Aluminum Repair

Aluminum isn't steel, and it can't be fixed like steel. That's the short version of why aluminum repair is its own discipline — and why not every shop is equipped to do it right.

Panels and structural parts made from aluminum behave differently under stress. Aluminum work-hardens, which means once it's been bent, it gets brittle in that spot and fights being pushed back into shape. Push too hard and it cracks instead of returning to form. It also can't share space, tools, or even airborne dust with steel repairs. When aluminum and steel particles mix, they trigger galvanic corrosion — the aluminum starts to break down from the inside. That's why manufacturers require aluminum work to happen in an isolated area, with dedicated tools that never touch a steel job.

We're set up for exactly that.

Which vehicles need this?

More than most people expect. The Ford F-150 has had an all-aluminum body since 2015, so a good share of the trucks on I-15 qualify. So do many of the EVs coming through our doors — Teslas and Rivians among them — along with Audi, Jaguar, Land Rover, and plenty of others that use aluminum to shed weight. If you're not sure whether your vehicle has aluminum panels or structure, bring it in and we'll tell you straight.

What repairing aluminum actually involves

Modern aluminum structures are held together with a mix of welding, self-piercing rivets, and structural adhesives — not the spot welds you'd find on an older steel car. Getting it right means matching the manufacturer's exact method for your specific vehicle, down to the rivet type and the bonding agent. We follow those procedures rather than improvise, because a repair that looks fine but ignores the spec can change how the vehicle holds up in a second collision.

Here's how a typical aluminum job moves through our shop:

• We pull the manufacturer's repair procedures for your year, make, and model, then inspect the damage against them. Sometimes what looks minor has structural implications underneath; sometimes what looks bad is a straightforward panel swap.

• Damaged sections are repaired or replaced with OEM-approved parts, using the welding, riveting, or bonding method the manufacturer specifies.

• Everything is realigned to factory tolerances and refinished, with paint matched to your vehicle's exact code — not just its color name, since the same "silver" can vary by plant and model year.

• Before it leaves, it goes through a final quality check, so you're not the one discovering a problem down the road.

Why it matters where you take it

Aluminum repair is one of those areas where certification isn't marketing — it's the dividing line between shops that can do the work and shops that can't. We're I-CAR Gold Class certified and hold manufacturer certifications across more than 20 brands, including the aluminum-heavy ones like Ford, Tesla, Rivian, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz. That means the training, the equipment, and the OEM authorization to repair these vehicles the way they were built.

Estimates are free at all seven of our Wasatch Front locations — West Jordan, Midvale, Midvale Central, South Jordan, Saratoga Springs, American Fork, and Lindon. If your vehicle has aluminum damage, or you're not even sure, stop by any of them and we'll take a look.