Trade Programs: Motor Vehicle Body Repairer

For more information about this trade, contact the training co-ordinator.

What does a Motor Vehicle Body Repairer do?

A motor vehicle body repairer restores the structural integrity of a damaged vehicle during the repair process. When a car, truck or bus has been damaged or involved in a collision, the damage can range from a dented fender or broken headlights to bent frames, cracked windshields and scraped paint. As a result, a motor vehicle body repairer performs a wide range of work disciplines under the general areas of metal work and painting.

Motor Vehicle Body Repairers must also be concerned with the additional responsibilities of repairing safety devices such as air bags, collapsible components and seat belts, increased use of composite materials, anti-locking braking systems (ABS) plus more advanced primers, paints and paint finishes.

After preparing or reviewing a repair estimate report, a Body Repairer may:

• use frame machines to straighten bent frames and unitized bodies
• remove or cut away badly damaged sections of a vehicle like a truck lid, roof and rear body panels and weld in new sections
• work out minor damage in body panels, doors, fenders, skirting and sheet metal trim and weld torn metal
• cover the bumpers, windows and trim with masking tape and paper, apply primer with a spray gun, clean and smooth the surface and apply paint
• repair and/or replace glass and interior and exterior components such as instrument panels, seat frame assemblies, carpets and floorboard insulation, trim panels and mouldings
• verify dimensional accuracy, system functions and passenger protection
• when repairs are completed, test drive the vehicle to ensure proper alignment and handling

Depending on the size and type of body repair shop and your own interests and aptitude, you can expect to do all or some of the following jobs:

• hammer out dents
• fill, grind and sand damaged areas
• replace trim and other fixtures
• operate hydraulic or pneumatic rams and jacks to straighten panels
• apply heat treatments to fit metal panels
• spot weld using oxyacetylene or electric arc equipment
• replace windows and windshields
• remove, repair and replace hinges, electric wiring harnesses and seat frames
• clean, replace or repair vinyl roofs and convertible tops
• repair or refinish fiberglass bodies, repair and clean car interiors
• prepare, mask and feather edge existing painted surfaces
• sand, spot fill, prime and paint vehicles
• match and mix paint colours
• dry or bake newly painted areas, apply decorative paint
• prepare cost estimates

What skills/abilities are required?

If you like working with cars and other vehicles and have an aptitude for doing work to precise specifications, you may want to be a motor vehicle body repairer. Since there are many aspects to the job, you may be able to specialize in one or two areas. To be successful in this trade, body repairers need:

• strength and stamina required to handle heavy tools and parts
• manual dexterity
• creativity, patience and an eye for detail
• good colour vision
• a commitment to staying current with changes manufacturers make in plastics, electronics, metals, supplemental restraints and paints
• good customer service skills
• a commitment to safe work habits

How long is the apprenticeship program?

The apprenticeship is four years of four levels. Practical and technical training is a minimum of 1800 hours per level. About 80 per cent of the time is spent learning practical on-the-job skills under the supervision of a certified journeyperson and 20 per cent consists of learning the theoretical and technical aspects of the trade through in-school training.

What in-school technical training do I need?

In-school technical training provides you with the theoretical background needed for the trade and introduce you to new technologies as they become available. Instruction includes:

• Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
• Tools & Equipment
• Outer Body Panels and Panel Repairs
• Surface Preparation and Glass
• Interior Trim and Upholstery
• Mechanical, Frame and Structural Components
• Electrical and Restraining Systems

What is the supervision ratio?

As experience comprises the bulk of apprenticeship training, it is essential that each apprentice has on-site access to a skilled journeyperson and receives the attention and guidance necessary to perform the tasks of the trade safely and efficiently.

For every apprentice working in this trade, the employer is required to maintain a 1:1 ratio of apprentices to journeypersons on-site and must ensure that the apprentice is directly supervised by a certified journeyperson in the trade.

What are the entrance requirements?

Senior Years Apprenticeship Option: Begin your apprenticeship training in high school. A minimum age of 16 years in required.

General Admission: A Grade 12 or equivalent high school academic standing is strongly recommended including a course in Math. A minimum of Grade 9 is required. If you are 19 years or older and do not hold a high school diploma, you can also qualify as a Mature Student. Prior Learning Recognition and Assessment may be required.

Trades Qualification: If you are experienced in the trade, but do not hold a Certificate of Qualification, you may become a certified journeyperson based on years of proven industry experience and successful completion of the Red Seal Examination. A Trades Qualification Application and trade specific work experience form must be submitted. Trades professionals whose entrance readiness is less than that required, must take appropriate upgrading.

For additional details on entrance requirements and how to begin your apprenticeship or obtain certification, see section on "How to Start".

Do I get a certificate?

When you successfully complete all your required levels of practical experience and technical training, you write an interprovincial examination. You must score at least 70 per cent or better to qualify for a “Red Seal” endorsed interprovincial certificate confirming your status as a certified journeyperson.

Your “Red Seal” endorsed Certificate of Qualification as a journeyperson in this trade is recognized throughout Canada.

What salary can I expect?

Manitoba's Motor Vehicle Body Repairer Regulation states that apprentices when not attending technical school shall receive no less than the provincial minimum wage plus:

• 15 per cent during level one
• 35 per cent during level two
• 55 per cent during level three
• 75 per cent during level four

Apprentices who work for unionized employers are entitled to the wage rate in the collective agreement if this rate exceeds the pay rates specified in the trade regulation.

Employers may also provide other benefits such as group insurance for health, dental and vision care and training benefits. In total, the value of the benefits can range from 20 per cent to 30 per cent over and above the basic hourly pay rate.

Current wage details are available by downloading the training wage schedule

What are the career prospects?

The employment outlook is excellent, as there is a shortage of qualified journeypersons. The industry is undergoing a change of direction, and employers are training their body repairers to provide quality workmanship on today's vehicles.

Motor Vehicle Body Repairers are employed by auto body shops, automobile and truck dealerships, custom shops and sometimes by trucking companies and buslines. Experienced journeypersons may advance to supervisory positions, start their own businesses or become automobile damage appraisers for insurance companies. With additional training, they can transfer their skills to related occupations such as Sheet Metal Worker or Motor Vehicle Mechanic. Most work a flat rate system while others are paid a bi-weekly salary.