What Is An Auto Body Technician? Job Description and Responsibilities
Whether it’s a full-on crash or a fender bender, the person you call to assess and fix your car is an auto body technician. This automotive professional specializes in the exterior restoration of vehicles. They buff out scratches, hammer out dents, replace windshields, and give cars a new coat of paint. For more serious accidents, they may need to replace panels, adjust alignment, or work on car systems. Interested in this career path? Check out what you might expect if you become an auto body technician.
Automotive Body Techs Repair Car Exteriors
As an auto body technician, you spend most of your time fixing vehicle exteriors after minor accidents. You may need to buff out scratches, pull out dents, and apply fillers. For more serious damage, you may replace full panels like doors and hoods or fenders and grilles. To properly do the job, you first clean the damaged area to assess whether it needs to be repaired or replaced. Even if something could be repaired instead of replaced, you may opt to replace because it would save time and labor. After you perform the initial repair, you need to sand, prime, and paint. Other exterior components such as windows and windshields may also need to be removed and installed.
But if you think external auto repair is just about looks, think again. When a car is dented and damaged, water can get under its paint and through the metal, causing oxidation and rust. That rust can make a car look terrible, but it can also eat away at the metal and the very structure of the automobile. As an auto body tech, you bring old cars back to life.
Auto Body Technicians Also Repair Interior Systems
It’s not just the outside of your car that gets wrecked in a crash. The interior systems can also suffer major damage. As an auto body tech, you assess a car’s alignment using sophisticated technology. Once a vehicle is connected to the computer, adjustments can be made to realign it to factory settings.
Even traveling at only 15MPH, airbags can deploy, so collision repair technicians also need to know how to replace airbags. This means understanding how to diagnose airbag systems and sensors and how to replace those that have deployed during a crash. Once replaced, you test and calibrate the system and reset codes.
Other systems that may need repair after a collision include braking, suspension, electric windows, air conditioning, security, and keyless entry. As an auto body repair technician, you repair a lot more than just bent fenders!
Auto Collision Technicians Need to Know Welding
Sometimes repairs require more than banging out dents or replacing panels. As an auto body technician, you need to know various welding techniques to repair cracks in panels, pipes, fenders, and wheels. More importantly, you may need to cut out and weld in new pieces of a vehicle’s frame. The very structure and strength of a car may depend on your welding skills and your ability to connect all the parts.
Repainting & Detailing
When a scratch is too deep to buff out, or if extensive repairs are done to the outside of a vehicle, the only solution may be to give the car a brand-new coat of paint. As an auto body technician, you need to identify the right type of paint to use, mix and match the exact color, and apply the paint as a durable quality finish.
Some Customers Request Custom Finishes
Some customers won’t have vehicle damage from an accident. Instead, they may request some custom work, particularly on an older car that they want to restore. Your job is to remove rusted parts, refurbish corrosion damage, or upgrade old parts to more modern versions. You may also get to do creative, custom paint jobs or apply decals and wraps to the body of the vehicle.
Damage Assessment and Cost Projections
Another important role you have as a collision repair technician is to make an initial assessment. You look at what’s been damaged, consider how much it will take for a repair, and if it’s worth it. You inspect the vehicle and use industry standards to analyze the problematic parts. Then, you write up a damage report that can be sent to insurance companies and used by auto collision managers to determine the necessary repairs. The report is also used to project a cost estimate of the repairs, which is sent to the insurance company and provided to the vehicle owner.
If you like to work with your hands, have an eye for detail, and a streak of creativity, a career as an auto body technician might be the right fit for you. At Lincoln Tech, we offer a Collision Repair and Refinishing training program that can prepare you for an entry-level career in an auto body shop. We offer a variety of projects and student competitions for you to hone your skills and our blended learning model provides flexibility for your busy schedule. Fill out the form to learn more.