Diagnostic Scans and Calibrations: What every driver should know

Many of the features on newer cars are enabled by highly technical computer systems, which the industry refers to as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). You likely have a car with ADAS already – these include items like sensors in your bumper that alerts you when you get too close to something, a lane departure warning or a light that comes on if your passenger-side airbag is enabled.

When you get into an accident, these systems can often also be a part of the damage – even if you can’t see it. To understand if any of those important safety systems were affected, your repairer may run a “diagnostic scan” and/or “calibration.” These two actions act as a system check to ensure that all your car’s systems are working properly and help return your vehicle to pre-accident condition.

What are Diagnostic Scans?

Think of a diagnostic scan, or just simply “scans,” as a health check for your car. A repair technician will take a scanning device (which looks like a voltmeter, or a large remote control) and plug it into your vehicle near the steering wheel. This diagnostic tool can then look at all the systems in your specific car, and let the repairer know which systems have errors that need to be addressed.

Typically, your car will have two scans completed on it: one before the repair to let the shop know which systems have issues that need to be addressed, and one after the repair to make sure that every problem has been fixed.

An important note, lots of manufacturers now require at least one scan on a vehicle if it’s been in an accident.

What are Calibrations?

Your car may also be “calibrated” when it’s in the shop. Think of this like a chiropractor visit for your car. They’re checking to make sure all the systems are working properly and “aligned” as they should and adjusted if needed.

Even if you’ve been in a low-speed accident, systems like cameras can still get jostled around. For example, the shop may recalibrate your backup camera, which beeps if you get too close to an object. If your backup camera isn’t calibrated correctly, even by a millimeter, it can translate to you hitting something behind you since the car didn’t realize how close you were, nor was it able to correctly notify you.

To see if these systems are set correctly, your repair shop may perform one of two types of calibrations:

Static: A calibration is done by putting your car on a level surface and measuring specific aspects using tools like laser levels. The process is looking to see if your car’s elements meet the manufacturer targets, down to the millimeter or fractions of a degree.

Dynamic: If static calibrations involve a car in park, dynamic calibrations mean your vehicle is in motion when being tested. The shop will likely take your car out on a busy road to verify that systems are working as they should.

Diagnostic scans and calibrations are part of the process to get you back on the road. If your car has been in an accident, or if something feels off, find a local autobody shop to help scan and calibrate: carwise.com/auto-body-shops.