Changes to Welding Qualifications

From 1 April 2024, the certification for I-CAR Automotive Steel MIG Welding, MIG Brazing Hands-On Skill Qualification and the Aluminium MIG Welding Qualification will move to a quarterly expiry.

What will this mean for you?

This will mean that your welding qualification will expire at the end of the quarter three years from when you were tested. ie if you were tested 01/02/2024 you certificate would expire on the 31/03/2027 rounded forward to the end of the nearest quarter.

For those technicians who have a current I-CAR Steel MIG Welding, MIG Brazing Hands-On Skill Qualification or the Aluminium MIG Welding Qualification the expiry on the certificates already issued will remain the same.

It is envisaged that this system will allow for speedier processing of tests.

Collision Repair Industry – Calling all industry experts

Do you have what it takes to become part of the I-CAR NZ training team?

Do you have a passion for the collision repair industry? Are you motivated and on the lookout for a stimulating challenge and the opportunity to give back? If you answered ‘yes’ to those questions and are a good communicator, then you should apply to be part of I-CAR NZ.

We are looking for an Auckland based person to work predominantly from our training center located close to Auckland Airport.

This role involves not just instructing courses but planning and future development of course delivery, you will be part of an elite group of well-respected professionals who are recognised as experts within the industry. You will meet, network with, and teach people from all segments of the industry. The training you provide helps improve the quality of collision repairs, resulting in increased safety and satisfaction for consumers.

I-CAR NZ use professionally developed classroom materials and have training on technical and presentation skills.

We will provide you with:

  • Up-to-date technical training
  • Professional development of your presentation skills.
  • The best training curriculum in the industry.
  • Online technical support and access to the latest international instructor technical information.

If you are a technically proficient, well spoken team player that has a passion for the collision repair industry we want you!

If you would like more information on becoming part of the I-CAR NZ team, please contact I-CAR NZ at neil@i-car.co.nz

Launch of NEW Training Plans in myI-CAR

We are delighted to announce new and improved functionality on your
myI-CAR page. These updates will allow you to view if you are Bronze, Silver or Platinium with an easy to read progress bar.

What is required to maintain your current certificate.

And what hours you need to move to the next level, with a list of courses you haven’t completed that you can choose from.

But it gets even better because for Training Managers and Employers we have the functionality for you to be able to view all this information for all staff members! You can also print the Training Plans! Just let us know who we need to set up by completing the authorised person form v2

You can email me here admin@i-car.co.nz with the completed form.
Looking forward to hearing from you.

Lifting Vehicles With High-Voltage Batteries

Vehicles with high-voltage (HV) batteries (hybrid and electric vehicles) may have different considerations when it comes to lifting or jacking. Typically, a collision repair facility uses floor jacks, jack stands, and lifts to safely gain access to the underside of vehicles. Let’s take a look at some of these considerations.
A technician should use the OEM vehicle-specific information to locate lifting points for a vehicle with an HV battery. Areas to find this information may include the:

Service manual
Body repair manual (BRM)
Owner’s manual
Emergency response guide (ERG)
Some considerations when lifting or jacking an HV vehicle, either hybrid or electric, are:

Battery damage – Lifting in the wrong location or lifting a vehicle that is not allowed to be jacked up may cause serious damage to the battery pack itself.
Weight – Vehicles with HV batteries may weigh more than those using standard combustion engines. Because of this extra weight from the battery, certain jacks, jack stands, and lifts may not be able to hold the vehicle safely, which in turn could cause injury to a technician as well as damage to the vehicle.
Damage to related components – Even if you are careful not to place the lift or jacks on the battery itself, there could be other HV components in the area that may get damaged during the lifting and supporting process. It is important to familiarize yourself with the location of HV components. Additional items like exhaust heat exchangers and associated cooling system lines and hoses also need to be protected from damage.
Special tools and equipment – Some service information procedures require that lift hoist pads/adapters be properly placed in the designated areas to prevent damage while lifting the vehicle.
Many OEMs provide recommended lifting points on their service site. Some vehicles even have these locations marked with notches or stamping.

Always read guidelines and warnings for jacking and lifting, as in some cases, jack stands, and floor jacks are not allowed. If battery removal is required, additional equipment may be needed.

Always follow OEM procedures when it comes to lifting a high-voltage vehicle to ensure a complete, safe, and quality repair.

This article first appeared in the I-CAR USA Collision Repair News.

Back-To-Basics: Hybrid Refinishing And Baking

Sometimes going back-to-basics can make the difference between a quality repair and a failed repair. When repairing and refinishing electric vehicles (EVs), unintentional damage to the battery can be avoided by taking the proper steps including researching the paint maker technical data sheets (TDS) for optimal clearcoat baking requirements and vehicle maker service information for temperature and time restrictions.
Each paint maker has different recommendations for optimal clearcoat baking applications. Provided in the paint maker TDS are temperature and time ranges. These ranges may be based on booth air temperature or substrate temperature. How do you determine which temperature measuring method to use? How could the baking operation affect your repair? What other resources are available?

When reviewing a paint maker TDS, you may find statements determining how force dry temperatures are measured. Here are a few examples from product-specific TDS:

AkzoNobel:

“Drying times are stated at recommended application method, film thickness, and object temperature. Drying temperatures provided are for metal or object temperature.”
“Drying times are stated at recommended application method, film thickness, and ambient temperature. The dry times stated may increase with insufficient airflow.”
Axalta:

“10-15 minutes x 160°F (71°C) booth temp”
“Drying time at 140°F (60°C) metal temp 20 to 30 minutes”
“Bake 30 min/140°F (60°C) panel temperature…”
BASF:

In product specific TDS, temperatures and time ranges are stated, but how to measure the temperature is not disclosed. We reached out for clarification. Per the BASF Techline (hotline), BASF uses metal temperatures to measure force dry times.
PPG:

“All force dry times are quoted for metal temperature. Additional time must be allowed during force dry to allow metal to reach recommended temperature.”
Sherwin-Williams:

“Do not exceed 150°F surface temperature while baking. Do not exceed 20 minutes total bake time.”
“Bake 10 minutes at 120°F surface temperature”
Each paint maker has different verbiage to state how to measure recommended bake temperatures and times. Different mixing ratios, solvent selection, or additives can change bake recommendations. Be aware some products do not recommend force drying, this can be found in some air dry or speed clear coats.

How could product selection change the repair process for EVs? When researching repair procedures take note of vehicle maker warnings relating to EV battery temperatures. We have gathered these precautions as part of the OEM Hybrid And Electric Vehicle Disable Search. A simple search can provide vehicle maker, vehicle-specific refinish precaution statements along with additional information.

A vehicle maker might recommend a temperature and time not to exceed when baking refinish products to prevent battery damage. The vehicle being repaired may require alternative paint shop scheduling or clearcoat product selection. A shop might prefer to select a different product or mixture which accommodates air drying and having the car refinished at the end of the day to allow enough time for air drying.

Where to look to find more information related to paint maker recommendations or vehicle maker paint precautions? Paint makers offer technical resources including TDS libraries online or built into their color retrieval software, regional technical representatives and easy to use technical hotlines.

Lastly, do not forget to reference vehicle maker repair manuals to confirm refinishing precautions and other precautions pertaining to the repair.

This article first appeared in the I-CAR USA Collision Repair News.

Back-To-Basics: Considerations For Choosing The Right Spraybooth

Sometimes going back-to-basics can make the difference between a quality repair and a failed repair. When it comes to choosing the right spraybooth, there are a few considerations.
A spraybooth provides a clean and dust-free environment away from contaminants generated by the rest of the collision repair facility. It offers the ability to control and evenly distribute the temperature to create an ideal environment for spraying and baking. A spraybooth provides color-corrected lighting for color matching that is evenly distributed with the proper brightness.

What are some of the considerations when it comes to choosing the right spraybooth? Let’s take a look at some below:

Regulations:
What booth you choose may depend on local regulations, so be sure to check before getting a spraybooth.

Lighting:
Lighting is very important in the booth, so high quality LEDs are going to be the best option. But in some situations, the technician may not want it to be at its brightest. Therefore, some booths offer the ability to adjust the lighting levels.

Airflow:
Suitable and adjustable airflow are important in a spraybooth. And not only the amount of airflow but also how much is fresh outside air or recycled. With many current booths, the air flow and temperature can be set manually or automatically. This adjustability can speed up the cure times of high solid and waterborne materials.

Permanence:
If you need a temporary option, there are inflatable portable spraybooths available as well. These may come in handy when your shop is too busy to get all work completed with your current set up. These booths can be put up and taken down in a matter of minutes. They have all the filtration you will need to do the job. But they may be lacking proper lighting and temperature control and may not be compliant with some state and local regulations.

These are just some of the considerations when it comes to choosing the correct spraybooth for the repair facility.

This article first appeared in the I-CAR USA Collision Repair News.

Identifying The Correct Body Repair Manual: Hyundai/Genesis

An interesting article I read on the I-CAR International News site relates to the identification of the correct Hyundai model you may be working with.
This could be handy for you to refer to when contacting your Hyundai dealership if it helps with identification.

Vehicle makers may group their body repair manuals (BRM) in several different ways. Sometimes the BRMs will be grouped by a year range, some are listed as VIN specific, and others are arranged by a body code. Let’s take a look at Hyundai to see how they group their BRMs.
Hyundai and Genesis use a multi-letter or alphanumeric code for each model. For example, a 2021-2023 Genesis G80 is labeled as a G80 (RG3) and a 2022-2023 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is labeled as a Tucson Hybrid (NX4 HEV). This is important because there are other models that have a code beginning with “NX4,” like the 2022-2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz (NX4A OB).

Body codes are important when it comes to ordering parts, looking up repair procedures, and measuring the vehicle. This is especially true when a vehicle maker continues to build a previous generation model when the new generation model is still being produced. With different body codes comes differing procedures and precautions. Always make sure the correct BRM is selected before beginning repairs.

This article first appeared in the I-CAR USA Collision Repair News.

I-CAR Virtual Course Policy

Course Attendance

To receive attendance credit for a virtual course, it is required that registered attendees arrive no later than ten (10) minutes from the published session start time and remain in attendance for the entire course session.

In the event an attendee joining a course more than ten (10) minutes after scheduled start, it could be counted as nonattendance and no credit for course will be granted. The student will need to select a new session scheduled for a future date.

Students must remain in attendance for the entire course session to receive attendance credit and access to the course posttest.

Course Learning Experience

I-CAR recommends attendees log in ten (10) minutes prior to session start time to test system and internet capabilities.

For the best learning experience, I-CAR recommends students log in to the course session individually, using their own device. If multiple students are using one device, the instructor must receive confirmation of the presence of each student attending the session and using the shared device at session start time so that all students receive proper course credit. Instructor may call out specific names to confirm attendance of students for verbal confirmation at any point during the course session.

Course Rescheduling, Cancellation and Refund Policy

Course cancellations should occur a minimum of 24 hours in advance of session start time. A reschedule or cancellation that occurs on the day of the course session or after the course session is complete, or a no show, could result in the course fee being forfeited.

Non-attendance refunds for virtual courses are not available. Non-attendance credit may be requested.

If a cancellation or reschedule is needed, please contact Alison on admin@i-CAR.co.nz

Cancellation by I-CAR

In the event that I-CAR cancels a course session, registrants will be contacted by telephone and/or e-mail. I-CAR will make every attempt to contact each registrant as soon as possible once cancellation is determined. It is important to provide I-CAR with up-to-date contact information so I-CAR can reach you.

I-CAR reserves the right to cancel a session due for low registration of fewer than five students.

In the event of a course cancellation, you will receive credit on account, or you may request a refund.

Discontinuation of a Course

I-CAR reserves the right to discontinue any course within the I-CAR catalog. All attempts will be made to contact all enrolled parties, and discontinued classes will be removed from the I-CAR New Zealand website.

Current Automotive Trends – Free Course

I-CAR NZ created a brief update course for you to take a quick look at vehicle manufacturing trends for 2021 and how some of these are likely to have an impact on the collision repair industry for the future. This was released at the CRA Roadshows in March 2021 but is free for anyone to view.

In it we go over the expanding EV fleet, Pedestrian Protection Technology, Autonomy, Intelligent Glass Control, Manufacturer Specific Developments and Steel Developments.