AssessorsJournalMagSpring2024 web - Flipbook - Page 29
Mega casting under the
microscope
Those are not the only considerations,
of course. Just as vital is identifying
what the emergence of mega casting
means for repairers.
Thatcham Research is in the early
stages of developing a thorough
research programme to understand
the opportunities, challenges and risk
factors of mega casting repair.
There’s a chance with any new
technology and processes that repair
businesses with the best intentions
won’t be equipped with the right
kit for the job, or the knowledge
to understand whether a damaged
vehicle can be fully repaired – or
must be written off. It’s easy to see a
situation where bodyshops have to
turn away a vehicle constructed using
mega casting, or cars being needlessly
scrapped, due to a lack of information.
Without these insights, there’s a risk a
small bump to the rear leg might result
in any sort of repair being deemed too
tricky.
The aim of our research programme
is to mitigate these issues and help
provide answers to the questions repair
teams and insurers no doubt already
have:
In the case of the Model Y there are
partial replacement scenarios available,
depending on exactly where the impact
occurs. The guidance describes in
detail which sections of the vehicle rear
casting can be replaced. It also sets out
the parts that can be bought to do that,
such as the rear chassis leg sections of
the mega cast structure.
• How can damage and appropriate
repair be assessed in one major
structure?
• Where can the right parts be sourced?
• What are the implications for cost and
sustainability?
• What additional skills and equipment
might be required to repair mega
casting structures?
Although vehicle manufacturers will
release repair guidance, it tends
to describe speci昀椀c scenarios built
on a narrow set of test protocols.
Our automotive risk intelligence
programme will take a closer look,
stress-testing mega castings in a
wider range of real-world scenarios
that sit outside of those protocols.
The ultimate aim is to provide repair
businesses and insurers with detailed
information that might otherwise be
unavailable.
The good news is, Tesla is currently
opening parts supply to aftermarket
repair, removing the requirement
for damaged cars to go through
approved dealers. It’s also now possible
to subscribe to Tesla’s free repair
information portal in return for sharing
basic information about your business.
For example, it’s not yet clear how
repair teams can be certain whether
the energy of the collision might have
caused further damage to the vehicle
beyond the point of impact. It isn’t as
simple as taking out and examining
distinct parts. In a component of this
size, even non-destructive penetrant
dye testing for cracks might not be
suf昀椀cient to surface problems hidden
from the naked eye.
As with all new vehicles entering the
car parc, high-voltage battery removal
and repair is another thorny problem.
Further investigation is required to
understand how batteries 昀椀t into the
mega casting repair process, with their
location in a rear cavity on the vehicle.
What exactly needs to be removed so
the structure can be worked on safely
and thoroughly?
Play your part in mega casting
research
Our automotive risk intelligence
strategy will shed some light on these
issues and add certainty for repair and
insurance businesses. But we need your
help. Speak to us if you have speci昀椀c
concerns or questions that you’d like
the research programme to answer,
or even live examples of rear casting
repair for us to consider as test cases.
Many questions remain about the
feasibility and complexity of assessing
mega casting damage that will cause
uncertainty around claims and repair
options.
As we cast our eye over yet
another emerging area of vehicle
technology, we’d welcome your
input so please email me at:
darren.bright@thatcham.org.
Tesla is often cited as being a maverick
in terms of its processes, but the repair
support it has already released sets a
high bar for other vehicle manufacturers
to provide similarly useful guidance for
bodyshops.
JOURNAL
Turning the spotlight on Tesla
Model Y
For now, it’s helpful to put one of the
earliest examples of vehicle mega
casting under the microscope. As
part of our planned research, we’ve
acquired a Tesla Model Y and set to
work on examining the rear of the
vehicle to glean insights into the
repairability of the mega casting
structure.
www.iaea-online.org/news/the-assessor | SPRING 2024 | THE ASSESSORS JOURNAL
29
