< PreviousSTAYING PROTECTED AND CONNECTED It was a huge hit, striking a chord with motorists everywhere. Having an external “advisor” connect to your vehicle 24-7 with empathy, compassion and guidance during your specific collision circumstance was a radical, yet welcome, concept. More than two decades and many enhancements later, today GM’s OnStar serves as a global technology brand that provides added peace of mind to consumers both on and off the road. In fact, now anyone without a GM vehicle can stay protected and connected from anywhere through the OnStar Guardian app. 1 “It’s part of GM’s commitment to focus on opportunities beyond vehicle sales to make the road – and the world – a safer place,” Santiago Chamorro, GM’s vice president of Global Connected Services. REDEFINING THE CONSUMER SAFETY EXPERIENCE A collision of any kind can be an extremely traumatic and distressing time for all involved. When each and every moment counts, getting appropriate and prompt help is of utmost importance. Thankfully, a steady growth of in-vehicle products and services over the years can be credited for becoming a driver’s personal “first responder,” helping to redefine the consumer safety experience. As General Motors’ OnStar celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2021, I-CAR’s Collision Reporter dives into the evolution of one of the automotive world’s first in-vehicle safety services and how it continues to expand in ways that would be difficult to fathom in 1996. SANTIAGO CHAMORRO Vice President of Global Connected Services 10 I - CAR COLLISION REPORTERLEARN MORE For instance, OnStar Guardian provides access to 24/7 roadside assistance 2 with a battery charge, empty fuel tank, lockout or flat tire. SHAPING THE FUTURE “Listening to consumers and their needs will continue to shape the future of how this app works,” said Chamorro. For instance, Chamorro shared the story of an OnStar member who had contacted his elderly mother, who happened to live on the other side of the country, and he became concerned because she wasn’t speaking coherently. The member’s mother seemed to have lost track of how much time she had spent in the bathtub. Since both he and his mother had OnStar Guardian loaded on their phones, the member contacted an OnStar Advisor using OnStar Guardian in order to help perform a welfare check, enabled by leveraging location information made available through OnStar Guardian. “Being on the other side of the country, he wasn’t easily able to determine which emergency service to call. OnStar determined the correct 911 jurisdiction and connected him with the appropriate emergency services providers. First responders were then able to check on his mother by using a spare/hidden key the OnStar member was able to direct them to.” It’s these kind of stories that inspire Chamorro and his team to continue reimagining the consumer safety experience. “We’ll keep innovating around the ways we can help individuals stay protected and connected,” he said. 1. U.S. and Canada only. Available on select Apple and Android devices. Mobile Crash Response services are intended for use in vehicles only and can connect automatically on Android devices only. Service coverage varies with conditions and location. Service availability, features and functionality vary by device and software version. Device permissions are required for app to operate properly. OnStar links to emergency services. Device and app may not transmit all crash data. See onstar.com for details and limitations. 2. Roadside services provided by Allstate. Roadside Services for vehicles only. Limitations and restrictions apply. 150,000 calls per day Receives an average of – approximately 4.5 million calls per month – or nearly 2 calls per second BY THE NUMBERS: 6,000+ Automatic Crash Response notifications per month Responds to 150+ Emergency-Certified Advisors respond to more than 7,500 emergencies every month 15,000+ Assists with Roadside Assistance requests every month 11 THE SAFETY ISSUEPANEL DISCUSSION The Need for Complete, Safe, and Quality Repairs on Behalf of the Consumer JEFF PEEVY Vice-President, Technical Products, Programs, and Services PANELISTS MODERATED BY DARRELL AMBERSON President of Operations MIKE ANDERSON President, Owner MARCIA SEEBACHAN Special Guest 12 I - CAR COLLISION REPORTERCONTINUED ON PAGE 14 > For over 40 years, I-CAR has collaborated with the six key segments of the collision repair Inter-Industry (Repairers, OEMs, Insurers, Suppliers, Service Providers, and Educators) to ensure a culture of safety at every level of the repair process, as well as support its critical vision and mission-based work: to equip every person in the collision repair industry with the technical knowledge, skills, information and solutions necessary to perform complete, safe and quality repairs for the benefit of the consumer. Many in the industry are familiar with the story of Marcia and Matthew Seebachan. The couple has bravely shared the physical and emotional impact of an automobile accident that happened nearly eight years ago. The Texas couple incurred severe injuries in that accident, that in one split second, would change their lives through the loss of future career and family plans. They share this story willingly in the hopes of educating and heightening the importance of automotive collision repair safety. To help continue reinforcing the importance of safety in collision repair, I-CAR’s Jeff Peevy facilitated a real-time roundtable discussion with the Seebachans as well as two highly respected Inter-Industry executives, to each share their insights into collision repair safety, along with a goal of strengthening the importance of this subject today, and into the future. The following are highlights from this discussion. MARCIA: “Due to severe hail damage, it was found that some repair work had been done (which had not been documented) by the previous owner of our new car. Instead of doing the OEM-recommended welding to repair the roof, the repair had been done with adhesive…We found out that this was potentially all avoidable. (Our accident) was as bad as it was simply because someone wanted to save money and time and difficulty in the repair process. And there were irreplaceable ways that our life was damaged because of that one simple choice that was done in a brief moment in one little shop that thought they were just doing their jobs.” JEFF: “Safe repairs – consistent safe repairs at a shop is really a culture within a business. It’s not just one person making a decision. It’s not just training. There’s a 13 THE SAFETY ISSUEDRIVING THE CONVERSATION conscious decision to do the right thing. It is a commitment that everyone in the shop has to make, and education is the first part. It comes down to a moral and ethical decision that has to be made every time.” DARRELL: “At the shop level, there should be no debate. We as repairers (should not) become amateur engineers and make our own assumptions. We are completely reliant on factory repair procedures, due to changing technologies. The complexity of cars has pushed us there. We have to have a mindset to err on the side of caution. We need as an industry to have a lot of self-discipline when we fix cars.” MIKE: “We are not in a position to second- guess (OEM) engineers…we cannot arbitrarily say we don’t have to do these things (because we are smarter than them), right? At the end of the day there needs to be dialog and we must continue to do them (follow OEM repair procedures) until someone tells us otherwise. We have to make a decision where we are going to fix that vehicle safely and properly…and the OEM repair procedures –that is our ‘building code’ for how we need to fix that vehicle. Whether it’s calibration, replacing a windshield, or even replacing a fender and torque specifications.” JEFF: “Anyone repairing a car has an obligation to train and educate themselves so they know how to do it right, know where to go to get the information, and know how to perform that information as it dictates the repair.” DARRELL: “We require our people to look up back repair information for each and every calibration and document it, put it in the files to prove that we really looked it up, and look up the appropriate or most recent version of the factory repair procedures. This is our guide and our philosophy…we have really hammered it with our people that there can be no deviation. It would be easy to charge for something that was really not necessary, but instead we want to do only what the manufacturer tells us to do, nothing more, nothing less. And frankly, the most important thing is that we do it right first.” MIKE: “It’s not just documenting the repair procedures, it’s documenting the conditions. For example, that the gas tank was full or whatever the case may be. And we can’t think, ‘well, I’ve done it on this one car, so I don’t have to look it up on the next car.’ Things change, right? Things change on a very regular basis! You have to research the OEM repair procedures on every single vehicle, every single year, every single make, every single model, every single time. Here’s a good example: I wrote an estimate recently to replace a quarter panel on a Toyota Camry. And there were 92 documents that I had to review, with an average of 5 pages per document. That’s 490 documents that I had 14 I - CAR COLLISION REPORTERCONTINUED ON PAGE 16 > to review. If you look at Google statistics that say it takes the average person 5-6 minutes to read a one-page technical document, you’re talking 40 hours. At the end of the day, I don’t think we can put profits over safety. If it takes you five hours or three hours or 40 hours, we have to make the time to do that. We have that obligation to the vehicle owner. Whether it’s tooling and equipment they require, if it’s specific materials they require, or a specific procedure that needs to be followed, we cannot negotiate that. We must follow (OEM procedures), and again, understand that the OEM manufacturers use computerized crash testing to determine how vehicles are going to react in the event of an accident. That’s why they call for specific welds or types of welds. Understand that, for example, when an OEM says ‘We only approve this welder,’ it’s because they’ve tested that welder and verified that they have met their specifications. When it comes to scan tools and the OEM manufacturers say, ‘Hey, use our scan tools or our specific factory targets,’ it’s because they’ve done testing on that. And when you use something that’s not approved, you’re running the risk of another family that may have to deal (with an accident). Our motto at Collision Advice is ‘learn to research, research to learn. Learn to use the OEM websites and then use them to fix cars safely and properly.” JEFF: “To do the repair right, document your repair and then save those documents. Sometimes it’s easy for us to go, ‘Well, I’m only going to keep these records for a short period of time, five years or whatever.’ I’m going to really stress that you find a place to keep those records for as long as possible. Train so you know how to do it right. That’s important. But then be able to prove it – document it. If you’re doing repairs right, you’d better document it.” MARCIA: “The first rule in the social work career field is ‘document it, or it didn’t happen.’ That was drilled into us from day one. I’ve had many times in my career where that has protected my clients because I have done the proper documentation, and there have been times where…I didn’t do it well enough and I had to learn my lesson. And that’s absolutely critical. Document and keep it all, it’s worth it.” MIKE: “I’ve shared my concerns over the importance of safety inspections per OEM requirements, OEM repair procedures, safety histories, etc., and how I-CAR stepped up to initiate a dialog on this with its recently-held ‘Safety Summit.’ I get the opportunity to work with shops around the country as well as OEMs and these OEM requirements are there for a reason. For example, General Motors obviously has a very invasive set of procedures, if a vehicle is in an accident it requires you to measure the steering column and inspect the dash. Thanks to this procedure, I know of a shop in Illinois 15 THE SAFETY ISSUEDRIVING THE CONVERSATION that removed the dash and found a cracked carrier. And had he not removed the dashboard what might have happened? I know of another shop that measured steering columns per Subaru’s procedures. They removed 43 steering columns, measured them, and found that 26% of the 43 were collapsed. When I share that information, some might say that ‘only’ 26% were collapsed, and they focus on the 74% that weren’t – I say that is wrong. We need to focus on the 26%.” MARCIA: “There may not be immediate consequences if repairs aren’t done correctly. It may not be immediately known how repairs affect the car until later, and MARCIA: “Integrity is key. At the end of the day, the only person you have to go to bed with every night is yourself. And it should matter to you that you did the right thing, especially when what you’re doing affects people’s lives and safety and health. And everybody is someone’s child, someone’s aunt, or uncle, grandparent or child. It matters. Those lives matter.” JEFF: “I think the most important thing would be to just look your family in the eye when you go to work every day and remember that it’s families like yours that are riding in these vehicles and make sure they are repaired properly. You have to educate even if it does affect the car later you may not be able to track the cause and effect. But knowing a vehicle’s safety history (through documentation) is so important, and shouldn’t be reserved for those who only can purchase new vehicles. People who are purchasing pre-owned vehicles (like we did) deserve a safe vehicle as well. When you buy a house that someone owned before, they do a disclosure so you’re aware of previous repairs and things, but we have nothing like that for vehicles. So, most of the people in my life grew up buying pre-owned vehicles and driving them to the ground. And those people deserve safety as well.” yourself. You have to be able to know where to get the right information, and to be able to make sure you’ve done (the repair) correctly every time without compromise.” DARRELL: “There’s no ‘Easy Button’ to shortcut calibrations, research repair procedures, etc. But I know that I can go to I-CAR’s website, and there’s the ‘Ask I-CAR’ feature. If someone doesn’t know how to do something properly, the answer can be found at ‘Ask I-CAR’. I-CAR makes this available to the industry…so there’s no excuse for someone not to do something properly; they have a way to get help. Technicians should not be afraid of getting help.” 16 I - CAR COLLISION REPORTERASK RTS Sometimes going back-to-basics can make the difference between a quality repair and a failed repair. When it comes to inspecting repairs for safety and quality, one of the first things to consider are welds. This is critically important, as welds have a significant impact on the way the repair will stand the test of time—including another potential collision. “When it comes to safety and welding, we’ll normally start with a visual inspection by checking for porosity, penetration, cleanliness, and incomplete welds,” says Scott VanHulle, I-CAR Manager, Repairability Technical Support ® and OEM Technical Relations. “Any of these defects will weaken the weld and may cause a repair to fail. But that is just the beginning.” VISUAL INSPECTIONS AND DYE PENETRANT A visual inspection is the best place to start when inspecting a weld. However it goes beyond simply looking at a weld; you have to know what you’re seeing. While the weld may seem to be good, looks can be deceiving. Panel fit-up, flange preparation, and weld penetration are all things that can be inspected visually and give an indication of the quality of the weld. In some cases, the vehicle maker may also call out the use of a dye penetrant that can be used to check for cracks and defects in the weld. This method is most commonly called for during aluminum welding, but A COMPLETE, SAFE AND QUALITY WELD CONTINUED ON PAGE 18 > 17 THE SAFETY ISSUEASK RTS this method can also be used on steel welds. Dye penetrant requires three parts, a cleaner, a dye, and a developer. DESTRUCTIVE TESTING OF WELDS Destructively testing welds involves the physical destruction of completed practice welds in order to evaluate its characteristics, ensuring that the technician is preparing for a quality weld. This is another crucial step in the repair process and should be performed on material of similar thickness and material. This allows the person welding to accurately adjust the settings and techniques to the material and thickness that is being joined. Destructive testing is done by tearing and twisting the test weld, to show if a proper weld has been created. Why is destructively testing a weld so important? If a part were to be welded onto a vehicle without testing the welds, there is no way to know if the weld settings and techniques would create an effective weld on the vehicle. Each vehicle is so different, with so many combinations of attachment methods and material stacks, there’s no way for a welder to be set up that can effectively weld all the different scenarios that a technician may encounter on a vehicle. COMPLEXITIES OF UHSS Ultra-high-strength steel (UHSS) is still utilized and is being used in even more complex ways than in previous vehicle generations. With this level of complexity, using the proper welding techniques, attachment method, and settings becomes even more important. When spot welding is used during repairs, UHSS may not weld the same as mild steel. The welder will need a different setting for UHSS to make a good weld. The vehicle maker may also have requirements for a specific spot-welding machine that may have preset programs for specific applications. Some spot welders may only need the sheet thickness and the type of material to be input and the welder will make the necessary adjustments. Finally, some OEM procedures also require specific manual settings for the spot welds at specific locations to ensure the material is being joined correctly. Always practice welds on scrap material from the damaged part before welding the new part onto the vehicle. Take time throughout the repair to check welds before moving on to the next process. Before destructively testing welds, always visually inspect first, then test on pieces of scrap metal from the vehicle or metal that is the same type and thickness of the vehicle. With spot welding equipment, check and make sure that the welder is receiving the correct voltage at the receptacle. This is extremely important because if the voltage is too low, it will not make a good weld. Always look first to the OEM repair procedure for the correct information. 18 I - CAR COLLISION REPORTER “Ask I-CAR,” developed and managed by I-CAR’s Repairability Technical Support team, receives hundreds of calls and online submissions monthly from professionals across the country who are looking for specific collision repair resources to ensure complete, safe, and quality repairs. When GMA welding UHSS, like boron- alloyed steel, there are additional things to consider. Most UHSS parts are typically replaced using squeeze-type resistance spot welds (STRSW) at a factory seam and GMA plug welds used to attach the part where a spot welder cannot reach. Also, you need to understand that just because it was attached at the factory with a spot weld doesn’t mean that is how you’re required to replace that weld. In the vehicle specific repair manuals, procedures may include specific locations to be replaced with structural adhesives, extra welds, plug welds, structural rivets, or weld bonding. The only way to find this information is by doing the research before starting the repair to ensure that you have the correct tools and materials on hand to complete the repair. According to VanHulle, “When making welds on UHSS to UHSS, there may not be tearout of the weld nugget. When making welds on mild steel to UHSS, or high-strength low alloy (HSLA) steel to UHSS, there should be tearout of the weld nugget of the weaker steel. If there is tearout of the UHSS, the heat has changed the strength of the metal. First and foremost, given the many alternatives available, the initial place to turn for any welding guidelines that are vehicle-specific is the OEM repair procedures, typically found under general welding guidelines. And shop technicians are also invited to check-in to I-CAR.com/RTS periodically for the most up- to-date information.” GO TO RTS 19 THE SAFETY ISSUENext >