Over the past decade, vehicles have become more and more complex. This has led to many positive outcomes, including better fuel economy and increased safety, but it has also led to increased complexity in estimating and vehicle repair. Not understanding the materials used in vehicle construction can negatively impact cycle time, productivity and most importantly technician and consumer safety.

There are two primary factors driving the use of alternative materials in the construction of vehicles:  fuel economy and safety.  In the case of fuel economy, CAFE standards along with an overall movement towards green technologies and alternative metals have impacted how vehicles are constructed.  There are lighter materials being used such as aluminum and carbon fiber which result in lighter, more fuel efficient vehicles but require special knowledge, equipment, and facilities to repair.

As far as safety is concerned, stronger materials such as high strength steel (HSS), ultra high strength steel (UHSS), and boron protect the passenger in the event of an accident; however, these materials also require special handling when it comes time to repairing the vehicle.  Heating certain metals can dramatically impact key characteristics of the metal that provide strength and affect occupant safety. Because of the widespread use of these special materials, it has become increasingly important to know which materials are present when writing an estimate and making the appropriate repair versus replace decisions.

CCC ONE Touch Estimating provides insight into repairing vehicles by using color coded graphics to easily identify substrate materials during the estimating process. This helps the estimator identify special materials up front and make the proper repair versus replace decisions.  Likewise, CCC ONE Repair Methods, which is integrated into CCC ONE Estimating, provides a vast library of detailed repair procedures helping to tame the increasing complexity found in today’s vehicles.

Learn more about CCC ONE Touch. 

Learn more about CCC ONE Repair Methods.