On ADAS calibration, Paul Foster takes no chances.

The COO of Dynamic Automotive, a multi-location family of shops in Maryland, aims for an orderly practice of OEM compliance and documentation in ADAS repair and calibration. It's a system built on recorded work by trained techs, work that customers can see, and it prevents liability.

Any other way threatens customer safety and the shop itself.

"Not doing (calibrations) correctly is as bad as not doing them at all," Foster says.

Liability: The Floor

First, the danger.

You can be sued. That's for starters. In California, you can also face a Bureau of Automotive Repair complaint or repeat visits from a disgruntled customer. It's the very real risk of liabilities, plural, for shops doing ADAS work.

"The BAR has a $200 million budget," says William Ferreira, an automotive industry attorney in Los Angeles, California. "The regulations here are so numerous, there's no way I could be perfect enough with every single car that comes in."

Liability always means money, he added, "and there doesn't even have to be an accident." Complaints can simply allege the shop put people at risk, or that someone couldn't use the car to get to work.

Ferreira says complaints can get "ridiculous," asking shops whether they got on the floor with a laser level to check the angle—every time, and specifically for that client.

Lawyers have also been known to assert the machine itself was faulty, whether through a failure to calibrate the calibrator or a failure to update systems and software. (See sidebar, "ADAS Calibration.")

He says a business insurance policy likely covers a "negligence" standard, but not "gross negligence"—and other parties, which could include your own insurance company, will always allege the latter.

"No policy covers that."

Insurers "have a duty to defend, and plaintiffs' attorneys want insurance involved because that's where the money is," he says. "But insurers will say, 'What you did was gross negligence, so we don't cover it.'"

ADAS riders are probably available, since most insurance agents will sell coverage for nearly anything. Ferreira recommends seeking one specifically written for this purpose. But shops may still see a denial of coverage, and it won't necessarily be legally wrong.

"With any new technology, the definition of negligence is not well established," Ferreira says.

Documentation: Your Future

This applies even if you outsource the work. Especially if you do.

Ferreira says ADAS calibration outsourcing is growing as mechanical shops remain reluctant to invest in the equipment and training required to do the work themselves. That doesn't necessarily make life easier.

"Now you're responsible for them," he says. "The onus is on the shop to make sure they do it right." Find a partner that indemnifies its work and follows OEM policy and procedures specific to makes, models, even trim packages.

"OEM requirements are mandatory," Ferreira says.

OEM calibration and compliance, along with pre- and post-scans, are foundational tasks on every vehicle. And the software records its own version of the work, right?

That's just the start. Treat documentation like a fine ribeye: It's hard to have too much. The equipment saves information heavy on results, such as whether the ADAS component passed. But back up that record with process documentation, too: notes, personal video, screenshots, and photos covering every calibration category, including setting up targets, disconnecting and reconnecting cameras and sensors, an overview of the workspace, and every measurement taken.

Foster says Dynamic Auto treats this as standard practice.

"We take shots of the vehicle in the bay, the dongle in the car hooked up, targets being set up, the calibration when it's finished, screenshots, digital video inspections," he says. "Everything all green and good," despite it being technically redundant.

Do this for anything connected to ADAS: alignment, suspension, battery disconnects, steering rack, struts, and any parts removed, replaced, or even jostled. Cameras and sensors are sensitive. A tech might assume that if something isn't unplugged, it doesn't need recalibration, but it does. (See sidebar, "ADAS Documentation.")

Keep the evidence "as long as I possibly could," Ferreira says.

In California, that's three years; your state's requirement may vary.

Calibration happens in the present. Documentation protects your future.

Habit: Customer First

Full OEM documentation, widely shared and saved longer than your kids' handmade cards, aims for the kind of quality that speaks for itself. But don't forget the customer in the process.

"We're not getting enough education out there," Vahid Salalati says. It starts with OEM information: the specs and service bulletins. "Dealers and manufacturers grow education."

Salalati, who with Larry Battison opened the first of 15 planned Bosch Auto Service franchises in Oklahoma in June, believes customers have heard about ADAS education but haven't received all that's needed.

"Everyone wants it, but they don't want to pay for it," Salalati told Vehicle Service Pros. "My guess (is) maybe 10% know their sensors need to be calibrated. You need to ask, you need to tell."

Dynamic's Foster says customers visibly recoil when ADAS calibration doubles their costs, or more.

When talking with customers, focus on safety and training. Present driver assistance systems as safety systems first, convenience or novelty second, while still sharing in the customer's fascination with the technology and accommodating their learning curve.

"On modern cars, you have to be a lifelong learner, or it'll pass you by," says Matt Shepanek, vice president of credential testing programs at the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. He was performing ADAS calibrations 25 years ago and never really stopped.

Consider a technician like Victor Avila, an ASE World-Class Technician certified in 22 specialty areas. Get certified on ADAS. The organization offers two downloadable study guides on ADAS for vehicles overall and is developing a third for window replacement.

I-CAR offers training as well, and MEMA and SEMA are active in ADAS-related work. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is involved too, since safety is what driver assistance systems are designed to do. Poorly trained users also create liability, Ferreira adds.

ADAS calibration-equipment makers offer product training online and onsite. Integrating ADAS into routine maintenance also helps shops defend themselves in future disputes by showing a consistent record of doing the work correctly.

Foster looks to all these resources, including factory training. "We want ASE certification, we want I-CAR." Dynamic Auto techs trained for ADAS calibration "have demonstrated attention to detail and the capacity to learn."

Build trust, connections, and relationships with customers and your team. Cultivate a culture that prevents issues, guards against liability, and makes ADAS compliance and documentation part of who your shop is, not just what it does. It's only going to get bigger.

"ADAS was an investment in the future," Salalati says of his and Battison's Bosch plans. "It's limited for our use now, but it's going to grow."