TechnicianVision · Knowledge base
Back-To-Basics: Painted Grounds
I-CAR · September 26, 2019
Summary
This article highlights the critical importance of maintaining clean, unpainted electrical ground connections during collision repairs. Modern vehicles rely on multiple grounds, and common repair materials like adhesives, seam sealers, and paint act as insulators that can cause intermittent electrical failures or underpowered circuits if they contaminate ground locations.
What to do on the job
Ensure all electrical ground contact points are completely free of paint, adhesives, seam sealers, and corrosion before reassembly to maintain proper circuit continuity.
How to use it
Use this document to justify the labor time required to mask off ground locations prior to refinishing, or the time needed to clean and prep ground surfaces post-painting. It can also be used to defend diagnostic time when troubleshooting post-repair electrical gremlins caused by insulated ground points.
This page is a summary written by TechnicianVision. The document itself belongs to its publisher — follow the link above to read it in full.
TechnicianVision puts procedures like this next to the repair order you are working on. Create a free account →