Working in a Material World

High-strength steel can be difficult to identify and even more difficult to repair

Back in "the day," automobiles were made almost entirely of good old-fashioned steel. When the cracked and bent hulls of these vehicles were hauled into shops, technicians pulled, bent and hammered this steel back into shape. There was little mystery to the work. It was all about the mastery of automotive craftsmen who, with well-honed skills and experience, could return a piece of steel back to form.

Now, when a vehicle rolls into a shop, repairers frequently must face a puzzle that gradually unfolds and grows in complexity as each section of a wreck is examined and repaired.

At the heart of this puzzle is chemistry, the range of materials now used in vehicle parts, particularly high-strength steel (HSS) and to a lesser extent aluminum, plastic and fiberglass. Only after they've been properly identified can they be properly repaired. The risks shops assume can be immense. With one wrong step, repairers can destroy a part or their own equipment or unknowingly leave a customer at risk. How are shops responding?

Overall, many repairers seem to be gradually adapting, but "gradually" might be a step too slow, especially when it comes to repairing HSS. That's potential bad news for shops and customers alike. Here are suggestions on what shops can do to protect their customers and themselves.

High-strength steel 101

In an effort to make vehicles lighter and more efficient and still meet or surpass safety mandates, car manufacturers are employing HSS and ultra high-strength steels (UHSS). These steels possess properties that require special handling when it comes to repairs.

For example, most manufacturers recommend that — with few exceptions — they shouldn't be heated or subjected to pulling. Doing so impacts these steels at the molecular level, changing the properties that were designed into them. Once that happens, the steel no longer reacts to collisions as engineers intended. Motorists are put at serious risk, as are shops due to the liability they incur.

What's more grim is that HSS can be difficult to identify. In fact, "Many people are working on it without even knowing it," says Jason Bartanen, technical development manager for I-CAR.

A brief survey conducted by ABRN supports this point. ABRN queried seven random shops across the nation in a non-scientific sampling on their experiences with HSS. All queried shops indicated they were aware of HSS challenges and said they had taken steps to address it. Three shops said they sent techs to I-CAR training or contacted I-CAR with questions. The others reported downloading manufacturing HSS repair instructions or said they made a point of speaking with their techs on the subject.

Most said they never had a repair "issue" with HSS — working on this material had yet to present them any challenges or problems. This seems to back up Bartanen's belief. Shops typically don't realize they're dealing with HSS until it presents a problem, sometimes after they've damaged equipment by trying to drill it.

Considering the amount of HSS in use today, odds are many shops might be misidentifying it. Many might not even be looking for it in the right places.

HSS use has spread beyond the frame and into critical protection pieces such as the A-and B-pillars, rocker panels and roof rails. Bartanen says the 2005 Honda Civic employs HSS in 32 percent of its parts and the 2006 model uses it in 50 percent. Other top-selling models such as the Toyota Camry are following suit.

Complicating this issue further, some parts feature both HSS and standard steel. Growing in popularity in automotive engineering are tailor-welded blanks — sheet-metal patchworks constructed of steels with different strengths, gauge thicknesses and/or coatings. Two or more separate sheets are welded together then stamped into a specific part. This process enables manufacturers to tailor the blank so each material's best attributes — gauge, strength and coating — are located precisely where each is needed. It's a great method to economically produce lighter, stronger parts, but makes identifying HSS difficult.

Considering all these factors, many of these shops may have worked on vehicles using HSS without realizing it. That means there's a good possibility they also mishandled it.

ABRN asked these shops how they went about identifying HSS. Four said they actively looked for this material, using training and "experience." The remaining three admitted they probably would only spot this steel if it offered them a problem, although they also reiterated they believed they were doing everything possible and necessary to deal with this material.

"We try to be as thorough as anyone. Our people are aware of [HSS]. We just haven't found it to be a major issue. Not that we're dismissing it. We're doing what we can in a tough situation," says one owner.

A technician for a Rochester, N.Y., shop similarly noted his shop had taken "some measures" but he had concerns they may have "overlooked" some repairs. "I think we'd all be better off if we had some sort of directions, some procedures we could go by," he says. "Everyone I know deals with this kind of question on a car-by-car basis."

Most drill bits fail against the super strong steel, which has been known to destroy bits when technicians get too aggressive and fail to stop drilling.

Lee Gamboa, general manager of Gamboa Body and Frame in Sacramento, Calif., says HSS, especially Boron HSS, can damage pulling equipment. HSS changes the whole dynamics of a pull. Because the steel is so strong and resistant to pulling, other parts can be damaged during this process.

On this same subject, vehicles employing HSS often require pulling or additional inspection to help uncover damage that might be hidden. HSS is engineered to transfer energy away from the passenger compartment and into other areas of a vehicle. Damage, therefore, can turn up a distance away from the actual collision-impact area.

This factor raises a serious question. If many shops are doing a poor job of identifying HSS, are they missing this damage when they estimate a repair? ABRN queried its survey shops on this question. Two shops said they were not aware of this fact but reiterated they repaired every bit of damage for their customers. One shop noted that parts and systems designed to transfer collision have been around for years, so shops already are experienced dealing with this issue.

Responses like that do little to lessen the fears of some industry members that the industry is sitting atop a ticking time bomb. Gamboa says improperly repaired HSS vehicles are a danger both to their own occupants and to other vehicles. Eventually, he says, these vehicles will cost someone his or her life, the family will sue, and the national news media will broadcast the story. It will be a huge black eye on an industry already suffering from trust and reputation issues.

A material perspective

HSS isn't the only material that can give repairers problems. Like HSS, aluminum is growing in use and turning up in hoods, decklids and roofs. Initially, repairers had issues identifying it, which led to aluminum pieces being damaged when technicians treated them like they were made of steel, only to watch as the aluminum crumbled or tore (and the shop picked up the tab). That's rare today.

Now, the biggest task shops face is deciding whether to repair aluminum frame vehicles like some BMW's and other high-end marks. Performing these repairs is an expensive proposition.

Len Verheyen, owner of Len's Auto-body in Oceanside, Calif., says one tool needed to remove and replace rivets costs more than $12,000. Aluminum repairs need to be performed in contained, ventilated structures that control dust and prevent contamination of the aluminum. Verheyen converted a display model spraybooth for the task. Coupled with his investment in tools and the cost of sending two of his techs to BMW training, Verheyen has invested more than $200,000 in aluminum repairs.

Most repairers aren't going to find that kind of investment worthwhile. But, one repairer says the experience of dealing with aluminum might be coloring their attitude towards HSS.

Phil Sartorri recently retired from the industry after 43 years working in and managing several shops in New York City and Philadelphia. He believes many repairers might not be giving HSS enough attention because it departs radically from their experience with other materials.

"I've seen cars go from using heavy steel to using other materials like fiberglass and plastic," he says. "Then they started putting aluminum everywhere. We're used to seeing these changes, and they've never been a big deal. If you're in this business, why should you look at HSS much differently?

"There are great people in this business, and we really care about what we do. We rely on carmakers to build cars we can fix. With all the new technologies they have, there's a big gap between what they do and what we do. It's getting bigger. We're having to deal with that. These new steels — we've never seen anything like them before. This is a new kind of problem. That's why we're still struggling with it."

Sartorri says this experience ultimately will benefit repairers. "It might take a little time, but we'll get a handle on this. It's going to be a good test for us. This business is going to be seeing a lot of other changes like this not long into the future," he says.

Available solutions

For Gamboa, getting a proper "handle" on this issue won't happen soon enough for the repair industry. As part of his duties with his shop, Gamboa verifies the materials in each repair vehicle. He has a small library on HSS repairs and regularly speaks with manufacturers, engineers and pretty much anyone involved with HSS. Gamboa notes there is no industry procedure for identifying HSS. Shops have to take it upon themselves to examine manufacturer information and take an active interest in the task. Even then, he says, identification can be difficult since some manufacturer data is unclear.

He has two pieces of advice to shops looking for identification help: Treat any steel you're unsure of like it's HSS. Also, treat damaged HSS pieces like they're a deployed airbag. "You wouldn't try to fix an airbag. You replace it. That's how serious this is," he says.