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Body Construction and Material Repair Guidelines: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA)
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 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has to say.
FCA provides a construction material breakdown on various vehicle components. The information can be found in the majority of newer vehicle-specific body repair manuals under Standardized Steel Identification. Although the section title references steel, this section also provides repairability information on aluminum, magnesium, plastic, and composite materials.
When it comes to repairing vehicle components, FCA also has a Use of Heat To Straighten Damaged Components position statement that states “Any damaged body panel or frame component, which is to be repaired, must be repaired using the “cold straightening” method. No heat may be used during the straightening process.
During rough straightening prior to replacement, damaged panels or frame components may be heated to assist in body/frame realignment. This application of heat, if absolutely necessary, must be constrained to the parts which will be replaced and not allowed to affect any other components.”
Along with the position statement and repair information provided in the body repair manual, FCA also has a series of guides available on Plastic Repair, Sealer and Sound Deadener Repair, and Weld Bonding. Each of these guides are available on their free website.
Vehicle-specific body repair manuals and the above referenced guides can be found for free at www.moparrepairconnection.com. This is a free website, however you will need to sign up for a username and password. On this website you will also find additional technical documents and position statements. If you are unable to locate the body repair manual on the free site, the additional manuals are located on FCA's pay website at: www.techauthority.com.
For additional FCA information, check out the following pages:
Alfa Romeo OEM Information
Chrysler OEM Information
Dodge OEM Information
Fiat OEM Information
Jeep OEM Information
RAM OEM Information
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