ADAS Calibration Service> Vehicle Pre Conditioning - Page 2 of 3

What is Vehicle Pre Conditioning for an ADAS windshield camera calibration?

Vehicle Pre Conditioning for an ADAS calibration consists of critical steps that must be done to a vehicle prior to any ADAS calibration to ensure that a Zero Point Camera Calibration will be as accurate as possible. These steps also apply for sonar, radar and most LIDAR sensor calibrations. In order to achieve a positive outcome it’s also very important these steps are done in a proper order and that none of the steps are considered minor or optional and ignored.

• The dashboard area must be clear of anything that can produce a reflection in the windshield.

• The final thing we   ask   of   you is that when you arrive at our service center to drop off your vehicle please turn off all electronic accessories like the radio, GPS, heat/AC system, inverters as well as any other extra add on items we may not be aware of. During pre scan of the vehicle and again during the ADAS windshield camera calibration procedure the vehicles ignition may be on for over an hour or more. It’s very important to ensure that all unnecessary power drains that could affect the pre scan and the windshield camera calibration are turned off.

Vehicle pre conditioning consists of the following steps: • There can be no suspension modifications beyond the manufacturers allowable specifications • The tires and wheels must match placard value • The spare tire and jack assembly must be in the vehicle stowed in its proper location • No extra weight load can be in vehicle that did not come in it from the factory • All fluids to recommended levels such as engine oil and coolant, windshield washer fluid, etc. • The dashboard needs to be clear of anything that can produce a reflection in the windshield • The fuel tank must be full, to the first click, do not over fill • All electronic accessories turned off @ radio, heat/AC, inverters, etc. • A battery power supply must be connected to the vehicle to maintain battery voltage above 12 VDC • A complete Pre Scan of the vehicles entire electronic system • The steering wheel is straight when the steering angle sensor reads 0 degrees • The tire pressure must be at the placard value • A wheel alignment check is performed (on most vehicles) • The windshield must be clean • The front wheels steering straight ahead • The rear wheels steering straight ahead • All exterior lights must be off or covered and all doors closed

• We need to know if your vehicles wheels and/or tires are not OEM specified sizes. If they have been changed we need to verify that they fall within the manufacturers allowable specifications. If they do not the windshield camera calibration cannot be performed. The reason why is the cameras field of view will change to a new height that will be beyond its ability to be aimed to a lower or higher position.

Randomly placed weight in a vehicle can cause issues for a camera calibration in that it can not only affect the up and down pitch of the cameras field of view it can also affect the Roll and Yaw which can cause the camera to see more left and right then it should. Any additional weight can and will cause an inaccurate camera calibration.

• Before   you   leave   home   to   drop   off   your   vehicle   at   our   service   center, please remove all your personal items. Nothing should be in the vehicle that didn’t come in it when it rolled off the assembly line.

• Make sure your vehicle has its spare tire and jack assembly on board stowed in its proper place in the vehicle. Depending on your vehicle the spare tire and jack assembly can weigh from anywhere from 20 to well over 50 lbs. In the ADAS calibration world that’s a tremendous amount of weight to be missing from the vehicle during a windshield camera calibration.

• We need to know if your vehicles suspension has been modified Is your suspension standard? Has it had a lift kit installed? Has it been lowered?

If it has been modified we need to know exactly how much so we can see if it falls within the manufacturers allowable specifications. If it does not fall within the manufacturers specifications we cannot perform a windshield camera calibration on your vehicle. The reason why is the cameras field of view will change to a height that will be beyond its capability to be aimed to a lower or higher position.

• When you bring your vehicle to our service center be sure to check that all fluids are at their recommended levels such as engine oil and coolant, windshield washer fluid etc. It is difficult for us to add fluids for you because we don’t know what your preferences are.

Engine coolant weighs 9.3 to 9.6 lbs per gallon

Motor oil weighs 7.7 lbs per gallon

Windshield washer fluid weighs 7.6 lbs per gallon

The combined weight of all of the fluids in a vehicle can add up to quite a bit and most if not all of them are concentrated in the forward end of the vehicle so it’s important that every thing is filled to it’s proper level.

Before adding the weight

After adding the weight

An ADAS windshield camera calibration requires the vehicle to be level when it has a full tank of fuel. If the fuel tank is not full the vehicle will not be level and The Zero Point Camera Calibration Will Absolutely Not Be Accurate.

• When you arrive at our service center for your new windshield and ADAS calibration your vehicle must have a full fuel tank. Be sure to only fill the tank to the first click as it’s important that is isn’t over filled.

Just to show you we didn’t fake it, this video shows what happens when a 125 pound weight is placed in the rear cargo area of an SUV with a laser pointing at an ADAS Calibration target. Many of todays vehicles have the fuel tank located midship meaning forward of the rear wheels. In that case adding weight would bring the front end of the vehicle down. No matter where the fuel tank is located, making sure it’s full makes a huge difference in obtaining an accurate ADAS calibration. The average passenger car typically only has a 13 to 16 gallon fuel tank so what you see in the photos and video will only be affected by about half of that movement. The average full size vehicle like a Chevy Suburban or a Ford Pickup truck typically have 30 gallon tanks. We used 125 pounds of weight in our example so it would be easier to see the laser dot move on the ADAS target, either way you should be able to get an idea of how important it is to have a full fuel tank when your windshield camera is calibrated.

These still photos show what happens when a 125 pound weight is placed in the rear cargo area of an SUV with a laser pointing at an ADAS Calibration target.

Something as small as a register receipt can cause a reflection in the windshield and cause a camera calibration to fail. Objects dangling from the rear view mirror could also cause the same issue. This should also apply to every day driving not just the calibration process as it could possibly cause the system to not work properly at the wrong place and moment when it’s needed the most to prevent an accident.

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If you can have these details accomplished prior to your appointment it will save a great deal of your time and ours in that all we will have to do is verify that everything is within the perimeters required to perform the windshield camera calibration.

Vehicle Pre Conditioning

Gasoline weighs in at 6.1 lbs per gallon. If your vehicle holds 30 gallons of gasoline that would equal 183 lbs.

Diesel weighs in at 6.9 lbs per gallon. If your vehicle holds 30 gallons of diesel fuel that would weigh 207 lbs.

Insurance companies consider the fuel in your vehicle a consumable item and will not pay for it. If we have to add fuel to your vehicle there will be additional fees that you will have to pay out of pocket. The fee will be $20.00 plus the price of the fuel.

Insurance companies consider the fluids in your vehicle to be a consumable and will not pay for them. If we have to add any fluids to your vehicle there will be an additional fee that you will have to pay for out of pocket

The reason the windshield camera calibration will not be accurate is: