When does this car need a calibration?
A working sheet from Mark Fowler, owner of Absolute ADAS. Keep it by the estimating desk. Skim the box first. Use the picker when a car is in front of you. Print the checklist at the bottom.
If the repair touched any of these, plan on a calibration.
- Windshield R&R, or the camera came off the glass
- Front bumper cover, grille, emblem, or bumper beam
- Rear bumper cover, rear body, or quarter panel
- Side mirror that has a camera in it
- Liftgate or tailgate with a camera
- Wheel alignment, struts, springs, tires a different size, lift
- Any ADAS sensor, camera, or bracket, for any reason
- Airbag deployed. The hit was hard enough to move structure
Not sure? Text the van: 1-844-FIX-ADAS. Send the year, make, model and what got hit. I will tell you in five minutes so you can write the line now instead of eating it later.
Eight spots. Move the part, move the aim.
Every sensor is aimed at the factory to a fraction of a degree. It is aimed through, or bolted to, a part your shop repairs. That is the whole story. Calibration puts the aim back.
- 1Forward cameraOn the windshield, behind the mirror. Runs lane keep, auto brake, adaptive cruise. Moved by: glass R&R, roof or A-pillar work, an alignment.
- 2Front radarBehind the emblem or grille, on the bumper beam. Moved by: bumper cover, grille, emblem, beam, ride height.
- 3Front park sensorsIn the bumper cover. Usually verify, rarely calibrate. Wrong paint or wrong cover blinds them.
- 4Mirror cameras360 view and LaneWatch. Moved by: mirror R&R, door R&R. A blind spot light alone is not a camera.
- 5Blind spot radarsOne each corner behind the rear cover, bracketed to the quarter. Rear cross traffic uses the same two. Moved by: rear cover, quarter, rear body.
- 6Rear cameraIn the liftgate or trunk trim. Moved by: liftgate, tailgate, license trim.
- 7Rear park sensorsIn the rear cover. Verify after refinish. Ford limits rear cover refinish to 12 mils.
- 8Wheels and suspensionThrust angle decides where 1 and 2 look. Moved by: alignment, struts, springs, tires a different size, lift.
Tap what is on the RO. Get the lines.
Pick the make and everything the repair touches. The lines below are written to survive an adjuster. Copy them straight into the estimate.
Pick a make and at least one repair.
Repair on the RO, and what it drags in.
Yes write the line. Check OEM depends on the car, look it up or text me. Usually no is there so you do not write lines that get bounced. Bay means targets in a bay. Road means a drive at speed. The last column is wording that survives an adjuster.
| Repair on the RO | Sensor it moves | Cal | Type | Type this on the estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Every collision RO, first and last line | All modules | Yes | Scan | Pre-repair diagnostic scan / Post-repair diagnostic scan (Ford, GM, most OEMs require both) |
| Subaru with EyeSight, any collision repair | EyeSight stereo camera | Yes | Bay | EyeSight stereo camera calibration per Subaru bulletin 18-231-23, body angle verification first |
| Windshield R&R | Forward camera (lane keep, auto brake, adaptive cruise) | Yes | By make | Forward camera calibration per OEM procedure (static, dynamic, or both) |
| Front bumper cover R&R or refinish | Front radar, park sensors | Yes | Bay, some + road | Front radar calibration; verify paint thickness over radar; verify park sensors |
| Grille or emblem R&R | Front radar behind it | Yes | Bay | Front radar calibration; radar-transparent emblem only |
| Bumper beam or reinforcement | Front radar mount | Yes | Bay | Front radar calibration after mount R&R |
| Rear bumper cover R&R or refinish | Blind spot radars, rear cross traffic, park sensors | Yes | Bay, some by road | Blind spot radar calibration, left and right. R&I with no refinish: check OEM |
| Quarter panel repair or replace | Rear corner radar bracket | Yes | Bay | Blind spot radar calibration, affected side; inspect radar bracket |
| Side mirror R&R, mirror has a camera | Mirror camera, 360 view, LaneWatch | Yes | Bay | Surround view / side camera calibration |
| Side mirror R&R, blind spot light only | Nothing that aims | Usually no | Verify | Verify blind spot indicator function on post-scan |
| Door skin or door shell alone | Nothing, unless the mirror camera came with it | Usually no | Verify | If mirror R&R: see mirror row |
| Liftgate, tailgate, trunk lid, license trim | Rear camera, 360 rear camera | Check OEM | Bay | Rear camera aim / surround view calibration if equipped (Honda multi-view, Toyota panoramic, Ford 360) |
| Wheel alignment, struts, springs, control arms, tie rods | Camera, radar, steering angle sensor | Yes | Bay or road | Steering angle sensor reset; forward camera and front radar calibration after alignment per OEM |
| Tire size change, lift, heavy accessories | Radar and camera vertical aim | Yes | Bay | Radar and camera calibration after ride height change (Ford lists tire size change by name) |
| Airbag deployment | Front structure moved. Camera and radar mounts. Seat sensors if seats were serviced | Yes | Bay | Forward camera and front radar calibration after structural repair; occupant sensor zero-point per OEM if seats or pretensioners were replaced |
| Any ADAS sensor, camera, or bracket R&R | That sensor | Yes | Per OEM | Calibration of replaced sensor per OEM procedure, plus pre-scan and post-scan |
| Camera or radar module replaced | That module, and often its partners | Yes | Per OEM | Module programming / configuration, then calibration per OEM |
| Battery disconnect only, no parts | Nothing that aims, on most makes | Usually no | Verify | Verify on post-scan. Some GM front cameras need a relearn after a dead battery (2022 bulletin) |
Why this matters to your schedule.
Bay is targets on a level floor with no metal in the radar's view. We can do it at your shop, same day. Road is a drive at speed on a road with good lane lines, in daylight, usually not in rain. Plan road time before you promise delivery. This is the pattern we see most in the van. The OEM procedure for the VIN wins.
When you see one of these on the RO, the question to ask is already written.
Windshield
The camera is glued to the glass. New glass, new aim. Aftermarket glass fails the calibration more often than OE, and Subaru says genuine glass only.
Ask: "Is this OE glass, and does the cal shop know it is a camera car?"
Front bumper cover
Radar looks through the cover. Extra paint, plastic weld, or a non-OE cover cuts the signal. Nothing shows in the bay. It shows on the highway.
Ask: "How many coats went on over the radar, and did the cal complete?"
Rear bumper cover
Blind spot radars live behind it, one each corner. Refinish counts. Ford: topcoat only, 12 mils max, no substrate repair over the sensors.
Ask: "Were both blind spot radars calibrated, and was the bay clear of metal?"
Grille or emblem
The front radar is usually right behind the badge. Pull the grille, you moved the radar. A non-radar emblem blocks it.
Ask: "Was the radar aimed after the grille went back on, and is that the radar emblem?"
Side mirror with a camera
Mirror cameras feed the 360 view and LaneWatch. Wrong variant mirror, no code, wrong picture. A blind spot light alone does not need a cal.
Ask: "Right part number for this trim, and was surround view calibrated?"
Alignment, suspension, tires
Thrust angle changes where the camera and radar point. Most makes require a recal after an alignment. Bigger tires or a lift change radar height.
Ask: "Alignment first, then calibration, and was the steering angle sensor reset?"
Airbag deployment
The hit was hard enough to fire the bags, so it was hard enough to move the structure the camera and radar bolt to. Treat the front systems as suspect even when the parts look fine.
Ask: "Was the front structure measured, and were camera and radar calibrated after the pull?"
Quarter, roof, liftgate
Radar brackets in the quarter, cameras in the tailgate. Subaru mounts the EyeSight camera to the roof header, so roof and pillar work moves it.
Ask: "Did the cal shop check the bracket, or just run the routine?"
Western Washington gotchas.
No code does not mean calibrated.
A scan finds what is broken. It does not prove the aim is right. Those are two different questions and the scan tool only answers one of them.
Ford put it in writing on May 1, 2026: system calibration is "required for all vehicles with ADAS-related repairs, regardless of whether a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) is present," and a pre-repair scan is required on every vehicle with damage, "even when no dashboard indicators are present." Most OEMs say the same thing in their own words. The links are at the bottom.
So the order is: pre-scan before the estimate is final, repair, calibrate, post-scan before delivery. If the invoice only says "scanned, no codes found," that is not a calibration and it will not protect you when the car comes back.
Six things, or it is not done.
1. The OEM procedure by name. 2. Pre-scan and post-scan reports. 3. Target setup or aim values, before and after. 4. Bay, road, or both. 5. VIN, tech, date. 6. Any fault that was found and what was done about it.
That paperwork is what gets the line paid, and it is what keeps your shop's name off a subrogation letter six months from now.
Every calibration I recommend, your shop gets paid for.
If the carrier denies a calibration after my documentation, you do not pay me for it. I write the OEM-cited rebuttal and it usually flips on the next round. That is the deal, on every invoice.
And keep the math in mind. Most calibration lines cost less than the tow that brings the car back.
Same-day mobile ADAS calibration, Bellingham to Olympia. Send the vehicle and the hit. I will tell you what it needs and be there today if it needs us.
Mark Fowler, Absolute ADAS, Lake Stevens, WA. 50,000+ calibrations on the floor.
Before the estimate goes out.
Tape it by the estimating desk. Tick what the repair touches. The line to write is under each one. Most calibration lines cost less than the tow that brings the car back.
- Pre-scan on the estimatePre-repair diagnostic scan
- Post-scan before deliveryPost-repair diagnostic scan
- Windshield touchedForward camera calibration
- Front cover, grille, emblem, beamFront radar calibration
- Rear cover or quarter panelBlind spot radars, left and right
- Mirror with a camera in itSurround view calibration
- Liftgate or tailgate with a cameraRear camera aim, check OEM
- Alignment, struts, springs, tires, liftSAS reset, then camera and radar
- Airbag deployedFront camera and radar after the pull
- Any sensor or bracket R&RCalibrate that sensor
- Subaru with EyeSight, any collisionEyeSight calibration, Subaru bulletin 18-231-23
- Paperwork shows all sixProcedure name, both scans, aim values before and after, bay or road, VIN with tech and date, faults found
Send year, make, model and the hit.
absoluteadas.com/estimator-guide
Ten-slide version for your team chat: the carousel PDF.
- Ford Collision Position Statement: ADAS Integrity and Repair Technical Imperatives (May 1, 2026)
- Ford Position Statement: Pre- and Post-Repair Scanning (Sept 2025)
- Subaru of America technical bulletin 18-231-23 (Sept 11, 2023): EyeSight body alignment verification before calibration
- Hunter Engineering ADAS Equipment Decision Guide, OEM by sensor tables (pages 3 and 4)
- I-CAR RTS: OEM Calibration Requirements Search
- ADASFind: OEM position statements by manufacturer
- Our growing library of OEM position statements
This sheet is a starting point written from the van, not a substitute for the OEM procedure on the specific VIN in your bay. When the OEM and this sheet disagree, the OEM wins. Version 2, September 2026.