Auto Body Repair Technician Job Description
The main responsibility of an auto body repair technician is to repair and restore the metal parts of an automobile.
People working in this position are trained in handling repair and restoration jobs on a wide variety of vehicles including cars, motorbikes, vans, and trucks.
They assess the damage done to an automobile due to a collision, create cost estimates, and formulate work plans to ensure that the work is done in a time-efficient manner.
Position Requirements
To work as an auto body technician, you have to possess a high school diploma or a GED.
In addition to these educational qualifications, you have to have undergone an apprenticeship program to learn the tricks of the trade.
Since this is a physically demanding job, it is imperative that people opting to take this up as a career are physically strong and agile.
Also, an auto body repair technician needs to possess a deep understanding of the tools and equipment that is used in repairing automobile bodies.
Mostly, an auto body technician will work in conjunction with engine repair technicians and body painters.
This is teamwork – all three work together to ensure that the assigned vehicle is completely repaired, restored, and returned to the customer within the timeline provided.
On any typical day working as an auto body repair technician, this is what you will be doing:
Auto Body Repair Technician Duties and Responsibilities
• Confer with customers to determine their vehicle body repairing needs.
• Assess automobiles to see what type of damage is imminent and to create a workable plan for fixing it.
• Create cost estimates and timelines for repair jobs and have them approved by the customer.
• Clean and clear surfaces to remove dirt and debris from them in a bid to prepare them for repair work.
• Perform denting and straightening work in a careful manner, without adding more damage to the body.
• Remove damaged body parts such as fenders, bumpers, and grilles and set them aside for assessment and repair work.
• Ensure that non-repairable body parts are properly covered/masked so that they are not affected during the repair process.
• Hammer out patches and dimples by using small hammer tools and related equipment.
• Grind, sand, and buff repaired surfaces to give them a proper finished look.
• Apply wax on repaired auto body parts and ensure that assigned vehicles are properly detailed before they are handed over to the customer.
• Assist auto body painters and engine repair technicians with their work by removing body parts and refitting them as the project closes.