ADAS stands for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. It covers features like lane departure warning, lane keep assist, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and traffic sign recognition. On a lot of modern cars and vans, these systems rely on a camera mounted on the windscreen, just behind the rear-view mirror.
When a windscreen is replaced, that camera has to come off the old glass and go back on the new one. Calibration resets it afterwards, so it looks at the road exactly the way the manufacturer intended and reads lanes, vehicles and road signs correctly.
Even a tiny change in the camera’s angle can make a big difference further down the road. A camera that’s out by a fraction of a degree can misjudge where the lane markings are or how far away the car in front is. That can mean warnings that come too late, braking at the wrong moment, or the system switching itself off.
Sometimes a warning light will tell you something isn’t right, but not always. The system can seem fine while being slightly out, which is why the camera should be recalibrated after a new windscreen is fitted on any vehicle that has one.
What our Customers Say
FAQs
If your car has features like lane assist, automatic emergency braking or adaptive cruise control, it almost certainly does. You’ll usually see a black camera housing on the windscreen behind the rear-view mirror. The easiest way to check is to enter your registration on our booking form and we’ll look it up for you.
No, only vehicles with a camera or sensors mounted on the windscreen. Plenty of older or more basic cars don’t have one. We check your registration when you book, so we’ll know before we arrive.
Yes. We offer ADAS calibration as part of our windscreen replacement service across Bristol and the surrounding areas, so you don’t need to book it somewhere else.
Many newer vans have the same windscreen cameras as cars, so yes, they can. Our post on van windscreen repairs has more on looking after work vehicles.
There are two main methods. Static calibration uses special targets set up in front of the vehicle, and dynamic calibration is done by driving the vehicle at set speeds on clearly marked roads. Some vehicles need one, some need both. It depends on the manufacturer, and we’ll explain what your car needs when we book you in.
Sometimes, but not always. A camera can be slightly out without showing a warning, which is why it’s best to have it calibrated after every windscreen replacement where it’s needed.
Enter your registration on our booking form and tell us about the damage. We’ll check whether your vehicle needs calibrating and come back to you with a price and a time.
Pop your registration in and tell us what’s happened. We’ll check whether your vehicle needs its camera calibrating and get back to you with a straightforward quote, no obligation.
