accident repair - use of filler okay?
Discussion
Had some damage to my rear quarter panel.
Insurance appointed body shop phoned and said they would knock the dent out and smooth with filler. Is there any problem with this? (have to assume it'll be done to a good standard at this point)
Here's the damage for reference, as well as the visible damage on the pic, the whole panel is lifted about half and inch relative to the boot lid:
Just seems a bit shoddy to me. Also I thought those panels would be galvanised. The scratches are fairly deep into the metal, will it not mean that it's prone to corrosion in the future?
Sorry for the tedious subject matter, this fooking car is jinxed. Had it 6 months, damaged 6 times whilst parked up. Fat f
king hippocrockopigs squeezing their fat arses past, smacking it with the metal corners on their burberry-innit bags or driving their stty 25 year old transit vans into it then not admitting liability 
Insurance appointed body shop phoned and said they would knock the dent out and smooth with filler. Is there any problem with this? (have to assume it'll be done to a good standard at this point)
Here's the damage for reference, as well as the visible damage on the pic, the whole panel is lifted about half and inch relative to the boot lid:
Just seems a bit shoddy to me. Also I thought those panels would be galvanised. The scratches are fairly deep into the metal, will it not mean that it's prone to corrosion in the future?
Sorry for the tedious subject matter, this fooking car is jinxed. Had it 6 months, damaged 6 times whilst parked up. Fat f
king hippocrockopigs squeezing their fat arses past, smacking it with the metal corners on their burberry-innit bags or driving their stty 25 year old transit vans into it then not admitting liability Thanks. No, they aren't approved as such, although they warranty the repair work corrosion free for 5 years. Not sure the manufacturer warranty is worth anything really.
I'm more concerned about the repair itself really; does the filler last well or will it cause problems 10 years down the line?
I'm more concerned about the repair itself really; does the filler last well or will it cause problems 10 years down the line?
budgie smuggler said:
Thanks. No, they aren't approved as such, although they warranty the repair work corrosion free for 5 years. Not sure the manufacturer warranty is worth anything really.
I'm more concerned about the repair itself really; does the filler last well or will it cause problems 10 years down the line?
You shouldn't have any problem with the filler .. presuming they are going to do a bit of old fashioned panel beating and manage to get the bodywork more or less back to shape and the filler is applied as a final skim and not too deep. From then on as long as the panel is prepped correctly, filler applied correctly and then primed, painted and lacquered correctly it should be ok.I'm more concerned about the repair itself really; does the filler last well or will it cause problems 10 years down the line?
You would be surprised at the amount of jobs where skims of filler are used to finally flatten the damage - I've seen pictures of a new car (yet unsold) with a dented C pillar - the dent was pulled out as best as possible, skimmed, etc, etc, and then put back on the forecourt.
Squiggs said:
You shouldn't have any problem with the filler .. presuming they are going to do a bit of old fashioned panel beating and manage to get the bodywork more or less back to shape and the filler is applied as a final skim and not too deep. From then on as long as the panel is prepped correctly, filler applied correctly and then primed, painted and lacquered correctly it should be ok.
You would be surprised at the amount of jobs where skims of filler are used to finally flatten the damage - I've seen pictures of a new car (yet unsold) with a dented C pillar - the dent was pulled out as best as possible, skimmed, etc, etc, and then put back on the forecourt.
Great, cheers for that You would be surprised at the amount of jobs where skims of filler are used to finally flatten the damage - I've seen pictures of a new car (yet unsold) with a dented C pillar - the dent was pulled out as best as possible, skimmed, etc, etc, and then put back on the forecourt.
now taking bets on how long until another plonker parks their stmobile on it. 
budgie smuggler said:
Had some damage to my rear quarter panel.
Insurance appointed body shop phoned and said they would knock the dent out and smooth with filler. Is there any problem with this?
If the damage was to a removable panel then they could remove and replace with new. (e.g. a wing, door, boot, bumper) however the damage on your car is to the main bodywork. That quarter panel will form pretty much the entire side of the car and there's no way to get it off that I know of. So it's not possible to replace the part and hence knocking it into approximate shape and smoothing over with filler will be the standard method of repair as there's no real alternative.Insurance appointed body shop phoned and said they would knock the dent out and smooth with filler. Is there any problem with this?
I guess they could cut a bit out and weld a new bit in, but the finish probably wouldn't be as good as what's been suggested.
mrmr96 said:
If the damage was to a removable panel then they could remove and replace with new. (e.g. a wing, door, boot, bumper) however the damage on your car is to the main bodywork. That quarter panel will form pretty much the entire side of the car and there's no way to get it off that I know of. So it's not possible to replace the part and hence knocking it into approximate shape and smoothing over with filler will be the standard method of repair as there's no real alternative.
I guess they could cut a bit out and weld a new bit in, but the finish probably wouldn't be as good as what's been suggested.
Makes sense, cheers.I guess they could cut a bit out and weld a new bit in, but the finish probably wouldn't be as good as what's been suggested.
mrmr96 said:
If the damage was to a removable panel then they could remove and replace with new. (e.g. a wing, door, boot, bumper) however the damage on your car is to the main bodywork. That quarter panel will form pretty much the entire side of the car and there's no way to get it off that I know of. So it's not possible to replace the part and hence knocking it into approximate shape and smoothing over with filler will be the standard method of repair as there's no real alternative.
I guess they could cut a bit out and weld a new bit in, but the finish probably wouldn't be as good as what's been suggested.
Actually it would be possible to obtain a 'rear quarter panel' (not the whole side of the car) if the damage was more severe (or the bodyshop wanted to do a proper job I guess they could cut a bit out and weld a new bit in, but the finish probably wouldn't be as good as what's been suggested.
). This would go all the way to the roof section, over the rear side window(s) and wrap around the door pillar and around the boot opening. TBH it's a pretty major job to replace one (having ducked the job myself in the past by using a smaller repair section) so I can understand them wanting to reduce the time and therefore cost of the repair. EDIT: Meant to say that even a full quarter panel may involve some filler in the real world of car repairs.
OldSkoolRS said:
mrmr96 said:
If the damage was to a removable panel then they could remove and replace with new. (e.g. a wing, door, boot, bumper) however the damage on your car is to the main bodywork. That quarter panel will form pretty much the entire side of the car and there's no way to get it off that I know of. So it's not possible to replace the part and hence knocking it into approximate shape and smoothing over with filler will be the standard method of repair as there's no real alternative.
I guess they could cut a bit out and weld a new bit in, but the finish probably wouldn't be as good as what's been suggested.
Actually it would be possible to obtain a 'rear quarter panel' (not the whole side of the car) if the damage was more severe (or the bodyshop wanted to do a proper job I guess they could cut a bit out and weld a new bit in, but the finish probably wouldn't be as good as what's been suggested.
). This would go all the way to the roof section, over the rear side window(s) and wrap around the door pillar and around the boot opening. TBH it's a pretty major job to replace one (having ducked the job myself in the past by using a smaller repair section) so I can understand them wanting to reduce the time and therefore cost of the repair. EDIT: Meant to say that even a full quarter panel may involve some filler in the real world of car repairs.
No, it was more that you seemed to think if a panel doesn't bolt on then it can't be replaced: I've just taken off the front wing on my RS2000 (spot welded on) to repair some rust beneath and I'll be refitting the same wing afterwards as there isn't rust on the wing itself... it just would have been easier if the wing bolted on. With the rear quarter panel there will probably be some well hidden joints to the main bodywork as that's how the car would have been made in the first place, so they'd have to be drilled out and probably a cut or two as well like you said.
The "we don't use filler, ever" (with the implication that this is somehow superior) chant is heard less and less nowadays.
It was often slightly disingenuous anyway, as those shops that refused to use filler often made use of such a huge film of high-build primer that the distinction was academic - the line between filler and primer is a blurry one at best, with sprayed fillers and non-sprayed primers out there, and hybrid products that float between the two depending on how reduced they are.
Rebuilding of large and complex panel damage rather than replacement requires a skillset that can take longer to learn, and often there are more (billable!) labour hours in cutting a panel off and bonding or welding on a new one, almost inevitably leading to wider paintwork too.
Mixed, applied and worked correctly, a decent filler is a sound automotive coating, and shouldn't cause any problems down the line.
It was often slightly disingenuous anyway, as those shops that refused to use filler often made use of such a huge film of high-build primer that the distinction was academic - the line between filler and primer is a blurry one at best, with sprayed fillers and non-sprayed primers out there, and hybrid products that float between the two depending on how reduced they are.
Rebuilding of large and complex panel damage rather than replacement requires a skillset that can take longer to learn, and often there are more (billable!) labour hours in cutting a panel off and bonding or welding on a new one, almost inevitably leading to wider paintwork too.
Mixed, applied and worked correctly, a decent filler is a sound automotive coating, and shouldn't cause any problems down the line.
TallPaul said:
Whilst it is definitely better to repair the damage in the pic, cutting off a rear quarter and welding a new one in is no big deal to any bodyshop. Would it be an invisible repair, thats a different question...
you actually hit the nail on the proverbial head!welding to the standards required is a real skill as is the post weld work - something not a lot of people can do really well
saw a programme recently on 'discovery' channel about one of the supercar manufacturers and their level of welding body panels to achieve a 'seamless' finish - simply staggering!
You're not wrong there...I'll try to put my money where my mouth is soon so I'll post a picture of a 'let in' repair section on my RS2000. The beauty of this repair though is that it's under the bonnet, so not as critical as an outer panel join, but no doubt it'll be under close scrutiny by whoever buys the car at some point.I may even 'lead load' the joint as it's near a suspension point, but I haven't done lead work for a good few years now and I'll bet any commercial bodyshop wouldn't touch it thesedays.
If you've ever watched the 'American Hotrod' program you do see some real skill on body work renovation going on there, which I think is nice to see, though even they use a skim of filler at times. IMHO there's a world of difference between wacking a load of filler on a dent and knocking the worst of it out first, then applying a light skim of filler, which is hopefully what will happen to the OP's car.
If you've ever watched the 'American Hotrod' program you do see some real skill on body work renovation going on there, which I think is nice to see, though even they use a skim of filler at times. IMHO there's a world of difference between wacking a load of filler on a dent and knocking the worst of it out first, then applying a light skim of filler, which is hopefully what will happen to the OP's car.
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