A Day in The Life of an Auto Body Technician
Auto body technicians can repair and/or personalize a customer’s vehicle according to their requests. Their daily lives revolve around repairing a vehicle involved in an accident to get it back to its original standards and make it safe for the road again. An auto body technician may also focus on mixing paints to find the right colour requested by a customer and then apply that paint to the vehicle. Also involved with being an auto body technician is communication with customers and maintaining safety protocols. These are all aspects which are covered during your training.
Read on for a glimpse into a day in the life of an auto body technician.
Auto Body Technicians Communicate Regularly
Customer communication is fundamental for an auto body technician. As customers arrive at the auto body shop, technicians need to discuss what repairs their clients need and expect and provide an estimated price after inspecting the vehicle. If any other unforeseen costs arise, professionals in this role must discuss this with the customer and see if they’re happy to proceed. If clients require additional work, such as a new paint job, a technician must discuss it with them. Once work has been completed and the vehicle is returned to the customer, the technician needs to follow up with the customer and ensure they remain happy with the service received.
General Responsibilieits of an Auto Body Technician
An auto body technician’s role encompasses many different responsibilities, with several focused on structure and bodywork repair. This includes vehicle frame straightening using pulling equipment, removing damaged sections of a vehicle, such as the panels hit in an accident, and replacing them correctly. YAn auto body technician will also be required to work with different materials when repairing and replacing body panels.
The interior repairs and replacements will also be the responsibility of a technician, and they will need to be able to replace instrument panels, airbags, seat assemblies and belts, and floorboard insulation. Once the repair work has been completed, a good technician will test drive the vehicle to ensure the repairs were successful.
During auto body training, you’ll learn multiple skills which will prepare you to successfully carry out the day-to-day responsibilities of an auto body technician. You’ll learn how to utilize vehicle straightening equipment, remove and install body panels, repair damaged bodywork without needing to replace it and work with different materials. Interior work will also be covered throughout training to ensure you can make all the necessary interior repairs and replacements. Painting is covered during training to teach you how to mix paints, apply primers, and spray paint correctly and precisely.
Auto Body Technicians Always Wear Safety Equipment
Auto body technicians must always maintain safety protocols and wear protective gear. There are several different pieces of protective gear a professional in this role will likely wear daily. For instance, welding gloves and face shielding are imperative while welding body parts or frame structures together. A mask, gloves, and bodysuit are important while spray painting to protect from the fumes in a spray booth. There are also safety protocols for when going under cars or working with machinery that must be followed every time. During your training, you’ll learn the safety procedures to follow and how to implement them daily. This helps keep you and your colleagues safe.
Are you interested in attending auto body college?
Contact CATI to learn more about our programs.
