Structural Sectioning Procedures: Toyota/Lexus

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Structural Sectioning Procedures: Toyota/Lexus

Ask I-CAR receives many technical inquiries referring to sectioning. The collision repair industry wants to know where can you section, does the OEM have a sectioning procedure, and where can I find the sectioning procedure? Most OEMs allow sectioning to outer body panels and the front and rear rails. Sectioning reinforcements is not as common, as most reinforcements are replaced at factory seams.

Parts are made from various materials including HSS, UHSS, aluminum, and carbon fiber. These parts also have complex designs to collapse or transfer collision forces in a specific manner. Introducing a sectioning joint to many of these parts will alter how the part reacts to those collision forces. For this reason, sectioning a part is only allowed if supported by vehicle maker repair information. Let’s see what Toyota/Lexus says about structural sectioning.

Vehicle-specific Toyota/Lexus repair manuals do offer procedures for sectioning of various parts. Failure to follow OEM procedures will sacrifice the safety and quality of the repair. It is crucial to read through the "Introduction" section of the body repair manual. This section includes sub-categories for:

"About This Vehicle" – provides the structural outline of the vehicle which includes identifying the MPa.
"How To Use This Manual" - describes what the various symbols within the repair procedure means, such as cut lines and locations.
"When Removing, Installing, Repairing or Replacing Parts" – includes the battery disconnect and reconnect procedure.
"Work Notices and Precautions" - includes repairing body structure parts, welding, SRS airbag system, and other precautions.

Toyota/Lexus has two Collision Repair Information Bulletins (CRIBs) pertaining to structural sectioning that you should be aware of:

CRIB#155 – Body & Frame Component Sectioning which states, “Frame Sectioning is considered partial replacement of a frame rail or component, which is not an approved repair procedure on Toyota and Lexus full frame vehicles.”
CRIB#176 – Approved Collision Repair Methods provides an overview of approved and non-approved repair methods. This also includes the type of sectioning joint to be used.

For additional Toyota/Lexus information, check out the following pages:
Toyota OEM Information
Lexus OEM Information

Additional I-CAR Collision Repair News you may find helpful:
Collision Information Website Access: Toyota/Lexus/Scion
How to Find Toyota/Lexus CRIBs
Step-By-Step: Accessing Toyota, Lexus, And Scion Repair Information

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