small independent ‘calibration centres’ in metro Australia that’s probably a bit unique to this equipment. I’m not sure we saw that in the wheel alignment game.”

Oudshoorn said that when replacing windscreen glass, for example, it is not uncommon to replace 7mm-thick glass with a 5mm-thick piece, which will throw out the ADAS camera alignment.

“Demand and development on the [DAS 3000] unit was definitely driven by the glass industry. The most common requirement for ADAS calibration was the front windscreen replacement.”

However, the need for ADAS recalibration has caught the attention of other parts of the auto service and repair industry.

“We’re now seeing that demand grow sharply in the panel repair industry and service chains [Bosch Car Service, MyCar and so on],” said Oudshoorn.

The ways in which you’ll notice the ADAS system needs a recalibration are varied, according to Oudshoorn.

“False warning lights is the key one. You may get a false ‘blind-spot’ warning light, or ‘lane departure’ warning pop up on your dash,” he said.

“In some instances the vehicle will recognise the DAS systems are out of calibration, and will switch certain systems off – and illuminate a warning light on the dash, telling you to get a calibration done.”

The ADAS recalibration can take anything from 15 minutes to a few hours, depending on the vehicle, its recalibration requirements (for example static, dynamic, or both) and how much out of calibration its systems are.

You can budget for roughly $300 for a basic recalibration.

While there are some ADAS systems that can only be calibrated by a car-maker’s authorised dealer, the aftermarket’s ADAS coverage is increasing.

Bosch says its service coverage development for equipment such as the DAS 3000 is driven by the Australian car parc and customer demands, and that it has local developers in Australia working on coverage.

ADAS relies on inputs from multiple data sources to make the various systems work.

Depending on the vehicle, these inputs can include automotive imaging, LiDAR, radar, image processing, computer vision and in-car networking.

All of these components input data for functions like adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, automatic emergency braking systems, intelligent headlight control and more.

There are two main types of ADAS recalibration: static and dynamic. While most vehicles will require one or the other, some vehicles may require both.

The initial static set-up for these systems typically requires a jig aligned perfectly to the centre line or driving axis, a levelling device be attached to the radar, use of a three-position radar reflection mirror and targets to calibrate the cameras.

Dynamic recalibration requires a pre-determined service drive of 5-30km at set speed intervals.

Diagnostic tools plugged in to access the onboard vehicle ECUs are needed to perform the recalibration for both static and dynamic scenarios.

As little a one-degree misalignment (only detectable by this specialised equipment) could result in the system miscalculating required braking activation, steering correction and/or visual and audible warnings.

Bosch says that recalibration of these systems is required following the repair of the body that mounts the radar, changing the windscreen, changing and/or repairing the suspension or chassis repairs that may have changed the geometry in any way.

Sensor replacements and even adjusting the wheel alignment can all impact the performance of DAS.

Oudshoorn points out even minor repairs or part replacement can trigger the need for a recalibration.

“There are vehicles in the market that require bumper removal to replace a headlight. With sensors in the bumper, such a vehicle would now require an ADAS calibration,” he said.

“I don’t think we have seen it yet, but I believe that ADAS calibration will be part of a logbook service in years to come.”

ADAS – What could go wrong and what to look out for
• Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) can easily have their cameras or radars fall out of alignment
• Even minor repair work or parts fitment on a car may necessitate camera removal or replacement, meaning ADAS may need recalibration
• Wheel alignment or other suspension changes can impact ADAS steering-based systems
• Windscreen replacement could throw out the ADAS camera alignment
• Pay careful attention to warning lights indicating that ADAS needs recalibrating
• False warning lights popping up for blind spots or lane departure could indicate ADAS needs attention
• A basic recalibration may cost around $300