ServiceNews Article
March 2016

B16020B Version 2

Improper Body Noise Repair Can Be Costly!
AFFECTED VEHICLES
General Information
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article revises the one posted in February 2016. Changes are highlighted in yellow.
Introduction
Applying random heat or welds to the body structure rarely fixes a body noise problem. In fact, on newer vehicles, which
use more and more high-strength steel (HSS) and ultra-high-strength steel (UHSS) to meet increasing collision
protection and fuel efficiency requirements, doing this can actually cause structural damage that can be very expensive
to repair.
UHSS is any steel with a tensile strength of 980 MPa or higher. Our vehicles currently use 980 MPa and 1,500 MPa steel
parts. You’ll find this steel most often in the front upper and lower pillars, the center pillar (B-pillar), and the side sill area,
but you may also find it in other areas on certain models.
Keep in mind that UHSS parts can be tough to nearly impossible to bend, dent, or otherwise adjust to repair a body noise
problem. They can’t be heated, cut, and/or MAG welded without a major loss in strength. Doing so could result in an
unsafe repair because in a future collision, these parts may not work as designed, thus reducing crash protection. Also,
with UHSS parts, there’s no way to visually inspect or otherwise determine if they’ve been damaged/weakened by heat
application or welding or to determine the extent of such damage.
Many body shops aren’t aware of these structural changes on newer vehicles and a large number of them don’t have
access to body service info or they’re not used to reading it before starting repairs. The tendency is to just do what what’s
always been done.
Know Your Resources
To avoid improper body noise repairs, you must know the body construction and tensile strength of the steel parts in the
area of the noise. Two resources are available in SIS as well as in ServiceExpress if you’re a subscriber: the body repair
manual and the Body Repair News.
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Body Repair Manual: This manual is posted for every vehicle model series. The General Information section
includes body construction pages showing illustrations of each body structural part and its tensile strength.

•

Body Repair News: This newsletter is posted for nearly every vehicle using 1,500 MPa steel construction.
It summarizes new body and vehicle technology that may affect collision and other body repairs.

To access these resources, just do a search by vehicle and enter keyword BRM. This will bring up both the body repair
manual as well as the Body Repair News for that vehicle.

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If you’re a dealer, Here are two more resources worth looking at:
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Parts Catalog: Although it’s generally the domain of your parts department, you’ll find links to applicable parts
information bulletins and other documents related to HSS and UHSS parts. If you don’t have access to the parts
catalog, work with your parts people.

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Tech Line iN Page: To access this page, click on SERVICE from the iN HOME page and Tech Line from the lefthand menu bar. When you click on Top Issues, you’ll see a list of issues that Tech Line gets the most calls on.
Clicking on an issue gives you more info about it. This can include service information, service bulletins, newsletter
articles, knowledge base material, even helpful tips, just to name a few. This info is the latest that Tech Line has to
offer.

Tips to Avoid Improper Body Noise Repairs
•

Make good use of the STEELMAN ChassisEAR (T/N JSP-SM06600). This required special tool lets you
electronically pinpoint sounds in up to six different locations at a time. It’s ideal for finding the source of body creaks,
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rattles, and squeaks during a test-drive. For more info, check out S/B 00-024, Steelman ChassisEAR Diagnostic
Tool.

•

Don’t send a vehicle with a body noise problem to a body shop without first contacting Tech Line. We highly
recommend that warranty body repairs be done by a ProFirst Certified Collision Repair Facility. These shops have
the tools, training, and service info needed to properly repair Acura vehicles.

•

Print a copy of this ServiceNews article along with the applicable Body Repair News and send them to the body shop
along with the vehicle. Never assume the body shop has or will refer to the right service info.

•

Never apply heat, such as from a torch, to UHSS body parts during body noise repair. Any repair needing heat
application or welding must be reviewed and approved by Tech Line to make sure it won’t affect the body structure.

•

If you’re considering welding to repair a body noise problem, you must check the applicable body repair manual and
Body Repair News to determine if the steel panels in that body area can be MAG (MIG) welded.

•

The body repair manual covers the welding restrictions for UHSS. These restrictions have nothing to do with
technician skill, but rather physics and metallurgy. Because of them, body noise repair on newer vehicles could take
a lot of structural disassembly to properly complete. When planning a repair, you should carefully consider the
possible amount of body intrusion.

•

Always keep your DPSM in the loop on a body noise situation to help in his or her decision-making analysis.

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What to Do If There’s Been Improper Body Noise Repair
Any UHSS part that’s had MAG welding done to it during noise repair attempts must be replaced at factory seams
according to the applicable body repair manual. This can mean some very expensive and intrusive repairs to the vehicle
body. Notify your DPSM of the situation.
Keep in mind damage caused by improper body noise repairs isn’t covered by warranty. Regardless of whether a dealer
or sublet body shop did them, the dealer is responsible for the cost of all corrective repairs.

© 2016 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. – All Rights Reserved

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