Straightening And Heat: Volkswagen

Details Posted on 17 July 2024 | Share:

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A question often asked of the Repairability Technical Support (RTS) team is, "Can heat be used to straighten?" Several OEMs provide steel repairability matrices that provide heating times and temperature limits based on the type of metal being repaired, while other OEMs have restrictions on using heat at all. Let's see what Volkswagen has to say.

Volkswagen has a General Information Body Repair, Body Collision Repair manual which is found on the service site. Volkswagen does not provide specific heat guidelines for all material types. Volkswagen does give specific operations in which heat is allowed.

Found in Important Notes For High-Strength And Ultra-High-Strength Steel Volkswagen states: "For safety reasons, high-strength body panels must not be heated when reforming as with normal body panels!"

Volkswagen states in the Dent Removal Procedures, Aluminum Panel area:

• "If the material stretches, this can be corrected by applying heat and retracting."
• "Do not exceed the maximum heat of 150°C (302°F) during retraction; otherwise, the component may become damaged."
• "Replace the part if a tear forms when removing dents."
• "No tempering colors can be recognized when heating aluminum. Therefore, the temperature must be determined using thermo-strips."

Straightening Procedures On Vehicle Structures Volkswagen states: “Body and floor assembly in series production are produced predominantly from cold-formed deep-drawing sheet metal. For this reason, reshaping accident damage should be carried out in the same way.”

To summarize, Volkswagen approves the use of heat for repairs during dent removal on aluminum panels with the aid of thermo-strips only. Mild steel panels (normal steel panel < 160 MPa) material strength and corrosion resistance are negatively affected if a panel is heated.

As you can see, there are specific use of heat guidelines that need to be followed to maintain structural integrity. Using heat during a repair when it is not permitted, can compromise the vehicle structure and passenger safety. Always follow OEM procedures and recommendations when it comes to using heat for repairs to ensure a complete, safe, and quality repair.

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

Additional I-CAR Collision Repair News you may find helpful:

• Body Construction And Material Repair Guidelines: Volkswagen
• Collision Information Website Access: Volkswagen
• Step-By-Step: Accessing Volkswagen Repair Information
• Straightening And Heat

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