What the manufacturers actually require

When a carrier questions a calibration charge, the strongest answer is not an opinion. It is the manufacturer's own published position. Knowing those positions exist, and citing them, is what turns a contested line into a paid one.

The pattern across manufacturers

The language differs slightly by brand, but the major automakers have converged on the same position: a vehicle involved in a collision should be scanned for diagnostic trouble codes before the repair and again after, and ADAS sensors disturbed during the repair must be calibrated.

Several have made the language stronger in recent years. Some manufacturers updated their wording from "recommended" to "required." Others added specific notes that an ADAS sensor can be misaligned without immediately storing a fault code, which is exactly why a calibration cannot be skipped just because a scan looks clean.

Why "no codes" does not mean "no calibration"

This is the single most important point for an estimator. A diagnostic scan reports faults the vehicle has detected in itself. A camera or radar can be physically misaligned and still report no fault, because from the sensor's point of view it is working fine. It is simply aimed wrong.

That is why manufacturers call for calibration based on what was repaired, not only on what codes appear. If the repair disturbed the sensor or its mounting, calibration is on the table regardless of the scan result.

How to use this when billing

• Scope the calibration from the repair operations, not just the scan
• Attach the pre-scan and post-scan to the file as evidence of the work
• If a line is questioned, reference the manufacturer position that requires it

Every Focal ADAS calibration includes that manufacturer reference in the report, so the documentation to defend the charge is already in your hands.