The Evolution of Windscreens

Windscreens – they ain’t what they used to be.

We’ve come a long way from the early 1900s, when all that protected a driver from dust and midges was a pair of driving goggles. Mind you, cars back then didn’t move that fast.

Fast forward through the eras of plate glass windscreens (which shattered into giant, jagged pieces) to tempered glass and the incorporation of ‘advanced’ features like integrated antennas, demisters and rain-sensing wipers.

As we all know, the modern windscreen of today is more than a protection against dust in your eyes, it’s a complex and critical element of vehicle safety, home to cameras and sensors that are crucial to the correct operation of a vehicle’s safety systems. Integrated ADAS have features like lane departure warnings and automatic emergency braking, while Smart windscreens can display information, reducing the need to take your eyes of the road. Of course, along with this evolution in windscreen technology comes the need for innovations in windscreen repair and replacement technology, like ADAS calibration tools.

The need to keep up with the windscreen revolution

Vehicle collision repairers are, by necessity, at the forefront of the advancements in windscreen technology. Windscreens are responsible for a range of functions including collision warnings, traffic sign recognition, lane-drift warnings, park assist and pedestrian detection. These rely on sensors and cameras that relay information about the vehicle’s surroundings to the ADAS, which responds and activates automated safety measures when necessary. While all this helps keep everyone on the road safer, it does make windscreen repair and replacement more complex. The sophisticated cameras and sensors must be precisely focused to work correctly. This is where windscreen calibration comes in. Essentially the process of fine-tuning, calibration aligns the ADAS cameras and sensors with the repaired or replaced windscreen, ensuring the ADAS system is always operating as it should.

How windscreen calibration works

Smart windshields have particular tinted and un-tinted areas on the glass, which allows the camera to ‘see’ the road. The windscreen essentially forms part of the camera lens. ADAS monitors blind spots, pedestrians, and proximity to inanimate objects (you know, like a lamp post!) For optimal surveillance, the windscreen needs to be accurately calibrated.

So how do you know if it needs calibrating? The windscreen camera will need calibrating if the windscreen is replaced; following a wheel alignment; or if the dashboard shows a fault code, like the camera disconnecting. An inaccurate ADAS calibration may fail to provide alerts and can cause the driver to react to false information, or even for the car to come to a sudden stop.

Windscreen calibration adjusts the camera lens to capture an accurate and reliable image of the road and the vehicle. If misaligned by even millimetres, it can compromise the technology and potentially result in dangerous driving conditions.

Get the right calibration tools working for you

Not all vehicle collision repairers have the capacity to calibrate windscreens – it’s a specialised service, and requires up-to-date ADAS calibration equipment and trained technicians. But if you want your windscreen repair workshop or auto glazing business to stay one step ahead, it’s a no-brainer. This is where Repairify comes in.

We can help your business adapt to the rapid evolutions in windscreen and auto glass technology, giving you the tools, the training and the technology you need to save time and money and increase efficiency. Your collision repair shop or auto glass business will be able to offer a specialist service that will ensure the safety systems of any vehicle, no matter how complex, all work correctly, and vehicles can get back on the road promptly. And that means happy clients!

At Repairify, we operate on the cutting edge of vehicle diagnostics and calibration. We cover a wide range of makes and models, and our  database is regularly updated to address the latest vehicles and service issues.

With the right technology and knowledge, your workshop can stay ahead. Repairify gives you the tools to do this, along with the training and support to navigate the fast-changing world of modern windscreen repair.

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