Aluminum Reconditioning & Replacement

Giving Your Car the Back Bone it Needs

Our Aluminum Repair Process

McDavid Collision Centers are some of the most trusted auto body shops in the greater Dallas/Fort Worth area. One of the benefits of using our I-CAR Gold Class Certified and OEM certified collision centers is the expertise that we provide in more specialized repair work, such as aluminum repair. Some of the McDavid Collision locations are proud to offer full aluminum repair service to our customers. A common question is, “What cars are made out of aluminum?”. Many popular brands, such as Acura, Honda, Ford, Lincoln and more utilizing aluminum frames and body panels, but aluminum repair requires additional training and facilities that can provide repairs safely, and correctly. McDavid Collision Centers are equipped to provide the best, high-quality aluminum repair work for your vehicle. Schedule your appointment at one of our 4 locations: Fort Worth, Irving. Not all of our locations offer Aluminum service, so contact the location nearest you and we can direct you to the nearest certified shop. We look forward to working with you.

The Differences Between Aluminum & Steel Repair.

Steel & aluminum have different challenges. It's important to find a shop that can properly repair aluminum. If you just look for body shops near you, you could find yourself in a situation where you have somebody repairing your car, truck or SUV that is not familiar with these differences in the metals. Why does it matter? This can lead to further damage which, in some cases, may not be fixable. Aluminum doesn’t have the same moldable properties that you find in steel and responds differently to heat. Aluminum is, also, much stronger and weighs less than steel. These differences give aluminum an advantage when being used in trucks to help with payload capacity, towing capacity and efficiency. These reasons are also why aluminum requires more attention to detail than steel does. McDavid Collision Centers keeps our teams up to date on the latest training and maintains both I-CAR certification, certification from the manufacturers. You’ll be confident in knowing our expert technicians at Aluminum certified locations know how to mend aluminum properly and understand how its differences from steel.

So, what happens when an aluminum panel gets dented?

When aluminum is damaged or dented, it takes specific tools to extract the dents and reshape your vehicle. The two metals, also, cannot come in contact with each other, as it can cause a potential explosion. Collision centers that are properly trained in aluminum repair have their own clean area to handle aluminum repair. That’s why McDavid Collision Centers has equipped certain facilities and technicians with the tools, designated repair areas and knowledge to understand these differences in the metal and restore your vehicle back to its pre-accident condition. Utilize our photo estimator and get your free estimate from one of our 5 locations...from the comfort of your home, and we will direct you to an aluminum certified shop: Fort Wortha, Irving. We look forward to working with you!

What Does It Take To Repair Aluminum?

Heat

Heat.....and turn the heat way up. Heat is one of the main requirements for repairing & reshaping aluminum. The metal that was damaged collision is very strong, so heat is used to help soften the aluminum so the technician can reshape the damaged area correctly. When looking at a dent or damaged panel/bumper, the whole panel must be considered in the repair process, not just where the dent is. This is why aluminum repair is a true art form. Heating the damaged area, reshaping the metal, and allowing it to cool while keeping its is a difficult task to perfect. Careful monitoring and specialized equipment is necessary to do this process correctly. This is why McDavid Collision Centers keep their certification and training as current as possible to make sure they have the best aluminum repair technicians working on your vehicle.

Equipment

Aluminum repair requires special equipment, which can be quite expensive. However, it’s an important investment for a body shop to ensure that aluminum repair is done properly. Luckily, certain McDavid Collision Center locations have the proper equipment and tools to properly repair any aluminum that is damaged on your vehicle, some of which includes specialized welding equipment. Aluminum dent pullers have also the ability to save body panels, thus saving money and not requiring a replacement panel. While the process takes a lot of time, and even more in order to master the technique or reshaping the panel, these aluminum dent pullers do make the job easier than it previously was and take less time, even in the heating and cooling process.

Education

Education on aluminnum is an extremly important factor. McDavid Collision Centers’ technicians are both I-CAR Gold Class Certified and trained by specific manufacturers so they can properly fix any aluminum damage on your vehicle. Most customers don’t know that there are different types of metals used on vehicles, and different metals require different care. For example, different welding wires cover all types of aluminum. Honda requires different wire used in the repairs of their steels than Ford. This is where extensive education comes in handy. Proper training and certification allows our team to understand the factory standards and repair your vehicle to those specific brand standards.

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