{"id":1449,"date":"2019-12-10T14:12:44","date_gmt":"2019-12-10T20:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carwise.com\/blog\/?p=1449"},"modified":"2019-12-10T14:12:44","modified_gmt":"2019-12-10T20:12:44","slug":"how-is-rivet-bonding-being-used-to-repair-newer-cars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carwise.com\/blog\/2019\/12\/10\/how-is-rivet-bonding-being-used-to-repair-newer-cars\/","title":{"rendered":"How is Rivet Bonding Being Used to Repair Newer Cars?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In order to comply with recent Corporate\nAverage Fuel Economy (CAF\u00c9) and CO2-emission standards, automakers have been\nforced to come up with innovative engineering designs without compromising vehicle\nsafety and performance. Those structural changes include replacing heavier\nsteel components with light-weight alternatives like magnesium, aluminum and carbon\nfiber. But those lighter materials cannot be heat-welded like steel. As a result,\nmany body shops have been forced to embrace newer repair techniques like rivet\nbonding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introducing\nRivet-Adhesive Bonding<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rivet-adhesive bonding, also known as \u201crivet\nbonding\u201d or \u201ccold bonding\u201d, is a process that uses structural adhesives and\nrivets to hold body panels together. Most manufacturers now use at least some\nrivet bonding during production instead of spot-welding for front hood\nclosures, side and back panels, and headliners. And, if you drive a Chevy\nCorvette Z06, Ford F-150, Audi 8 or Jaguar XJ, those all have aluminum-based\nchassis components that require rivet-bonding in-lieu-of welding whenever structural\nrepairs are needed.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

BMW is even requiring rivet bonding to\nreplace their factory spot welds even though their body panels are made of regular\nsteel. Honda has been using high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel formulations\nfor years in some of its Accord parts, but those materials can also be significantly\nweakened when exposed to high temperatures generated by traditional welding\nequipment. That has led some repair shops to use cold bonding structural repairs\non Honda vehicles including the Accord and their electric models. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Repair\nChallenges Body Shops Face <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Based on the make of vehicle, all\nautomakers have specific original equipment manufacturer (OEM) specifications\nthat body shops are expected to follow when repairing structural components after\nan accident. And, sometimes those requirements include rivet bonding. If repairs\nare not done properly, it can not only invalidate a factory warranty, the shop\nin question may be forced to do the work all over again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Different metals have unique chemical compositions\nthat can interact with one another, for example an aluminum body panel and\nsteel rivet, and then cause corrosion when exposed to electrolytes like road\nsalt, acid and moisture. As a result, when a technician is doing rivet bonding,\nthey must properly seal the rivet site first. If they don\u2019t, the resulting\ncorrosion can eventually weaken the bond area\u2019s structural integrity and cause\nrust formation on the vehicle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other rivet-bonding challenges that\ncollision repair shops face include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n