"The frame is damaged beyond repair. You're going to need a new one." Arguably, few other phrases in the collision repair
world cause as much hand wringing and anxiety on both sides of the service desk. Customers hear "frame replacement" and almost
immediately envision soaring repair costs and higher insurance premiums. Suddenly relevant are old tales from friends and
relatives whose otherwise repairable, frame-damaged vehicles were totaled due to prohibitive repair costs. In the customer's
mind, you might just as well have said, "Say goodbye to the family vacation. It's time to break your already over-extended
budget on repairs or maybe a new ride."
On the other side of the desk, repairers hear "frame replacement" and begin preparing for a potential pitched battle with
an insurance adjuster who might balk at the replacement cost and instead contend the frame simply needs repaired. So begins
what could be a time-consuming debate over repair practices, costs and liability. As this debate lingers, planned work on
the vehicle stalls, and an already upset customer must be informed of the dispute and the possibility that work on the vehicle
could be postponed for days or longer.
Modern frame machines provide exact laser measurement and a host of other frame repair services. Photos courtesy of Car-O-Liner,
Celette, Chief, Global Finishing and Len's Auto Body
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Ah, the many joys and easy life of the collision repairer. Fortunately, this unpleasant picture doesn't turn ugly as often
as it could. Still, it does arise often enough to leave repairers wondering if framework will ever get easier or at the very
least, less controversial.
Good news — change is on the way. Next generation aluminum frames could remedy many of the headaches associated with steel
frames. Along the way, they'll also pose some interesting and formidable challenges of their own, particularly in the areas
of cost and training. This month, ABRN gets you ready for future replacement jobs by reviewing current repair methods and issues with an overview of the fascinating
new world of aluminum frame repairs.
Back to basics: Full frame
Frame experts say damage to steel at the molecular level could create a host of safety issues down the road. Photos courtesy
of Car-O-Liner, Celette, Chief, Global Finishing and Len's Auto Body
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The full frame is back. Actually, it never left. Unibody engineering designs may have taken over the car market, but trucks
and SUVs, still wildly popular in the North American market, sit on full frames and account for over half of all new American
vehicle sales. The Inter-Industry Conference On Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR) Tech Center reports that fully one third of
all repair inquiries it fields involve full frame vehicles. Ninety percent of these involve the Ford F-150 frame, with the
Ford Ranger/Explorer accounting for a good part of the rest.
When it comes to performing the work, swapping out an old damaged frame for a new one, the task itself isn't rocket science.
Typically, a shop needs only the following prerequisites: proper equipment and space, along with a trained and experienced
tech. According to some industry analysts, finding a qualified tech can pose a bit of a challenge since many newly educated
techs lack training and experience due to the prevalence of unibody designs. Even so, full frame replacement still falls well
within the capability and means of most shops.
The irony of a frame replacement is that the actual work is a small part of the job. The real challenge lies in making the
decision to perform a full replacement. Complicating this decision are factors such as cost and locating the appropriate repair
guidelines.
