When you take your car in for auto body repair, it’s not just the mechanical parts that need to be fixed. Many of the car’s internal sensors and instruments may also need adjustment, either due to collision damage or because they have drifted over time to become less accurate. The process of resetting and adjusting your car’s internal instruments is called calibration.

What Is Calibration?

Calibration is essentially the process of teaching a sensor or similar piece of equipment what to look for. For example, if you have a radar sensor on your car, correctly calibrating it means ensuring that it’s pointed the right direction and that it responds to objects at the correct distance from your bumper, while calibrating an internal thermometer simply means making sure it reads the temperature accurately.

Calibration can be conducted both in the shop and on the road, as your collision repair specialist monitors the system to make sure data is correct. Correct adjustments of all sensors make an engine run more efficiently and ensure whatever readings you receive from the instruments are correct and consistent.

Who Provides Calibration?

In most cases, your auto body repair shop has to send parts to the dealer for calibration to ensure accurate results. However, some body shops are able to offer this service themselves through the use of third party equipment and websites. This approach can save you time and money during the collision repair process, so it’s a good idea to look for an auto body repair provider who offers it.

OHS’ Body Shop in Flathead County, MT, is pleased to offer independent calibration services during auto body repair. They carefully and correctly set your car’s sensors to read accurately and increase your car’s performance. They also have over 40 years of experience servicing cars and trucks. To get started, call (406) 752-8202 or visit their website.