Repair methods, ADAS calibration and access to repair information

A modern car mixes steels, aluminium, adhesives and sensors, and its manufacturer decides how each part is joined, sectioned or replaced. Several UK rules now point to those methods:

• BS 10125:2022 no longer lets a repairer develop its own in-house methods. See our guide to BS 10125 and the Kitemark.
• The ABI's salvage code tells assessors judging whether a car can be repaired safely to always use the manufacturer's or recognised researched repair methods.
• Manufacturer warranties. The CMA says a warranty provider can refuse a claim caused by a repairer doing a repair incorrectly.
• Liability. The IMI says a repairer may be liable if an uncalibrated sensor makes a safety system malfunction.

We found no UK court judgment holding a bodyshop liable for departing from a manufacturer's method. That's no reason to relax: the standard, the insurers and the warranty rules all assume you follow one, and your records are how you show you did.

• The manufacturer's own repair information website. Type approval law requires manufacturers to give independent operators access to repair and maintenance information through websites, with fees that are reasonable and proportionate, by the hour, day, month or year.
• Thatcham's escribe portal has Thatcham's own methods, repair times, parts and ADAS fitment information. Manufacturers' methods need the escribe Plus subscription.
• Your estimating system. Audatex's AudaEnterpriseGold carries Thatcham integrated methods and manufacturers' repair tips. Our guide to Audatex and CAPS has more.

Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), such as automatic emergency braking and lane keeping, rely on cameras and radar aimed precisely. In its May 2019 position, Thatcham said that if a repair involves ADAS sensors or parts near them, the car must be calibrated afterwards to confirm the sensors work within the manufacturer's tolerances, unless the repair specification says otherwise. There are three kinds:

UK insurers set out their Insurance Industry Requirements (IIR) for the safe repair of ADAS-equipped vehicles, with guidance written by Thatcham. Insurers were expected to bring their repair networks into line by 31 March 2021. In every case the repairer must:

• Identify and record whether the vehicle has ADAS fitted.
• Make sure the repair procedure says whether inspection, realignment or calibration is needed, and why.
• Carry those steps out.
• Use a currently competent person for the calibration.
• Confirm the sensors work within the manufacturer's specification.
• Give the work provider verifiable, auditable records.

The guidance says BS 10125 applies to ADAS repair, and that repairers without the capability should subcontract to firms that meet the requirements. Thatcham's 2019 position lists what the records should hold, under clause 4.5 of BS 10125:

• The repairer and any subcontractor.
• The make, model, registration, VIN and mileage.
• The date.
• The technician, and their proof of competence.
• The equipment used.

Insurers check. Allianz, for example, asks repairers to send the subcontractor's invoice for ADAS resets with a supplementary estimate. For windscreens, Thatcham's ADAS Repair Group, with National Windscreens, Autoglass and Nationwide Crash Repair Centres, published a voluntary ADAS Glazing Code of Practice in 2016.

A currently competent person, in the insurers' guidance, is someone holding a current competency-based ADAS calibration assessment from a manufacturer or a registered awarding body. For most independent bodyshops that means the IMI:

• The IMI launched its ADAS accreditation in November 2018, developed with Thatcham, Belron, Nationwide Accident Repair Services and others. It's for technicians who already have diagnostic experience.
• One training provider sells the three-yearly recertification for the IMI ADAS calibration certificate (AOM230) from £325, and links it to staying compliant at BS 10125 audits.
• The IMI's occupational standard for recalibrating ADAS sensors (IMIVA02a, March 2025) expects technicians to know the legal requirements for dynamic calibration on public roads, and the risks of handing back an uncalibrated car.
• Thatcham launched an IMI-accredited ADAS calibration course in October 2019.

ADAS is also its own capability code, C11, on a BS 10125 certificate. Whether to calibrate in-house or subcontract comes down to your volume, your space and your people. The requirements are the same either way: the record, the competent person and the proof go with the job.

We found no authoritative UK figure, from Thatcham, the ABI or any insurer, for how many repairs need a calibration or what one costs on average. The best UK data point we have is from one glass company:

That's five years old and covers glass only. You'll also see US figures quoted, some from large US data firms. They reflect US labour rates and a different vehicle mix, so don't use them to price UK work. Price calibration from your own costs, or from your subcontractor's invoice, and put it on the quote as its own line.

Your access to repair information is protected by competition law and type approval law. The Motor Vehicle Agreements Block Exemption Order 2023 (SI 2023/586) applies across the UK from 1 June 2023 until the end of 31 May 2029. Under article 6, a manufacturer's agreement loses its exemption if it restricts an independent repairer's access to the information, tools or training the manufacturer uses or gives its own network, unless access is given in a way that doesn't put the independent at a disadvantage.

The CMA's guidance on the order spells out what fair access looks like:

Type approval law adds a direct duty. Article 61 of Regulation (EU) 2018/858, which still applies in Great Britain, requires manufacturers to give independent operators unrestricted, standardised access through websites to diagnostic and repair information, tools and software, and a secure remote facility for work on the security system. Under the Road Vehicles (Approval) Regulations 2020, anyone who suffers a loss because a manufacturer breaks that duty can sue it, subject to a due diligence defence.

Some jobs touch the car's security system, such as programming keys. Access to that information runs through SERMI, an approval scheme for independent repairers. In January 2026 the Independent Garage Association announced UK approval for SERMI, run by its subsidiary RMI Standards and Certification, and it went live on 1 April 2026, with Digidentity issuing the credentials. Trade press reported 22 brands signed up, including Jaguar, Land Rover, Ford and Peugeot, and DBS checks as part of approval; we couldn't confirm either.

Manufacturers run their own approved bodyshop networks. Jaguar's UK Authorised Bodyshops are a typical example. Its page lists certified technicians using approved equipment and methods, regular repair quality audits, full structural aluminium and mixed-material capability, genuine parts with a 24-month warranty and approved paint, a repair guarantee certificate only available through the network, and a Total Loss Avoidance scheme for repairs close to the write-off line.

The CMA's guidance says access to an authorised repair network should generally stay open to any firm that meets defined, proportionate quality criteria, and capping the number of repairers is likely to be prohibited. BSI says manufacturers accept the BS 10125 Kitemark, which is often a starting point.

Cars with more sensors cost more to repair and need people trained to repair them. For a small bodyshop the practical response is the same as everything above: follow the method, check for ADAS on every job, calibrate or subcontract with a competent person, and keep the record with the job.