Welding is a crucial skill in collision repair. The welding equipment and techniques are dynamic – keeping pace with vehicle technology advancement. I-CAR's Repairability Technical Support (RTS) team continues to be on the leading edge of research and education. Our goal is to help the industry by sharing critical and relevant technical information. A great way to do this is through Collision Repair News articles.

I-CAR had a discussion on the importance of OEM glass replacement.

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.

FCA/Stellantis has updated the position statement that provides the requirements for the use of heat when straightening.

The Energy Security Agency (ESA) offers Risk Analysis services of hybrid and electric vehicles for first responders, towing and recovery professionals, and collision repair facilities. Let’s go into what is offered, when, and how to use this service.

Vehicle makers may group their body repair manuals (BRM) in several different ways. Sometimes the BRMs are grouped by a year range, some are listed as VIN specific, and others are arranged by a body code. Let’s take a look at General Motors (GM) to see how they group their BRMs.

While many have noticed that advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are showing up on vehicles, there still is confusion on what is required of these systems after a collision occurs. The Ask I-CAR team frequently gets questions in regard to calibration of ADAS. Many of these questions can be answered simply by searching the OEM Calibration Requirements Search. However, there are some questions that may need more details than the calibration search provides. Let’s take a look at the 2021 Ford F-150 ADAS.

Repair Driven News (RDN) released an article highlighting a collision repair facility’s experience after a devasting hailstorm.

What is a one-time-use part, and how do you determine if a fastener, clip, or part can be reused? These are questions that we are confronted with in the collision industry quite a lot. The other big question is "Where do I find this information?"

The question is often asked, "Can supplemental restraints system wiring be repaired?" The answer is: it depends on the vehicle maker. Let's take a look at Tesla's position on this subject.

I-CAR has developed a course that provides an overview of several features on the 2022 RAM ProMaster, as well as repairability.

When researching procedures for disabling a high-voltage (HV) vehicle, you may notice that many of the procedures require the use of specific tools. Some of them are OEM-specific tools or scan tools. Often identifying and locating where to purchase these specific tools can be difficult.

When repairing or replacing some Toyota or Lexus bumpers you may notice tape stripes with wavy silver lines. Do you need to replace this strip and what is its purpose?

Are you looking for OEM emergency response guides (ERGs)? The Repairability Technical Support (RTS) team has located these guides and either houses them on the RTS website, provides links to webpages that house them, or provides articles with instructions on how to locate them.

Repairer Driven News (RDN) released an article highlighting car seat safety and why a collision center may want to get involved.