Hey Toby! by Toby Chess (42)
Toby Chess is an I-CAR program instructor, Training specialist, and former salvage yard operator. Toby is universally known in the collision industry for his work with first responders and advocacy for body shops and consumers. He can be reached at
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Glass and Windshield Installs Must Be Handled by the Book
Written by Toby ChessTo view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.
The other day I heard about a lawsuit that I would like to share with you.
A Toyota dealer contacted Safelite to install a windshield into a 2005 Toyota Tundra. The vehicle was involved in a rollover accident and the windshield allegedly “separated from the pickup” resulting in two fatalities.
Safelite contends that they only handled the claim and contracted with a independent class company to handle the installation and they should not be named in the multi million-dollar lawsuit. I’m not going to comment on the merits of the case but it reminds us of the importance of correct windshield and glass installs.
This month’s column is Part 2 of the Matrix Wand article that appeared in the July, 2012 issue. See summary of the Matrix Wand’s capabilities at the end of the article referencing photos. If you missed last month’s article, see it at www.autobodynews.com.
To view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE
Question: How would you like to be able to measure body structure, vehicle sub-frame movement, damaged suspension components and used BOF frame for damage or damaged parts in 20 minutes with a printout and the time of tear down?
To view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.
OK, how about the added advantage of doing it anywhere in the shop? We’re not using any frame-measuring equipment, by the way. Let’s throw in another parameter and do all of these tasks and more with a camera. You say impossible? Up until recently you’d be right but it’s not only possible, it’s here. It’s called the Matrix Wand and it’s a game changer.
CAFE Standards Will Affect More Than A Shop’s Miles Per Gallon
Written by Toby ChessAsk most people about CAFÉ standards and they would immediately think of food quality control. There is another meaning that you probably know and it will drastically impact your business, but you may not be aware why it will.
To view a PDF of this article please click HERE.
CAFÉ stands for Corporate Average Fuel Economy-- the average miles per gallon on an OEM’s passenger cars and trucks. The standards for passenger vehicles will rise from the national current 27.5 mpg to 35.7 mpg by 2015, while light trucks will go from 23.5 mpg to 28.6 mpg. My next question is how will the OEMs accomplish these figures? Car and trucks will be lighter and smaller, with a greater use of aluminum, plastics, carbon fiber, magnesium and advanced high strength steels (60 percent of all steel in today’s vehicles is AHSS). These exotic materials are the reason that fuel economy will impact body shops.
Aluminum is being used on virtually all makes and models built today, not only on upscale import sports cars. The hood on a Toyota Prius for example is made from aluminum. You will need to invest in new tools and training to work with increasing use of this metal.
Even with an increase in the use of aluminum, the percent of usage is relatively small compared to the use of Advanced High Strength Steels. Steels (AHSS) will pose the biggest problems for repairers and we need to look at the challenges for these steels. The first area is we need to understand is the effect of heat on metal.
Life Changes or Industry Changes Don’t Happen Without Major Effort
Written by Toby ChessI want to start this month’s column with a personal reflection on some life changing events that happened to me last year.
To view a PDF of this article please click HERE.
The last Saturday of September I woke up about 1:00 a.m. with a pain in my chest. It felt like a 500 lb gorilla was standing on my chest and the pain was excruciating. Not being the brightest person in the world, I got into my truck and drove myself to the hospital. When I told the nurse in emergency that I was experiencing chest pain, she rushed into a room and hooked up an EKG monitor and blood pressure gauge. My blood pressure was 170 over 90. Not real good (I am on blood pressure medication). The ER doctor came in and told me that I did not have a heart attack or a stroke, but there was something not working right with my heart and set up an appointment with a cardiologist the following week. Five hours later, I came home, hooked up my welding trailer and conducted an I-CAR structural steel test (Again, not the best move, sometimes my brain works in reverse). Monday, I made an appointment with a cardiologist for the following Friday.
On that Wednesday, my daughter gave birth to an 8 lb baby girl named Hayley, and for my wife and me, our first grandchild.
I will tell you that being a grandparent is a tremendous experience. The best experience of all is that I haven’t had diaper duty yet.
On Friday, I had my appointment with the cardiologist. I had another EKG and he determined that I had a mild case of Atrial Fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation (AF or A-fib) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm). It is a common cause of irregular heart beat, identified clinically by taking a pulse. Chaotic electrical activity in the two upper chambers (atria) of the heart result in the muscle fibrillating (i.e., quivering), instead of achieving coordinated contraction.
Keenan Auto Body’s First Responder Training Brings Together PA & DE Communities
Written by Toby ChessI’ve long supported and done my best to contribute to first responder training. These brave and dedicated public servants have a lot to deal with and a lot to prepare for. Whether it’s a building fire, hazmat situation, medical emergency, or vehicle extrication, they can’t prepare without the training, tools, and equipment necessary to get the job done. I was happy to be able to contribute some skills to training conducted recently in Pennsylvania, which drew first responders from two states.
To view a PDF of this article please click HERE.
We held the training on Tuesday, October 25th at Keenan Auto Body East in Clifton Heights, PA, and on Wednesday, October 26th at Keenan Auto Body South in West Chester, PA. The events were organized and sponsored by Keenan’s. Keenan VP and COO, Michael LeVasseur introduced Keenan Auto Body’s First Responder training program.
With over 5.8 million car crashes per year it’s imperative that first responders are equipped with the knowledge to extract vehicle occupants in the quickest most efficient manner, especially in crashes when the difference between life and death is on the line. Collision repairers have the vehicle expertise that first responders need and can contribute to the cause.
Recently, however, it’s become evident that vehicle responders need more experience with modern vehicles, which have otherwise unfamiliar and even dangerous features to contend with.
SEMA’s Repair Driven Education and Government Regulations
Written by Toby ChessSEMA is just around the corner and many of you will be attending the trade show and SCRS repair-driven education. I am teaching a class on how government regulations will impact the collision industry right now, but for those who cannot attend, I am going to highlight my presentation here. Let’s look at the US Government CAFÉ (corporate average fuel economy) standards. By the year 2015, the CAFÉ standard for the industry (cars and trucks combined) is 31.6 MPG (35.7 for cars and 28.6 for trucks). How will these standards affect body shops?
To view a PDF of this article with photos please click HERE.
First, cars will need to get lighter and smaller. The use of aluminum will increase. You will see more hoods, deck lids, fenders and other body parts being made from aluminum. Many aluminum hoods are double paneled with virtually no access to the back side. Most shops today do not the capability to repair this type of damage. What is needed is an aluminum stud gun.
The unit pictured first comes with the stud gun and a number of hand tools for repairing aluminum. The machine pictured second is just the stud gun with the puller. You will need to invest in hand tools because aluminum tools can’t be used on steel components because of the likelihood of galvanic corrosion. Dent Fix, Reliable Automotive Equipment and ProSpot are a few examples of companies that sell aluminum repair equipment. You will also need to invest in training. Repairing aluminum is not difficult, but there are a few techniques that need to be learned to achieve a successful repair.
You will also see smaller vehicles. With smaller cars, you will see an increase in the use of ultra high strength steels in cabin reinforcements for passenger protection. Nearly all manufacturers require full replacement of these reinforcements and that will lead to more total losses. Let’s look at Federal Motor Vehicle safety standard 216A.
This July I did a presentation at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) in Salt Lake City on the need for OEM data prior to estimating and repairing today’s cars. I also included some additional discussion and presented examples of bumper reinforcements. I received a letter from a CAPA spokesperson stating that my demonstration “caused members of the collision repair industry to believe, mistakenly, that the part used in your demonstration was CAPA-certified.” I think that it is important that I give readers an accurate account of what really happened. I want to make this clear. I am not against the use of quality aftermarket parts in the collision repair process, but I am very much against being told to use substandard parts and then assuming all of the risks for their use.
To view a PDF of this article please click HERE.
A couple of months ago, a shop in the Midwest received an estimate from a major insurance company calling for a certified front bumper reinforcement for a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. The shop had ordered from the A/M supplier a certified front-bumper reinforcement, but they received a non certified front bumper reinforcement. The shop’s tech did the right thing—he compared the damaged OE part to the A/M part and showed it to the owner. The was a considerable weight difference between the two parts. He ordered an OE part and sent the A/M part to me. I purchased a new part and compared them. I found that A/M was not like, kind and quality. About the same time, I received a bumper reinforcement made by Diamond Standard for a 2003 to 2008 Toyota Corolla that was certified by NSF.
The other day I received a report form Aaron Schulenberg, the Executive Director of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists, about a study done in Germany on collision repairs. Crash-test results and analysis of the impact of a non-professional repair on the performance of the side structure of a car (VW Passat) by KTI GmbH& Co. of Lohfelden, Germany.
To view the full text of this article with photos please click HERE.
The study took a late model VW Passat, with ultra high strength steel reinforcements in the rocker and “B” pillar, conducted a side impact at about 30mph, detailed all the damage, and rebuilt the vehicle using used parts, MIG welds, and an older Squeeze Type Resistance Welder. They did not use any OEM current replacement data, but they utilized common accepted repair methods used in the collision industry. They referred to those in the article as “10-year old repair methods.”
What was written in the introduction of the study is what I and others have been preaching for years.
“The new materials mean that body shops must continuously ensure that they are conversant with the requirements for new tools, procedures and information about the repair processes. New welding machines need to be used, training is required, and OEM information has to be accessed to make sure that the correct repair methods will be applied. Without this knowledge it is likely that an inadequate repair will be the result, potentially placing the car and its occupants at much higher risk in a later crash.”
“In parallel to the introduction of new materials, single component parts of earlier vehicles have been replaced by highly integrated, multi-material components on more recently designed cars. The production of a modern Body-in-White is characterized by complex manufacturing processes and bonding techniques. Taken together, the technical progress made by the OEM’s has resulted in corresponding new challenges for the repair shops. Repair shops must ensure they have well trained staff and are equipped with appropriate tools to cope with the techniques needed for professional repairs on today’s cars when they are damaged in an accident. If such techniques and knowledge are not available, a nonprofessional repair may lead to a significant reduction in the safety and quality of these cars.”
Pan American Steps Up to Host Firefighter Extrication Training
Written by Toby ChessPan American is a family-owned and operated independent collision repair facility with four locations throughout the Southern San Francisco Bay Area. President and owner Luis Alonso recently accepted Farmers Insurance Shop of the Year honors. They have been in operation since 1981, specializing in all types of collision repair and insurance work. They are also a Certified Mercedes Benz and Audi Repair Facility.
To view the text of this article with photos please click HERE.
Pan American believes in giving back to the community, and as an extension of that model the repair facility enlisted my help to provide extrication training for the local Fire Department.
Today’s vehicles are more complex than ever, and the fire departments are faced with difficult challenges when they respond to emergency calls involving trapped occupants resulting from a vehicle collision. Our goal is to help them be better prepared to deal with these challenges by providing hands on training. We teach safety and stabilization, hybrid vehicle precautions, how to deal with late model ultra-high strength steel, as well as six different extrication techniques. I’m proud to be part of this effort and I applaud Pan American for putting this event together.
Getting OSHA-Compliant on Signage, Electrical and Power Tools
Written by Toby Chess
The other day I was teaching I-CAR’s workers protection program and I had the techs show me their blowers. I found 3 illegal ones. I asked the question “How much is the OSHA fine for these blowers?” and the production manager stated it was $7000. This was in Arizona, not California, and I inquired if the shop had been fined and his reply was “I read your article and I am in the process of getting OSHA approved blowers.” It made me feel that all this work is worthwhile. Let’s get started on the second installment of the article.
To read or download the full text of this article as a PDF with photos please click HERE.
Electrical
•Check all extension cords for damage (repaired with electrical tape and broken grounds are a big no no).
•All high voltage boxes labeled with a DANGER Sign
•All outlet covers installed
•Are all energized parts of electrical circuits and equipment guarded against accidental contact by approved cabinets or enclosures?
•Make sure there is a 3 foot barrier marked around all electrical boxes
Walkways
•Make sure that all in ground pulling pots are flush with surface when not in use. Most of the time the covers are bent and they are out on the floor, which creates a tripping hazard.
