I-CAR Debuts New Courses on Refinish Quality and Honda & Acura Vehicles, Six Enhanced Courses While Moving to Quarterly Course Launch Cadence

Hoffman Estates, IL

April 08, 2015

I-CAR, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair, has announced a new quarterly schedule for course launches and updates, debuting now in April and then following in July and October for the remainder of 2015.

The first quarterly launch includes both brand new and updated courses for a variety of different roles. I-CAR is proud to announce the all-new Understanding and Preventing Refinish Defects (REF10), along with updates to the following courses:

Also newly available is the American Honda-developed, I-CAR delivered Honda & Acura Restraints Collision Repair (HON12e) online course.

The new regular cadence for course launches reflects I-CAR’s commitment to delivering increasingly accessible, enhanced and relevant education, plus improved customer support, making it easier to plan training needs and know when new and updated courses will be available. “I-CAR is committed to supporting the industry by continuing to improve delivery and timing of course availability,” says Josh McFarlin, I-CAR Director of Curriculum & Product Development. “This commitment is the driver behind setting a regular launch cadence for adding and maintaining courses in our training portfolio.”

In April’s quarterly launch, the new live and instructor-led Understanding and Preventing Refinish Defects (REF10) course will enrich technicians’ refinish coatings knowledge and equip them with critical thinking techniques to troubleshoot, correct and apply on the job to improve work quality.

This latest course (REF10) is relevant for Refinish Technicians, Estimators, and Auto Physical Damage Appraisers following the I-CAR Professional Development Program™ and consists of three modules: Coatings Chemistry, Drying, and Curing; Surface Preparation, Equipment, and Application; and Troubleshooting and Correction. Through instructor expertise, HD-quality videos, detailed animations, classroom discussions and real-world case studies to enforce critical thinking, students will learn the similarities and differences in:

How solvent and waterborne coatings react in a shop environment
How a technician’s knowledge of refinish coating chemistry can affect refinish work quality
How to identify and correct common and irregular refinish defects
How to make adjustments to the refinish process according to environmental conditions

“The newest refinish course delves deep into different coatings’ reactions, as well as their chemical makeup and environmental responses,” McFarlin explains. “Understanding these compositions and reactions, and applying critical thinking skills learned in this course, are key to producing a quality refinish product. The importance of excellent refinish work is compounded by the fact that it is often the most visible portion of the repair by the consumer, and can therefore positively or negatively impact CSI scores.”

The six enhanced courses that are part of this quarter’s launch offer improvements such as new activities to increase learning effectiveness, HD-quality videos, detailed imagery and charts, up-to-date technical content, and OEM-specific information. Students who complete, or have previously completed, these courses will have 24/7 access to the latest versions in their myI-CAR accounts.

I-CAR has also launched the third in a series of American Honda-developed, I-CAR delivered online courses, with Honda & Acura Restraints Collision Repair (HON12e). This one-hour module provides repair professionals with the critical information needed to perform proper and complete post-collision restraints system repairs on Honda and Acura vehicles. Students will learn how to locate Honda and Acura service information for restraints systems post-collision repairs, identify repair and inspection procedures, and then obtain and confirm the correct Honda and Acura restraints system replacement parts are installed.