Advanced Driver Assist Systems ADAS Services

What is ADAS?

You have seen the commercial. A teenage driver with a car full of friends is coming home from school in the rain and does not see the semi-truck barreling across the intersection, but the car’s robotic sensors see the semi – Danger Will Robinson! – and apply the brakes bring the car to a screeching halt before it gets crushed by the semi. In the commercial, car was brought to a stop by its “Collision Avoidance System”, just one many recent technologies being developed to make vehicles safer. Collectively these technologies are referred to as “Advanced Driver Assistance Systems”. In the auto repair industry, we refer to these technologies as “ADAS” for short. ADAS technologies were developed to automate the driving experience, and use a variety of sensors and cameras to:

• Detect nearby obstacles,
• Counteract human error
• Aid with parallel parking
• Let us know if there is a vehicle in our blind spot
• Take over the mundane task of paying attention to the road so that humans can play on their phone

Interestingly, you may have been an unwitting accomplice in aiding with the development of this technology. To teach the artificial vehicle brains what a stop light or a motorcycle or a crosswalk looks like, many Google has been using reCaptchas like the one shown here. The data gathered from you clicking on the pictures of traffic lights is being harvested by Google and sold to the car manufacturers to help their vehicles identify what a traffic light looks like so their ADAS systems will recognize them.

Common ADAS Systems

If you have a relatively new car, you’re probably familiar with some of these systems. Here are a some of the more common ADAS technologies:

• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
• Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)
• Automatic Parking
• Automotive Heads-Up Display
• Backup Camera
• Blind Spot Monitors
• Collision Avoidance Systems
• Crosswind Stabilization
• Cruise Control
• Driver Drowsiness Detection Systems
• Driver Monitoring Systems
• Electronic Vehicle Warning Sounds
• Electronic Stability Control
• Emergency Driver Assistant
• Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
• Intersection Assistant
• Glare Free High Beams
• Hill Decent Control
• Hill Start Assist
• Intelligent Speed Adaption
• Lane Centering
• Lane Departure Warning
• Lane Change Assistant
• Navigation Systems
• Night Vision Systems
• Parking Sensors
• Pedestrian Protection Systems
• Rain Sensors
• Tire Pressure Monitoring
• Traction Control Systems
• Traffic Sign Recognition
• Vehicular Communication Systems
• Vibrating Seat Warnings
• Wrong-Way Driving Warning Systems

As more of these systems are developed, our cars are becoming computers on wheels. Computers that we are relying on every day to keep us safe. It is a huge advancement in vehicle safety, so long as the technology works correctly. But what happens to that motorcycle in your blind spot when your blind spot monitor is not calibrated correctly? An older driver that has spent a lifetime turning their head to check before switching lanes might see it, but younger folks that have only driven vehicles with a blind spot monitor, well… hopefully no one gets hurt.

Although you might think of these systems as extra “bells and whistles” that do not require any maintenance, these sensors require attention just like the rest of your vehicle, especially after repairing a part of the vehicle that can affects the accuracy of sensors and safety features. If you have had work done on your vehicle such as:

• Windshield replacement
• Bumper replacement or removal for repair of other parts
• Collision repairs
• Wheel Alignment

ADAS Calibration and Programming Services

Many of these technologies are new, but at Suburban Tire Auto Repair Centers, we have been training our technicians and investing in the necessary equipment to keep up with the latest ADAS technologies. To calibrate these sensors requires special diagnostic scan tools and software, along with sensor targets specific to each vehicle manufacturer for calibrating the cameras, radar, lidar, and other sensors to make sure they work properly. This equipment is expensive, and Suburban Tire Auto Repair Centers is the first and only independent repair shop in the Chicagoland area to have made the investment in ADAS Equipment. So, if you’re having problems with any of the systems listed above, and you don’t want to pay the dealership an arm and a leg to fix it, please give us a call.

ADAS Calibration and Programming Checkup

If you wish to have your vehicle’s ADAS systems checked to confirm everything is functioning properly, or to find out why a certain component is not working properly, we can run a diagnostic test on all your vehicle’s ADAS systems for only $199. This offer is good on most cars at our Hanover Park location only. Repairs, reprogramming, and recalibration of ADAS Sensors and other components are additional.