A couple of weeks ago, somebody backed into my 2006 530i (2300 miles) in a parking lot. The car has a 4-6 inch wide x 18 inches long dent in the rear quarter panel (the corner of the guy's pick up truck hit me at an angle and "ran" down the rear side of my car). I've had two estimates from reputable body shops, but one shop insists I need to have the whole quarter panel cut off and replaced and the other said I don't.
Does anybody know how I can tell if the whole quarter panel needs replacement, or can anyone tell me outright? Thanks.
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| Reply » Should I repair or replace a dented quarter panel? |
Quote: A couple of weeks ago, somebody backed into my 2006 530i (2300 miles) in a parking lot. The car has a 4-6 inch wide x 18 inches long dent in the rear quarter panel (the corner of the guy's pick up truck hit me at an angle and "ran" down the rear side of my car). I've had two estimates from reputable body shops, but one shop insists I need to have the whole quarter panel cut off and replaced and the other said I don't.
Does anybody know how I can tell if the whole quarter panel needs replacement, or can anyone tell me outright? Thanks. | If the responsible party's insurance company will pay for it, go for the whole quarter panel. Better than having a bondo'ed quarter panel. But I think the determining factor will be what the insurance company will pay. (Does it know about the other estimate?)
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| Reply » Should I repair or replace a dented quarter panel? |
His insurance company does NOT know about both estimates, but I don't expect much of a fight over price since there is no dispute that it was the fault of their insured.
It just seems a little over the top, and asking for problems, to have the whole panel cut off and replaced. And I didn't know body shops used bondo anymore. How does it work? What are its disadvantages?
I appreciate your input.
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| Reply » Should I repair or replace a dented quarter panel? |
If the damaged area is not a compound curve or a sharp crease, it can be repaired without replacement....a *good* body man knows how to shrink, stretch, and shape the metal to the point where hardly any filler is needed. I would prefer this to replacement unless absolutely necessary.
Regards,
Bob
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| Reply » Should I repair or replace a dented quarter panel? |
Quote: His insurance company does NOT know about both estimates, but I don't expect much of a fight over price since there is no dispute that it was the fault of their insured.
It just seems a little over the top, and asking for problems, to have the whole panel cut off and replaced. And I didn't know body shops used bondo anymore. How does it work? What are its disadvantages?
I appreciate your input. | There could be a fight over price, since that seems the only thing the insurance company CAN fight over. (Just because liability is conceded doesn't mean that the responsible party's insurance company will give you a blank check.)
Sometimes when a repair is made of a large piece, in order to fill in gaps after the metal has stretched and then been hammered back into shape, you have to use a plastic non-metal material - called bondo - to fill in gaps and smooth it out. The downsides of bondo are that it is not metal, but plastic, and adds nothing to strength or durability. The only upside is that you can get a smooth finish from it.
Go for the replacement and hope the insurance company caves without a fight. I don't think it's over the top. You are entitled to a car in as close a condition to the one you had before the accident.
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| Reply » Should I repair or replace a dented quarter panel? |
Malibubimmer - thanks for the explanation.
When I suggested that replacing the whole panel seemed over the top, I meant that it seemed like asking for trouble to strip half the car and cut it apart to merely fix a dent. Doesn't that risk the structural integrity of the car more than using bondo? Is that a concern I should have?
And when I heard "bondo" it made me think of that ugly cracked plaster looking stuff that I used to see on wannabe muscle cars when I was a kid. Am I correct to assume that the outcome is only as good as the man using it?
By the way, now I'm really curious: do you - or anyone else - know how the bondo adheres to the metal under-surface?
Thanks again.
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Should I repair or replace a dented quarter panel?