Approximately 95% of accidents are caused by human error and the majority of these accidents are caused by the failure to look properly. What if there was a way to significantly prevent these accidents? This is how ADAS can help…

What is ADAS?

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems main area of concern is to prevent collisions through automotive technologies.

What is the purpose of ADAS?

The main purpose or ADAS is to assist drivers with safety and convenience on the road. ADAS systems collect data from the environment through different technologies on the vehicle. These technologies usually consist of sensors.

Consider about how many crashes there are where it was a result of human error, the aim of ADAS is to remove the possibility of human error associated with driving, thus creating a safer driving environment.

Passive ADAS systems – These are systems that do not take control of the vehicle but rather warn the driver of potential hazards. For instance, if you are too close to a vehicle that is slowing down then your dashboard may make a sound or come up with a warning light.

Active ADAS systems – These are systems that take direct control of the vehicle usually to reduce the chances of a crash. For instance, if you are too close to a vehicle that is slowing down then the emergency brake will be applied by a vehicle with this function enabled taking full control of the vehicle.

Examples of ADAS Systems

• Adaptive Cruise Control – This function allows the driver to set a speed limit and the vehicle will maintain that speed unless a different vehicle is within a certain distance of the front radar.

For instance, if you set your vehicle’s speed to 70mph but there was a vehicle in front at 50mph it will keep you within a safe distance of this vehicle at the appropriate speed. Most adaptive cruise control functions allow you to set a minimum distance you want between your vehicle and the one in front.

• Lane departure warning, this is aimed to keep the vehicle within its current lane. This prevents drivers from veering off and potentially causing crashes.
• Self-Parking – The vehicle takes full control of parking.

Different Levels of Automation

Where are ADAS systems located?

These are usually located around the windscreen, around the front grill area and the parking sensors can be all around the vehicle.

The Future of ADAS?

Most industry experts agree that ADAS will form a part of the MOT testing procedure in the future due to the fact that they are becoming more and more vital in terms of safe driving. For instance, consider if the emergency braking function on a vehicle was out of calibration and the driver was involved in a collision because of this issue. Having this in calibration could have potentially of saved thousands in repairs or in the worst case scenario it could save someone’s life.

Workshops who are investing early in this equipment and getting the correct training are those who will surely reap the benefits in the future. Getting in early allows you to gain first mover advantages which include establishing your organisation’s knowledge and reputation. The investments and progress in autonomous vehicles are showing the direction vehicle manufacturers are heading.

What is ADAS Equipment or ADAS Calibration Equipment?

This is equipment that is used by IMI accredited technicians to calibrate a vehicle’s ADAS systems. Over time these ADAS systems may lose accuracy due to various reasons and therefore need calibrating. Some systems such as front radar and cameras will need calibrating if the vehicle has been involved in a collision or had a windscreen replacement.

How much does ADAS calibration equipment cost?

Depending on the system you choose and the accessories you require you could pay anything between £8,000 - £24,000 + VAT. Please carry on reading to learn more about the different systems and their costs.

What is the best aftermarket ADAS system?

There are a couple of different ADAS calibration equipment types and we will discuss what is the best option for your workshop.

Analog ADAS equipment – A traditional method of calibrating a vehicle’s ADAS system. In essence, the Analog system requires the ADAS calibrator to have different boards for different vehicle manufacturers.

The big advantage with Analog ADAS systems is that if you’re only carrying out ADAS calibrations on a limited number of manufacturers it’s a lot cheaper. You will only require a limited number of boards, this would be most suitable if you were a workshop who specialised in a certain manufacturer. For instance, a BMW specialist. The price can range from £8,000 - £22,000 depending on the number of boards you purchase.

The disadvantage is that it usually has a longer set up time in comparison with Digital ADAS equipment as the vehicle needs to be set up to the board rather than the other way around. There is obviously the labour cost associated with this set up time and the opportunity cost of your time. It takes approximately 10 - 20 minutes to set up Analog ADAS however, this is likely to decrease once you get used to the operation. Also consider that there are nearly 50 optional accessories for the Analog system, so if you’re a workshop who has multiple manufacturers you need to consider how many boards/accessories you will need to purchase.

Digital ADAS Equipment – The latest form of ADAS calibration equipment. The easiest and most accurate way of calibrating ADAS equipment. The main difference with this in comparison to Analog is that instead of boards there is a digital screen. Digital ADAS systems such as the Brainbee (or Mahle) comes stored with a database of digital screens for each manufacture. This system is more suited towards multi-branded workshops who don’t have the space to store multiple boards that is required with the Analog system. This digital system will allow you to calibrate multiple ADAS features. 

Apart from not having to store multiple boards, the major advantage with Digital ADAS calibration equipment is that the screen adjusts itself to the vehicle being calibrated, this significantly reduces labour time associated with setting up. It takes approximately 10 minutes of set up time which is likely to be reduced to 5 minutes once you become familiar with process. Additionally, there are significantly less hardware optional accessories associated with this equipment, approximately 10 – 12 currently.

The only downside with Digital ADAS equipment is that it comes with a higher initial investment, prices range from £19,000 - £24,000 depending on options.

What vehicle manufacturers does the Digital ADAS system include?

The Mahle and brainbee digital ADAS system can calibrate 99% of vehicle manufacturer’s vehicles, each car manufacturer has its own specific calibration procedures that the operator must perform to complete the adjustment. Some popular manufacturers include;

• BMW calibrations
• VW (Volkswagen) group calibrations
• Hyundai calibrations
• Toyota calibrations, a common calibration includes the popular front radar calibration
• Nissan calibrations
• Mercedes calibrations
• Ford calibrations
• Volvo calibrations
• Subaru calibrations
• Vauxhall calibrations
• Mazda calibrations
• Peugeot calibrations
• Fiat calibrations
• Suzuki calibrations

Choosing the right supplier

Outside of choosing the best equipment, you’ll need to ensure you have reliable supplier of ADAS equipment who understands the market, is IMI accredited and can provide the back up support. At JHM Butt we know that training is incredibly important, you can get the best price and best equipment but if you’ve had poor training then it is all for nothing.

We offer multiday training courses that range from one day – a full week where we dive deeply in to the theory of ADAS, practical demonstrations and the best way to set up the equipment. Please take a look at our case study for Hull & Bradford college where we installed wheel alignment equipment and ADAS equipment. Not only do we provide training to the technicians on the ground, we also provide training to the trainers.

Click here to read our Hull & Bradford college Case Study 

In addition to in-person training courses, we offer a wide range of training videos to ensure your technicians can always refer back to what they learnt on the training days. This can be incredibly important if you have staff changes who are not familiar with working on the equipment. Take a look at an example of one of our step by step simple training videos.

If you’re interested in exploring options further then please give us a call on 01302 710 868 for an ADAS demonstration from our IMI accredited specialist. We can offer advice on what we believe is right solution for yourself. In the meantime, please feel free to explore the range.