While market evaluation and OEM research is certainly essential for ensuring safe repairs, the final piece of the puzzle involves making a cost-effective purchase, Marks says. While it could make little difference in many cases, researching repair instructions could also determine whether it squeaks could make a difference on the fit and finish could bring the body lining down further than it needs to be. says it’s essential to enforce this mentality at meetings and training, and to build a culture where every technician is conscious of what rivet gun is needed for each OEM. “They need to go to the repair manufacturer and pull up repair instructions for every single repair.” “If you turn a blind eye to it, they’ll break the rules and make the wrong decisions,” he says.
Just because you’ve researched the OEM procedures and purchased the proper rivet guns doesn’t mean your technicians will always use the proper ones, Gary Wano Jr. So, if you have not gone through the roughly 10 days of training … you're not going to have access to a part you need to use the riveting tool to put in,” he says. “Jag and Rover restrict all structural components. has invested in OEM certifications to ensure his rivet guns can service any scenario. says some manufacturers actually restrict accessibility to parts for which you would need the riveting tool. In turn, this could create a problem in your shop if you’re not using the tools identified by OEMs.Īnd beyond the actual rivets and rivet guns necessary, Wano Jr. When OEMs perform crash tests, they’re looking for rivets of a certain strength and size that will best retain the integrity of the cars, Wano Jr. It would be easy to do nothing more than to consider the size without considering the hardness or the alloy of the material.” “It is very important for safe repairs, for restoring the integrity of the vehicle, that the rivet being used for application is the correct one noted by OEM,” he says. While it’s not necessary to go through the level of training and expense required for earning an OEM certification, it is necessary to review the proper OEM procedures. In order to buy the right rivet guns, it requires doing some homework, Marks says.
This triggers the next step: Once you’ve identified the makes hitting your shop, it’s then time to understand which guns will effectively repair those vehicles. Just because you have the tool, doesn’t mean you're ready to repair the car.” “As a repairer, you have to find out what the market is. "What we have found is (some guns) don’t do Ford work, which will be a problem if you’re getting a lot of Fords,” he says. You may have a market dominated by a few select makes, or you may have a diverse market that necessitates a wide array of equipment. says you can strategically evaluate what automakers your shop will encounter most often and from there, what kind of rivet guns you’ll need to satisfy OE requirements. quickly realized he did not have the proper tooling and equipment-which included rivet guns-to properly service the market.īy utilizing resources like the Department of Transportation, Wano Jr. how many Benzes were roaming Oklahoma City, and Wano Jr. A visit from a Mercedes representative showed Wano Jr. His impression, however-as you can probably gather due to his current list of OEM certifications-was wrong. “My impression was there were more pickups and SUVs than high-end automobiles,” he says. sought out certification through Land Rover. Here’s how he and Marks say you can do it, too.įirst and foremost when G.W. has been able to ensure that his employees’ four rivet guns satisfy almost any repair procedure on any make.
For a shop that is OEM certified in Mercedes, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, Tesla and BMW, Wano Jr. & Son Auto Body in Oklahoma City, finalizing a rivet gun collection is liberating. Your local market must be evaluated OEM procedures must be consulted various guns that are suited for flow form or blind rivets, grounded or threaded studs, aluminum or steel bodies must be reviewed-at times, the options can seem daunting.īut after you’ve put in the work, says Gary Wano Jr., owner of G.W. “Now there are so many to choose from, that for a shop owner going from scratch, it would be very challenging.”Īs the industry technical support manager, Marks has worked with hundreds of shops over his 23-year career with I-CAR and understands how difficult it can be to narrow down your technicians’ rivet gun selection to a few select models. “Several years ago, you could not find the exact rivet gun you needed to save your butt,” he says. If you go into this blind, Steve Marks says it will be like drinking from a firehose.
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