Avoid Liabilities
ADAS plays a crucial role in vehicle safety. If these systems are not functioning correctly, the overall safety is compromised. ADAS is an important part of providing warranty work and ensuring customers are satisfied.
Dealerships & ADAS Calibrations
Here is why you want to stay ahead of ADAS trends in the ever-evolving dealership industry.
Dealerships & ADAS
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Ensure safety and peace of mind for your customers
ADAS (or Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) is an increasingly popular topic within the automotive industry, with more modern vehicles equipped with ADAS features than ever before. When your customer purchases a vehicle, they expect a safe and well-maintained product that will help to protect themselves and their families on the road. Maintain this trust by ensuring that your vehicle systems are as accurate and as up to date as possible.
Understanding ADAS
What is ADAS?
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) employs radar, sensors and cameras to assess a vehicle's speed, tendencies and environment. This information is used to reduce the driver's recognition time, processing time, decision time and response time.
What are ADAS Calibrations?
ADAS calibration is the precise placement, alignment and testing of electronic sensors. ADAS calibration aims to ensure these components have correct data input to respond accurately and effectively to the car’s surroundings. Miscalibrated ADAS components can have a serious impact on vehicle safety.
How to get started doing ADAS calibrations
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Step 1: Learn about the market opportunity
More than 60 million vehicles have ADAS components, and that number continues to rise. The massive increase in ADAS systems means there is a growing need for ADAS resets and calibrations. Dealerships have been early adopters of ADAS calibrations due to OEM requirements, and are uniquely positioned to expand this business into an important revenue stream for their service departments.
Many shops are currently relying on car dealerships to provide resets. Dealerships can capitalize on the ADAS reset and calibration space and offer a rapidly growing service, by investing in tools that will continue to maximize space and efficiency in your day-to-day workflow.
ADAS reset and calibration market by the numbers:
1.5 million vehicles required ADAS service in an aftermarket shop in 2023.
60% of vehicles registered in the USA have ADAS components that need calibration if touched, moved, or replaced.
$283 million in calibration work outsourced by shops in 2023.
90% of ADAS Calibrations are outsourced by mechanical shops.
$4 Billion in projected revenue generated across the industry from ADAS calibrations in 2030.
Many OEMs have models that require ADAS calibration after alignment. ADAS calibrations are a great service to offer with alignments. Dynamic calibrations require no space at all, only a short road test, and many forward-facing calibrations can be done within the space already allotted for alignments. This allows dealerships to maximize space by performing forward-facing resets in their existing alignment bays.
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Step 2: Understand how much space is needed, or more often, not needed
Space requirements depend on the make and the model being serviced and is determined by the OEM. Most dealerships have ample space to do the majority of required calibrations in accordance with their specific OEM requirements.
However, many calibrations that dealerships could be providing can be done without additional space needed.
Wheel alignment is the gateway to ADAS and is already being performed in dealerships. Alignment bays are also a great place to start with ADAS resets because the space they provide can support ~93% of alignment-related ADAS calibration needs.
Steering resets are already routinely being performed by shops doing alignments and can be considered the first step in ADAS calibrations. These resets do not require any additional space from the alignment bay. Steering resets also represent a large opportunity for dealerships because they can be performed with alignment systems like the HawkEye Elite® right now. Tools like CodeLink® and ADASLink® allow shops to perform steering resets as part of the alignment process.
Dynamic calibrations are performed by plugging a scan tool into the vehicle and then driving the vehicle on the road to calibrate the system. No additional space is required. When using a scan tool like ADASLink® paired with a Hunter HawkEye Elite®, dealerships can cover ~93% of steering resets and alignment-related ADAS calibrations.
Here is a breakdown of that ~93% coverage: On average ~44% of the vehicles you align will just need the alignment to be completed and nothing else. ~49% of the vehicles getting alignments will require or have some ADAS calibration recommended in conjunction with doing the alignment. Those ADAS resets and steering resets can be performed with the space you already have in your alignment bay, or by driving the vehicle for a dynamic calibration using ADASLink®. The remaining ~7% typically require placing static fixtures, often times only in the front of the vehicle for forward-facing cameras or radars, or the vehicle was just released and the reset procedure has not yet been accounted for in the specification database of the alignment system.
Static calibrations are performed by placing targets around the vehicle for the systems to use as reference when performing the calibration. The space needed is determined by the OEM, but many forward-facing camera and forward-facing radar calibrations can be performed within your existing alignment bay using tools like Hunter’s Ultimate ADAS®. Ultimate ADAS® can account for surface mount lifts and uneven floors and uses laser gimbals and easy on-screen instructions to guide technicians to precise target placement. For maximum efficiency in your dealership, Ultimate ADAS® can be moved from bay-to-bay, helping to minimize disruption in your day-to-day workflow.
Calibrations that need more space can often times work in existing space by getting creative with vehicle placement, i.e. backing the vehicle up on the lift rack to create more space in front of the vehicle, backing the vehicle into the bay to use the drive-up space for target placement, or moving the system to a flat bay. Vehicles may also be moved around side to side or back to front within the bay itself to complete calibrations.
Having a trusted partner you can call for support goes a long way with making your space work. Reach out to your local Hunter team to learn more: www.hunter.com/contact. -
Step 3: Grow your business with the right tools for your shop
There are many approaches to getting started with ADAS calibrations, but the easiest place to start is to build on the alignment work that you are already doing by investing in a scan-tool such as the Hunter ADASLink® that can handle steering resets and dynamic calibrations. ADASLink® compliments your existing OEM scan tool by providing more in-depth, ADAS-specific calibration and diagnostic information.
When you're ready to fully own ADAS work at your shop, Hunter Ultimate ADAS® will allow you to do alignments and ADAS with ease. Ultimate ADAS can be moved from bay-to-bay, which can maximize your efficiency and guarantee fast and accurate calibration from anywhere in your space.
Contact your local Hunter team to start growing your business.
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Step 4: Get expert training and support for your technicians
Even before you purchase ADAS calibration equipment, you and your technicians can get up to speed on ADAS calibrations by utilizing resources like Hunter University, which offers free, easily digestible online courses that can lay the groundwork for better understanding of ADAS concepts.
When you're ready to purchase ADAS calibration equipment, your local Hunter team can help you find the right equipment for your dealership. This includes installation, maintenance, and on-site equipment training. For more in-depth, hands-on experience, you can visit one of our 50+ training centers across the United States and Canada for guidance from one of our dedicated field trainers.
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Step 5: Communicate ADAS needs with your customers
Educating and talking to your customers about ADAS should be easy. Especially if you have something you can use at your fingertips.
Hunter Engineering already has the resources available to communicate the basics. There are many tools available to you right now.
Video Education — available for display in your shop waiting areas:
ADAS requires wheel alignment to work properly: What vehicle owners should know
Interactive touch tool — installed on a localized tablet or touchscreen:
ADAS Learning Tool | Hunter Engineering Company ®
What is ADAS? web page — displayed on your interactive device:
Hunter® Industry Insights | What is ADAS?
Counter mat — a printed reminder right at your counter top or point of sale:
Maintaining the Safety Systems in your car - download
Printed take-away brochure template — to customize and print with your logo:
What is ADAS? Counter Sales Brochure
More — there's always more!
Contact your local Hunter representative.
The Proof is in the Printout
Provide your customers with solid evidence that they are getting the best service possible. Printouts can assist in proving warranty work, recording proper vehicle calibration by displaying exact target placement relative to the vehicle, as well as showing that the correct target was used and confirmed. These results can also be accessed online using HunterNet® 2.
Generate revenue
The demand for ADAS-related services is growing. Dealerships can capitalize on this trend by offering specialized ADAS service packages, repairs, or even upgrades, creating a new revenue stream for their service departments.
Increase Loyalty
Offering ADAS services demonstrates your dealership's commitment to providing comprehensive care for customers' vehicles. Build trust by offering expertise in an area that's becoming vital to drivers' safety and convenience.
Future-Proofing
As ADAS becomes more complex, dealerships with well-trained staff have a competitive edge. Easy and comprehensive training can get most technicians up to speed in no time.
ADAS Calibrations in your Dealership
Integrate ADAS calibrations into your daily workflow based on services you are already performing
Wheel Alignments
ADAS calibrations are a natural add-on to your alignment business. You can utilize the same space for over 90% of forward-facing calibrations with the right tools. This can make it easier to increase these services by reducing time moving vehicles to other spaces to perform resets.
New Tires & Tire Rotations
Installing new tires and performing tire rotations are a great time to discuss ADAS systems alongside alignments. Alignments protect new tire investments and work hand-in-hand with rotations to prolong tire life. Anytime an alignment is performed, ADAS should be discussed with the customer as well.
See your ROI on ADAS Equipment
25+ million vehicles with static or dynamic calibration procedures
Start the conversation with your customers
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Have your technicians prepared and trained in ADAS through Hunter University.
Hunter ADAS Video Hub
From ADAS explainer videos to operation videos to customer testimonials, learn what you need to know about ADAS for your shop.
ADAS Information Hub
Expand your knowledge and awareness on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) with articles, videos, interactive tools, and downloads.
Explore Hunter ADAS Products
Ultimate ADAS®
Generate fully-documented confirmation of wheel alignment and ADAS calibrations in one easy-to-use, error-proof machine.
ADAS Calibration Tools
Calibrate ADAS using aftermarket or OEM solutions. Hunter offers quality ADAS Calibration tools and equipment for any shop.
ADAS Accessories
Shop for ADAS accessories online and find the right tools for you and your shop.
