1 Smart Repair Technology

Smart Repair Technology (Small to Medium Area Repair Technology) is the process of repairing a car using specialised tools, paint, and materials on a localised damaged area. SMART repair avoids the need to remove or repaint the entire panel of the car. If your car has unfortunately suffered damage as a result of an accident, there are several repair options available to you. In this learning material, we will run through the differences between traditional repairs and SMART repairs.

1.1 Traditional Repairs vs Smart Repairs

A SMART repair, which stands for ‘Small, Medium Area Repair Technology’, is a relatively recent innovation that has taken off within the automotive sector within the last decade or two. While SMART repairs depend on the type of damage sustained, the core functionality of this technique is that it allows you to focus on a localised area while leaving other parts of the car alone. Concentrating on the damaged area that needs to be fixed means there’s no need for entire panels to be replaced or repainted. If the bodywork’s paint is intact, the SMART repair can use Paintless Dent Removal to remove dents without respraying the vehicle. Even if a respray is necessary, SMART repairs use technology to respray the damaged area, seamlessly blending it in with the rest of the car. The result will be an outstanding finish that matches the rest of the car’s colour, even considering sun damage. The car’s aesthetics won’t appear different from how it looked before the accident!

One of the great benefits of some SMART repairs is that they can often be done mobile, meaning the repair specialist will visit
your home, reducing your inconvenience. A SMART repair is often cheaper, not because of reduced quality, but because
there is less work. Due to the low cost, you likely won’t need to claim through your insurance company and, therefore, won’t
lose your No Claims Bonus/Discount. SMART repairs are rapid, with most work completed the same day. If you want to
increase your car’s value before a sale, a SMART repair can be a great way to repair minor issues.
Traditional repairs are often much longer and more expensive as they involve wholly disassembling and reassembling
multiple parts of the vehicle instead of just homing in on the damaged section. However, a traditional repair may be the only
choice if the damage is more serious. As the acronym states, SMART repairs are best left to small and medium repairs. You
can use them to repair minor dents, bumper scuffs, scratches, and scuffed wheels, to name just a few.
Bodyliner systems is probably the most innovative and efficient steel and aluminium sheet metal repair system available on
the market today. It was designed for the repair of small to medium collision damage on car bodies. The repair is done
entirely from the outside, which makes dismantling or even replacement of panels entirely unnecessary.
The Bodyliner enables you to sell labour instead of spare parts with an ever-sinking margin. Smaller repair area, shorter
painting times, minimise strip and assembly, reduce use of spare parts and save up to 40% time on body repairs. Bodyliner is
a complete working station that will help your Bodyshop perform top quality and profitable repairs.
The Bodyliner working station contains all the tools necessary for a professional repair. You will have a wide range of tools
available, all put away neatly in the practical trolley. The Full version has a wide range of tools which enables to repair large
vehicles like vans as well as standard cars.

1.2 PAINTLESS DENT REMOVAL WORK METHODOLOGY

Paintless dent removal involves removing small dents using specialized tools: long picks, soft-faced hammers, plastic blocks,
and other equipment (Figure A).
You can save repair time and retain the factory baked on finish when you use picks to remove small dents, because you will
not have to repaint the panel. Paintless dent removal only works with small dents that do not damage the finish. It is
commonly used on small door dings and hail damage (Figure B).
First, all small dents should be marked with a crayon. Place a bright light to one side of the panel so that light reflects off from
the side to help make the dents more visible (Figure C). With your eyes almost level with the panel, sight across the panel.
Small dents can be hard to see. In Figure D, the technician is marking damage on a car bonnet. Figure E shows how you
would use a large hook attached to the bottom of a hood in a paintless repair. The hook allows you to pry upward on the
bottom of the hood right under small dents.
Push up on the panel while watching for the pushing action of the pick. The metal will flex upward at the point of the pick.
Move your pick until it is next to the ding or dent. Then, slowly, and carefully pry up on the dent. Circle around larger dents to
work them out a little at a time.
When prying with a pick, be careful not to stretch the metal by exerting too much pressure. Start with the point of impact or
the lowest point. Slowly pry up the damaged area. On the larger areas, use a flat blade pick rather than a pointed one. Tap
down pressure areas while prying up low-tension areas.