Body Construction And Material Repair Guidelines: Kia

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 Kia has to say.

Kia provides a construction material breakdown on various vehicle components. The information is found in most newer vehicle-specific body repair manuals under: Body Repair ➤ Body Repair Manual ➤ Body Construction. Within Body Construction are typically two subcategories: Body Assembly and Hood/Fender/Door/Tail Gate. Kia includes color-coded illustrations that show the type of material used.

When it comes to material repair guidelines, Kia states that: “In most cases, ultra high strength (hot stamped) steel will not be deformed (bent/twisted) from external impact, and once it is deformed, it cannot be corrected. Therefore, in case of deformation in parts with ultra high strength (hot stamped) steel among vehicle components, it be must replaced as an assembly.” More on this can be found in: Body Repair Manual ➤ Ultra High Strength (Hot Stamped) Steel Repair Procedure.

For additional Kia information, check out the Kia OEM Information page.

Additional I-CAR Collision Repair News you may find helpful:
Collision Information Website Access: Kia
Step-By-Step: Accessing Kia Repair Information


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