Great Designs in Steel 2019

Posted on 02 May 2019

The RTS team will be at the 2019 Great Designs in Steel Conference! We will be covering presentations that are important to the industry.

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Powertrain Overview: Electric Vehicles

Posted on 30 April 2019

Since the creation of the first modern automobile nearly a century and a half ago, there has been one dominant engine option on the market, the gasoline internal combustion engine. Now the gasoline internal combustion engine has some challengers trying to steal the crown. There have been many different types of engines in the past but many of them relied solely on fossil fuels to operate.

Recently though, because of increasing fuel economy standards and emission awareness, a new breed of engines is emerging. Many of these rely on electricity to aid in powering the vehicle. With these new power plants comes a new set of rules and warnings on how to repair them. A lot of collision technicians have an idea about how some of the new powertrains work, but not a full understanding of what is going on under the hood. It is important to understand the inner workings of the engine in order to safely and properly diagnose and repair them after a collision. In this series, we’ll walk you through many of the current engine options and how they convert the fuel they’re consuming into usable power. Let’s explore the electric vehicle (EV) powertrain.

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I-CAR Collision Reporter - The Anniversary Issue

Posted on 29 April 2019

The eighth installment of the I-CAR Collision Reporter – The Anniversary Issue has been released. I-CAR is celebrating their 40th anniversary with a special expanded edition of Collision Reporter focused on the past, present and future of I-CAR and the collision repair industry.

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Fuel Economy Technology Systems: Turbochargers

Posted on 25 April 2019

Turbocharged engines are not a new technology. They have been around for many years to help create more power from engines. Turbochargers are still used to make large amounts of power, but the reason for the power is different for many vehicles. Many consumers want good fuel economy but are not willing to sacrifice acceleration or power. So, the options used to be to put a big engine in a vehicle to get a lot of power and bad fuel economy, or utilize a small engine and sacrifice power while getting great fuel economy.

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I-CAR 360: 2019 Ford Expedition/Lincoln Navigator Series Video Now Available

Posted on 24 April 2019

The I-CAR Repairability Technical Support (RTS) team recently developed a new I-CAR 360 video on the 2019 Ford/Lincoln Expedition/Navigator. The video provides a 360 tour around the aluminum bodied Expedition/Navigator.

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Audi Shares Repair Considerations For e-tron

Posted on 23 April 2019

Critical information for the 2019 Audi e-tron is now available through the RTS website. This information includes important guidelines for repairing the high-voltage vehicle. Here is what you can find within these documents from Audi:

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Back-To-Basics: Comparative Measuring

Posted on 22 April 2019

Sometimes going back-to-basics can make the difference between a quality repair and a failed repair. When it comes to comparative measuring, there are a few things to remember.

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OEM Linking Pin: 2015 Ford F-150 NVH Pads

Posted on 19 April 2019

As part of the I-CAR Repairability Technical Support (RTS) OEM linking pin activity, we are helping to connect the collision repair industry to the vehicle makers. Recently we had a technical inquiry that asked about NVH pad replacement on aluminum Ford F-Series pickups.

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Fuel Economy Technology Systems: Auto Start/Stop

Posted on 17 April 2019

Tightening regulations on fuel economy along with rising awareness about pollution have influenced vehicle design and function in recent years. However, most consumers are not willing to sacrifice comfort, vehicle size, or power, so auto makers needed to use different methods to boost fuel economy. For the most part, aerodynamics can be directly related to fuel efficiency. The smoother air flows over the vehicle, the less power is required to make the vehicle move, leading to higher fuel economy. Unfortunately, a vehicle that has excellent aerodynamics may not be a functional vehicle for everyday consumers. So, other measures needed to be taken. In this series we’ll break down some of the methods used to boost aerodynamics and fuel economy along with any special cautions on how to repair them. Let’s check out the vehicle start/stop function.

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General Motors: Spot-Weld Replacement

Posted on 16 April 2019

There is sometimes confusion on how many spot welds to use when replacing body components. Sometimes you replace what you removed, sometimes you use more or less than what was removed. It all depends on the particular vehicle you are repairing and what the manufacturer requires to be done. Luckily General Motors (GM) has a good way of identifying how many welds to use to install the new part.

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Nissan Tech News: March 2019

Posted on 15 April 2019

An article in Nissan Tech News highlights different repair methods and procedures used in repairing Nissan vehicles. Nissan Sectioning Repair Tips article discusses reasons why a certain part may not be able to be sectioned, different welding methods, and ways to research and understand the body repair manual. Some reasons sectioning may be prohibited are due to material usage like ultra-high-strength steel (UHSS), panel layering/construction, or if the damage is in a crumple zone.

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Sectioning and Partial Part Replacement: 2019 Audi A4 Allroad

Posted on 12 April 2019

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 2019 Audi A4 Allroad.

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Nissan Tech News Website Houses Valuable Information

Posted on 11 April 2019

Did you know Nissan has a website that houses lots of useful information for collision repair technicians? Conveniently, this website is free to sign up for and once logged in, you have to access a wide variety of information on Nissan vehicles.

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Toyota Collision Pros: Spring 2019

Posted on 10 April 2019

Toyota has launched their Spring 2019 edition of Collision Pros. Some highlights in this issue that you may want to check out are the important details regarding pre- and post-repair checklists, and Toyota Technical Information Systems (TIS).

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Powertrain Overview: Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)

Posted on 09 April 2019

Since the creation of the first modern automobile nearly a century and a half ago, there has been one dominant engine option on the market, the gasoline internal combustion engine. Now the gasoline internal combustion engine has some challengers trying to steal the crown. There have been many different types of engines in the past but many of them relied solely on fossil fuels to operate.

Recently because of increasing fuel economy standards and emission awareness, a new breed of engines is emerging, many relying on electricity to aid in powering the vehicle. With these new power plants comes a new set of rules and warnings on how to repair them. A lot of collision technicians have an idea about how some of the new powertrains work, but not a full understanding of what is going on under the hood. It is important to understand the inner workings of the engine in order to safely and properly diagnose and repair them after a collision. In this series, we’ll walk you through many of the current engine options and how they convert the fuel they’re consuming into usable power. Let’s explore the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) powertrain.

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