Does Offering Recalibration Live Up to the Hype?
by Abby Bowman
Expectations and reality don’t always align. In recent years, shop owners and managers have added camera recalibration of cars with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) to ensure safety and increase revenue, but does the service deliver everything they expect? AGRR contacted several of these owners to find out.
Ben Burnett
Owner
Auto Glass Specialist
Springfield, Missouri
Expectation
By the summer of 2022, Ben Burnett knew he needed to address the large number of recalibration requests his shop, Auto Glass Specialist, received but couldn’t fulfill.
He didn’t like saying no to his customers and sending them elsewhere, especially since he knew recalibration was a necessary safety step.
Burnett purchased a static recalibration system in July 2022, hoping his return on investment (ROI) expectations would pan out.
“Aside from our vehicles, that system was the largest single purchase in our shop history,” he says.
He worried that convincing customers to pay for recalibration would be hard.
“That turned out not to be challenging at all,” he says.
Reality
Burnett says customers didn’t resist the service or price as much as he had expected.
“My concern about the machine’s ROI also turned out to be a non-concern,” he says. “It paid for itself in six months and has become a major profit center for our business.”
Auto Glass Specialist encountered a few other challenges, though. For one, the system he purchased didn’t offer as much training as he would have liked. Once he got through the learning curve, Burnett says things ran “pretty smoothly.”
Adding recalibration solidified Burnett’s belief that it’s a necessary safety step. Auto Glass Specialist won’t even take a job if the customer refuses recalibration.
Burnett is such a believer that he has since ordered another recalibration system.
Brian Crandall
Owner
West Willow Auto Glass
Lawrenceburg, Tennessee
Expectation
Brian Crandall’s company is barely eight months old, and he’s already recalibrating. Crandall founded West Willow Auto Glass in January of 2025 and added recalibration two months later.
Crandall is an Auto Glass Safety Council (AGSC) certified master technician and a 22-year industry veteran.
Despite his years of experience, he was initially skeptical of recalibration, saying, “I thought it was just a money grab.”
Crandall changed his mind after training at his old job and exposure to the potential safety and performance problems of not recalibrating.
He found a basic system that fit his budget, though he says he had to sell his “beloved” Mini Cooper to pay for it. Keeping a WiFi connection on the job was another big concern.
Reality
After adding recalibration, Crandall quickly figured out a workaround for the WiFi issue.
“If I have a job in a remote area, I call beforehand and ask if they have a steady cell connection for my hot spot,” he says. “If not, I ask them to bring the car closer to town, where I know I have a steady connection.”
Crandall says selling his Mini Cooper has been worth it because the recalibration system has been paying for itself.
So far, Crandall hasn’t had any unanticipated issues since he already had years of experience recalibrating.
“I received some great training [at my old job] that prepared me for any challenges that I could possibly face on my own,” he says.
Now, he’s excited to learn more.
“I see recalibration as an art,” he says.
Jasper Raynor
Owner
Raynor Auto Glass
Helena, Alabama
Expectation
Jasper Raynor founded Raynor Auto Glass in 2022, added dynamic recalibration in 2024 and static in 2025.
Raynor decided to offer recalibration because he wanted to become a “one-stop shop.” Recalibration is “now as important as the windshield replacement itself,” he says.
“I wouldn’t have to send calibrations to a third party,” he says. “I could take care of customers myself instead of depending on someone else.”
Raynor prepared himself for the difficulties that come with some recalibrations.
“Not every car is cookie-cutter,” he says. “Some have pre-existing issues, some, [it seems like the car] just doesn’t like you.”
Reality
Raynor says he “just kept on keeping on” to overcome such recalibration foibles, but encountered a few difficulties as a mobile-based shop.
“The weather and landscape have to be right … and getting a good internet connection in remote areas is challenging,” he says. “I had to purchase additional WiFi for my truck.”
Despite the obstacles, Raynor says doing recalibrations regularly has increased his respect for its importance.
“Quality work requires patience and willpower, and recalibrations are necessary to do a job well,” he says. “We must leave the ‘stick [the camera back] in and go’ mentality in the past. Let’s take care of our customers.”
Joey Jones
Owner
Auto Glass Plus
Greencastle, Indiana
Expectation
Joey Jones founded Auto Glass Plus in March 2023 and purchased a recalibration system a year later. He considered recalibration “just part of the job” and didn’t want to keep sending customers elsewhere for the service.
“I wanted to keep everything in-house and have total control over the process to ensure it’s completed properly,” he says.
Jones knew he could make more money doing the recalibrations, especially because insurance only paid the price the third-party recalibration company he worked with charged Auto Glass Plus, which Jones didn’t always feel reflected the service’s value.
Before he added recalibration, Jones was worried he and his technicians would have to spend extensive time diagnosing and troubleshooting. He says they soon found ways to prevent that.
Reality
“We learned that the more accurate and thorough you are during the setup, the smoother and easier the recalibration is,” Jones says. “Knowing why [each step was required], instead of just clicking next [on the tablet], made the process easier.”
The more he and his technicians recalibrated, the more Jones says they grew to appreciate recalibration’s importance beyond just being “part of the job.”
“We recognize and stress the accuracy of the process rather than just going through the motions and completing it,” he says.
Jones says there’s still plenty to master.
“We are still learning, especially on new vehicles,” he says. “[Our system manufacturer] provides great support, and we also research new-to-us vehicles before recalibration.”
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.
