Carautonomy — car parts and warning lights explained
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Windscreens

What is an ADAS Windscreen?

Windscreen with a forward-facing camera for lane assist, emergency braking and adaptive cruise.

Forward cameraCAR · 32m30LKA · AEBACC ONAfter replacement the camera must be recalibrated to read lanes & signs correctly

Simplified animation — not to scale.

In plain English

Many modern cars have a camera mounted behind the windscreen that powers driver-assistance features (ADAS) — lane-keep assist, autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, traffic-sign recognition and more. After a windscreen replacement, that camera almost always needs recalibrating to manufacturer standards.

A simple analogy

"Like swapping the lenses on a pair of glasses — even a tiny shift means everything is slightly out of focus until they're re-aligned."

How it works

Calibration uses either a static set-up in the workshop (with targets and lasers) or a dynamic drive on marked roads, often a combination of both. Skip calibration and the safety systems can mis-read the road — lane lines drift, emergency braking misfires, cruise control reads the wrong distance.

Signs of trouble

  • Lane-keep, AEB or cruise warnings on the dash after a windscreen change
  • Adaptive cruise braking too late or too early
  • Lane-keep tugging the wheel for no reason
  • Traffic-sign display showing wrong limits
Rough UK cost

£650–£1,600

Parts: £500–£1,200
Labour: £150–£400 (recalibration on top)

Always get a written quote. Prices vary by car, region, and parts brand.

Heads up: Carautonomy is for general guidance only. If your car is showing warning lights or behaving oddly, get it looked at by a qualified mechanic.

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