Surgeons of steel: collision repair technicians transform a twisted wreck into a like-new car

How would you like to perform an operation without any blood or guts? You can, if you're a surgeon of steel.

To be a surgeon of steel, more commonly known as an automobile collision repair technician, you don't need a medical degree--or even a college education. Yet the work of a medical surgeon and the work of a collision repair technician aren't as dissimilar as they might seem. Both surgeons and repair technicians rely on tools, elementary and sophisticated, to perform their jobs. Both benefit from having deft hands. Both aim to achieve a similar goal: to restore what they're operating on to good condition. In both fields, however, that is easier said than done.

Repairing an automobile in the 21st century is far more challenging than it was at the end of the last century. Few of today's automobiles are made with heavy, traditional materials, such as steel. Most are made with lighter materials, such as aluminum and plastic. (Calling a collision repair technician a "surgeon of aluminum," however, doesn't have the same ring.)

Surgeons of steel don't earn as much money as medical surgeons do, but they receive a good, steady paycheck. According to BodyShop Business magazine, the average yearly wage of a collision repair technician in 2004 was $43,000--and an experienced technician can make double that.

While auto mechanics work on the insides of automobiles--on parts such as the engine and brakes--collision repair technicians repair the exterior of a vehicle damaged in an accident. Although some mechanics are skilled in collision repair work and vice versa, the fields are distinct.

Although the majority of collision repair technicians are men--a 1999 survey by the Women's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor found that only 1.7 percent of people working in auto service and body repair fields were women--the industry is now more popular with women, according to Geralynn Kottschade, the chairperson of the Automotive Service Association. In any field, hut especially in collision repair, Kottschade says, young women "are not as afraid as they used to be to be put in an environment with boys." She adds, "I think seeing more and more women in the industry has helped [inspire others to join]."

GETTING STARTED

The collision repair industry is definitely looking for workers. According to the California Autobody Association, there is a shortage of about 20,000 collision repair technicians per year. One of those jobs could be yours.

If you'd like to become a collision repair technician or painter, where should you start? If your high school or local community college offers a course in collision repair work, take it.

The best way to get a job at a collision repair shop is to have experience. If you're hardworking and eager to learn, you can work as an apprentice to an experienced collision repair technician or painter. An apprentice performs entry-level tasks like repairing dents, removing and replacing bolted-on parts, prepping for paint work, and final retailing.

A college degree isn't required to work in any of the positions available in a collision repair shop. Education is often an on-the-job experience. The best collision repair shops send their repair technicians to regular training courses given by the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR), automobile manufacturers such as Ford and Toyota, and various national, state, and local collision repair associations.

A BANG-UP 10B FOR CAR BUFFS

"For me, [working in collision repair] was always something I wanted to do," says John Olson, a 22-year-old repair technician at Toyota of Waldorf in Waldorf, Md. "If you like cars, it's the place to be."

Olson appreciates the good pay his job brings. But equally important is the satisfaction he gets from his work. "There is a sense of accomplishment in fixing a wrecked car," he says.

At 19 years old, Vinnie Tibbs, who also works at Toyota of Waldorf, is at the beginning of his collision repair career. He works as an apprentice to a collision repair technician. He has taken auto body classes at Charles County Career and Technical Center in Pomfret, Md., but most of his learning has taken place on the job. "You can make a lot of money," he says. "It's a goodtrade to learn."

Gigi Walker joined the collision repair industry as a painter when she was 18. Six years later, she borrowed money from her family and opened her own business. Today, her shop, Walker's Auto Body in Concord, Calif., employs six people. Walker says there are obvious reasons to work in the collision repair industry--money, for one. But also, she says, it's an honest living. "It's not like selling stocks, where you can lose someone's life's savings overnight." On the other hand, she adds, "it's definitely a physical job that requires a degree of strength."

For women technicians, Walker says with a laugh, "you don't have to worry how good you look during your workday."

Chuck Sulkala owns a collision repair shop outside Boston that his father opened in 1940. Sulkala has since passed it down to his own son, Chad. Sulkala sees the same pleasures and opportunities in working in the collision repair industry now as he did when he first started. "The real joy of this industry, besides a good paycheck, is the fact that you have the ability to take a wrecked, twisted vehicle and turn it back into the beautiful vehicle it was before the accident," Sulkala says. "There are few, if any, occupations I know of where a damaged product looks better after it is repaired than before it was damaged."

Chad adds that since his father's and grandfather's days, industry technology has changed a great deal. "They used to repair cars with lead," he says. "Now they use ultraviolet technology and waterborne paints. And the computer has impacted everything."

Chad agrees with his father on the most satisfying part of the business. "There's nothing better than giving the keys back to customers after a repair and having them absolutely love what you've done," he says.

Even the best of surgeons leave scars. But the work of the very best collision repair technicians and painters is invisible--like magic.

WHO'S WORKING IN COLLISION REPAIR SHOPS?

COLLISION REPAIR TECHNICIANS repair damaged bodies of vehicles, such as cars and small trucks. They restore vehicles to their original condition by removing dents, straightening bent components, and replacing parts that are beyond repair. Collision repair technicians use special machines and equipment to take measurements and to work with pieces of the frames and auto bodies. The technicians must be good problem solvers and have strong math and computer skills.

PAINTERS return a vehicle entirely to its original color after a repair has been performed. This means finding a match for the vehicle's color--a delicate undertaking that requires great skill. Keen eyes and the ability to perceive slight differences in color are prerequisites to being a painter in the collision repair industry.

ESTIMATORS determine the cost of a repair and what parts and procedures will be needed.

PARTS MANAGERS order and keep track of the parts needed for repairs.

SHOP MANAGERS keep track of every job being performed in the collision repair facility.

In addition, the owner of a collision repair shop is likely to employ a receptionist, an office manager, and a bookkeeper. In some small collision repair shops, one employee may take on several duties.

Sheila Loftus contributed to the reporting of this article.

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