Audi certification gives Prestige Imports Collision Center a competitive advantage

     Lakewood, Colo.--Being able to offer a unique product or service is at the heart of any successful business. For a collision repair shop, being properly trained and equipped to repair aluminum vehicles offers a distinct market advantage. Prestige Imports Collision Center has done just that by earning a spot in the Audi Collision Repair Network.      "Our goal is to improve aluminum repair and do it correctly, keeping the customer's warranty intact," said Jim Frost, Prestige Imports Collision Center manager. Prestige is among a relatively small group of shops nationwide that have completed the six-week Audi aluminum repair training at I-CAR's Tech Center in Appleton, Wis.      Frost said he finished the training along with Prestige Technicians Mick Vollmar and Robert Cope. Aluminum welding ISO-9000 certification is a prerequisite course to be completed before enrollment.      "We repair vehicles to manufacturer specs, period," Frost said. "We don't repair them to insurance specs. The manufacturer has spent millions of dollars designing and engineering these vehicles; we need to follow their protocol."      On a vehicle that costs more than $100,000, it's important to follow the proper repair procedure, Frost said, even if it's hanging a panel that can require riveting and bonding. "If it isn't done correctly, the customer can lose the warranty on the car."      Without a single direct repair provider (DRP) program, Frost said the shop is continuously busy with business from its sister dealerships--Prestige Audi Porsche, Mercedes Benz of Littleton, and Mile High Honda Acura Mitsubishi--all owned by the Florida-based Braman Automotive Organization.      The shop was certified to conduct cosmetic repair on any Audi A8 in 1998, Frost said. Last December, Prestige took the next step and gained full structural aluminum repair status, he said, and can now work on Audi's aluminum A8 and two new vehicles scheduled to hit showroom floors this summer--the TT Roadster and the R8.      "Looking at it from an industry perspective, there's a lack of people repairing these vehicles correctly," he said. "We need to be able to service Audi customers and help bring the aluminum repair industry to where it needs to be."      In addition to the initial six-week program and ongoing training, certified shops must make a $200,000 investment in specialized equipment, Frost said. "You can't buy the tools unless you're a certified repair facility," he said, adding that a self-contained aluminum-work area is required.      "We have a confined room with equipment off the ground on trolleys," he said. That is necessary, he pointed out, because if steel and aluminum dust are mixed, an explosion could result.      Audi complexity makes collision repairs unique and challenging, Frost said.      On the Audi TT, for example, he said the vehicle is constructed with a combination of aluminum and steel, so galvanic corrosion can be an issue. "You can't grind on the rear end and have the steel shavings land on the aluminum, or you could have a big problem."      Audi repair procedures call for use of OE parts and materials, Frost said. "Everything has to be Audi specific, even the body filler.      "Aluminum has different tension strength than steel," he noted. "It dissipates heat rapidly. We now have tools that allow us to work harden the aluminum faster than steel."      The tools include a Celette frame rack that sits on dolly wheels to keep it off the ground, Frost said. The shop is also equipped with an air makeup system with the ability to contain an explosion, he said, adding that it could potentially happen as air exits the building. The shop is also equipped with a specialized aluminum welder, a Migatronic Flex 3000, Frost said. To finish each job, he said his painters spray Standox in one of one of the shop's two Garmat paint booths.      The Audi certification has increased the geographic reach of the shop to include customers from as far as Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.      Although approximately 70 percent of the shop's workload is from Audis, Frost said many of the customers own other makes. "We try to let our customers know we don't just work on Audis and that we're not solely a European shop," he said.      Frost said the shop has also recently earned status as an authorized Mercedes-Benz repair facility. "The training and tooling (for Audis) overlapped," he said, adding that it required $55,000 in additional equipment.      Prestige's sister store, Mercedes-Benz of Littleton, is now able to fully service its customers, Frost said, assuring them that their vehicle will be repaired properly.