John Yoswick is a freelance auto writer based in Portland, Oregon, and has been writing about the crash industry since 1988. He is the editor of CRASH Network weekly magazine (to get a 4-week free trial subscription, please visit www.CrashNetwork.com).

You can contact him at john@crashnetwork.com 

Crash repairers need to pay attention to the aluminum fenders on the 2022 Acura MDX released last summer and the 2021 Acura TLX released about a year ago, requiring the use of specific insulating clips.

"If you don't use those insulating clips, if you use ordinary tin clips or other things, dissimilar metals are likely to corrode each other, and you will end up in the breeze," said Scott Qaboos, a collision technology expert at Honda in the United States. "These are not just one-time use. They can be reused. But you have to make sure to use the correct insulating clips."

Both cars are also equipped with cast aluminum pillar towers. Honda's service information includes procedures to check whether the pillar tower is damaged by checking for cracks in the coating or body sealant. If these signs are present, the coating needs to be removed to check the rivets and a dye penetration test to ensure that the casting is not broken-if there is, it needs to be replaced.

In order to avoid the need to buy a self-piercing rivet gun in the store to install the replacement pillar tower, this part is part of the assembly that can be welded.

Kaboos warned: “We do want you to apply body sealant on the self-piercing rivets and at the two joints between the inside and outside.” “This will not appear with the parts you get in the box. This is a body shop. Things to know and do."

Kaboos said that when disassembling the passenger side airbag on the 2021 TLX, the body shop should use some simple blocks (part number 07AAF-TGVA100).

"Without these, it is easy to damage the airbag," Qaboos said.

He said that the inside and outside of the front rail of the vehicle are...

Sign up to receive Autobody e-news >>>

Autobody News is a publication copyrighted by Adamantine Media, LLC. all rights reserved.