ADAS calibration: why it cannot be skipped
Technology
Half a degree of camera misalignment means several metres at highway speed. What actually happens during calibration.
The camera behind the mirror sees a stretch of road ahead and calculates distances from the image. It has no radar or laser — it relies on knowing the angle it looks at.
When the windscreen is replaced, the camera returns to its place, but the glass beneath it has a slightly different bonded thickness. Half a degree is enough for emergency braking to place the car ahead several metres off.
Static calibration happens indoors: level floor, a target with a defined pattern at a defined distance, laser measurement, because at three metres a centimetre matters.
Dynamic calibration finishes the process on the road. The system needs a long enough stretch with clear lane markings at steady speed.
The protocol you receive lists VIN, date, software version and deviations before and after. Keep it with the service book.
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