When Should You Choose Brand-Specific Collision Repair?

More than in the past, the drive towards lighter weights and fuel efficiencies has resulted in manufacturers resorting to materials that aren't as malleable or easily repairable as good old-fashioned steel. Over the past decade, aluminum alloys have seen increasing use in automobiles as a high-strength, lightweight and recyclable material. In fact, when you look at the 2013 Mercedes SL, for example, you would not think that it makes extensive use of recycled and high-strength aluminum. The result has been better performance and high fuel economy, despite the smaller engine options.

Before CAFE regulations even existed, aluminum to some extent had been used in automotive manufacturing, being found in bumpers, hoods, deck lids and engine components, notably intake manifolds and cylinder heads. Early on, engineers found that aluminum parts could yield as much as 40 to 50 percent weight savings. As a load bearing component, they found early use in wheels, which today is a billion-dollar industry. Today's aluminum-intensive vehicles, such as the new Mercedes SL, use aluminum for structural components, and this is where the difficulty lies for a lot of collision repair shops.

Because aluminum doesn't react like steel when attempts are made to straighten, heat or weld it, special techniques and equipment need to be used when a vehicle with an aluminum structure is brought to a collision repair shop. It doesn't help that the different aluminum alloys used in a car use different strengthening treatments. The wrong temperature can cause the aluminum to become brittle and the vehicle will then lose its structural integrity. While MIG welding is an accepted method for some aspects of aluminum repair, many car makers have advised collision repair shops to use a combination of rivets and structural adhesives when repairing aluminum structures in cars.

Increasingly, some car manufacturers insist on certifying collision repair shops who set themselves up as repair shops for particular brands. Although this has become a cause for some repair shops to be cut off from specific car brands or models, it is, in the end, for the benefit of the car owner who has to be assured that his new car can be repaired to factory standards. In order to ensure that this practice does not result in cartel-like practices, manufacturers should be compelled to disseminate repair information freely. In a few years, high-end manufacturers like BMW will begin manufacturing cars made from carbon fiber structures. Although carbon fiber has proven to be stronger than steel, it will compel collision repair shops to study new repair techniques. The many changes in the ways the automotive industry makes cars impacts the repair industry directly. It is up to the owners and managers of these shops to ensure that they are up to date with their techniques and information, so that their business remains viable well into the future.