That's The Way We've Always Done It - Not With Today's Vehicles

A career in collision repair is evolving. For instance, we have been years repairing vehicles the same way for years, but that is not going to work on modern day cars. There are too may variables with all of the different types of metals and composites used, all of the electrical, air bags, and many other things to consider before repairing a vehicle.

For instance, if you try to weld on a radiator support on some of the Ford pick-ups you may find the pick-up on fire as the radiator is made of magnesium. Many of the parts are made of ultra high strength or boron steel. It is not recommended to repair or heat these steels by many auto manufactures. Therefore, repairing a part made of ultra high strength steel may weaken the part, which could cause an unnecessary injury if involved in an accident.

Using universal methods or "that's the way we've always done it" is not going to work on modern day vehicles of today or the vehicles of tomorrow.

How Do You Know How To Repair Modern Day Cars

Well, it is hard to memorize all of the different parts on every make and model, so what you are going to need to do is find out what the auto manufacture recommends. You can do this with collision repair manuals or with online databases like AllData Collision Connect. They will have all of the information that you need to identify recommended procedures to perform the proper repair or replace method.

Here is a list of some of the materials used to make car parts:

Steel - Mild Steel, High Strength Steel, Ultra High Strength Steel, Boron
Other Metals - Aluminum, Magnesium
Composites - Carbon Fiber, Sheet Molded Compound
Plastics - Many Different Types

Each material has a specific repair or replace recommendation so it is easy to see that you will need to do a little homework before starting repairs.

by Donnie Smith

Donnie Smith has spent over 20 years in the collision repair industry and over 7 years as an collision repair instructor. He is author of the book Collision Blast Basic Auto Body and Paint Training and offers free training and tips on his website. To learn more about collision repair training and the career this training leads to, visit Collision Repair Training Or if you are interested in a career or looking for a job, visit Career In Collision Repair