Driver-assist sensors
ADAS Calibration in Lavon After Bumper, Grille or Glass Work
A deer that folds the grille can tilt the radar bracket behind it by a hair. The car may still drive fine and still brake for the wrong thing. We find that shift and correct it.
(000) 000-0000 — check whether the sensors need re-aimingWhere the Sensors Hide on Your Car
Most newer cars carry a camera up behind the mirror, a radar unit tucked in the nose and sensors hidden in the rear corners. Each is set at an exact angle when the car is built, so the braking assist, cruise control and lane alerts know where the lane and the traffic actually are. A deer strike out on SH 78, a new windshield, or a chunk of tire tread kicked up near the dam road can move that angle without leaving a mark you would notice. A sensor that is off by a single degree ends up watching a spot well outside your lane a few hundred feet ahead. We scan the car, look up the procedure for your exact model, and aim what needs it. After that, a road test tells us the systems wake up and behave.
What a Calibration Here Involves
Each car's maker spells out its own steps. These are the parts we work through on most of them.
Fault code sweep before and after
Every module is read when the car rolls in and once more before it leaves, so stored codes from the impact do not ride home with you.
Radar bracket and camera mount check
Brackets bend or crack in front hits, and a bent bracket cannot be calibrated straight, so we inspect them first.
Tire pressure and ride height set
The aim only holds if the car sits at its factory height, so tires are set and the cargo is cleared first.
Target boards placed by tape and laser
For systems that need it, targets are set out at the distances the procedure lists and the camera or radar is aimed to them.
Calibration on the move
Some systems learn while driving, so we hold the speeds the procedure calls for until the module finishes.
Blind-spot units in the rear corners
Rear radar units knocked by a trailer tongue or a backing mishap get checked and aimed as well.
Filler and paint kept thin over radar
Radar reads through the bumper cover, and too much filler or paint in the wrong spot can blind it, so we keep that area within the maker's limits.
A printout for the glovebox
Reports from the start and finish show each system was aimed and passed.
From Warning Light to Aimed and Verified
- 01
Scan and sort out what's needed
We plug in and read what the car is reporting. Then we match the repair you had, whether it was glass, a bumper or a grille, to the systems the maker says must be aimed afterward. Anything bent behind the cover gets fixed before calibration, not after. You hear what is needed and why before work starts.
- 02
Level the car and aim it
We park it on our leveled floor, set the tires and empty the cargo area. Targets go up at the distances in the procedure and each sensor is aimed in turn. Systems that calibrate on the move get a run on open highway instead. Some cars need both.
- 03
Confirm and document
One more scan shows the modules are clean. We take the car out again to check lane keeping and cruise behavior with our own hands on the wheel. The reports go in your file, and a copy goes to your insurer if the job is part of a claim.
Why the Aim Is Worth Getting Right
Hidden bracket damage gets caught
A cracked radar mount behind a bumper cover never shows from outside. We pull the cover and look, since a sensor aimed on a cracked mount will not hold its aim.
The maker's steps, start to finish
Your model's own procedure is what we work from, with no shortcuts. If it calls for both a target and a drive, it gets both.
Results you can hand over
The printouts show what was done and that it passed. That matters to you, to your insurer and to whoever owns the car next.
Warning Lamp Since the Last Repair?
A warning lamp that came on after a deer hit or a new windshield usually means a sensor lost its aim. Talk it over with us and you will know what the car needs.
Ask a calibration question — (000) 000-0000