ADAS calibration after bodywork, how do you check it was actually done right
My car had a bumper repair recently and now I am wondering about the sensors behind it. How do you usually verify that a shop handles ADAS calibration properly and not just visually? Looking for real experience rather than general advice.
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I ran into the same question last year after a windshield replacement. What I learned is that recalibration is not optional once a bumper, windshield or panel has been touched, because blind spot monitors, lane keep assist and parking sensors all depend on the sensor position being exact. A few millimetres off and the system still reports as active while reading the road incorrectly, which is arguably worse than having nothing at all. When I compared shops, the thing I paid attention to was whether they described the actual process, meaning which systems they support, radar, lidar or camera based, and whether they calibrate back to factory specification rather than just clearing fault codes. Some places were vague about it, and that was enough for me to move on. One of the clearer descriptions I found was here, where the scope of work is at least spelled out in plain terms. I would still ask for confirmation that calibration was performed and on which systems, since a dashboard without warning lights does not prove much. Worth staying sceptical and checking the details yourself rather than assuming it was handled.