Today's automotive technology is becoming increasingly complex. Automobile design is a moving dichotomy - with lighter, yet stronger infrastructure. As collision repairers watch the challenging new technological developments unfold, the question arises, "Why?" 

Larry Hults (l), guest speaker at the I-CAR Future Trends presentation in Phoenix, speaks with Tom Abbott, CRP Regional Physical Damage Claims Manager at American Family Insurance.

Walt Chaney (l), Chaney's Collision in Glendale, Arizona, watches the I-CAR Future Trends program with Duffy Anthony, ABC CARSTAR, Prescott Valley.

"Manufacturers want to excite the customer's imagination and sell cars," ex-plained Larry Hults, I-CAR instructor from Washington state and guest speaker at Arizona's 2005 Kick-off program. Hults, retired from Allstate Insurance, currently offers consulting services to the collision repair industry.

Over 50 people, from Prescott in northern Arizona to Tucson in the south, attended Hult's presentation: Future Trends: The Importance of Keeping Up With Your Industry. I-CAR Regional Manager Bob Mickey was in town from Washington state to welcome attendees and introduce guest speaker Hults.

With a 2005 Mustang on the screen, Hults began: "This is a new/old car. The 2005 Mustang is the first automobile ever to be robotically welded. Automobile design is constantly changing with lighter weight, increased chassis rigidity and more safety features."

Collision repair professionals have been tasked to fix cars to "pre-accident condition," but new technology will dictate that the repair be different from the OEM standard.

Certain front frame rails will have three different thicknesses of metal. Rails will come to the repairer as a part to be bolted to the chassis. Therefore, corrosion protection is even more important to the proper repair of today's automobile. Hults stressed that factory primer is still the best protection, so it is critical to save as much of the factory primer as technically possible, diminishing the use of weld-through primer. Riveted parts will be commonplace in the next generation of vehicles.

New materials - new welding techniques

Welding will not become obsolete. However, new welding technology and equipment will have to be adopted to repair the new materials. Ultra High Strength Steel (UHSS) can only be worked with an STRSW, the new Squeeze Type Resistant Welder. Weld bonding will become more prevalent with the use of structural foams, which actually increase vehicle strength and reduce the weight of the car. Hults emphasized the importance of using Body Repair Manuals and Technical Service Bulletins as references to properly complete each repair .

Laminated steel is a material new to collision repairers. It will be used in dash panels and oil pans because of its good formability, thermal insulation, and noise reduction.

Magnesium is now being used in the core supports in the new Ford F-150 pick-up. Magnes-ium weighs less than traditional metals - and is equally strong. This new technology enables the pick-up to drive more like a car by moving some of the core support weight further back in the design. There is a risk of fire when repairing the magnesium core support, so replacement will be more common than repair. A D-Series fire extinguisher is the only retardant that will put out a magnesium fire

Carbon fiber, presently used in building some airplanes, is also moving into automobile technology. The Aston Martin Vanquish is built of this material. Time will tell if the carbon fiber technology will be adopted by other manufacturers in the future. Imagine the cycle time needed to repair a carbon fiber Aston Martin!

Aluminum gaining popularity

"Aluminum," Hults emphatically stated, "is a big deal. It is twice as thick as steel - 40% lighter and 60% stiffer." Currently, aluminum is more prevalent in the European models such as Mercedes, Audi, BMW and Jaguar. Look for the new Ford Taurus to have many aluminum components. As many repairers already know, aluminum repair requires new tools - including approved, dedicated benches, and a "clean room" to prevent cross contamination from other materials.

Structural adhesives are a major component in aluminum repair. Aluminum has to be heat-treated with a special flame torch, which is passed back and forth repeatedly to prepare the aluminum for the structural adhesive.

Rivets will also be a big deal in the future of collision repair. A rivet bond has proven to be five times stronger than a spot weld. New equipment will be required for rivet installation, possibly even multiple installation guns, as there will be different rivets for different applications. The 2004 Jaguar XJ has 3,400 - that is three thousand four hundred - self piercing rivets!

The 2004 BMW front structure assembly is aluminum to the cowl. This repair will require adhesives and specific rivets to bond the aluminum pieces to the steel cowl. The alignment of the car has to be precise. Once again, it is required that this repair be done on a dedicated bench.