09/15/2020 by Allison Whitney

Pre Scan and Post Scans Key Components to ADAS
By Allison Whitney, Senior Technical Writer, Autel US

Quality documentation has never been so vital today as vehicles with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) become the norm, with the repair/replacement and calibration process involving complex, precision procedures aimed at a complete and safe restoration. 
 
Today, 60 million vehicles in the United States are equipped with at least one ADAS system and, within five to 10-years, 80 percent of operating vehicles will be relying on these safety systems. 
 
So, what are the key components to quality Pre Scan and Post Scan reports that can meet the documentation requirements as well as act as proof that a shop has followed industry best practices and adhered to OEM-repair specifications?
 
Evolving Documentation
Certainly, as with everything in the advancing automotive industry, these documents will continue to evolve and require even more precise and detailed information from both the technician and the sophisticated systems of today’s vehicle, but for now, industry-leading Pre and Post scan reports should include the following information: 
 
• Complete Shop and Technician Information including a signature line for the lead technician.
• Detailed information regarding the software and tools used to perform the scans and the needed calibrations, including tool/s manufacturer, tool model, tool serial number and version number of installed software.
• Customer name and address.
• Detailed vehicle information including year, make model and Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
• Date and Time Stamp of Pre and Post Scans
• Identification of all vehicle systems with special notation of the ADAS devices/systems as these will need to be calibrated.
• PreScan: Identification of all systems with faults 
• Post Scan: Identification of all systems to illustrate faults were cleared and none introduced during repair
• Identification of the ADAS systems/devices that have been calibrated, the date/time of these calibrations, statement of the success of the calibration; depending the vehicle, more detailed information including the OE calibration tolerance range and the live data/actual reading of the device when calibrated.
 
Easy Does It
Additional items to consider when choosing the best diagnostics tablet to perform these scans is the systems ease of use when executing these scans, i.e., ⁽is the process logical and intuitive, the ability to append other materials to these reports including vehicle and device images and the ability to maintain these reports either locally or in the cloud for upwards of three years as increasingly insurance companies are requiring collision shops to do.
 
With the 2021 models starting to roll out, and equipped with more ADAS features than ever before, getting your shop ready for pre and post-scanning will be critical.  If you’d like more information on how Autel can support these efforts, please visit www.autel.com.
 
About the author:. Allison Whitney has been the Senior Technical Writer at Autel US for six years. In this position, Allison has researched and written on a wide range of automotive technologies and the software and tools used in the diagnosing, servicing, and repair of such systems. Prior to working for Autel, Allison was the director of communications at two software developers and has worked a journalist for national and regional publications covering a wide range of topics including legislation and judicial issues concerning manufacturers.