Feature -- by Mark Sproxton

Far from the screeching brakes and the tightening of seat belts around necks, the vehicle now rests quietly. Jacked up off the ground, this bent and broken SUV requires major repairs. The body man works carefully from underneath taking measurements to check if the frame is even on both sides or if it needs further alignment and straightening.

People will always be needed to repair dented, twisted and mangled vehicles.

"There's always accidents and always work," explains Marius, an auto body repair technician with Arrow Carstar Collision who has 24 years industry experience. "I've never been out of work. I started off painting and then switched to collision work the past six years." His work ranges from the big jobs of re-aligning a crashed vehicle to replacing a bumper or painting a repaired vehicle to look like new. "We repair dents, change parts and anything that revolves around fixing a car," adds John, who also works as a body man at Arrow Carstar.

With new cars being made of light materials and comprised of individual parts that are easily separated from the body, the work has changed significantly since John started in the industry in 1968. "This is now more remove and replace," he said. "It's got to the point where it's cheaper to replace than repair." But that too comes with its challenges as technology always changes. "You need mechanical aptitude, patience and have to be willing to learn," Marius explained. "Every year the cars change and you have to look at that. You're constantly learning if you want to do it properly."

To kick start their learning, Marius and John signed up for an apprenticeship when they first started out. Apprentices have a required number of hours they must spend in school each year in addition to spending a required number of hours working under a certified technician. Marius said this is a good route to go for those just entering the field. "If a person wants to do this, find a good shop to apprentice in. Spend a long time researching. That's the route to go."

Typically those starting in the field begin as a shop helper and then slowly get introduced to more hands-on repair work. Marius said after the first year, many people either chose to continue with the body work side of the job or concentrate on painting. Dennis, who also works at Arrow Carstar, spends most of his work days painting and acts as one of the final links in the process before the customer receives the repaired vehicle.

He enjoys the fact each vehicle poses its own painting challenge but says matching colours can be a difficult process. "Some colours will take eight tinters to make one colour," he said. "It's interesting and challenging." To paint a vehicle Dennis does all the sanding and preparation work before applying a couple coats of paint and top coating.

All three body men said having a strong interest in cars will help anyone find and keep work in this industry. They agree the pay could be higher but know there's more to a job than just money. "If you do a good job and take care of what and how you do your work, you get a good reputation," said Marius. "And that pays off."