If you’ve recently gotten an alignment or picked up your car from a collision repair shop, your vehicle may be in need of an ADAS calibration — adaptive driver assistance system calibration. It’s a powerful tool embedded across many systems in your car utilizing technology like cameras, sensors and driver intervention assistance to help make driving safer for everyone on the road.
Adaptive driving assistance is highly beneficial, but it requires special attention to assure that all of the features work safely. This includes ensuring that your system is properly calibrated following a vehicle alignment and other services that can throw off ADAS sensors and cameras and turn your safety feature into a potential hazard.
With so many of these new technologies becoming the standard for modern cars, it’s important that drivers understand how their ADAS impacts their vehicle, from driving to maintenance. We’re here to help you understand the benefits of your system and how a service like ADAS calibration can keep your driver assistance operating at peak performance.
How Do I Know If My Car Has Adaptive Driver Assistance?
If you own a vehicle manufactured in the last 20-25 years, it likely has at least one or two driver assistance features. If you own one manufactured in the last decade, then it definitely has ADAS technology.
ADAS features are so beneficial that the U.S. Department of Transportation requires many of the available features on newly manufactured vehicles. For example, after 2018, all vehicles under 10,000 pounds are required to have rear visibility detection. The newer your vehicle, the more likely that it operates using ADAS technology.
Here are a few examples of the types of adaptive technologies available in cars today.
Common Adaptive Driving Assistance Features
Adaptive driving has a lot to offer — and you might be surprised at which features count as ADAS. Here are some of the more common adaptive features available today.
Lane Departure Warning
Lane assistance is a powerful feature that reduces the chances of your vehicle drifting out of your designated lane into other vehicles or off the road.
Adaptive Cruise Control
Adaptive cruise control takes classic cruise control to the next level, allowing you to set your following distance from other cars and leverage lane assistance and automatic braking for additional safety. Newer cars may even have traffic assist, which supports your vehicle with stop and go traffic in addition to the other benefits.
Parking Assistance
Many a driver rejoiced at the invention of parking assistance. Using cameras and other sensors, your vehicle can essentially park itself. No more circling the block to avoid parallel parking, backing into the wall of your garage or hitting stray shopping carts!
Driver Monitoring
Perhaps one of the most innovative features, driver monitoring can alert you if you appear to be getting drowsy on the road. It also notices if you’re not paying attention. It’s like learning to drive with your parents all over again!
Collision Avoidance
If you have this feature and you’ve had the fortune to see it in action (and prevent an accident), you know how amazing it is. Collision avoidance uses sensors and cameras all around the vehicle to detect hazards and alert the driver — or even implement automatic braking.
Automatic Braking
Humans are doing their best, but their reaction times can’t compete with computers. Automatic braking is a literal lifesaver. Studies have shown that autonomous emergency braking helps prevent accidents like minor fender benders and more potentially catastrophic collisions.
Blind Spot Monitoring
Have you ever switched lanes only to hear the angry beeping of another driver already occupying that lane? With blind spot monitoring, your vehicle warns you before you drift into the other driver’s space. Not only is it safer, it prevents embarrassment.
These are just some of the features that qualify as adaptive driver assistance. More advancements are being added each year, as manufacturers develop new safety technology to improve performance on the road. Now that you know some of the more common features, let’s explore how they work!
How Does ADAS Work?
ADAS relies on several components in order to ensure it operates properly. That’s why it’s necessary to ensure it remains at the proper specifications at all times. Let’s take a look at the basics:
Sensors
Adaptive driving assistance uses ultrasonic sensors, as well as lidar, radar, cameras and other tools to constantly analyze the space around your car to detect hazards. Your vehicle uses this data to make real-time decisions — like activating automatic braking when a car suddenly stops in front of you. These sensors detect everything including other cars, objects and pedestrians.
Computer
All of the data collected by your car must be processed with speed and accuracy to help you make decisions — or make them for you, in an emergency. That requires a computer to analyze the data and determine the next course of action. You need that type of speed when your car is driving down I-25 at 75 miles per hour, surrounded by dozens of other drivers.
Alerts & Automation
No, your car isn’t quite as cool as old Kit from the Nightrider TV show, but it’s getting closer every day. The beeping that occurs when you travel out of your lane, the gentle braking when your car detects a hazard and warning lights are all examples of your car’s computer communicating data and providing guidance via alerts and automation. It’s a nice benefit!
As you review these features, it’s probably becoming pretty clear that precision is key. That’s why we stress the need for ADAS calibration following any actions that could throw off the delicate balance. Even a tiny adjustment can be enough to render certain features useless!
When is an ADAS Calibration Required?
We recommend that you consider an ADAS calibration in the following situations:
- The ADAS warning light is on — do not ignore this light!
- You’ve just had your car aligned or you’ve performed modifications or repairs to the suspension.
- Installed larger tires or wheels than the manufacturer.
- You’ve had your vehicle lowered or lifted.
- New windshield.
- Damage to cameras or sensors.
- Following collision repair.
- After an accident where you do not seek repairs.
What Happens if I Don’t Recalibrate the Adaptive Driver Assistance?
If you’ve encountered any of the situations listed and you have NOT adjusted your ADAS, you’re not alone. Most drivers don’t know that it’s recommended to have the system checked after these types of circumstances. Your driver system relies on every single sensor and camera performing exactly as specified. A malfunction could have serious issues.
Here are some potential consequences of not calibrating ADAS:
Sudden Braking
While the automatic braking system is hugely beneficial, it won’t be if it deploys at the wrong time. You don’t want an unexpected stop while navigating ice, for example.
False Notifications
This particular problem isn’t necessarily going to be dangerous, but imagine driving for hours with your car insisting you’re outside of the lane. It’s worth noting that constantly ignoring false alarms can condition you to tune out your system altogether, which is the opposite of what you want.
Missed Hazards
The entire purpose of your system is to keep you safe from hazards. You want your car to help you avoid that ripped piece of semi tire in the road and slow down when you see a traffic jam ahead.
Vehicle Damage
If your ADAS deploys at the wrong time, it could cause internal and external damage to your vehicle. Internally, your driver assistance could trigger vehicle operations that directly conflict with the other systems in the car. Externally, your system triggering the swerve feature at the wrong time could cause an accident.
These consequences can be more than a minor inconvenience. They can be costly to repair and leave you without your vehicle while you get it fixed. Post-alignment services can save you money over time.
What Happens During an ADAS Recalibration?
With new technological advancements comes the need to maintain them. At Honest Accurate, we’ve worked hard to stay current on all new assistance technologies. We train our technicians on new features and spend time educating our customers on their systems, too. We are diligent about your safety because we understand why it needs to operate properly.
During an ADA recalibration appointment, our automotive technicians use specialty equipment and software designed to support most ADAS systems across the most popular vehicle makes and models available. This way, we can calibrate your vehicle to the exact specifications developed by the manufacturer, making adjustments for any updates you’ve made to your vehicle, like an alignment or taller tires.
Some calibrations require the technician to drive your vehicle with a reader to detect discrepancies. Others might just need an adjustment in the shop. Following the completion of the process, the vehicle is then tested to ensure the modifications are effective. Any issues discovered will be tweaked and your vehicle will be ready to drive — safely, effectively, just as intended.
Trust Honest Accurate Auto Service with Your Adaptive Driver Response System
The next time you schedule an alignment, be sure to add ADAS calibration to the appointment list. Honest Accurate can perform both services for you at either of our two locations in Colorado Springs. You can also bring your vehicle in for recalibration following repairs or upgrades that impact the system’s ability to perform. We have the technology and the know-how to get your ADA system calibrated properly and back on the road safely.
