Will Bonding Endure a Crash
The use of “structural” adhesives to attach outer door skins, hoods, deck lids and body panels is nothing new. In fact, the vehicle manufacturers have been doing it for years.
Tool Time: Common Hand Tools
Can you imagine finishing a weld with a file and emery cloth or sandpaper? Can you imagine prepping a panel for plastic filler with a piece of sandpaper powered only by elbow
grease? Can you imagine removing 25 different types of screws and bolts with a socket and a screwdriver – again, powered by
only elbow grease?
More Than an Estimate
It used to be so easy to write an estimate. Easy, that is, until the ARMS people announced to the country: "A customer doesn’t need an estimate. The customer is in pain and wants his vehicle made whole again." This tiny piece of information had a huge – and dramatic – effect on many leading
Body Shop Boot Camp
While the collision shop of today is repairing existing vehicles, the cars of the future are off the drawing board and plans for production are underway. Increased use of aluminum and plastics, computerized navigational systems, crash-avoidance computers and sophisticated adhesives are all becoming part of our reality.
“X” Marks The Spot
In the old pirate movies, “X” always marked the spot on the map where the buried treasure was located. Often encrypted, the maps were laid out using the only measuring method known at the time – latitude and longitude.
Negotiating with an Insurance Adjuster
Regardless of where the majority of your business comes from, one fact of life of owning a collision-repair shop is having to negotiate with an insurance adjuster.
Analyzing Collision Damage: Estimates
Writing estimates can easily make or break a collision-repair shop’s business. The estimate is more than a financial barometer for the customer and insurance company –
it’s the first step in the repair process.
Straightening Modern Metal: Using Heat
Using heat to facilitate the straightening of a modern automobile or light truck is very tempting.
Steel the One: Aluminum and Plastics
Fifteen years ago, most of us would have scoffed at the idea of amass-produced, all-aluminum auto, such as the Acura NSX, or a production automobile with exterior plastic panels, such as the Saturn.
1996 Editorial Index
AIR CONDITIONING AND COOLING “Tips and Trends for Coolant Recycling,” Feb., pg. 60 “A/C Retrofit Update,” May, pg. 36 BUSINESS AND MARKETING “How to Get a Yes from Your Banker,” Feb., pg. 33 “Big Brother Sees All,” March, pg. 28 “Perfectly Prompt Payments,” April, pg. 20 “Don’t Get Roped In with the Rest – Try