What is ADAS?
ADAS stands for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, and include technological features that are designed to increase the safety of driving a vehicle. ADAS uses cameras and sensors, often mounted onto a vehicle’s windshield, to survey the surrounding environment as your drive.
These cameras and sensors relay information from the road to your ADAS, allowing features like Lane Keep Assist, Forward Collision Alert, Blind Spot Monitoring, Adaptive Cruise Control and more, to work properly. Your ADAS, when calibrated properly, can dramatically increase your safety while operating a vehicle.
How Do ADAS Work?
ADAS is a rapidly growing new technology that includes features designed to help the driver in the driving process. When designed with a safe human-machine interface, your ADAS should increase car safety and more generally, road safety.
But how does your ADAS work? While the concept seems almost magical on the surface, there’s actually quite a bit involved with these systems. ADAS features began gaining popularity in the early 2000s, with most newer models having ADAS built into their original designs. These systems rely on cameras and sensors to quickly and accurately scan other vehicles, obstacles, pedestrians, traffic signs and lane lines on the road. This information is captured and analyzed by supporting software, then used to activate a response by the vehicle, such as automatic braking, lane departure warning, etc.
The Importance of ADAS Calibration
Alignment = Accuracy
Your ADAS depends on accurate feedback from cameras and sensors, typically mounted onto your windshield, in order to work properly. If the cameras and sensors are misaligned, your ADAS will receive inaccurate feedback from the road, putting you and other drivers at risk. Just one degree of misalignment can affect your ADAS’ accuracy and ability to perform.
When To Calibrate Your ADAS
Insight Vehicle Calibration recommends that your ADAS always be calibrated after replacing your windshield, since that is where the cameras and sensors are located. Even if you are not seeing a warning light after replacing your windshield, the camera could be out of calibration, leading to faulty ADAS features.
If your new windshield is not an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) windshield, it is most likely not manufactured to the same exact specs as the original manufacturer. This means that it may be slightly off calibration and out of synch with your ADAS. Recalibrating your ADAS after having a replacement windshield installed will ensure that accurate data is relayed to the system. In addition to recalibrating your ADAS after a windshield replacement, we also recommend recalibrating after a fault code, a disconnect, or a change of suspension or wheel alignment.