Mike Smith’s Automotive Collision Center know it’s not just advanced safety systems and digital technology driving modern vehicle designs. Newly introduced aluminum body and frame designs also require dedicated training and techniques to perform safe and reliable repairs.
At Mike Smith’s Automotive Collision Center, we’re committed to keeping pace with the rapid evolution of vehicle designs this rapid evolution by training and equipping our team to perform state-of-the-art repairs that restore aluminum vehicles to their pre-collision condition.
Our modern repair center provides dedicated repair space and specialized equipment designed to properly repair aluminum vehicles.
It’s our commitment to serve customers with a best-in-class repair experience, which means investing in our repair centers to align with the evolving technology of today’s vehicle design.
Our Aluminum Repair Process
Mike Smith’s Automotive Collision Center is one of the most trusted auto body shops in the greater Dothan area. One of the benefits of using our I-CAR Gold Class Certified collision centers is the expertise that we provide in more specialized repair work, such as aluminum repair. Mike Smith’s Automotive Collision Center is proud to offer full aluminum repair service to our customers. A common question is, “What cars are made out of aluminum?”. Many popular brands, such as Acura, Honda, Ford, Lincoln and more utilizing aluminum frames and body panels, but aluminum repair requires additional training and facilities that can provide repairs safely, and correctly. Mike Smith’s Automotive Collision Center is equipped to provide the best, high-quality aluminum repair work for your vehicle.
The Differences Between Aluminum & Steel Repair.
Steel & aluminum have different challenges. It’s important to find a shop that can properly repair aluminum. If you just look for body shops near you, you could find yourself in a situation where you have somebody repairing your car, truck or SUV that is not familiar with these differences in the metals. Why does it matter? This can lead to further damage which, in some cases, may not be fixable. Aluminum doesn’t have the same moldable properties that you find in steel and responds differently to heat. Aluminum is, also, much stronger and weighs less than steel. These differences give aluminum an advantage when being used in trucks to help with payload capacity, towing capacity and efficiency. These reasons are also why aluminum requires more attention to detail than steel does. Mike Smith’s Automotive Collision Cente keeps our teams up to date on the latest training and maintains both I-CAR certification, certification from the manufacturers. You’ll be confident in knowing our expert technicians at Aluminum certified locations know how to mend aluminum properly and understand how its differences from steel.
So, what happens when an aluminum panel gets dented?
When aluminum is damaged or dented, it takes specific tools to extract the dents and reshape your vehicle. The two metals, also, cannot come in contact with each other, as it can cause a potential explosion. Collision centers that are properly trained in aluminum repair have their own clean area to handle aluminum repair. That’s why Mike Smith’s Automotive Collision Center has equipped our facility and technicians with the tools, designated repair areas and knowledge to understand these differences in the metal and restore your vehicle back to its pre-accident condition.
What Does It Take To Repair Aluminum?
Heat!
Heat…..and turn the heat way up. Heat is one of the main requirements for repairing & reshaping aluminum. The metal that was damaged collision is very strong, so heat is used to help soften the aluminum so the technician can reshape the damaged area correctly. When looking at a dent or damaged panel/bumper, the whole panel must be considered in the repair process, not just where the dent is. This is why aluminum repair is a true art form. Heating the damaged area, reshaping the metal, and allowing it to cool while keeping its is a difficult task to perfect. Careful monitoring and specialized equipment is necessary to do this process correctly. This is why Mike Smith’s Automotive Collision Centes keep their certification and training as current as possible to make sure they have the best aluminum repair technicians working on your vehicle.
Equipment
Aluminum repair requires special equipment, which can be quite expensive. However, it’s an important investment for a body shop to ensure that aluminum repair is done properly. Luckily, Mike Smith’s Automotive Collision Cente has the proper equipment and tools to properly repair any aluminum that is damaged on your vehicle, some of which includes specialized welding equipment. Aluminum dent pullers have also the ability to save body panels, thus saving money and not requiring a replacement panel. While the process takes a lot of time, and even more in order to master the technique or reshaping the panel, these aluminum dent pullers do make the job easier than it previously was and take less time, even in the heating and cooling process.
Education
Education on aluminnum is an extremly important factor. Mike Smith’s Automotive Collision Centers’ technicians are both I-CAR Platinum Class Certified and trained by specific manufacturers so they can properly fix any aluminum damage on your vehicle. Most customers don’t know that there are different types of metals used on vehicles, and different metals require different care. For example, different welding wires cover all types of aluminum. Honda requires different wire used in the repairs of their steels than Ford. This is where extensive education comes in handy. Proper training and certification allows our team to understand the factory standards and repair your vehicle to those specific brand standards.