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ADVANTAGE ONLINE: COLLISION REPAIR ONLINE RESOURCES
February 24, 2003 -You’re working on a front lower rail of a vehicle. You want to section the rail, but you’re not sure if sectioning will compromise the structural integrity of a part, or if the vehicle maker even recommends it. If they do recommend it, where is the cut line location? What is your next step?
One choice for many technicians and adjusters is to call the I-CAR Tech Centre Instructor Support hotline at 800.TECH.990. While the Tech Centre never discourages a phone call, you or your customers may require faster turnaround time than the same day service provided at the Tech Centre. It may surprise you to find out that you have access to many of the same resources that are used at the Tech Centre. All you need is a computer with Internet access.
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Figure 1–In addition to collision repair information, GMGoodwrench.com provides general information to the consumer on what to expect if you have been involved in a collision.
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There are several websites available to the general public that provide collision repair and mechanical repair information. General Motors currently is leading the trend by providing a website that has vehicle-specific collision repair information. This website, which is http://www.gmgoodwrench.com, is a free website devoted to providing technical collision repair information for a number of their late model vehicles (see Figure 1). The information on this web site for collision repair is the same information that General Motors has distributed at NACE over the years.
General Motors also has a much more comprehensive pay site that includes all the mechanical and body repair information for each make and model vehicle. This site is a pay site located at http://service.gm.com/index_en-US.html. The subscription page for this site is located at http://www.acdelcotds.com/transaction/subscription.asp.
Honda and Hyundai also have service and body information available online. The Honda site (https://www.ServiceExpress.Honda.com) provides diagnostic and repair information for 1996 and later OBD II-equipped Honda and Acura vehicles. This site, however, is password protected. It requires completing and submitting a sign-up form which provides 21-day free access to their site. After 21 days, the user will be charged starting from their initial subscription date.
The Hyundai site (http://www.hmaservice.com) offers free information on troubleshooting mechanical problems, scan tool updates, body part removal and installation, etc. This site is optimized for the IBM-compatible personal computer and does not show up very well if using a Macintosh computer. There are two areas on this website. One area offers free information to the public and the other requires a password to gain access to restricted publications.
The Ford Motor Company site (http://www.motorcraft.com) has information that addresses Diagnostic and Repair Procedures, Technical Service Bulletins, Electrical Wiring Diagrams, and Onboard Diagnostic System Descriptions. Similar to other sites, it requires completing and submitting a sign-up form. The subscription rates vary according to the length of the subscription.
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Figure 2–Tech-Cor’s research bulletins are listed in chronological order from the latest to the earliest.
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Another popular resource is provided by Tech-Cor at http://www.tech-cor.net (see Figure 2). The pages at this web site provide information on tested repair procedures for a variety of vehicles dating back to 1986. While visiting the Tech-Cor home page, simply click on “Research Bulletins” for a listing of various procedures documented by Tech-Cor over the past 17 years. Some procedures are vehicle specific, while other procedures address how to work with certain materials such as adhesives, plastics, refinish materials, etc.
Lastly, I-CAR’s web site (http://www.i-car.com) is also a valuable source of free information (see Figure 3). It contains:
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Figure 3–To access the back issues of the I-CAR Advantage, click on the “Press And News” link located on the home page.
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the Uniform Procedures for Collision Repair (UPCR). These are general repair procedures for all parts of a vehicle, including general sectioning guidelines for every structural part.
- the I-CAR Advantage. This area includes archives of issues dating back to 1989 up to the latest Advantage Online article.
- the Airbag Parts Replacement Chart. This area provides a list of all parts that must be inspected and/or replaced following an airbag deployment for all makes and models for vehicles dating back to 1993.
- a list of collision industry links to other associations, service providers, tool and equipment makers, federal, state, and provincial agencies, etc.
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Figure 4–The National Automotive Service Task Force information matrix is updated periodically as more vehicle makers make service information available.
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In September of 2002, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers and the Automotive Service Association signed an agreement with the vehicle makers ensuring that non-emissions and emissions service information, tools, tool information and training will be made available to the independent repairer by August 31, 2003. Every vehicle maker, with the exception of Porsche, signed the agreement. With this agreement, start looking for more vehicle maker web sites being available to collision repair facilities by the end of the year. The National Automotive Service Task Force has devoted a web site to documenting the availability of automotive service information from the vehicle maker. Refer to http://www.nastf.org to determine which vehicle makers have their service and repair information online (see Figure 4).
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