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Motor Vehicle Body Repairers (7322)

Job titles

  • antique car restorer, body
  • antique vehicle restorer, body
  • apprentice painter - motor vehicle repair
  • View all job titles

Nature of work

Motor vehicle body repairers repair and restore damaged motor vehicle body parts and interior finishing; repaint body surfaces; and repair and/or replace automotive glass. They are employed by automobile dealerships, automobile body repair shops and automobile appraisal centres. This unit group also includes metal repairers who repair defective automobile body parts and damage to the bodies of newly assembled cars. They are employed by motor vehicle manufacturers.

Fields of interest

  • Making or building things, constructing, doing repairs, and performing installations
  • Working in transportation and maintenance
  • Working with your hands

Main duties

  • Workers in this unit group perform some or all of the following duties:
  • - Review damage report and estimates of repair cost and plan work to be performed
  • - Repair and replace front end components, body components, doors and frame and underbody components
  • - Hammer out dents, buckles and other defects using blocks and hammers
  • - Operate soldering equipment or use plastic filler to fill holes, dents and seams
  • - Remove damaged fenders, panels and grills using wrenches and cutting torch and bolt or weld replacement parts into place
  • - Straighten bent frames using frame and underbody pulling and anchoring equipment
  • - File, grind and sand repaired body surfaces using hand and power tools
  • - Mask and tape auto body surfaces in preparation for painting
  • - Mix paint, blend and match colors
  • - Apply primers and repaint surfaces using brush or spray guns
  • - Repair and replace glass components such as windshields, windows and sunroofs
  • - Repair or replace interior components, such as seat frame assembly, carpets and floorboard insulation
  • - Inspect repaired vehicles and test drive vehicles for proper handling.

Main characteristics of the occupation

These headings are provided for the following occupation(s) :

Motor Vehicle Body Repairers (7322)

Employment requirements

  • * Motor vehicle body repairers
  • * Completion of secondary school is usually required.
  • * Completion of a three- to four-year motor vehicle body repair apprenticeship program orA combination of over three years of work experience in the motor vehicle body repair trade and completion of a high school or college automotive body repair program is usually required to be eligible for trade certification.
  • * Trade certification for motor vehicle body repair (metal and paint) is compulsory in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia and available, but voluntary, in all other provinces and the territories.
  • * Interprovincial trade certification (Red Seal) is available to qualified motor vehicle body repairers (metal and paint).
  • * Automotive painters
  • * Completion of secondary school is usually required.
  • * Completion of a two- to three-year automotive painter apprenticeship program
  • or
  • A combination of one year of work experience in the automotive painter trade and completion of a high school or college automotive painting program is usually required for automotive painter trade certification.
  • * Trade certification is compulsory in Alberta and British Columbia and available, but voluntary, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.
  • * Interprovincial trade certification (Red Seal) is also available to qualified automotive painters.
  • * Automotive glass installers and repairers
  • * Completion of secondary school is usually required.
  • * Auto glass industry certification is usually required.
  • * Apprenticeship training for automotive glass technicians is available in British Columbia.
  • * Metal repairers, motor vehicle manufacturing
  • * Completion of secondary school is usually required.
  • * One to two years of on-the-job training are provided.

Skill type

  • Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations

Skill level

  • Technical

More information

  • * With experience, motor vehicle body repair and automotive painter tradespersons may progress to supervisory positions.
  • * Metal repairers employed in motor vehicle manufacturing may progress to motor vehicle repairer positions through an apprenticeship program, or, with experience, they may progress to supervisory positions in motor vehicle manufacturing.
  • * Red Seal trade certification allows for interprovincial mobility of motor vehicle body repair and automotive painter tradespersons.

Job titles - Classified elsewhere

Professional associations

  • Comité sectoriel de main-d'œuvre des services automobiles
  • 2751, boul.Jacques-Cartier est, bureau 204
  • Longueuil, QC
  • J4N1L7
  • Toll free: 1-866-677-5999
  • Phone: 450-670-3056
  • Fax: 450-651-3199
  • Email: info@csmo-auto.com