Collision Repair & Refinish Technology

Students will learn about the safety requirements for the collision industry, PPE and MSDS. Additionally, students will learn to read and interpret a vehicle damage repair report, assess the damage, and develop a repair plan. Lab work will include removal of trim, door handle and locks, and the alignment of door, hood and deck lid panels. Students will learn to remove and disassemble doors; remove, install and align fenders, hoods, bumpers and deck lids; and verify and adjust door seals. Students will also begin developing professionalism skills that will translate to their future careers.

Students will learn to remove and replace both welded and bonded door skins and quarter panels. Also covered is preparing door frames for new outer door panels; analysis of intrusion beams; removal, replacement and alignment of door glass and door trim panels; and fundamentals of the removal and installation of convertible tops and power sunroof panels. Students will also learn procedures for removing a door skin and how to weld and bond replacement skin to the doorframe. Additionally, they will learn procedures for replacing stationary glass (windshield or back glass), removing quarter panels, straightening flanges in preparation for reinstallation, and applying welding and bonding procedures to install panels.

Students will learn principles of MIG welding, and oxyacetylene and plasma cutting. The emphasis will be on safe practices. Also covered will be the application of metal repairs using MIG welding. Students will learn to set up and tune a MIG welder for welding steel and aluminum, and how to perform welds in various positions on a vehicle. Additionally, they will learn to set up and operate a plasma cutter and an oxyacetylene torch for cutting.

Students will learn the application of safety and environmental practices; and surface preparation for refinishing. They will learn procedures for paint removal, preparation of adjacent panels for blending, and application of sealers and stone chip resistant coatings. Students will also learn to analyze existing finishes of panels/vehicles, remove paint using various procedures, apply metal conditioners, sand panels in preparation for primer-surfacer application, and apply primer-surfacer.

Students will learn equipment preparation, and about refinish materials and paint area. They will learn about mixing refinish materials, preparation of spray gun and test panels. Also covered will be color characteristics, color match and obtaining blendable matches. Students will learn sanding operations, mixing paint from vehicle paint codes, applying waterborne basecoat paints to panels, tinting colors to achieve blendable matches and applying clear coat.

Students will learn fundamentals, troubleshooting and repair of electrical and electronic systems. They will learn to troubleshoot and repair electrical systems using digital multimeters, read wiring diagrams and repair damaged wiring harnesses.

Students will learn about air conditioning; cooling and heating systems; fuel, intake and exhaust systems; and drive trains. They will learn fundamentals, operation maintenance, inspection and testing, and repair of these systems. They will also learn to discharge, recover, evacuate and recharge air conditioning systems; drain and recover cooling systems; and simulate removal and reinstallation of drive train assemblies. Additionally, students will learn about hybrid vehicle safety as it applies to the collision industry.

Students will learn the diagnosis and service of steering systems as well as alignment, suspension and related subassemblies. Students will learn to analyze steering and suspension systems for damage, and perform wheel alignments. In addition, they will learn to analyze and replace damaged or worn brake components and bleed brake systems. Also covered is the removal, inspection and replacement of restraint systems. Students will learn to analyze restraint systems, including seat belts, motorized seat belts, air bag assemblies and related components.

Students will be taught fundamentals of airbrush techniques, including the use of stencils and freehand airbrushing; special effects paint techniques, including the use of candy and pearl paints; how to apply special effects paint to simulate a wood grain effect; and the age-old techniques of hand pin striping. The students also will apply etching to glass.

Students will learn auto body customizing, including frenching antennas, frenching license plates and fabricating roll pans. They will learn the skills used to shave door handles and have the opportunity to work with the equipment and learn the skills used by some of the top metal fabricators in the field today.

Students will learn the identification of automotive plastics and how to make repair decisions. Also covered will be repair of plastics using welding and adhesive technologies. Students will gain a working knowledge of adhesive repairs and welding repairs in addition to repairing SMC. Additionally, they will learn to repair cosmetic sheet metal panel damage and how to use body metal working tools. They will learn to prepare a damaged area for the application of body filler. Students will also learn methods for applying body filler and sanding to various contours.

Students will learn about repairing cosmetic panel damage and how to use body metal working tools. They will learn to shrink stretched metal and prepare a damaged area for the application of body filler. Also covered will be techniques for applying body filler and preparing body filler for final finishing and sanding to various contours.

Topics covered will include an introduction to damage analysis, interpreting body-dimension specification sheets, various measuring systems, steel unitized structures, advanced high strength steels and how to diagnose damage using computerized measuring systems. Students will learn to analyze and interpret vehicle structural damage; measure vehicles using centering gauges, laser and computerized measuring systems; and interpret printouts to determine damage location in vehicle structures. Students will also learn to safely secure a vehicle for pulling, use squeeze-type resistance welding equipment and fabricate a rail section.

Students will learn principles of straightening structural parts, use of pulling systems, and stress-relief methods. Students will learn how to perform pulling on structural parts and apply stress-relief methods. Also covered will be principles of panel replacement and sectioning, steel unitized structures, new technologies and repair.

Students will learn about cycle time; principles of blending; and single stage, base coat, clear coat and tri-coat finishes. Students will learn to identify and solve paint application problems and paint finish problems such as mottling, orange peel, sags and runs. Also covered will be diagnosis and repair of finish defects; and determining causes of and repairing poor adhesion, cracking, water spotting and environmental damage. Students also will learn to detail a vehicle for customer delivery.

In this course students will apply the training learned in previous courses to a simulated collision repair facility. Emphasis will be placed on cosmetic panel replacement and alignment, panel repair procedures, MIG welding, application and sanding of body filler, sanding panels in preparation for primer surfacer, application of primer surfacer, masking procedures, mixing refinish materials, preparation of spray gun and test panels, application of paint to panels, tinting of colors to achieve blendable matches, application of clear coat, and final detail in preparation for vehicle delivery to customer. Students will also learn about hazardous airborne pollutants and waste control as it applies to the collision industry.

Topics covered in this course relate to collision facility operation, customer communication, insurance and estimating. Students will apply the training learned in previous courses to carry out damage analysis and write estimates on vehicles using computer-based estimating software. Emphasis will be placed on blueprinting and estimating different scenarios of damage, including front, side, rear and mechanical impact-damaged vehicles. Students will learn about restraint system damage, insurance relations in the collision industry, procedures, documentation and how to work with adjusters. Students also will learn about inspecting repairs for quality control.