The OEM Standard and You: What Are You Prepared For?

For the past three to four years, the concept of formal industry-based repair standards has been a hot topic for many. We have written two articles on this subject, and to sum it up in a few words, we believe that the concept is ridiculous. Why? By and large, the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) provide repair standards for their vehicles. The work has already been done by the people who made the vehicle you are trying to repair.

We have also written articles about the definitions and meaning of words including, but not limited to: Endorse, evidence, guide, manual, opinion, procedure, prohibited, proof, recommendation, requirement, standard and suggestion. We have also explained that, in our experience, an OEM procedure trumps an industry-based procedure or practice. In a court of law, the judge only wants to know what the OEM says, PERIOD! Now, if you have read our articles, you already know that some OEMs do not produce standards. These include Hyundai and Kia, who do not publish collision repair information in the USA. Maybe a discussion about repair standards for these OEs may be necessary, but all the other OEMs do provide collision repair information. Although we believe there is a place for the development of repair standards for the OEMs, this article is about some of the changes in the repair procedures from the OEMs that have set standards.

Aluminum Construction

We have written a couple of articles about vehicle design and construction, but we predicted back in 2004 that the all-new 2004 BMW E60/E61 (5/6 Series) would be the future of automobile design. We made this prediction based on rumors about aluminum-intensive vehicles such as the Acura NSX, Audi A8, Honda Insight and Jaguar XJ in 2004. Well, skip forward 10 years, and the Audi A8 and Jaguar XJ are still aluminum-intensive vehicles, but OEMs have added the Audi R8, Jaguar XK, Land Rover Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz SLS (197), Tesla and almost every high-end exotic super car to the list of aluminum intensive construction. Conversely, over the past 10 years, the OEMs have produced aluminum-steel vehicles, commonly referred to as hybrid-construction vehicles. These vehicles included, but were not limited to: Audi TT, Mercedes-Benz CL (216) and S (221 and 222), Porsche 911 (991) and Panamera (970). Most late-model Audis, BMWs and even the Cadillac ATS have steel construction with aluminum strut towers. Rumor has it that Ford's all new F-150 will have an aluminum-intensive body. Repairs to aluminum-intensive vehicles require a lot of investment, training, specific welding certifications (generally to an ISO standard), specific tools, riveting and structural repair equipment and specific materials. Some programs have parts restrictions and (of course) dealer sponsorship is generally required. Even the aluminum strut tower vehicles require specific adhesives, rivets and tools for replacement of the tower. Repairs to these vehicles are not for every repair facility to attempt.

Welding Equipment and Requirements

We mentioned aluminum vehicles and welding in the previous section. There are specific Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welders required to weld aluminum-intensive vehicles. What about welding steel vehicles? Most OEMs prefer Squeeze Type Resistance Spot Welds (STRSW) to Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW)/Metal Active Gas (MAG) Welding when welding on flanges. Many OEMs require STRSW only; others have requirements for rivets where the STRSW arms cannot access both sides of the weld area. More recently, OEMs are now requiring the use of Silicone Bronze/MIG Brazing to sectioning joints, either open butt or lap on fillet welds, on outer body panels and some very select inner structural reinforcement panels. OEs like VW, Mercedes-Benz, Honda and Toyota have repair procedures that require silicone-bronze. Only a few OEM Collision Repair Programs require a specific MIG Brazing welder, while most give suggestions of which machine to purchase. The cost of a Program Aluminum MIG welder can exceed $15,000. STRSW machines generally run $20,000 or better for an approved one, but MIG Brazing machines are generally inexpensive and should run $500 to $1,000. MAG, MIG and silicone bronze welding all require different techniques and lots of practice. Of course, attending a training course is essential. Many technicians are surprised when they are tested during training and their welds fail. This is generally due to their technique, body position, eye sight, welding mask, incorrect training and/or a combination of theses.

Structural Repair Equipment

We have written numerous articles on structural repair techniques, anchoring and equipment, but there have been some changes. The three most approved structural repair equipment makers are Celette, Car-O-Liner and CarBench (the forth is Global Jig and the fifth is Spanesi). These types of equipment are bench-type systems that use specific fixture jigs (Celette) or universal jigs (the others) to anchor the vehicle to the bench by affixing the anchors to mounting locations and not to the rocker panel flanges. At one time, these types of structural repair equipment were pretty much for the Germans and exotics. Well, this is not the case anymore. Chrysler now requires six- to eight-point anchoring on some of their vehicles. Chrysler has stated that this is required due to the rocker panel design and that they cannot support the applied forces.

Electronics

With all the creature comforts and automatic safety features built into today's vehicles, it is amazing that there are not more problems with their operation. Collision repairers must understand two important things about today's electronically advanced vehicles.

1. Most vehicles will not set a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) for every single fault. In many cases, there can be multiple Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) with no MILs present. This is why it is imperative that repair facilities purchase code readers to know what may be wrong with a vehicle system.

2. Most collision-damaged vehicles will need a trip to the dealer for a multitude of reasons. Most dealers will have the equipment not only to reset systems, but also to initialize certain systems. There are scan tools available, such as the ASTech tool, that directly link over the internet to an OEM scan tool for a cost. It's worth it to check out these options available to an independent facility, so as to try and alleviate that trip to the dealer.

Some OEMs require the parking sensors to be re-aimed if the fascia was removed from the vehicle. Most OEMs will require the Passenger Seat Weight Sensor be re-weighed after any collision event. Back-up cameras really assist with backing and parking procedures, but some OEMs require the cameras to be re-aimed at the dealer due to the steering angle assembly. There are multiple OEMs with electronic assist steering systems that require specialized wheel alignments, and most of these vehicles are equipped with a ride height control system, which requires setting the alignment at multiple heights. Lane departure systems are equipped in a variety of vehicles, from the economy type all the way up to the luxury sedans to exotics, and this system may work with the parking assist system or have its own radar/sensor that requires adjustment and setting after a collision event.

The Future is Now?

As we mentioned above, the all-new Ford F-150 will be released with multiple aluminum panels. We predict that in the next two to three years, more and more high-volume vehicles will be released with more lightweight substrates to combat the CAFÉ rules. BMW has already released the all-new i3, which is a carbon fiber monocoque structure. Lamborghini already produces a carbon fiber center tub, but we think there might be a slight price difference and production amount between these two vehicles.

Training, specialized equipment and investments will be required for all who want to stay in business. We see a lot of complaining and fighting going on in the industry today, and we understand the reasons, but what we don't see is a lot of training, equipment upgrades and investment in the facilities. We cannot tell you how many times we've been to a shop and said, "Wow, this shop is cool. This is the most advanced shop we have ever seen - if it was 1980. This is like stepping through a time machine. This place belongs in the Smithsonian Institute!" DON'T BE THAT SHOP!

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Larry Montanez, CDA is co-owner of P&L Consultants with Peter Pratti Jr. P&L Consultants works with collision repair shops on estimating, production and proper repair procedures. P&L conducts repair workshops on MIG & Resistance Welding, Measuring for Estimating and Advanced Estimating Skills. P&L also conducts investigations for insurers and repair shops for improper repairs, collision repairability and estimating issues. P&L can be reached by contacting Larry at (718) 891-4018 (office), (917) 860-3588 (cell), (718) 646-2733 (fax) or via email at info@PnLEstimology.com. The P&L website is www.PnLEstimology.com.

Jeff Lange, PE is president of Lange Technical Services, Ltd. of Deer Park, NY (www.LangeTech.net). Jeff is a Licensed New York State Professional Engineer who specializes in investigating vehicle and component failures. Lange Technical Services, Ltd. is an investigative engineering firm performing forensic vehicle examinations and analysis for accident reconstruction, products liability and insurance issues. Jeff can be reached at (631) 667-6128 or by email at Jeff.Lange@LangeTech.net.