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Automotive Body Repairers

(D.O.T.  620.364, .684-034; 807.267, .281, .361-010, .381-010, -018,
-022, and -030, .484, .684-010; and 865.684-010)

Nature of the Work

Thousands of motor vehicles are damaged in traffic accidents every
day.  Although some are sold for salvage or scrapped, most can be
repaired to look and drive like new.  Automotive body repairers
straighten bent bodies, remove dents, and replace crumpled parts
that are beyond repair.  Usually, they can repair all types of
vehicles, but most body repairers work on cars and small trucks.  A
few work on large trucks, buses, or tractor-trailers.

   When a damaged vehicle is brought into the shop, body repairers
generally receive instructions from their supervisors, who have
determined which parts are to be restored or replaced and how much
time the job should take.

   Automotive body repairers use special machines to restore damaged
metal frames and body sections to their original shape and location.
They chain or clamp the frames and sections to alignment machines
that usually use hydraulic pressure to align the damaged metal.
Unibody designs, which are built without frames, must be returned to
precise alignment, so repairers use bench systems to guide them and
measure how much each section is out of alignment.

   Body repairers remove badly damaged sections of body panels with a
pneumatic metal-cutting gun or acetylene torch and weld in new
sections to replace them.  Repairers pull out less serious dents
with a hydraulic jack or hand prying bar, or knock them out with
handtools or pneumatic hammers.  They smooth out small dents and
creases in the metal by holding a small anvil against one side of
the damaged area while hammering the opposite side.  They remove
very small pits and dimples with pick hammers and punches.

   Body repairers also repair or replace the plastic body parts used
increasingly on newer model vehicles.  They remove the damaged
panels and determine the type of plastic from which they are made.
With most types, they can apply heat from a hot-air welding gun or
by immersion in hot water, and press the softened panel back into
its original shape by hand.  They replace plastic parts which are
more difficult to repair.

   Body repairers use plastic or solder to fill small dents which
cannot be worked out of the plastic or metal panel.  On metal
panels, they then file or grind the hardened filler to the original
shape and sand it before painting.  In many shops, automotive
painters do the painting.  (These workers are discussed in the
Handbook statement on painting and coating machine operators.) In
smaller shops, workers often do both body repairing and painting.  A
few body repairers specialize in repairing fiberglass car bodies.

   In large shops, body repairers may specialize in one type of repair,
such as frame straightening or door and fender repairing.  Some body
repairers also specialize in installing glass in automobiles and
other vehicles.  Glass installers remove broken, cracked, or pitted
windshields and window glass.  Curved windows sometimes must be cut
from a sheet of safety glass.  Glass installers apply a
moisture-proofing compound along the edges of the glass, place it in
the vehicle, and install rubber strips around the sides of the
windshield or window to make it secure and weatherproof.

   Body repair work has variety and challenge each damaged vehicle
presents a different problem.  Repairers must develop appropriate
methods for each job, using their broad knowledge of automotive
construction and repair techniques.

   Body repairers usually work alone with only general directions from
supervisors.  In some shops, they may be assisted by helpers or
apprentices.

   Repairing damaged motor vehicles requires a broad knowledge of
reconstruction techniques.

Working Conditions

Most automotive body repairers work 40 to 60 hours a week.  They
work indoors in body shops which are noisy because of the banging of
hammers against metal and the whir of power tools.  Most shops are
well ventilated to partially disperse dust and paint fumes.  Body
repairers often work in awkward or cramped positions, and much of
their work is strenuous and dirty.  Hazards include cuts from sharp
metal edges, burns from torches and heated metal, injuries from
power tools, and fumes from paint.

Employment

Automotive body repairers held about 202,000 jobs in 1992.  Most
worked for shops that specialized in body repairs and painting, and
for automobile and truck dealers.  Others worked for organizations
that maintain their own motor vehicles, such as trucking companies
and automobile rental companies.  A few worked for motor vehicle
manufacturers.  Nearly 1 automotive body repairer out of 5 was
self-employed.

Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement

Most employers prefer to hire persons who have completed formal
training programs in automotive body repair, but these programs are
able to supply only a portion of employers' needs.  Formal training
is highly desirable because advances in technology in recent years
have greatly changed the structure, the components, and even the
materials used in automobiles.  As a result, many new repair
techniques have been created and many new skills are required.  For
example, the bodies of newer automobiles are increasingly made of a
combination of materials the traditional steel, plus aluminum and a
growing variety of metal alloys and plastics each requiring the use
of somewhat different techniques to reshape and smooth out dents and
small pits.  Automotive body repair training programs are offered by
high schools, vocational schools, private trade schools, and
community colleges.  Formal training in automotive body repair can
enhance chances for employment and speed promotion to a journeyman
position.

   Employers also hire many persons without formal automotive body
repair training, but most prefer to hire high school graduates who
know how to use handtools.  Good reading and basic mathematics
skills are essential because restoring unibody automobiles to their
original form requires such precision that body repairers often must
follow instructions and diagrams in technical manuals and make very
precise measurements of the position of one body section relative to
another.  Many automotive body repairers enter the occupation by
transferring from related helper positions.

   Persons without formal training learn the trade as helpers, picking
up skills on the job from experienced body repairers.  Helpers begin
by assisting body repairers in tasks such as removing damaged parts
and installing repaired parts.  They learn to remove small dents and
to make other minor repairs.  They then progress to more difficult
tasks such as straightening body parts and returning them to their
correct alignment.  Generally, skill in all aspects of body repair
requires 3 to 4 years of on-the-job training.

   Certification by the National Institute for Automotive Service
Excellence (ASE), which is voluntary, is recognized as a standard of
achievement for automotive body repairers.  To be certified, a body
repairer must pass a written examination and must have at least 2
years of experience in the trade.  Completion of a high school,
vocational school, trade school, or community college program in
automotive body repair may be substituted for 1 year of work
experience.  Automotive body repairers must retake the examination
at least every 5 years to retain certification.

   Automotive body repairers must buy their own handtools, but
employers usually furnish power tools.  Trainees generally
accumulate tools as they gain experience, and many workers have
thousands of dollars invested in tools.

   Continuing education throughout a career in automotive body repair
is becoming increasingly important.  Automotive parts, body
materials, and electronics continue to change and become more
complex and technologically advanced.  Gaining new skills, reading
technical manuals, and attending seminars and classes is important
for keeping up with these technological advances.

   An experienced automotive body repairer with supervisory ability may
advance to shop supervisor.  Some workers open their own body repair
shops.  Others become automobile damage appraisers for insurance
companies.

Job Outlook

Employment of automotive body repairers is expected to increase
faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2005.
Opportunities should be best for persons with formal training in
automotive body repair and mechanics.

   Requirements for body repairers will increase because as the number
of motor vehicles in operation grows with the Nation's population,
the number damaged in accidents will increase as well.  New
automobile designs increasingly have body parts made of steel
alloys, aluminum, and plastics materials that are more difficult to
work with than the traditional steel body parts.  Also, new, lighter
weight automotive designs are prone to greater collision damage than
older, heavier designs and, consequently, are more time consuming to
repair.  Nevertheless, the need to replace experienced repairers who
transfer to other occupations or retire or stop working for other
reasons will still account for the majority of job openings.

   The automotive repair business is not very sensitive to changes in
economic conditions, and experienced body repairers are rarely laid
off.  However, most employers hire fewer new workers during an
economic slowdown.  Although major body damage must be repaired if a
vehicle is to be restored to safe operating condition, repair of
minor dents and crumpled fenders can often be deferred.

Earnings

Body repairers earned median weekly earnings of $401 in 1992.  The
middle 50 percent earned between $289 and $525 a week.  The
lowest-paid 10 percent earned less than $227 a week, while the
highest-paid 10 percent earned over $757 a week.  Helpers and
trainees usually earn from 30 to 60 percent of the earnings of
skilled workers.

   The majority of body repairers employed by automotive dealers and
repair shops are paid on an incentive basis.  Under this method,
body repairers are paid a predetermined amount for various tasks,
and earnings depend on the amount of work assigned to the repairer
and how fast it is completed.  Employers frequently guarantee
workers a minimum weekly salary.  Helpers and trainees usually
receive an hourly rate until they are skilled enough to be paid on
an incentive basis.  Body repairers who work for trucking companies,
buslines, and other organizations that maintain their own vehicles
usually receive an hourly wage.

   Many automotive body repairers are members of unions, including the
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers; the
International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural
Implement Workers of America; the Sheet Metal Workers' International
Association; and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.  Most
body repairers who are union members work for large automobile
dealers, trucking companies, and buslines.

Related Occupations

Repairing damaged motor vehicles often involves working on their
mechanical components as well as their bodies.  Automotive body
repairers often work closely with several related occupations
including automotive and diesel mechanics, automotive repair service
estimators, painters, and body customizers.

Sources of Additional Information

   More details about work opportunities may be obtained from
automotive body repair shops and motor vehicle dealers; locals of
the unions previously mentioned; or the local office of the State
employment service.  The State employment service also is a source
of information about training programs.

   For general information about automotive body repairer careers,
write to:

   Automotive Service Association, Inc., P.O.  Box 929, Bedford, TX
76095-0929.

   Automotive Service Industry Association, 25 Northwest Point, Elk
Grove Village, IL 60007-1035.

   For information on how to become a certified automotive body
repairer, write to:

   ASE, 13505 Dulles Technology Dr., Herndon, VA 22071-3415.

   For a directory of certified automotive body repairer programs,
contact:

   National Automotive Technician Education Foundation, 13505 Dulles
Technology Dr., Herndon, VA 22071.