Have wondered how new cars are being repaired in body shops? After watching this video, you will learn some of the new repair methods being used so you will know what goes on behind the auto body shop doors.
Car are being made much different than they used to to meet the demands on the consumer and the MPG regulations. Now, the auto makers must meet the average 54 MPG regulation to sell cars in the US. So with all of these changes means new repair methods.
When I attended training at the SEMA show last year, the focus was the use of aluminum on vehicles and the challenges shops were facing when repairing aluminum. I thought I would hear more about this, this year, but very little was said this year about aluminum. The theme I heard throughout the classes I attended were the different types of steels and the importance of properly identifying the steels.
This class focused on some of the new trends and steels used on vehicle. Below are a few of the topics discussed?
Rivet Bonding – Rivet bonding is nothing new, but it sound like it is being more recommended from the manufactures. This is the process of using a panel bond adhesive and then using rivet to hold panel on. This eliminates the use of a welder and the possibility of overheating the metal.
Fusion Welding Aluminum to Steel – You may be thinking, but aluminum can’t be fusion welded to steel. You’re right, for shops. However, the car manufacture figured out how to do this. Of course when the vehicle is involved in an accident, we’re not going to be able to reproduce that type of repair. We are going to have to look at the car manufacturer’s recommendations to determine how to repair the vehicle. It may be rivet bonding as we mentioned above, or who know, they may have a totally different repair method.
They said that there are currently around 20 million OEM pages of recommendations and that numbers is expected to triple over the next six months. (someone is busy) So if you are not finding the correct repair procedures for new cars, you may be in for a surprise when trying to repair it.
Weld Locations – I have always been taught to replace the number of spot welds with the same number of spot welds from the factory. However, I learned at the class that this is even changing. For instance, he gave an example of a car that had 22 spot welds from the factory. However, the procedure required 23 spot welds when repaired. I am not sure why they want one more weld when repaired, but that is what is recommended.
Painting Sensors – I already knew about this, but I will pass it along to you if you. Any painted sensors should not be painted too thick. There is a recommendation for the mill thickness. If too much painted is sprayed on top of the sensors, then it may not operate properly.
Tire Pressure Monitor – All cars made after 2005 are required to have sensors to monitor the air pressure in a tire. There are recommendations of how to reset it if the tired had to be removed. Some of them are very simple: put the tire and wheel back on and drive it; some may use the remote, and many other simple ways. However, if you do not have the procedures, you are not going to know how. This will result in having to take it to the dealer, which reduces cycle time.
This is a quick summary of this class and highlighted a few of the topics discussed. It all boils down to having the manufacture procedures to review when making the repairs. This will assure the repairs are properly performed.
Now you know a few of the new repair methods that auto body shops are having to perform on your car while behind the shop doors.
Question:
1. What Do You Consider To Be The Biggest Changes in Cars Over The Past Five Years?
2. What Will Cars Look Like In 10 Years?
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.