FAQ: What tools and equipment do I need to repair the new Ford F-150?

ANSWER: There are a wide variety of options available and you need to asses what will work for your shop.

Recently, I-CAR CEO & President, John Van Alstyne, caught up with John McElroy on Autoline to discuss vehicle light weighting and the "Technical Tsunami" that is happening in automotive industry. The entire episode can be seen on I-CAR's YouTube channel.

Here are a few excerpts from that interview.

In previous I-CAR Collision Repair News articles, we announced the availability of comprehensive collision repair information from Kia.

This is a question that is often asked and it is sometimes difficult to find the answer unless you know where to look. The answer on Fiat, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Alfa Romeo vehicles is "yes" but it depends on a few factors. The biggest limitation is that, the repair has to be on the main harness side, not a pigtail. The pigtails are wires that come directly out of a part like an airbag module, a clock spring, or a seat belt pretensioner.

We've added the Service Bulletin from Nissan North America that addresses caring for and repairing matte paint finish.

Recently, a collision repair professional called to Ask I-CAR, "How is aluminum dust disposed of after it has been collected in a sparkless motor vacuum?"

Ever hear about the Database Enhancement Gateway (DEG)? If you haven’t, it’s a great resource. Let’s face it, sometimes an estimating system doesn't have everything in its database that is needed to write a complete damage report. Sometimes the process to replace a part is not clear; other times it may be simple human error or a computer glitch.

Once people get used to calling something one thing, it's difficult to change it. To be technically accurate, whether it's MIG or MAG depends on the shielding gas.

When GMA (MIG) welding started its rise, it was often referred to simply as MIG welding. While this term is widely known, it's not technically accurate. MIG stands for "Metal Inert Gas" and is accurate when making welds using an inert shielding gas, such as 100% argon when welding aluminum. However, for most collision repairs on steel parts, we use a shielding gas that is 75% argon, 25% carbon dioxide (often called 75/25, or C-25). Because carbon dioxide is an active gas, the correct term would be metal active gas (MAG) welding.

With the release of the updated I-CAR Stationary Glass (GLA02e) course, I-CAR is recognizing minimum driveaway time for urethane adhesive. This is a time specification that the glass industry has agreed on when a vehicle that has had a stationary glass replacement can be released to the customer. It is when the adhesive has achieved enough strength to pass Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) 212, windshield retention, and 208, occupant protection.

When it comes to repair information, vehicle makers use a wide variety of terminology for replacement parts. All of the different names can be confusing, especially when repairing a variety of vehicle makes and models.

Project updates documentation provided by automotive refinish coatings manufacturers

by Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS)

Prosser, Washington, September 25, 2014 - The collision repair industry benefits from accessibility to clear and concise documentation regarding processes and procedures that are necessary to produce warrantable repairs. In July, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) issued a request to automotive refinish coatings manufacturers with an intent to update documentation on the issue of mid-panel clearcoat blending. Previous correspondence collected 10 years prior had demonstrated a consistent requirement for clearcoat application to extend across an entire panel, to the nearest breakpoint, in order for the repairs to be covered under refinish manufacturer warranties.

For your convenience, we've provided you with a few different options for navigating the I-CAR Repairability Technical Support Portal at rts.i-car.com.

When you are on the rts.i-car.com home page, you can click on any of the rectangular pictures, or buttons, that are in the center of the page.

Kia Motors now has sectioning procedures available for the 2015 Sedona. This information has also been updated on the I-CAR developed OEM Partial Parts Replacement Search. The body repair manuals for Kia are available on Kia's free website at: www.kiatechinfo.com

Repair or Replace? – Material Tensile Strength Key to Repairability

Jason Bartanen, I-CAR Director, Industry Technical Relations

The world of steels continues to evolve at a rapid pace and repair professionals need to keep up. In order to perform complete, safe, and quality repairs, it’s imperative to identify the type of material we’re working with, to know what is repairable, and know which options we have for part replacement when straightening is not an option.

Strategy Based Diagnostics in Collision Repair

Strategy Based Diagnostics is an automotive best practice routine that was initially published by GM after studying and observing successful technicians in the field who consistently meet or exceed productivity standards with the lowest levels of “re-checks” or “comebacks.” Since GM published this best practice, Strategy Based Diagnostics has been adopted by most in the automotive repair field.