Should You Enable a Disabled System?

What do you do if a customer brings his vehicle to your shop with its Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) features disabled? Do you turn them back on, leave them off,  or refuse to work on the car? What implications does this have on calibrating the vehicle? AGRRTM recently asked several industry professionals and their answers are mixed.
“We always turn on and calibrate the ADAS system on every vehicle we get that’s equipped with ADAS. We also leave it on when returning it to the customer and they can decide whether or not to disable it,” said Josh Bradley, owner, Clear Choice Auto Glass in Spartanburg, S.C.
“We leave it enabled upon returning it to the customer even if they had it disabled coming in. If a customer states they do not want a recalibration we explain that it is our policy to return the car to its full pre-loss condition restored and that they are welcome to disable it following completion of the work,” said George Weller, vice president of City Auto Glass based in Minnesota.
Weller also noted that if a customer were to refuse recalibration services, his company would refuse to take the job.
“It’s our responsibility and liability to calibrate these vehicle’s systems whether the customer uses them or not. Anything less is just opening yourself up to a lawsuit,” agreed Bradley.
Some however, return the customer’s vehicle with the ADAS features disabled if it was brought into their business that way.
“I have noticed that a lot of lane departure/lane keep assist systems are turned off when I get in the vehicles. I always note what condition the system was in when I get in the vehicle and return it to that condition after my final test drive,” said one  diagnostic technician in Taunton, Mass.
He further explained why he decides not to enable the features if they were turned off, citing driver comfortability as a main reason.
“My fear would be the owner not knowing that I enabled the system and having the vehicle react in a way the driver doesn’t expect. It’s a bit of a double edged sword but I feel leaving the vehicle as the owner left it is the best option for me,” said the diagnostic technician.
Such practices do not meet the current Automotive Glass Replacement Safety StandardTM AGRSS) which states:
If the vehicle has an ADAS, it may require recalibration after any  automotive glass replacement. Those engaged in automotive glass replacement who elect to provide recalibration services may only complete the recalibration if they obtain and use proper equipment, by trained personnel and provide the outcome of the recalibration to the owner/operator. If these conditions cannot be met, or if the automotive glass installer does not provide recalibration services, the owner/operator shall be advised prior to and at  the completion of the installation, that:
• The vehicle has an ADAS;
• After automotive glass replacement,
the vehicle may require the
recalibration of the ADAS;
• The replacement glass installer
will not recalibrate the ADAS;
• There are locations where recalibration
may be obtained; and
• The replacement glass installer is
not responsible for the selection
of any recalibration location.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported in June that two of its ADAS recent
studies show that most drivers don’t understand the different aspects of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems available in cars today. Some of the confusion, IIHS indicates, stems from the variety of names manufacturers use for the technology, which “can send the wrong messages to drivers regarding how attentive they should be.” Specifically, names  such as Autopilot, Traffic Jam Assist, Super Cruise, Driving Assistant Plus and ProPilot Assist led drivers to believe they weren’t required to give the drive their full attention.
In other cases, drivers don’t always understand the information communicated by the  systems or how important it may be. Some ADAS systems provide information that prompt drivers to take action, but the IIHS found that without training—and sometimes with training—drivers didn’t always understand some of the information the technology as providing or what they needed to do next with the given information.
“Current levels of automation could potentially improve safety,” IIHS president David Harkey said in a press release. “However, unless drivers have a certain amount of knowledge and comprehension, these new features also have the potential to create new risks.”

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