As a collision repair technician, there is one part of a service manual that houses all of the information you would ever need…right? This is not the case with modern vehicles. You may be required to look in numerous manuals to find the information required to safely repair the vehicle.

This year at SEMA, I-CAR will be hosting demonstrations and panel discussions that are free to all SEMA attendees. The demonstrations and discussions will take place Tuesday through Friday at the SEMA Collision Repair and Refinish Stage, booth number 64200, at the Westgate South Garden Patio of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

As a collision repair technician, there is one part of a service manual that houses all of the information you would ever need…right? This is not the case with modern vehicles. You may be required to look in numerous manuals to find the information required to safely repair the vehicle.

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) is now common on many vehicles. Toyota/Lexus are making certain ADAS standard on their entire lineup. So, what does that mean for collision repairers? A recent article in an issue of Toyota Collision Pros magazine covers some of this information.

According to gmrepairinsights.com, there are rules that must be followed when using impact resistant (I.R.) structural adhesives. Per Bob Hiser, GM Lead Service Engineer, “The glue doesn’t tell you what it is or how to fix it.” This means that being trained and following the OEM repair instructions are crucial to a proper repair.

The 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe is bringing a new feature in child safety, called safe exit assist, which is standard on all trim levels. This concept expands on the traditional child safety lock which prevents passengers in the rear of the vehicle from opening doors and windows. To compliment this feature, safe exit assist can help avoid catastrophe by preventing a child from opening the door when the vehicle is parked, and traffic is approaching from the rear.

As the number of aluminum-intensive vehicles and mixed-material vehicles continues to rise, the need to incorporate riveting and rivet bonding into the repair process also increases. Self-piercing rivets (SPRs) and blind rivets are being called for in a number of collision repair procedures, including some steel vehicle repairs.

One of the top technical inquiries received at Ask I-CAR is, “Is there a sectioning or partial replacement procedure available?” To help answer this question, RTS has an OEM Partial Part Replacement Search available. Here you will find information on if these procedures are available on a specific vehicle. Let’s take a closer look at the 2018 Honda Fit.

Sometimes going back to basics can make the difference between a quality repair and a failed repair. When it comes to reading repair procedures, there are some common mistakes that are easily avoidable and can have a huge effect on the durability of the repair.

As a collision repair technician, there is one part of a service manual that houses all of the information you would ever need…right? This is not the case with modern vehicles. You may be required to look in numerous manuals to find the information required to safely repair the vehicle.

Recently, a repair facility had a question on pedestrian protection bracket repairability. A pedestrian protection bracket tends to be used for mounting fenders to the upper rail. The bracket is designed to be collapsible in the event that a pedestrian gets hit by the vehicle and lands on the hood/fenders. The bracket will collapse, which will dampen the blown to the pedestrian. I-CAR Repairability Technical Support (RTS) reached out to Honda for clarification.

Sometimes going back-to-basics can make the difference between a quality repair and a failed repair. When it comes to reading the body repair manual, there are some common mistakes that are easily avoidable and can have a huge effect on the durability of the repair.

A great majority of collisions can cause some type of suspension damage, which means a wheel alignment will be necessary. The list of additional steps after a wheel alignment keeps growing with the addition of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). These systems need to know what direction the vehicle is travelling down the road in order to accurately make safety corrections and predictions. However, there are still questions on what is required when ADAS and wheel alignments are concerned.

As a collision repair technician, there is one part of a service manual that houses all of the information you would ever need…right? This is not the case with modern vehicles. You may be required to look in numerous manuals to find the information required to safely repair the vehicle.

One of the top technical inquiries received at Ask I-CAR is “Is there a sectioning or partial replacement procedure available?” To help answer this question, RTS has an OEM Partial Part Replacement Search available. Here you will find information on if these procedures are available on a specific vehicle. Let’s take a closer look at the 2018 GMC Acadia.