3 Common Causes of Auto Body Damage Seen by Auto Body Repair Technicians

auto body technician careers

Accidents might first come to mind as the most likely culprit behind auto body damage. However, there are many different reasons a vehicle may suffer body damage. In fact, damage is often inflicted by many other less conspicuous causes.

Auto body technicians are responsible for repairing any unsightly damage to the body of the vehicle. This could include scratches, dents, dings, and more.

Curious about how vehicles suffer body damage? Here are three common causes of auto body damage you may see during your career as an auto body technician.

1. Auto Body Repair Technicians May See Damage Caused by Weather

Weather may seem fairly harmless, but in some extreme cases it can cause significant amounts of damage. During hail storms, ice pellets may fall onto the hood or the roof of a vehicle. Larger pieces of hail can create prominent dents, requiring the expertise of an auto body repair technician to fix.

In addition to hail, gusty winds are a common perpetrator of vehicle damage. If a vehicle is parked near a tree, wind may cause the tree’s branches to scratch the exterior paint. In certain circumstances, branches may break off the tree and fall onto the vehicle, causing dents or even shattering its windows. If wind speeds pick up, there is also the risk that the wind could blow debris onto the car, denting or scratching its surface.

2. Auto Body Repair Technicians Will Likely See Damage Caused by Negligence

Many professionals with careers in the auto industry would agree that a lot of vehicle damage could be avoided with a little extra care. A general common cause of auto body damage is negligence, which includes any damage that occurs as a result of carelessness.

For example, in parking lots it’s not uncommon for stranded shopping carts to roll into the side of a car and dent it up. Another example of negligence-induced damage is dings in a car door caused by another vehicle’s door opening up. In crowded parking areas, other drivers may open their door too fast and slam it into the vehicle parked beside them. This can create significant dents in the door and cause damage to the vehicle’s paint.

 

auto body repair technician
A runaway shopping cart can cause damage to the body of a vehicle

In addition to shopping carts and car doors, other causes of negligent car damage could be flying balls from sports, keys scraping the paint surface, and gates opening into a vehicle.

3. Auto Body Repair Technicians May See Damage Caused by Rear-End Collisions

Rear ending is the most significant cause of accidents in Canada. In fact, about 25 per cent of Canadian accidents are caused by a driver following too closely to the vehicle in front of them. In British Columbia, almost 200 rear-end collisions take place every single day! As a result, most accident damage auto body technicians see is caused by these types of collisions.

 

careers in the auto industry
Rear-end collisions are a common cause of auto body damage

Rear-end collisions usually result in a dented rear bumper. Depending on the extent of the damage, it could potentially be quite the repair. For example, if the tail lights or back-up camera are damaged, it could cost your future clients anywhere from a couple hundred to thousands of dollars to fix.

Are you dreaming of auto body technician careers?

Contact Automotive Training Centres today to find out how you can get started!

Form is submitting