Manufacturer Repair Methods for Bodyshops and Restorers

What manufacturer repair methods are

A manufacturer repair method (also called a repair procedure or OEM repair method) is the vehicle manufacturer's own documented instruction for carrying out a specific repair on a specific vehicle. For body and structural work it sets out where a panel may be sectioned, which joining methods are permitted — spot welding, MIG brazing, riveting, structural adhesive — which materials and consumables are specified, the sequence of the repair, and what must be replaced rather than repaired. It also covers what to do about the systems attached to the structure: sensors, cameras, restraints and high-voltage components.

Modern vehicle bodies mix mild steel, high-strength and ultra-high-strength steels, aluminium and composites, often within a single panel. Each material has its own rules for heat, joining and replacement, and the manufacturer's method is the only authoritative record of which rules apply where. Repairing a structural section without it risks a repair that looks right and is not — with consequences for crash performance, warranty and liability. In the UK, Thatcham Research publishes insurer-backed research and repair standards for exactly this reason.

What REMCAM does

We source the manufacturer repair information for the specific vehicle you are repairing. You send us the vehicle identity and the repair area; we identify the correct repair documentation for that vehicle's exact specification — model year, body style, market and running changes — and supply it to you. We describe the service, not the source: REMCAM Automotive Ltd is an independent business and does not claim any manufacturer partnership, approval or official access. We are not a training body and do not certify repairs; we supply the information your technicians need to carry them out to the manufacturer's method.

• Body and structural repair methods — sectioning, replacement and joining information for panels, rails, sills, pillars and roof sections.
• Material and joining specifications — steel grades, aluminium and composite handling, weld and rivet types, adhesive specifications and cure requirements.
• Repair-related system information — the manufacturer's requirements for ADAS calibration, restraint systems, high-voltage isolation and component replacement following a repair.
• Mechanical and component repair information — removal, replacement and torque information where the repair depends on it.
• Restoration-related structural information for older vehicles, where it exists.

What to send us

Repair methods are vehicle-specific, so we need the vehicle identity in full. The form on this page asks for all of it.

• Vehicle registration and VIN — both, if you have them. The VIN resolves the exact build specification.
• Make, model and year — to cross-check the VIN and catch market variants.
• The repair area — which panel or section, and what the repair involves (replacement, sectioning, straightening).
• Photographs or the estimate — of the damage and the repair plan, so the information supplied matches the job.
• Any related systems — ADAS sensors, cameras, restraint components or high-voltage systems in the repair area.

Send the registration, VIN, make, model, year and the repair area using the form below. We'll come back with what we can supply for that vehicle.

Why repair methods matter for bodyshops

For an accident repair centre the manufacturer's method is the reference point for the repair, the estimate and the file. Insurers increasingly expect repairs to follow it; customers and their warranties assume it; and a repair that departs from it without justification exposes the business. Having the method before the job starts also protects the key-to-key time, because it tells you which parts are replace-only — and those are the parts to order first. We source those parts too: see genuine body panels and parts sourcing.

Why repair methods matter for restorers

Restoration of a modern classic or a structurally repaired older vehicle raises the same question: how did the manufacturer intend this section to be replaced? Where manufacturer information exists for older vehicles we source it, and where it does not we say so. For the parts side of a restoration, see restoration parts sourcing.

Prestige, performance and specialist vehicles

Aluminium-intensive and composite bodies, bonded structures and vehicles with extensive driver-assistance systems are where the manufacturer's method matters most and where generic repair information is least useful. We source repair information for prestige, performance and specialist vehicles alongside their genuine parts.

How the service works

1. Send the vehicle identity and repair area using the form on this page, or by email or phone.
2. We confirm the vehicle's exact specification and identify the applicable repair information.
3. We tell you what we can supply for that vehicle and, where applicable, the cost and lead time.
4. On approval we supply the repair information to your business.
5. If you also need the replacement parts the method specifies, we can source those in the same enquiry — see genuine body panels.

For the bodyshop services around a structural repair — courtesy vehicles while the car is off the road, recovery of a non-driveable vehicle — see bodyshop support. If you are not sure how to locate the VIN, our guide on finding a vehicle's VIN and registration details shows where it sits.

What good repair information contains

Manufacturer repair information for a structural repair normally covers: the permitted repair options for the section (replace, section at a defined point, or repair), the materials in the area and the handling rules for each, the joining methods and consumables specified, the sequence of removal and refitting, the components that must be replaced rather than reused after an impact, and the checks and calibrations required once the repair is complete. Some manufacturers also specify measuring points and tolerances for the body structure. We supply what the manufacturer provides for the vehicle and repair area you describe; where a manufacturer does not publish information for a particular repair, we tell you that rather than substituting generic guidance.

Repair information and the estimate

Having the manufacturer's method before the estimate is finalised protects both the repair and the business: the estimate can reflect the parts the method specifies as replace-only, the joining consumables and the calibration requirements, rather than discovering them mid-repair. For that reason many bodyshops request the method at the same time as the parts. We handle both in one enquiry.