Editor’s note: Our Canadian content partner Collision Repair Magazine is in Toronto covering one of Canada’s main auto body repair trade shows, the Canadian Collision Industry Forum. One of the sessions examined the importance of measuring vehicles to ensure they’re structurally in spec, something that is as important — if not more so — than scanning and calibrating but seems to receive less attention. So we’re happy to present this excerpt with edits to help get the message across; check it out and then be sure to read the complete article posted on Collision Repair Magazine on Thursday to get even more information for your shop. 

By James Kerr, Collision Repair Magazine

With collision repair technology evolving at such a rapid rate, a new way of doing things can seem daunting, especially when it carries an equipment cost, but all the companies presenting their product solutions at CCIF Toronto – Arslan Automotive, Wedge Clamp Systems, Car-o-liner Automotive Systems, Spanesi, Chief Automotive and CARBENCH – were unified in the opinion that electronic measuring is vital to the success of a collision repair business.

“Despite the fact that today’s shops are expected to accomplish more in less time, measuring is necessary for safe repairs,”said Arman Gurarsian, managing director, Arslan Automotive.”Documentation is a solid way to show that you’ve completed OEM specs for a vehicle.”

“Our world has changed,” said John Marlowe, blueprint specialist representing Wedge Clamp Systems. “We live in a science-driven environment now. Everything we do must be measured and documented. We can no longer look at a car and know it’s not damaged, or know where the damage is.” He added: “This represents a shift in how we do things.”

“Most collision centres I walk into, they think – 3-D measuring, I’ve got to get my bodytech for that. But I see more value in 3-D measuring in repair planning,” said Anthony Iaboni, owner of Collision 360, presenting on the Spanesi system, “From that repair planning process you’re giving a path for the rest of the repair. The value to any measuring system, not just Spanesi’s, is to use it in repair planning.”

Richard Perry, global repair product manager, Chief Automotive: “How many vehicles have you worked on that have been worked on before? That’s why you have to scan the whole vehicle. What if you find nothing? Then you have documentation showing that there was nothing. You can’t fix what you don’t know. If you’re not measuring these vehicles completely, are you sure you found all the damage in that vehicle? Because remember, when it leaves the shop, who is responsible for it? You are.”

Read the rest and learn even more here at Collision Repair Magazine.

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