How Can Shops Use ADAS Maintenance as a Revenue Stream?

with Mike Anderson

This month, we “Ask Mike” to share his thoughts on how ADAS maintenance can be a revenue source for collision repair shops. We at Hammer & Dolly hope you find the following exchange useful, and we encourage you to reach out to us if you have a question for Mike on this or any industry-related matter that he can answer in a future issue.

Hammer & Dolly: We’ve been discussing ADAS repairs after accidents for years, but it’s equally important for the industry to begin viewing ADAS as ongoing maintenance items – and as an additional, consistent revenue source. There’s plenty of material out there about collision-related ADAS work, but what are your thoughts on shops focusing on it before the vehicle even gets into an accident?

Mike Anderson: I recently attended a phenomenal conference hosted by CEICA [Collision Industry Electronic Commerce Association], where a presenter discussed Zoox, which are basically self-driving cars used for rideshare services similar to Uber. He noted that Zoox requires its vehicles to be ADAS-calibrated every two weeks. Other presenters discussed the level of maintenance calibrations that should be performed on vehicles, especially as they get older. I can envision ADAS becoming part of certain states’ inspection programs at some point in the future. Some of the shops I’ve talked to out in the field have said they’re starting to see vehicles come in with deteriorating ADAS components caused by heat, inclement weather and other factors. At some point in the future, the need for maintenance calibrations will grow, and that will present new business models for shops. 

H&D: The industry is still grappling with adapting to the need of post-collision ADAS work, and we’re now seeing this pre-accident demand grow. I’d imagine that the OEM repair procedures are the definitive source of information, as always.

MA: That’s correct. Anyone who knows me knows I’m very pro-OEM tools and targets, including those not manufactured by or for the OEM but still approved by them. Hunter Engineering recently announced that they’ve been approved by Toyota-Lexus. As more companies get approved by the OEMs, the process will become a little more streamlined, but those procedures will still need to be performed by people with the correct technical knowledge. The scenario with ADAS maintenance is similar to alignments. There are maintenance alignments, and there are alignments that need to be done after a collision. People will need to understand that the process for a maintenance calibration will be different from one needed for a vehicle that’s been in an accident. 

H&D: As we’ve discussed in the past, performing ADAS repairs correctly often requires shop owners to open secondary, standalone businesses due to space requirements and other factors. I’d imagine the maintenance side would have similar requirements. 

MA: It really is something for those standalone ADAS businesses to offer and market. There was a time when muffler shops just did exhaust systems, but they eventually had to adapt to changes in the industry when those systems stopped rusting out the way they did in the past. They started doing brakes, tires and other services. ADAS maintenance could have a similar impact on the collision repair industry, and there will be opportunities for shops that have invested in standalone ADAS facilities as part of their business models. Of course, you’ll need enough business to have an ROI on the equipment and training required to have ADAS as part of your services. Most importantly, you’ll have to research the procedures every time you perform an ADAS maintenance calibration, as things can change – just as they can with any collision repair procedure you perform. You need to research ADAS maintenance with each job, just as you would when welding a quarter panel. The competitive advantage a collision repair shop has over an independent mechanical facility is that if something on the vehicle doesn’t calibrate, we have the technical knowledge to understand that maybe it has been in a minor accident, and a unibody misalignment may be impacting the situation. An independent mechanical shop may not understand the correlation between ADAS accuracy and the unibody of the vehicle. 

H&D: The dark cloud over ADAS repair has always been whether shops are getting paid adequately by insurers for these procedures. Are you seeing the same issue with the maintenance side, especially since it’s an issue with the life of the components and not an accident-driven situation?

MA: I haven’t heard too much on the maintenance side yet, beyond one or two cases where the age of the component was a factor and the vehicle wasn’t brought in due to an accident. The car parc is still old enough that we’re not seeing many of the newer vehicles yet, but I expect this topic will gain traction as time goes on. 

H&D: Are there other aspects regarding ADAS that may present future opportunities for collision repairers that aren’t necessarily clear right now?

MA: I would say glasswork, windshields. A few states understand that consumers shouldn’t be driving around with cracked or broken windshields, so they’ve passed legislation saying that insurers can’t cancel somebody or raise their premiums based on a glass claim. Glass goes hand in hand with ADAS today, and collision repair shops should consider bringing their glasswork in-house. Windshield replacement is going to grow in the future. 

Want more? Check out the December 2025 issue of Hammer & Dolly!