HANDLING MATERIALS
While so much of the development of modern vehicles is software-related, the changing nature of the hardware involved can sometimes be overlooked.
It’s been decades since cars were made predominantly of steel, and these days repairers can expect to see aluminium, carbon fibre and even plastics coming through their workshops.
Lightweighting is a key driver of this shift as heavy electric vehicles continue to flood the market, along with the safety benefits of using stronger materials to protect occupants.
At the coalface of this evolution is EV Bodyshops, which was established in 2021 by Adam Thurman. A qualified panel technician, he has witnessed first-hand the changing nature of car construction.
Thurman said: “Manufacturers have learned that the car doesn’t have to be heavy to be very strong. There is more aluminium and carbon in vehicles now, as well as pure alloys. But there is also a lot of mixed materials, so you’ll have steel and aluminium structure.”
Different approach
Each requires a different repair approach, and Thurman says there are two critical aspects to repairing these vehicles – understanding the product and ensuring there are methods available.
He explains: “At EV Bodyshops, part of our initial risk assessment is establishing if we have repair methods. If we don’t have the methods, we won’t fix it. People say you can write your own methods, but if you don’t know what you’re dealing with then it’s not safe and I won’t take that risk, I’m a big believer that if the vehicle manufacturer built the car, then it knows how it wants it to put back together again.”
Apart from ensuring the safety of the technician during the repair, and satisfying customer expectations, another reason for following correct methods when handling modern vehicles is making sure, they perform if they’re in another accident. Thurman said that one of his biggest concerns is one that is easy to ignore: over-strengthening the vehicle.
He explained:” Different materials demand different bonding techniques and materials, If someone repairs the car in its crumple zone and over-strengthens that area, then that area is just going to go into the cabin if there’s an accident because it hasn’t got anywhere to compress. For me, that’s my biggest worry – that the car doesn’t perform correctly in an accident.”
Investment
Keeping pace with this progress requires regular investment. EV Bodyshops used ultrasound kits to test carbon for structural cracks as many are invisible, and it has recently followed vehicle manufacturer guidelines around the introduction of Glue Pull Repair (GPR) technology.
This is particularly effective when repairing aluminium panels.
Thurman said: “We have the latest welding equipment but were really struggling with aluminium repairs. We introduced GPR and it’s made a massive difference to how we repair cars. You have different types of glue for different operations so it’s about following the manufacturer’s guidelines again, but often it’s better to repair than replace it, especially on aluminium when you’ve got to bond and rivet it and you can see the joins. Glue helps you do that.”
Another advantage of GPR is that it doesn’t require heat to be applied to the car, which can impact software and increase fire risks. It also enables the vehicle to stay online for more the repair meaning it is less likely to miss over-the-air updates.
Thurman said: “But you’ve only got one go with it, I can tell you that. You don’t want to start having glue everywhere. It’s strong stuff. The strength of the glue is unbelievable. Aircrafts are built with it, aren’t they.”
Future
Going forward, he said he expects the next major shift to be the introduction of more plastics in car construction.
He said, “I think there’ll be more and more different materials used as time goes on. There’s certainly a lot more plastic composite within front panels these days. It’s easier to produce and a lot cheaper to stock because you don’t need a controlled environment. There is also a lot of good stuff going on around recycling plastics.
“Obviously, with plastics it means there are some things you can’t repair – if an end has snapped off, for example, while if it was made from metal it might have just bent and you could pull it back – but I definitely think we’ll continue to see more plastics in car construction.”
He concluded by saying that cars are advancing really fast and that if you want to repair these types of cars, you need to commit to it. You cannot outsource everything you do.
How to Handle Modern Materials
- Understanding the product is massively important. If you do an estimate, read that methods while you’re doing it – and if haven’t got a method – don’t fix the car.
- Spend some time learning about the new materials and how different bonding techniques and solutions work with them.
- Modern cars are different so invest in the right equipment and tooling you need to fix them Don’t be a have-a-go hero.
