Special Materials Growth and How It Impacts Collision Repair

Jun 17, 2019

How Car Materials Impact your Collision Repair | Manuel’s Body Shop Blog

The car material shows have been an amazing process. The way that they have increased the use of unique material, along with construction techniques for car repairs, has really improved. At these shows, you find a lot of your top brand cars stripped away to show the materials under the brand that helps improve the car. From the CTS to the Mopar, you can see how the collision shops can now go from” it’s too far gone” to it can be repaired. They show the correct procedures when cars have damaged A-B-C pillars.

After, seeing exactly how these techniques could change the industry. A question came about.

How will these new discoveries in car repairs with the up and coming new materials fit into the world of claims and collision car repairs?

Special Materials: Why are they used to build a car?

With growing efforts to increase how light a car is built is the answer. At the same time, they are making it a safe ride. Groups such as CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) and The Vehicle Safety Standards have been in a constant battle. Both want to improve on these features for the cars.

For example, the material known as aluminum has an energy absorption rate that is double that of steel. This is an exciting development, because now they have a larger crush zone, when it comes to these cars without sacrificing added weight, and incurring weight charges. This has also made way for the drivers of these cars to have a better economic ride when it comes to gas being able to save 5 billion gallons of fuel by the year 2030. The fact that these companies can now make lighter cars with stronger materials makes way for more efficient engines along with safer structures. Some companies abroad have started using stronger steel along with aluminum and other materials to construct better vehicle standards and safety.

Magnesium 30-70%
Carbon fiber composite 50-70%
Aluminum and Al matrix composites 30-60%
Titanium 40-55%
Glass fiber composites 25-35%
Advance high Strength steel 15-25%
High-strength steel 10-28%

At the same time, some of these material aren’t the newest material on the market. Take, for instance, aluminum has been around since WWII. During this time steel shortages along with corrosion issues led to the lateral movement of using an aluminum called Briambright. This combination of magnesium and alloy made for a stronger framework along with the corrosion resistance they had been looking for.

 

 

How does the claims data shape-up with the unique materials?

These are just some of the changes and growths within these vehicles that have special materials.

HSLA
HSS
AHSS
Aluminum
PHS

Analysis has shown a drop from $576 to $458 over the years. That’s a drop of about 3% to 19% between cars that have special material and the ones that don’t. While the premium repair difference is in the corner of the conventional vehicle, data has proven that if consumers see the benefit of getting one car over another, they will go with a higher price car being that safety and quality is at the forefront this is an easy decision to make when it comes to your vehicle.

 

 

With Special Material comes Special Procedures

When manufacturers use special materials to build a car, the process is complex. This type of car building can include electronic lasers that weld metal together. Also included in this process is using rivets and structural glue. This is used to join structural metals that might not fit together. This is recommended by the original manufactures. For example, the BMW 3, Lincoln MKC and the CT6 all use this format where the manufacturer that built them says to use a different way to repair them. Since this is the new thing a lot of manufacturers are leaning towards getting more and more training, skills and certifications. That will allow them to be a leading repair company in the industry further. With new things also comes new problems, now that the companies are getting their plants up to speed the labor costs have increased as well.

 

 

Giving the Technicians a Hand

Mitchell Editorial staff helps the technicians keep up to date with components that may come from the original manufacturer. Parts such as these can include HSLA, Carbon, Aluminum these part also come in different colors to help with graphics. Included with this help guide are notes that are detailed. Also included are references that let the technician know that there will need to be OE specific repairs. Mitchell gives the specific software solutions that your mechanic needs when he is looking to repair your car. It is difficult for a mechanic at times to give an accurate quote due to labor rates.

To help them with this, Mitchell gives links that help with the mechanic estimates that include parts and labor — doing this gives a fair shake for everyone the customer and the mechanic. At times when customers come to the car shop to have work done. The customers often seek to get a fair deal, when dealing with car shops.

This is one way that takes care of that because Mitchell has no skin in the game, they are the middle man making sure the mechanic can get the part and of course the labor for what he or she needs to do. Customers usually don’t realize that the mechanic is using this system to get their price, but it is definitely to their benefit. The mechanic appreciates this as well because, without this, he can’t keep his price balanced even for the mechanic he wants to know he is getting a good deal his self rather than giving a price and it could short him.

Also, the customer, if they knew where the parts and instructions came from, would appreciate this too. The customer could have ease of mind knowing that their car is well taken care of by putting the right parts on it. As customers sometimes know when they put their car in the shop, it can become worse than when they put it in there. This system allows everything across the board to be equal.

 

 

Conclusion

We can definitely say we will be seeing the spreading of special materials throughout the coming vehicles. With stats like 90% in the industry of strength steel, the special material will skyrocket by 2025. This is big for appraisers because they have to be aware of the material so they can give accurate rates for the repair of the vehicle. Looking at this, this affects the insurance company as well because they are the ones sending the appraisers.

Another reason the appraisers need to know what is going on is so they can ensure the right parts are being put on the cars. For the carriers in all of this, the appraisers must know as well that this process must go right. Deviating from the repair instructions cannot happen. This can cause a severe problem with the car if the wrong piece is put on the car, so no deviating away from the process due to price.

Even once the appraiser turn in the estimate, the claims the department must make sure that the office knows to spread the word of the new impending special materials for the cars. This is a new age of special materials, and how they affect the jobs and work of mechanics, appraisers, and customers across the board. The industry of cars today uses a lot of materials to build cars. These materials over the years have evolved and have become a lot harder to keep up.

This is meant to show how far the car companies, as well as the manufacturers, have come and where they are going in the coming years. This article has explained how systems and information in the car industry can come together — working seamlessly together even as both may change. The information that is given from both domestic and foreign sources shows car manufactures can and will push to create the next best thing. Currently, the newest thing is making lighter cars that give you more power as well. Furthermore, we discussed how companies had increased their ways of recycling cars when they are no more.

Taking what they can to make better vehicles with better fuel quality, giving you a light feel without sacrificing power and strength.

The next thing will be the speed qualities that are coming in the near future.

If you ever need collision repair services, Manuel’s Body Shop in Culver City, California specializes in auto and collision repairs.

Here at Manuel’s Body Shop, we offer different types of services:

Call us today at 1-310-836-3701 for a free estimate for the finest auto body shop services in Culver City, CA. Let us know what you need and get a FREE Estimate today.”

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