ADAS: the hidden repair challenge

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are becoming an increasingly familiar part of modern motoring.

Features such as lane-keep assistance, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and autonomous emergency braking are now commonplace across much of the vehicle parc, helping improve safety and reduce the likelihood of accidents.

However, according to Satty Nanuwa, National Sales & Partnership Manager at Repairify, these systems are also introducing a new set of challenges for the repair industry.

Speaking on the Showcase Stage at ILC Motor Repair 2026, Satty explored how the rapid growth of ADAS technology is changing the nature of vehicle repair, increasing the importance of diagnostics and calibration, and placing new demands on repairers across the sector.

Opening the session, Satty highlighted the pace of change currently taking place within the automotive market.

“We’re seeing three major shifts simultaneously: electrification, rapid rollout of ADAS, and new manufacturers entering the market,” she explained. “Each brings huge benefits for drivers, but also huge complexities for repairers.”

Satty argued that the industry’s traditional view of vehicles as predominantly mechanical products is rapidly becoming outdated.

“Do we still think of cars as mechanical machines? Because they’re not anymore,” she said. “Today’s vehicles are sensor networks on wheels, driven by software and safety systems.”

Critical component

As ADAS technology becomes more widespread, repairing a vehicle increasingly requires ensuring the vehicle’s cameras, sensors and safety systems are operating exactly as intended.

“Today a repair isn’t all about fixing damage, it’s about restoring safety systems and that means calibration is no longer optional, it’s critical,” Satty told delegates.

The scale of that challenge is growing quickly.

Satty explained that modern vehicles can incorporate multiple cameras, radar units, ultrasonic sensors and sophisticated software systems, all working together through a process known as sensor fusion.

“The modern vehicle today can include up to 10 sensors, five radars and up to 100 million lines of code, all working together through something called sensor fusion,” she explained.

Those systems continuously analyse information from different sources to create an accurate picture of the vehicle’s surroundings.

Inaccuracies and consequences

As a result, even minor inaccuracies following repair can have significant consequences.

Using the example of an Audi A6 equipped with matrix headlights, Satty explained how a forward-facing camera helps determine where light should be directed. If that camera becomes misaligned following a repair, the vehicle’s ability to interpret its environment correctly can be affected.

“Now if that camera is slightly misaligned after a repair, it directly impacts safety,” she explained. “The car sees incorrectly.”

Importantly, she stressed that this is no longer confined to premium vehicles.

“The Renault Megane E-Tech is a new family hatchback with 16 ADAS sensors,” Satty noted. “So calibration and complexity isn’t coming next year, it’s already here today in the vehicles that we’re repairing.”

As the presentation progressed, Satty outlined how repair processes that were once relatively straightforward now frequently require additional diagnostic and calibration procedures.

“What used to be simple isn’t simple anymore,” he said. “Windscreen replacement, bumpers and suspension, they all come with calibration.”

Challenges

She highlighted several challenges currently facing repairers, including OEM-specific procedures, evolving technical requirements, limited workshop space and the industry’s ongoing skills shortage.

One example involved calibration space requirements.

“If you take the BYD for example, it requires 15m by 10m to do a 360 degree calibration,” Satty explained.

For many businesses, accommodating those requirements can present practical and commercial challenges. The result, according to Satty, is increased pressure on repair operations and potentially longer repair journeys.

“Vehicles stay off the road longer, which directly affects key-to-key and costs,” she said. “It’s not just an inconvenience, it’s an operational challenge for the whole industry.”

Adapting

Despite these challenges, the session also focused on how the industry is adapting.

Satty highlighted several emerging approaches designed to help repairers manage growing vehicle complexity, including remote diagnostics, mobile calibration services and specialist ADAS facilities.

Rather than expecting every repairer to invest in every piece of equipment, she suggested that partnerships and access to specialist expertise will play an increasingly important role.

“You don’t need every single piece of equipment to do a calibration,” explained Satty. “You just need the right partner, the right tools and make sure your partner is aligning with you on strategy.”

Collaboration

As vehicle technology continues to advance, Satty argued that no single organisation can address these challenges alone.

“We need collaboration between OEMs, insurers, repairers and technology providers,” she said.

Access to OEM data, specialist tooling and scalable calibration capability will all become increasingly important as ADAS adoption continues to grow.

The session concluded with a challenge to the industry.

Vehicle technology is continuing to evolve at pace, and repair methodologies must evolve alongside it.

“Vehicles are evolving,” Satty said. “The only question is, are we evolving fast enough to repair them?”