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Collision Repair News

Your job requires that you keep on top of the latest in vehicle, tool, and equipment technology – I-CAR is committed to helping you do so in one convenient place. We regularly publish new articles highlighting the latest and greatest collision repair information.

So check back often and follow us on Twitter @Ask_ICAR to ensure you’re equipped with the most up-to-date collision repair technical information available in the industry.



Body Construction And Material Repair Guidelines: Volkswagen

What is the MPa of the front lower rail? What is the outer uniside made of: steel, aluminum, or composite? Can heat be used to straighten or is it cold straightening only? What are the repair limitations? These are just some of the questions that the RTS team fields on a daily basis.

As we know, today’s vehicles can be constructed from a wide variety of materials. Knowing if the OEM provides information on body construction materials and repair guidelines is a crucial step in providing a complete, safe, and quality repair. Let’s see what Volkswagen has to say.

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Understanding The 360° Camera View System

A key part of being able to diagnose a problem with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) is understanding how the system works. Knowing what is happening inside the system will help you properly diagnose why the system may be failing. This will prevent replacing parts that are not causing the system issue. Let’s take a look at the inner workings of a 360° camera view system.

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Corrosion Protection Guidelines: Mazda

A key factor in collision repair is making long-lasting repairs. When a vehicle is repaired, many areas of corrosion protection are disturbed. This creates corrosion hot spots that left untreated will lead to corrosion and potentially a repair failure. However, there are certain precautions that can be taken to safely and properly restore the corrosion protection throughout the repair process. OEMs often give specifications on restoring corrosion protection. These specifications generally include seam sealer, adhesives, foam fillers, and cavity waxes. Let’s take a look at what Mazda says.

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Additional Calibration Requirements: Volvo

The addition of the OEM Calibration Requirements Search to the RTS portal was a big step for the collision industry. While this new feature has been well received, there has been some confusion about what is included in the search tool. The OEM Calibration Requirements Search is designed to provide information on the calibration requirements that are needed for vehicles equipped with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). This includes systems such as adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, and collision braking.

It does not include occupant classification systems (OCS), steering angle sensors, battery disconnects, or other calibrations/initializations required, when not related directly to ADAS. Let’s take a look at what additional items may require calibrations/initializations on Volvo vehicles.


There are various systems that require a calibration or initialization after removal, replacement, or when the battery is disconnected. The additional calibrations are found in vehicle-specific repair manuals. Some items that require calibration include the:

  • occupant classification system.
  • battery replacement.
  • sunroof.
  • sunshade.
  • suspension position sensor.
  • compass.

There are many more systems that may need to be calibrated after removal or a collision. Make sure to check the repair manual to know what systems may be affected by the repairs that you are performing to help ensure a complete, safe, and quality repair.

For additional Volvo information, check out the Volvo OEM Information page.

Additional I-CAR Collision Repair News you may find helpful:


Related I-CAR Courses


Understanding The Collision Warning And Braking System

A key part of being able to diagnose a problem with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) is understanding how the system works. Knowing what is happening inside the system will help you properly diagnose why the system may be failing. This will prevent replacing parts that are not causing the system issue. Let’s take a look at the inner workings of a collision warning and collision braking system.

Continue Reading...


Body Construction And Material Repair Guidelines: Subaru

What is the MPa of the front lower rail? What is the outer uniside made of: steel, aluminum, or composite? Can heat be used to straighten or is it cold straightening only? What are the repair limitations? These are just some of the questions that the RTS team fields on a daily basis.

As we know, today’s vehicles can be constructed from a wide variety of materials. Knowing if the OEM provides information on body construction materials and repair guidelines is a crucial step in providing a complete, safe, and quality repair. Let’s see what Subaru has to say.

Continue Reading...


OEM Linking Pin: Ford F-150 Factory Installed Running Boards

Many of the 2015-2020 Ford F-150s come with factory installed running boards. If you have had to replace the inner rocker panel lately, you may have noticed that the replacement inner rocker panel was missing hardware to install the running board after replacement. So, we reached out to our contacts at Ford to find the answer to this problem.

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Understanding The Adaptive Cruise Control System

A key part of being able to diagnose a problem with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) is understanding how the system works. Knowing what is happening inside the system will help you properly diagnose why the system may be failing. This will prevent replacing parts that are not causing the system issue. Let’s take a look at the inner workings of an adaptive cruise control system (ACC).

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MIG Brazing Basics

ABRN published an article today titled, "MIG Brazing Basics," authored by Jason Bartanen, Director of Industry Technical Relations at I-CAR. Let’s take a look at this article.

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Factory Built vs. Repair Procedure

When a vehicle is produced at the factory, speed of production is a major factor for the OEM. This means that a lot of time and money is invested into machines that can produce a quality product in a short amount of time. However, the collision repair industry does not often have access to the same technology used on the factory floor. The OEMs recognize that a method used at the factory will not always be possible during repair. Also, some vehicles have global platforms and the OEMs know that certain products may not be available in all areas of the world. By taking this into account, OEMs create repair procedures to fit the collision repair industry while maintaining the safety and quality that the vehicle had from the factory. So when looking at a repair procedure, the procedure may specify to use a material that was not originally used on the vehicle during assembly. Let’s take a closer look at some of the differences.

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Body Construction And Material Repair Guidelines: Mazda

What is the MPa of the front lower rail? What is the outer uniside made of: steel, aluminum, or composite? Can heat be used to straighten or is it cold straightening only? What are the repair limitations? These are just some of the questions that the RTS team fields on a daily basis.

As we know, today’s vehicles can be constructed from a wide variety of materials. Knowing if the OEM provides information on body construction materials and repair guidelines is a crucial step in providing a complete, safe, and quality repair. Let’s see what Mazda has to say.

Continue Reading...




Corrosion Protection Guidelines: Kia

A key factor in collision repair is making long-lasting repairs. When a vehicle is repaired, many areas of corrosion protection are disturbed. This creates corrosion hot spots that left untreated will lead to corrosion and potentially a repair failure. However, there are certain precautions that can be taken to safely and properly restore the corrosion protection throughout the repair process. OEMs often give specifications on restoring corrosion protection. These specifications generally include seam sealer, adhesives, foam fillers, and cavity waxes. Let’s take a look at what Kia says.

Continue Reading...


Body Construction And Material Repair Guidelines: Toyota/Lexus

What is the MPa of the front lower rail? What is the outer uniside made of: steel, aluminum, or composite? Can heat be used to straighten or is it cold straightening only? What are the repair limitations? These are just some of the questions that the RTS team fields on a daily basis.

As we know, today’s vehicles can be constructed from a wide variety of materials. Knowing if the OEM provides information on body construction materials and repair guidelines is a crucial step in providing a complete, safe, and quality repair. Let’s see what Toyota/Lexus has to say.

Continue Reading...