The auto body repair industry is not a new one. It’s been around for as long as commercially available vehicles have been, but that doesn’t mean that all the techniques and practices involved in auto body repair are over a century old. New materials and auto repair trends have shaped the industry since its inception. This involves using ever more advanced materials in auto repair, adapting to the increased computerization of automobiles, and electric vehicle repair is becoming increasingly important.

So, what are the trends and innovations that are shaping the auto repair industry in 2024? What can we expect for the future of auto body repair?

Innovation in the auto body repair space

The skills, tools, and materials necessary to repair a Model T are quite different from those required for electric vehicle repair or to perform maintenance on a modern pickup truck with a heavy towing capacity. The best collision repair businesses look for ways to innovate their craft. It’s also critical to learn how to repair new automotive components and to be aware of auto repair trends that may shape the future of auto body repair.

What are some innovations that have changed auto body repair?

Computer software has been the greatest driver of change in the automotive industry broadly, and in the auto body repair sector more specifically. Successful collision repair shops have been early adopters and implementers of useful software and strategies. This means having the best technology to interface with the on-board computers of vehicles, which are now nearly ubiquitous. It also means using organizational software to streamline their business.

Successful collision repair businesses use advanced software that allows them to provide accurate repair timeline estimates. Your estimate will be more accurate if your business has a streamlined part and supply order system. An auto body repair shop can’t always control how long it will take to receive a replacement part, but with the right software and the right system, they can give the customer an accurate estimate of when they’ll receive that part.

Another innovation that has affected auto repair is the widespread implementation of advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS. These are technologies that help drivers operate their vehicles more safely and efficiently, and include features such as adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, and lane-keeping assistance.

These sensors and cameras can make driving easier, safer, and less stressful, but the downside is that they are usually more expensive to replace than other auto parts. Auto repair technicians must calibrate these ADAS after a collision, which is a key reason for upticks in the costs of auto body repairs. Collision repair shops that have innovative techniques to complete these recalibrations quickly and accurately have an advantage over their competitors.

Advanced materials in auto repair

Auto repair shops must also know how to work with substrate materials, which have altered vehicle design greatly over the past few decades. Some materials that have changed auto repair trends include:

Aluminum

Being a lightweight metal with an impressive strength-to-weight ratio, aluminum usage has improved fuel economy. Repairing aluminum components can be tricky because different alloys and thicknesses need specific auto body repair techniques.

Carbon fiber

Carbon fiber components also have high strength-to-weight ratios. Repairing them can be complex because the structure of carbon fiber parts differs significantly depending on who manufactured them.

Magnesium

Magnesium is becoming more popular for some automotive parts for many of the same reasons as aluminum and carbon fiber. However, repairing magnesium parts is tricky due to the difficulty of cold straightening, so replacing these parts is usually the more practical option.

Plastic

Plastics manufacturers are routinely altering the formulas they use to make their products. Auto body repair shops must be careful to use similar or compatible plastics when repairing or replacing certain components.

Steel

Many vehicle components now comprise high-strength steels, and even ultra-high-strength steel. Technicians can repair some high-strength steel parts by pulling or straightening them, but many other high-strength steel components cannot be repaired effectively, and so must be replaced. Some auto repair technicians now provide squeeze-type resistance spot welding or Metal Inert Gas (MIG) brazing on components with lower heat-affected zone temperatures.

What’s the future of auto body repair?

Auto manufacturers never stop innovating, so auto repair technicians can’t stop either. Many of the newest auto repair trends and innovations involve parts and systems that make cars safer to drive while increasing fuel economy. The future of auto body repair isn’t entirely clear, but it will involve a lot more electric vehicle repair. Learning new and better ways to work with the increasingly popular advanced materials in auto repair will also be crucial.

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Learn about the trends and innovations shaping the present and future of auto body repair, including how advanced materials are changing collision repair.