As long as cars are on the road, there will always be some need for repairs. But, as technology changes and advances, the ways cars are repaired will change as well. Keep reading to find out what tech our readers think will change the face of car repair in the future.
Cody Crawford, Co-Founder of Low Offset.
Laser Welding Technology
This technology uses a high-power laser to create a strong bond between two pieces of metal quickly and cleanly. The process is similar to how metal cutting lasers work. However, instead of cutting material, the welding laser fuses it together.
Laser welding makes for a fast and clean weld that requires little to no cleanup. This saves time and money, but it also makes the process much safer compared to traditional welding methods.
3D Printing
Many car repair service providers have customers coming to them with specific parts that need to be replaced. And as such, it’s no surprise to see that 3D printing is starting to become an indispensable tool in the toolbox of many car repair and maintenance teams.
This technology allows them to conveniently print repair parts on demand and do it closer to the point of need, which helps reduce the lead time and logistics costs.
While this technology has yet to be adopted by most repair providers due to limitations that range from equipment costs to training, the potential benefits that 3D printing can offer service providers are significant enough that we can expect to see it continue to be a rising trend within the repair industry in the foreseeable future, until it eventually becomes the norm.
Kathleen Ahmmed, Co-founder, USCarJunker.
Chris Thomas, Director of Litenet Ltd.
Mobile Data
4G and 5G mobile data are likely to be the biggest change for the car repair industry. With modern cars being more “connected,” it will be easier than ever for the control software to send diagnostic information, fault codes, and sensor readings to the relevant service centers ahead of time.
This technology is already in place to some level, but I can see it becoming more powerful and used by the manufacturers to streamline the repair process.
[Suppose] a sensor detects oil contamination, for example. [In that case], the car will be able to use GPS to determine a local repair center and 4G or 5G mobile data to send the diagnostics information. [This will help them] arrange a slot with an engineer, ensure they have the required oils, filters, and parts, and get the car back to full health with minimum fuss.
This could extend to crash repairs, using airbag sensors, shock sensors, accelerometers, and even built-in cameras to estimate how much bodywork repair might be required. And potentially even fast alerting to the emergency services for cases where extreme incidents have been detected.
Augmented Reality
Modern cars feature complicated components like hybrid drive-trains and computerized parts. These highly advanced and exclusive parts are changing the way vehicles are repaired.
Have you ever thought, “What if auto technicians in the future put on some Google Glass Headset to repair a vehicle?” You might have even imagined some app and program paired with it to improve the technician’s efficiency.
Well, Volkswagen has implemented such technology already! They have launched an interface named MARTA [Mobile Augmented Reality Technical Assistance], which minimizes the effort of technicians to study the vehicle.
Volkswagen believes that MARTA will flourish even more in the future, making things easier and safer for the workers. Eventually, it will allow people to manage emergency repairs on their own, whether they are tech-savvy or not.
Adam Grant, is a Car Specialist and Founder of Car Fuel Advisor.
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