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Date: 07/17/2025

Automotive Body and Related Repairers

Repair and refinish automotive vehicle bodies and straighten vehicle frames.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Inspect repaired vehicles for proper functioning, completion of work, dimensional accuracy, and overall appearance of paint job, and test-drive vehicles to ensure proper alignment and handling.
    • Sand body areas to be painted and cover bumpers, windows, and trim with masking tape or paper to protect them from the paint.
    • Apply heat to plastic panels, using hot-air welding guns or immersion in hot water, and press the softened panels back into shape by hand.
    • Remove damaged sections of vehicles using metal-cutting guns, air grinders and wrenches, and install replacement parts using wrenches or welding equipment.
    • Prime and paint repaired surfaces, using paint sprayguns and motorized sanders.
    • Follow supervisors' instructions as to which parts to restore or replace and how much time the job should take.
    • Fit and weld replacement parts into place, using wrenches and welding equipment, and grind down welds to smooth them, using power grinders and other tools.
    • Remove upholstery, accessories, electrical window-and-seat-operating equipment, and trim to gain access to vehicle bodies and fenders.
    • Measure and mark vinyl material and cut material to size for roof installation, using rules, straightedges, and hand shears.
    • Review damage reports, prepare or review repair cost estimates, and plan work to be performed.
    • Mix polyester resins and hardeners to be used in restoring damaged areas.
    • Read specifications or confer with customers to determine the desired custom modifications for altering the appearance of vehicles.
    • Adjust or align headlights, wheels, and brake systems.
    • Cut and tape plastic separating film to outside repair areas to avoid damaging surrounding surfaces during repair procedure and remove tape and wash surfaces after repairs are complete.
    • Remove damaged panels, and identify the family and properties of the plastic used on a vehicle.
    • Clean work areas, using air hoses, to remove damaged material and discarded fiberglass strips used in repair procedures.
    • Remove small pits and dimples in body metal, using pick hammers and punches.
    • Fit and weld replacement parts into place, using wrenches and welding equipment, and grind down welds to smooth them, using power grinders and other tools.
    • Soak fiberglass matting in resin mixtures and apply layers of matting over repair areas to specified thicknesses.
    • Chain or clamp frames and sections to alignment machines that use hydraulic pressure to align damaged components.
    • Cut and tape plastic separating film to outside repair areas to avoid damaging surrounding surfaces during repair procedure and remove tape and wash surfaces after repairs are complete.
    • Replace damaged glass on vehicles.
    • File, grind, sand, and smooth filled or repaired surfaces, using power tools and hand tools.
    • Position dolly blocks against surfaces of dented areas and beat opposite surfaces to remove dents, using hammers.
    • Remove upholstery, accessories, electrical window-and-seat-operating equipment, and trim to gain access to vehicle bodies and fenders.
    • Fit and secure windows, vinyl roofs, and metal trim to vehicle bodies, using caulking guns, adhesive brushes, and mallets.
    • Sand body areas to be painted and cover bumpers, windows, and trim with masking tape or paper to protect them from the paint.
    • Review damage reports, prepare or review repair cost estimates, and plan work to be performed.
    • Measure and mark vinyl material and cut material to size for roof installation, using rules, straightedges, and hand shears.
    • Fill small dents that cannot be worked out with plastic or solder.
    • Read specifications or confer with customers to determine the desired custom modifications for altering the appearance of vehicles.
    • Cut openings in vehicle bodies for the installation of customized windows, using templates and power shears or chisels.
    • Remove damaged sections of vehicles using metal-cutting guns, air grinders and wrenches, and install replacement parts using wrenches or welding equipment.
    • Fit and weld replacement parts into place, using wrenches and welding equipment, and grind down welds to smooth them, using power grinders and other tools.

    Skills

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    4
    Workplace Documents
    4
    Graphic Literacy
    5

    Abilities

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    Knowledge

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    Career Video

    Additional videos and more information available on CareerOneStop

    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 48720/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 23.42/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 6,720
    • Yearly Projected Openings 570

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Integrity
    • Achievement/Effort
    • Innovation
    • Analytical Thinking

    Tools

    • Adjustable widemouth pliers
    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Air compressors
    • Anvils
    • Blow torch
    • Calipers
    • Chisel bit
    • Cold chisels
    • Depth gauges
    • Desktop computers
    • Dial indicator or dial gauge
    • Digital cameras
    • Drill press or radial drill
    • Feeler gauges
    • Fluorescent lamps
    • Gas welding or brazing or cutting apparatus
    • Goggles
    • Grease guns
    • Hammers
    • Heat guns
    • Height gauges
    • Hoists
    • Impact wrenches
    • Infrared lamps
    • Jacks
    • Knife blades
    • Laser printers
    • Lifts
    • Manual press brake
    • Metal cutters
    • Metal inert gas welding machine
    • Micrometers
    • Mill saw file
    • Nut drivers
    • Paint application system
    • Paint sprayers
    • Personal computers
    • Pitch measuring instruments
    • Pneumatic grinders
    • Pneumatic hammer
    • Pneumatic press
    • Pneumatic sanding machines
    • Power buffers
    • Power drills
    • Power grinders
    • Power sanders
    • Power saws
    • Pressure indicators
    • Pressure or steam cleaners
    • Protective gloves
    • Protective hood
    • Pry bars
    • Pullers
    • Punches or nail sets or drifts
    • Rasps
    • Ratchets
    • Razor knives
    • Respirators
    • Rivet tools
    • S hooks
    • Safety glasses
    • Sanding blocks
    • Screwdrivers
    • Shears
    • Socket sets
    • Soldering iron
    • Spatulas
    • Spot welding machine
    • Squares
    • Stamping dies or punches
    • Stencils or lettering aids
    • Suction cups
    • Telescoping gauge
    • Trim or molding tools
    • Tungsten inert gas welding machine
    • Utility knives
    • Wedges
    • Welder torch
    • Welding electrode
    • Welding generator
    • Welding masks
    • Welding or cutting tip
    • Welding or soldering kit
    • Wheel alignment equipment
    • Wire brushes
    • Workshop cranes

    Technology

    • Accounting software
    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Inventory management software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Point of sale POS software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software

    Tags

    • InDemand occupations are considered a priority by the state of Ohio.
    • Apprenticeships are available for this occupation. These programs can help you get hands-on experience and build your skills.

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    The Workforce Supply Tool provides statistics for the occupations in highest demand throughout Ohio.

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