In recent years, perhaps no automotive technological advancement in the mechanical and collision repair industries has been such a disrupting force as the increasing adoption of Advanced Diver Assistance Systems (ADAS), such as Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Departure Warning, on even the most basic vehicle lines.
Even though an estimated 60% of vehicles on North American roads today come with one of these safety systems—that’s 180 million vehicles—some collision shops have not developed an effective strategy for servicing vehicles with ADAS.
“The strategy a shop chooses, whether to perform the work in-house or sublet calibration work to another shop, calibration center, or mobile provider, depends on multiple factors, including its size and layout, the training and current workload of its technicians, and quite simply, its business plan, said Autel Senior Executive of ADAS Sales Stewart Peregrine.
“Ideally, if shops have the space, the technicians, the funds for equipment investment, and the desire, they should consider bringing ADAS calibrations in-house.
“There are calibration centers and mobile calibration providers that offer comprehensive, quality service with accuracy and quick turnaround that you can partner with. Many of them use our equipment; we’re proud they do,” said Peregrine.
Precision Diagnostics in Madison, Wisconsin, Fuller’s Collision in Auburn, Massachusetts, and Angie’s Service in Newbury, Massachusetts, are ADAS calibration shops that became so proficient that they started separate companies to handle other shops’ calibrations. The results have been startling.
Tom McGuire and Dave Zielke started Precision in response to repeated poor service from those they sublet to. “We were seeing an increasing number of delays from a cycle time perspective, getting cars back from the dealerships, and there was probably one mobile vendor in the space then. And frankly, the service levels just were not there; they weren’t realistic with what I needed as a body shop, “ McGuire said.
So, McGuire and Zielke created a calibration solution for their collision shop and others who didn’t want to perform ADAS calibrations themselves.
“The goal (with this new business),” McGuire said, “was to be an extension of the Body Shop’s production team—that’s what I would have wanted when running shops. Hundreds of different things are pulling on them —the insurance companies, the customer, and the OEM specifications—all those pieces. [They] want somebody that can come in and look at it and say this isn’t a problem at all, here’s what we need to do, here’s the OE information on it, here’s the process,” McGuire said.
What started with a small shop and one van has blossomed into a fleet of 100 mobile vans and three brick-and-mortar facilities, including a 10,000-square-foot facility. Today, Precision’s mobile units (all outfitted with a technician or two and an Autel MaxiSYS MA600 mobile ADAS system) perform about 4,500 ADAS calibrations per month, servicing 1,500 shops across 11 Midwestern states.
Mike Ambrosino of Fuller’s Collision Center in Auburn, Massachusetts, faced similar challenges with subletting and decided to bring ADAS in-house. “One of the toughest things that we were dealing with was scheduling with dealerships, getting the vehicles out to the dealerships to be properly calibrated, and getting thorough reports from the dealership that these cars were being calibrated properly,” Ambrosino said.
After considerable time discussing what calibration system to purchase, Fuller’s went with Autel. “Once we made the decision to go with Autel, training was included, and they sent a trainer out shortly after the purchase for a full day, “ Ambrosino, now the director of ADAS calibration and diagnostics at Fuller’s, said.
The decision to bring ADAS in-house has been beyond successful for Fuller’s. Since purchasing their first Autel ADAS system in 2021, Fuller’s Collision purchased two more and created a separate business, ADAS Diagnostic Solutions LLC, which serves Fuller’s Collision and about 45 shops in the area. “We’re doing about $72,000 a month (in calibration revenue), “ Ambrosino said. ADAS Diagnostic Solutions has six bays and three calibration systems. Its turnaround rate has gone from 10 calibrations a month to almost 15 daily.
Gary Machiros of Angie’s Service Inc. in Newbury, Massachusetts, is not new to ADAS. He started about four years ago, not long after Autel released the IA800, its first system to use cameras for target placement. “We calibrate every vehicle that comes through our shop with Autel equipment and have done so since our first purchase,” Machiros said.
Over the years, the demand for ADAS calibrations at Angie’s Service Inc. has grown significantly, with the shop now performing about 50 calibrations weekly. This growth is a testament to the shop’s expertise and status as the go-to calibration shop for the area’s collision and mechanical shops.
“We’re seeing double and sometimes triple the calibration work because we are working on more and more later model vehicles. This workload will only grow with the increase of late-model cars on the street. With more radar, cameras, and other systems incorporated into the vehicle, accurate ADAS calibrations become even more necessary. Right now, there is a huge potential for independent outfits to service local body shops."
