Ford Galaxy / Ford S-MAX. Manual — part 1005

The A, B and C pillars in the roof area.
Floor pan.
Rear ancillary components, such as bumper, lights, etc.
Trunk floor, spare wheel cavity.
Rear coverings, such as interior trim, carpet, etc.
Lower rubber seals, e.g. in door area (welded flange).
Area under the rear seat.
Attachment points of transmission system, steering, engine, drive shafts, front and rear
axles.
Electrical components, e.g. the radio (damage through shaking or through voltage
peaks).

Non-monocoque bodywork

The chassis and bodywork must always be checked during damage diagnosis on vehicles
with non-monocoque bodywork.

It is also important here to inspect closely for damage the impact area and the areas
absorbing forces.

With these vehicles, simple inspections can already give an indication of possible
deformations.

In addition, you must check for the following for vehicles with frame structures:

Cracks in the paint on the frame welds.
Traces of deformation on frame components.
Check attachment points (silent blocks) for position changes and damage.
Changed position of rubber seals.
Fit and function of the ancillary components.

Body Repairs - General Information -
Body Sheet Metal

S-MAX/Galaxy 2006.5 (02/2006-)

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Description and Operation

Types of steel

Steel body panels are still the most important materials used in the fabrication of stressed
skin vehicle bodies. In addition to the familiar types of steel, reinforced high-strength and
also ultra-high-strength special steels are used in vehicle body construction.

Types of steels are classified by their properties of strength and elasticity.

Normal strength steel has a minimum yield strength of up to about 210 N/mm².
High strength steels have a minimum yield strength of about 150 to 600 N/mm².
Ultra-high-strength steels have a minimum yield strength of about 400 to 1200 N/mm².

High-strength and ultra-high-strength steels are mostly installed in safety relevant locations
(structural components). Among others, these are side members, pillars, roof frames.

Normal strength steels

Normal strength steels are most often used in body construction. They are relatively soft
and are therefore particularly suitable for the deep drawing processes used in body
manufacturing. As well as very good reshaping properties, the panels also have a relatively
high rigidity.

High strength steel panels

The strength of the material and the nature of the surface can be changed as required by
different engineering processes. In order to achieve suitable configuration and a good
match between construction specifications and what is possible in production, a large range
of high strength panels is available.

Pos.

Used type of steel

Application range

1

Ultra High Strengh Steel (UHSS)

Impact carriers, Bumper carriers, Reinforcements ...

2

Extra High Strengh Steel (EHSS)

Frame side member, ...

3

Very High Strengh Steel (VHSS)

Wheel house, ...

4

High Strengh Steel (HSS)

Roof sticks, ...

5

Normal strength steels

Outer Panel, ...

The range of the minimum yield strength is from 180 N/mm² to 460 N/mm². High strength
thin steel panels usually have a surface finish. Electrolytic surface sealing is preferred.
Within the group of high strength steels, various types of steel are used in body
construction:

Micro-alloyed high strength steels for very difficult drawn components such as
fenders, the internal components of doors, hoods and luggage compartment lids or load
bearing components such as sidemembers, crossmembers etc.
Bake-hardening steels and phosphorus alloyed steels for external panel
components with higher draw depth and subject to higher operational demands.
Isotropic materials for flat shaped outer steel panels on doors, hoods, luggage
compartment lids, roofs.

Ultra-high-strength steels

These steels are predominately used for body structural components which are relevant to
safety. Despite the reduced thicknesses of the panels used, weight reduction is often
achieved together with greater strength. As with high-strength steels, special types of steel
are used in the ultra-high-strength steels group:

Complex phase steels are used for door side impact carriers, bumper carriers and body
components relevant to crashes. Besides high strength, they have good cold reshaping
properties and are easily welded.
Dual phase steels have the same properties as complex phase steels. Because of their
high strengthening properties they are suitable for body reinforcements.
Residual austenite steels and martensite phase steels have very high strength
levels of up to 1200 N/mm² and are mostly used in body structures relevant to crashes.

Because of the use of such steels, some special points must be taken into account during
body repair:

Increased force required during straightening.
Strong springback tendency during alignment work.
Cutting tools have a shorter useful life.

NOTE: High-strength and ultra-high-strength steel panels must not be heated
during straightening work.

Work without applying heat when carrying out straightening work. Losses of strength will
occur at temperatures as low as 400°C. The basic working methods and the tools to be
used are the same however.

Coated steel panels

In a similar way to high-strength steel panels, coated steel panels are finding more
applications because of the better corrosion protection which they offer. There are basically
two different process which are used to apply a zinc layer:

Hot dip zinc coating (no longer used in vehicle construction).
Electrolytic zinc plating.

The following points must be noted when welding:

NOTE: Welding fumes are harmful to health. Make certain that the workspace is well
ventilated and use welding fume extraction.

Zinc starts to melt at about 420°C.
The zinc vaporizes at a temperature of about 900°C.
The amount of heating determines the damage to the zinc coating, and therefore to the
corrosion protection.

NOTE: Coated panels have a higher electrical resistance, but this can be
compensated for by increasing the welding current by 10 - 20% .

Resistance spot welding is particularly suitable for welding zinc-coated panels, because
no widespread warming occurs.
With electrolytically zinc-plated panels there is no need for any special preparation
because the zinc coating does not need to be removed.