Will Mobile Calibrations Help or Hurt the Industry?
by Abby Bowman
Many auto glass business owners have spent the past several years figuring out how to incorporate Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) calibration into their business model. They’ve purchased equipment, trained technicians and created controlled environments to ensure a safe, successful calibration.
Enter mobile calibration. Is this a short-term trend, or will auto glass business owners need to adapt again to stay competitive?
The answer varies considerably depending on whom you ask.
What’s the Right Environment?
Greg Peeters, CEO of Car ADAS Solutions, objects to the concept of calibration in plain air.
“If you’re going to do surgery, you’re going to do it in the hospital in a room designed for surgery,” he says. “The same is true when calibrating long-distance sensors. You have to do it in an environment that’s conducive to accuracy, precision and success.”
AirPro was one of the earliest systems manufacturers to offer a mobile calibration tool, says chief operating officer Josh McFarlin. AirPro launched the Auggie tool, designed for mobile use without a traditional controlled environment about five years ago. There are a few things that make mobile calibration doable, McFarlin says.
“First, the vehicle and the calibration equipment don’t have to be on a level surface so much as they have to be on the same plane,” he says.
Being “on the same plane” is a term more commonly used in the collision repair industry than in the auto glass industry, he says, but it’s still a critical concept.
“Take a desk, for example. It’s completely flat all the way across, but it might not be level,” McFarlin says. “One of the legs could be slightly shorter than the others, so if you put a marble on it, it would roll off.”
Two objects sitting on that flat desk would be on the same plane, but not level, he explains.
“Is it easy to go find a surface like that when doing mobile calibration? No,” he says. “But finding that plane can, and must, be done.”
The same goes for reducing the visual “noise” behind targets.
“You could hang a sheet behind the target, like you sometimes see at trade shows,” McFarlin says. “Now, are there very many mobile recalibrators using a full-size target or going to that level of detail? Probably not.”
The OEM Knows Best
Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) often dictate exactly which target to use or sometimes specify which plumb bob and tape measure to use, so McFarlin says it’s still crucial for mobile calibration to toe the OEM line.
“Once you start to deviate from that process, you start to take on unnecessary liability, which may or may not come back to haunt you,” he says.
A successful calibration doesn’t equal a quality calibration, McFarlin adds.
“If you’re either accidentally or purposefully taking advantage of any tolerances in the calibration process, you could end up with a bad calibration that shows as successful,” he says. “Next thing you know, you find yourself in court trying to explain why you didn’t follow the OEM process.”
Steve Haney, corporate technical trainer at Bosch Mobility Aftermarket, agrees. Mobile calibration accuracy still depends on OEM specifications like vehicle positioning, level floors and certain lighting conditions, he says.
“The mobile calibration fixtures are designed to make things a little easier, sure, but … whoever performs the calibrations is still liable for that calibration if they do something incorrectly or if they take shortcuts,” he says. “That’s true whether it’s a standard static calibration or a mobile one.”
Peeters believes that mobile calibration can’t fully align with original equipment manufacturer (OEM) rules, no matter how correctly it’s performed.
“OEM procedures are constantly updated, refined and revised to become less vague and leave less room for error. I believe that pushes away the whole concept of mobile calibration, or at least makes it more difficult,” he says.
Survival of the Fittest?
According to McFarlin, auto glass business owners will likely have to consider offering mobile calibration to remain competitive.
“It might be more convenient for a shop owner to have customers come into the shop for a calibration, but [it’s not always convenient for the customer] and the customer gets what the customer wants,” he says.
Haney agrees that mobile calibration will likely provide a competitive edge, but cautions auto glass business owners not to hit the panic button just yet.
“It doesn’t mean that every shop needs to run out and get a fully mobile operation tomorrow, but businesses that can offer more streamlined calibration capabilities may find themselves in a stronger competitive position as ADAS adoption continues to grow,” he says.
If companies choose not to offer mobile calibration because they don’t believe it is accurate, Peeters says they must explain the potential limitations to customers.
“Have a straightforward conversation with the customer and explain why you believe what you believe,” he says. “Tell them that a proper calibration doesn’t just protect them; it also helps protect the drivers and pedestrians on the road around them.”
Not Reinventing the Wheel
“Shops don’t need to start completely from scratch in most cases,” he says. “Modular systems are becoming more popular because they allow for upgrades on existing calibration that support mobile workflows.”
The age and capabilities of their current systems, along with the type of vehicle the shop works on most frequently, will determine whether auto glass business owners should shop for new tools.
“If your current system can support evolving OEM requirements and changing ADAS technologies with updates, you are in a good spot,” Haney says. “If your system is outdated from the start, it may be time to consider an upgrade.”
Targets are the equipment most likely to need upgrades, he says.
“Each manufacturer requires different targets for different calibration functions,” says Haney. “Sometimes, when the manufacturer makes a change in a sensor, camera or radar, the system may need a new target before completing a calibration.”
Haney says Bosch already knows many of the major ADAS changes car manufacturers will release and will offer updated equipment as needed.
The Auggie system is already mobile, McFarlin says, so there’s no need for shop owners who own the product to purchase a new system.
“In general, it will come down to whether or not shop owners have the means to transport their calibration system,” he says. “And, once they’ve transported it, can they ensure the environmental requirements to use it?”
Owners and managers who choose to offer mobile calibration may not have to buy completely new systems to do so, says Haney.
Any Way You Want It?
Safelite AutoGlass launched a new television commercial in early 2026 promoting its mobile services, including repair, replacement and calibration.
Mobile calibration has been a key topic at Safelite AutoGlass’ parent company, Belron, since at least Spring 2025. Company executives explained its money-making potential and customer appeal at the 2025 investment day for the D’Ieteren Group and provided updates on the Group’s quarterly investment calls ever since.
Belron and Safelite began quietly rolling out their new mobile recalibration system in the fall of 2025.
Learn More About Calibration at Auto Glass Week™ ’26
Auto Glass Week™ 2026 in San Antonio will offer attendees several opportunities to learn about the future of mobile calibration. Jacques Navant will discuss it at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 27, during his “State of the Industry” address. The sessions “Recalibration Technology and Practice: Where It’s Going,” held at 9 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 28, and “New Pain Points and How to Deal with Them,” held at 10:30 a.m. the same day, will also
address mobile calibration. For more info, visit autoglassweek.com.
Abby Bowman is the editor of AGRR magazine. Email her at abowman@glass.com and follow her on LinkedIn.
To view the laid-in version of this issue in our digital edition, CLICK HERE.
