Reparability and Auto Insurance Rate for Automobile Made of Aluminum Component

As aluminum use continues to increase in the auto industry, so does the need for understanding and applying "best practices" when repairing automotive aluminum components that will affect on insurance rate of aluminum-intensive car.

A review of both the similarities - and differences - encountered during the repair of aluminum panels compared with those of traditional materials shows that working with aluminum is not difficult; it is merely different.

In fact:

• Some procedures for working with aluminum are easier than with conventional materials
• The majority of tools for working aluminum are similar to those for working conventional materials
• The skills necessary for working aluminum can be learned as easily as the skills required for other materials
• Repair costs are not very different from those of traditional materials
• There are programs currently in place and new programs under development that offer training for repair of aluminum panels

Throughout the past century, body repair shop practices, tools and techniques have been developed to work mainly with automotive steels. As the auto industry looks to the future, however, it is increasingly turning to aluminum as the material of choice for use in automotive body structures and closure panels. As a result, there are a number of repair shops nationwide that are acquiring an expertise in aluminum repair, and their numbers are growing each year.
In fact, comprehensive programs are being put in place that address aluminum’s different characteristics. The development and implementation of repair instructions for specific aluminum vehicles has been led by the manufacturers.
The InterIndustry Conference on Auto Repair (I-CAR)* and others from the auto insurance and repair equipment supply industries have worked side-by-side with experts from the aluminum industry to develop training guides for correct repair of aluminum panels. A nationwide training program which began in 1996; technicians who have attended these programs say working with aluminum is different but not difficult.

Tools for working with aluminum are generally similar to those used for working with steel. However, good practice dictates the same tools should not be used on both metals because of cross-contamination. This causes problems with welding, finishing and potential bimetallic corrosion.
Files, sanding discs and other associated equipment are as effective when working with aluminum as with other metals. Cutting and general working of aluminum is much easier than steel, and the techniques involved are similar to those used in wood-cutting. Reciprocating saws and band saws - both with high blade speeds – are normally used.

When an aluminum part is damaged, the deformed area is work-hardened (strengthened) because of its atomic structure is FCC. Pulling on the part to straighten it will deform undamaged areas, which have not been work-hardened, before correcting the damaged area. Local heating of the damaged area will temporarily soften the heated area so that the damaged area can be corrected. The Aluminum Association provides information on the effects of elevated temperatures on material properties and recommendations for the use of heat for straightening.
A technique known as heat-shrinking can be used to take dents out of aluminum skin panels. When the area around a dent is heated with a torch, the stresses generated by restraining the metal that wants to expand cause the dent to be pushed out.

Another difference between heated aluminum and steel is that aluminum does not change color, even at its melting point. Therefore, it is important to use temperature indicators to keep track of the metal temperature during working. Heat can be used in cases where a technician needs to disassemble an adhesive-bonded joint. As long as the temperature is kept within the recommended range, using heat will soften the adhesive and enable the joint to be chiseled open with less mechanical damage and no long-term effects on material properties.

The most common method used for welding common metals is inert gas (or GMA) welding. Aluminum lends itself very well to this type of welding. Virtually all repair shops possess MIG welders. The more powerful and adaptable machines, required by aluminum, are beginning to penetrate many of the larger repair shops. Lap and fillet welds, butt welds with a backing added for the repair, and MIG plug welds are all approved for replacing other joining methods, as well as to repair original MIG welded joints.

Aluminum panels are finished in the same way as conventional materials, including the use of body fillers. All the major paint suppliers offer aftermarket paint repair systems, which include products designed and tested for specific materials (aluminum, steel, galvanized steel, SMC, etc.). Whatever the material, the supplier will warrantee the quality of the finish provided that the products and procedures for their complete system are used. Most procedures are standard for all the suppliers and the finish systems are warranted as long as directions are followed.

There are few fundamental differences between the repair of steel and aluminum panels and the average repair shop can be outfitted relatively easily for both. The difference between the material costs of steel and aluminum are insignificant in comparison to the cost of replacement parts.
For an experienced technician, the labor time required for aluminum repair is equivalent to that required for steel. To gain appropriate experience, the first step is training. Such training is rapidly spreading, and those who complete instruction are more valued assets to their employers.
As the aluminum content of vehicles increases, more and more repair facilities will learn to better accommodate aluminum-intensive vehicles (AIVs). As AIVs come into the marketplace, repair shops will react - as they always have - to economic pressures and equip themselves to handle damage repairs, much like they did several years ago to adjust to the universal changeover to computer engine controls.

When comparing the relative ease and costs of repairing aluminum and steel, it is clear that aluminum is not more difficult; it is just different. Different techniques are required, as is a clear understanding of the differences between steel and aluminum alloys and how these differences affect the repair process. Such understanding is readily available, as are the necessary specialized tools for proper repair of aluminum. As for training, I-CAR programs have been in existence for several years, and the manufacturers and suppliers are making available the necessary instructional materials to assimilate the repair of aluminum into everyday shop practices.

As the use of automotive aluminum continues to climb due to its performance, safety and environmental advantages, its repair will become as commonplace and routine as that of traditional materials. This factors will definitely affect the insurance rate for aluminum-intensive automobiles.

Source: http://www.autoaluminum.org/