The Importance of OEM Collision Repair Information

By Ross Whiteley | February 1, 2021

You know the importance of restoring a damaged vehicle correctly for the safety of your customers, reputation, and bottom line. You also know accurate, updated OEM collision repair information and correct diagnoses are critical for repairing a vehicle to its pre-collision condition.

Even with all your knowledge and skill, accessing accurate, up-to-date OEM information can be a time-consuming, frustrating challenge. Add in trying to keep up with advances in vehicle technology, and you may end up spending as much time searching for OEM information as you do working on repairs.

Technology in vehicles continues to evolve and become more complex — and it isn’t going to slow down. Every year, car and truck manufacturers are innovating to make vehicles lighter, more fuel efficient, and safer with advanced technology. If you want your body shop to keep up with those innovations, do some innovating yourself.

If your body shop struggles with finding complete, up-to-date OEM information, it’s not so much a case of playing catch up as it is putting technology to work. To perform accurate collision repairs on today’s advanced vehicles, your body repair shop needs diagnostic and repair software that’s as advanced as the vehicles you’re working on.

Being able to get your hands on the most current and accurate OEM procedures has become more important than ever. That’s why SUN­® created our collision repair software — to give your body shop the updated information it needs when it’s needed. From OEM information for repairing and painting modern body materials to advanced wiring schematics, we have you covered.

Why Accurate, Up-to-Date OEM Collision Repair Information is So Critical

As vehicle technology advances, the gap between collision and mechanical repair work is closing. Damage to the body and frame likely means damage to sensors, cameras, and other mechanical components that must be repaired and often re-calibrated. Your technicians need to know more than how to replace components; they need information about how these components operate and interconnect.

Sophisticated electronics require up-to-date, detailed OEM information for diagnosis and safe, accurate repairs. Being a professional collision technician today requires much more than expertise in body work and finishes. It means understanding the connection between vehicle technology and other components and systems to make repairs correctly.

The best OEM collision repair procedures come from the source that knows a particular vehicle best: the manufacturer. Following OEM repair procedures will ensure that a collision repair facility is adhering to the best possible resource to restore vehicles to the OEM intended operating capability. Here are the key takeaways so far:

• Safe and accurate collision repair requires up-to-date and accurate OEM information.
• Collision repairs have become more complex and will continue to do so.
• Mechanical repair information for sensors, cameras, and other hi-tech components is just as important as other collision repair information.
• Collision repair software provides the OEM procedures your body shop needs to handle repairs today and in the future.

Collision Repair Software Provides Comprehensive, Up-to-Date OEM Information

Collision repairs on advanced vehicles require advanced technology that provides essential, up-to-date OEM collision repair information from bumper to bumper.

Body and Frame

• Sectioning and structural processes
• Welding procedures and frame dimensions
• Interconnected sensors and switches

Paint and Finish

• Materials and tools
• Prep and application procedures
• Sealing and corrosion protection

Materials Information

• Composites
• Plastics
• High-strength steels

ADAS Information

• Diagnostics, repair and recalibration
• Critical documentation for safe, accurate repairs

Interactive Wiring Diagrams

System-specific wiring diagrams that include specifications, locations, connections, and testing processes

How do you keep up with and find this critical information when you need it? Each OEM presents service and repair information in different formats. Some OEM information is readily available, easy to understand, and affordable. Other OEM information, especially for advanced vehicle technology, can be hard to find, difficult to decipher, and costly.

See if this sounds familiar. You’re ready to begin a collision repair job. You grab the repair manual for the make, model, and year you’re working on. If you can’t find all the information you need, you may dig into OEM-specific publications on file or online.

If you still can’t find the information you need to complete the repairs, you might throw up your hands and start thinking about outsourcing. And you know what that means. You are looking at increased cycle times and probably a big bite out of your profit. We have a better idea.

When you invest in collision repair software, you can skip the frustration and stop wasting time and money. Access to up-to-date, comprehensive OEM information with the click of a button can decrease cycle time, reduce comebacks, and help repair advanced vehicles accurately and safely.

What’s best, you don’t have to be a computer geek to put it to work in your body shop. If you know how to use Google, you know how to use SUN Collision Repair Information.

Repair Software Puts OEM Collision Repair Procedures at Your Fingertips

You may wonder, how does SUN Collision Repair software gives you the most essential and up-to-date OEM information you need when you need it? It all starts with user-friendly, intuitive repair software features like advanced search technology.

Advanced Search Technology

You can search by YMM, license plate, part number, and more to find accurate information and cross-references. Our advanced search technology called 1Search™ Plus quickly locates OEM information and delivers a user-friendly graphical layout with detailed search results. Results that will save time and cut costs diagnosing and repairing vehicles today and in the future.

From a single resource with a single login, we give you the most current in-depth OEM and real-world mechanical repair information you need like:

Body and Frame

We give you complete and consistently updated access to information about sectioning requirements, structural repairs, interior trim, sensors, switches, and other related information. From safe panel removal to working with advanced body materials, we help make body and frame repairs fast, accurate, and more profitable.

Repair Materials

Your body shop needs detailed OEM information about modern adhesives, high-strength steels, composite materials, aluminum, and plastic parts repair. Collision repair software gives you all that and more in an easy-to-understand format that lets you put the information to work immediately.

Paint and Finish

Finding up-to-date OEM details for modern paint and finishing data can be a hassle. Finding accurate and timely information for surface prep, application processes, and other critical information can be even more challenging. Real-time OEM paint and finish information helps professional technicians put the perfect finishing touches on collision repairs.

Complete OEM Service Manuals

While collision repair software speeds up your access to OEM information, service manuals are still an essential resource for your body shop. That’s why we include the complete OEM service manuals right in our software. Whether you’re training a new collision repair technician or need clarification during a repair, having immediate access to service manuals can help you work more efficiently.

Updated OEM ADAS Repair Information

Collision repair software helps you control your cycle times by giving you the complete picture for ADAS repairs. You’ll find ADAS information that includes detailed ADAS features, OEM repair information, and an overview of related components, as well as special equipment and tools required. You get an easy-to-understand presentation of all the ADAS repair and calibration information for a particular vehicle in a single location.

Interactive Wiring Diagrams

When you’re working on collision repairs that involve ADAS and other advanced electrical diagnoses, detailed wiring diagrams are a must. Collision repair software provides up-to-date wiring traces, component locations, testing procedures, and more readily available. Immediate access to updated wiring diagrams saves time and ensures repairs are completed the proper way.

Common Repair Procedures

SUN Collision can save you time on many of the repairs your collision shop is already familiar with. We give you tools to complement your experience and knowledge for the most common mechanical repair processes based on codes, symptoms, components, mileage, and other criteria.

Collision repair software provides complete OEM collision repair information, including specifications and procedures for most any repair from collision to mechanical. Do you want to spend more time keeping up with OEM information or do you want to let collision repair software do it for you? The future of auto collision repair means increasingly technical repairs and collision repair software is the tool for meeting vehicle technology head on.

We want to help your body shop meet the constantly changing demands of collision repair created by vehicle innovations. Let SUN give you the accurate and up-to-date OEM information you need when you need it.

If you want to learn more about how our user-friendly software can save your time and reduce costs, get your free demo of the most comprehensive collision repair resource on the market. Curious to know more right now? Call us at 877-840-1973. We’ll show you how you can put technology to work in your body shop.