Fleet Maintenance - 15

essentially stitches the vehicle back together. So,
technicians need a good self-piercing riveting tool,
as well as a good structural adhesive."
According to Lord Corp.'s Craig, a fleet maintenance shop already involved in body repair should
have most of the tools it needs to tackle composites. One unique item would be a fiberglass roller
so technicians can roll the air out of the fabric
and get any glass thoroughly mixed with the adhesive.
Technicians will also need a
good heat source, typically a
paint-curing lamp. They also
need some kind of applicator
for the adhesive cartridge
which could be manual, electric, or pneumatic depending
on preference.
Speaking of adhesives,
technicians should make
sure that what they are using
is designed for the material
they are repairing.
Spoto says 3M recommends a
urethane two-part component
or an epoxy to the backside and
an epoxy to the frontside.
"We've done a lot of comparisons with polyester resin," Spoto
points out. "Fiberglass polyester
resin won't work on SMC (sheet
molding compound). You have
to use SMC resin for SMC or it
won't stick."
SMC is a ready-to-mold,
glass-fiber-reinforced polyester
composite material primarily
used in compression molding.
Craig says the 100EZ plastic repair adhesive from Fusor
has a hardness that is on par
with SMC, fiberglass, and
carbon fiber.
"I am shocked that I still see
heavy duty shops that mix
fiberglass resin and hardener
to fix SMC hoods," Craig says.
"The hood gets into the paint
shop and they just want it out,
and the vehicle owner just
wants the truck back on the
road. So, the hole is filled up
and they call it good enough.
But that's not what I would call
a quality repair. It will last a
while but will not last as long
as if the technician had used
the right epoxy."
As the use of composites in
heavy duty vehicles persists,
fleets can also look to their
service partners for help.
"Most components in need
of repair, no matter what the
material, should be repaired
or replaced through the dealer," Volvo Trucks' Stadler says.
"Most composites are designed
for a specific purpose and the

servicing of those parts should be taken into consideration. The type of material and design of the part
will determine whether they can be repaired or
replaced by the fleets. Volvo Trucks North America
provides the necessary instructions to our customers for the components they can repair or replace
on the vehicle."
Regardless of material makeup, the question of

"repair versus replace" is something all fleets will
always wrestle with. With the right training, tools,
and materials, the opportunity to repair composites might prove to be a cost-effective option more
often than not.
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March 2020 | VehicleServicePros.com

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Fleet Maintenance

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