ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) is the latest technology designed to make cars safer, usually as a way of reducing human error and making driving easier and more comfortable. You’re still in control of the car, but ADAS is an important step towards self-driving vehicles – although these are still some way off.
These systems have grown in popularity over the last decade, yet many drivers are still unaware what they do, why they’re needed, how to look after them and if their vehicle even has ADAS technology fitted.
Does My Car Have ADAS?
If your car has any advanced technologies, it probably has ADAS. Most modern cars have some, if not all of the following – even if they’re a standard model.
- Lane keep assist
- Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
- Adaptive cruise control
- Blind spot detection
- Parking sensors
- Parking camera
- Traffic sign recognition
These systems rely on sensors, cameras, radar and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) to understand and interact with the environment around your car, using the systems mentioned above to inform you about the position of your car or warn you of developing hazards.
ADAS takes many forms, so we recommend having a read of your vehicle handbook to see what advanced systems are fitted to your make and model.
Where are My Car’s Sensors Fitted?
The positioning of your sensors usually depends on what ADAS features your car has. However, common locations include:
- Front windscreen
- Front and rear bumpers
- Wing mirrors
- Wheel arches
Given these high-risk locations, ADAS sensors can easily get damaged or disturbed either through collisions or regular maintenance - but you might not even realise it.
If your car’s bumper is damaged in a crash or you need a windscreen replacement, you’ll need to ensure that your sensors are reset or replaced at the same time.
This process is called ADAS calibration.
What is ADAS Calibration?
This is the process of resetting your car’s affected sensors to ensure they work correctly.
ADAS calibration comes in two forms, depending on what sensors need re-calibrating. It can either be done as static calibration in a garage, with a fixed setup ensuring every sensor can understand the world around your car, or through a process called dynamic calibration. This is done as part of a road test, with specialised diagnostic tools helping the sensors re-learn their environment while driving at a specific speed on clearly marked roads.
As you might imagine, this is a pretty specialist service. ADAS calibration currently isn’t widely offered in the UK, especially among independent garages.
More importantly, awareness about the need for ADAS calibration is low and can lead to unsafe driving conditions, especially if your chosen garage doesn’t understand the importance of the service either.
Why is ADAS Calibration Important?
So, why should you be aware of the need for re-calibrating your car’s ADAS sensors? Well, most of the technology we mentioned earlier is crucial for keeping you and other road users safe. If one of these systems doesn’t understand the environment around your car or is struggling with depth perception or other spatial awareness issues, you could put yourself or a fellow driver in danger.
Take rear parking sensors for example. If one of the sensors has been pushed in slightly during a collision, it may think that objects behind your car are further away than they are. This could lead to another collision which should have been avoided.
Likewise, if your car has AEB or Forward Collision Warning (FCW), it will have vital sensors mounted on your front windscreen (usually behind the rearview mirror). If you suffer windscreen damage and need to replace the entire panel, you must ensure you also replace the sensors, otherwise these vital safety systems will not work.
In short, ADAS calibration is a critical service that you must consider as part of your vehicle’s regular maintenance schedule.
When Should I Book ADAS Calibration?
ADAS calibration is one of those services you’ll need to tag on to another repair. The sensors don’t need replacing after a certain number of years or miles like your car’s tyres or brake fluid; it’s more akin to a diagnostic check in that you should book an ADAS re-calibration when something goes wrong.
Usually, this is alongside some form of cosmetic damage or other accident repair such as:
- Windscreen replacement
- Bumper repair or replacement
- Wing mirror repair or replacement
- Suspension repairs
- Steering repairs
- Wheel alignment
You might also need to repair a sensor if it develops a fault, usually indicated by a dashboard warning light.
Which Dashboard Warning Lights Indicate ADAS Problems?
Orange/yellow car drifting between two lane markings – Lane Departure Warning malfunction. System is disabled or unable to detect lane markings.
Car with lines or an explosion-like symbol in front of it – Forward Collision Warning/AEB error. System cannot monitor the road ahead, usually because there is a blocked or faulty camera, radar or sensor.
Car with a speedometer or waves in front of it – Adaptive Cruise Control is unavailable, usually due to a fault or sensor problem.
While these are some of the most common, ADAS warning lights may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so we recommend checking your vehicle handbook to familiarise yourself with what the relevant warning lights look like in your car.
As with any dashboard warning light, yellow/orange alerts you to a fault that needs fixing as soon as possible (but you may be able to continue to drive when necessary), while a red warning light indicates a serious problem that needs fixing immediately. Pull over as soon as it’s safe to do so and contact your recovery provider.
While you might be able to clear the warning light by cleaning the sensors or windscreen to remove a blockage, it’s more likely that you need to book an ADAS calibration appointment to fix an underlying problem.