ADAS Calibration Service> Vehicle Pre Conditioning - Page 3 of 3

• We verify the wheel and tire size and ensure the air pressure in the tires are at the placard value.

Most newer vehicles have a placard inside the driver door jamb opening that specifies the vehicles required tire, wheel size and air pressure values. Verifying the wheel and tire size along with the correct tire pressure is one of the key steps that need to be done prior to any ADAS system calibration. A tire set just 2 psi to low or high from the recommended tire pressure can cause a camera to be mis-calibrated by 1 degree or possibly more. 1 degree doesn’t sound like much but when the camera looks out at 100 to 300 meters it’s more than enough to make a tremendous difference in your vehicles automatic forward looking braking systems ability to prevent you from getting into an accident.

• We attach a battery power supply to your vehicle’s battery that supports module reprogramming.

The reason for this is that during an ADAS windshield camera calibration we’re actually programing one or more of the vehicles computer modules. If the battery voltage is unstable or allowed to fall below 12 volts it can cause the windshield camera calibration to fail.

• We perform a pre scan of all the electronic systems that are present in your vehicle. The pre scan will verify whether all systems are fully functional as well as identify any systems that are not. This is a very important step in that it identifies any pre existing issues that may exist before any repair work is done. In our case if any issues are found in the ADAS systems that pertain to the repairs we’re about to perform we can inform our customer so they can be aware of any and all issues at the start of the repair instead of finding out later there are problems that should have been addressed prior to the windshield installation and camera calibration. If the vehicles ADAS systems are good to go we can proceed to the next step.

• We check that when the steering wheel is straight the steering angle sensor reads 0.0 degrees.

• if your specific vehicle requires it we perform a wheel alignment check. If the vehicle passes this check we can move forward with the windshield installation and camera calibration. If it doesn’t pass the vehicle must undergo a wheel alignment prior to calibrating the windshield camera. When that happens we send the vehicle out to your choice of alignment centers. When the vehicle is returned to us we again perform wheel alignment check to verify that it was done properly .

A dirty windshield inside or outside can impair the cameras view and can cause the calibration procedure to fail. A bug smear on the outside or a spider that has made it’s way to the camera portal to the inside. We have seen something as small as a piece of lint laying on the lower ramp the camera looks across cause issues during a windshield camera calibration. Smoking in an ADAS equipped vehicle is totally out of the question. The film smoke generates on the inside of the windshield will absolutely cause issues for your ADAS windshield camera. There are a growing number of windshield camera mounts that are all but impossible to clean even when the camera is removed from its mount. On those type of mounts the only access to clean the glass is through the tiny hole the camera lens looks through. A Q-tip is the only method we’re aware of and in most cases it leaves lint behind.

• We check that the windshield is clean, especially at the portal area where the camera looks through the windshield.

• We check that the front wheels are steering straight ahead. The front wheels must be pointing straight ahead when the steering angle sensor is reading 0.0 during the actual calibration procedure. On most vehicles when the front wheels are turned even a slight amount they tilt as well as slightly move the vehicle off center which can cause a camera mis-calibration.

• We check that the rear wheels are steering straight ahead This doesn’t make a lot of sense to most people but if the rear wheels are mis-aligned it actually changes the track (thrust angle) of the vehicle. We have just about all been driving down the highway and seen a vehicle that wasn’t tracking correctly down the road, it’s usually referred to by people as dog tracking. We must also be careful and check for this option every time because there are currently at least 28 models of vehicles on the road that can have 4 wheel steering such as : Acura RLX, Acura TLX, Audi A6, Audi A7, Audi A8, BMW 5 Series, BWS 7 Series, BMW 850 CSi, Cadillac CT6, Chevrolet Silverado, Ferrari 812 Superfast, Ford F-150 Platinum ZF, GMC Sierra 1500 Denali, Honda Prelude, Lamborghini Aventador S, Lamborghini Urus, Lexus GS, Lexus LC 500, Lexus LS 500, Lexus RC, Mitsubishi 3000GT, Mitsubishi Galant VR-4, Mercedes AMG GT R, Nissan 300 ZX, Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R, Porsche 911, Porsche Cayenne, Porsche Panamera

• We check that all the exterior lights are off or covered and that all doors are closed during the ADAS windshield camera calibration procedure. The reason for this is the head lights as well as LED running lights can cause a glare on the calibration targets that can cause the calibration to fail. Any open doors will cause the vehicle to lean causing an inaccurate calibration.

• We prepare the calibration area by:

The reason we perform this check is that when your windshield camera is properly calibrated it is lined up with the vehicles center line. If the vehicle isn’t tracking properly when your driving down the road the camera won’t be looking straight ahead, it will be looking at where the center line of the car is pointed and the ADAS system will not be able to perform properly.

Static calibration To perform a Static Calibration on this particular car it is required that the ADAS target be placed in two different exact positions in front of the vehicle. The first position is at 100mm and then the target is moved to the second position at 1000mm. Both locations required the ADAS target to be exactly 1400 mm from the floor during the windshield camera calibration.

This concludes the vehicle pre conditioning requirements

We have went this far so we might as well go ahead and explain the rest of the procedures

• Making sure the area is well and evenly lit. • We close all bay doors and cover all windows so outside light doesn’t cause any glares or reflections on the ADAS targets or on the vehicles windshield. Not especially fun on hot summer days. • We must also cover any objects in the area that may interfere with the cameras view.

It is very possible for a Calibration Technician to skip several of the vehicle pre conditioning instructions and procedures and still obtain a Successful calibration acknowledgement from the ADAS equipment the person is using, it’s done all the time. If even one of the steps we have listed are passed over and not followed The End Result Will Undoubtedly Be A Mis-Calibration.

The only way to achieve A Truly Accurate Successful Calibration is by following the manufacturer’s vehicle pre conditioning instructions and procedures to the letter.

We made this video to demonstrate just what can happen if this step is not performed. It will show you the affect the tire pressure has on the calibration of the windshield camera as well as radar and sonar sensors used in your vehicles safety systems. We did it showing what happens at 5 psi and again at 10 psi. We also only changed the tire pressure on the left front tire of the vehicle. You can also see how the Laser moves not only up and down but also moves left and right as the pressure changes. Just imagine if all four tires had varied pressures what you could end up with.

Hopefully these ADAS Calibration pages have been informative for you. No matter who you choose to have your vehicle’s ADAS systems calibrated by, hopefully armed with the knowledge on these pages you will be able to make the right decision. There are several different brands of calibration equipment on the market. Some are complex and some are less difficult than others to work with but in the end they all do the same job. The one thing they all have in common is that they all start out by following the Vehicle Pre Conditioning Requirements that are set forth by the automotive manufacturers. If you’re not asked to remove all objects from the vehicles interior prior to a calibration that’s the first red flag. If you are not asked to have your fuel tank filled prior to a calibration that’s the second red flag. At that point you will know if you’re in the right place or not.

Dynamic Calibration • The Dynamic portion of the calibration for this particular car requires driving the vehicle • We must select a road that has fixed reference objects on both sides • The vehicle is driven at a constant speed within the specified ranges required until our diagnostic tool prompts us that the dynamic calibration is complete and successful. At that point we return to our service center and remove our equipment from the vehicle.

This vehicle required both a Static and a Dynamic Calibration

• Our next and final step is to take the vehicle on a test drive to ensure that the ADAS systems we calibrated performs properly

On a final note you should know that….