Can You Handle ADAS Camera Recalibration?

Hey folks! This is John from Freedom Auto Glass LLC.

Welcome to another Q&A session where I answer questions from you all on the internet.

Today's question is:

"Can You Handle ADAS Camera Recalibration?"

Summary:

Drawing on seventeen years of experience — thirteen at a big box store — John shares a candid take on ADAS camera recalibration, calling it a major money grab. He says he has serviced camera-equipped vehicles for years with no issues and has had zero problems from not recalibrating. During installs, he doesn't unplug the cameras or even turn the car on. He cites Subaru's EyeSight system, whose two cameras aren't attached to the windshield, noting a car can be driven without a windshield and still function. He challenges the industry's claim that a one-millimeter deviation requires recalibration, pointing out that a low tire, passengers, groceries, towing, or a lift kit shift the vehicle by far more without issue. He offers to recommend quality recalibration specialists for peace of mind, but maintains it isn't necessary.

Answer:

Here's my honest take. I've been doing this for seventeen years, and thirteen of those years were at a big box store, so I've worked on all these cars with cameras for a long time — and we did them with no issues. The industry figured out they could charge you hundreds and hundreds of dollars for what's maybe fifteen minutes of work, and to me it's a huge money grab. In seventeen years I've had zero issues from not recalibrating a camera. We don't unplug them, we don't even turn the car on while we're working on the window. Take a Subaru with EyeSight — it's got two cameras, and they're not even attached to the windshield. You can literally drive the car without a windshield and it still works fine; I've done it. Their whole argument is that if the camera is off by even one millimeter you need a recalibration — but think about it: a low tire, passengers, groceries, towing, a lift kit on your truck, all of that throws your car off by inches, way more than a millimeter, and there's no issue. I've never had a single problem in seventeen years from not recalibrating, but I saw plenty of issues from recalibrating back when I worked at the big box stores. If you want the peace of mind, you can always get it recalibrated later, and I'm happy to recommend quality people who have all the top gear for it. But in my experience, you really don't need to — it's a money grab.