Help, serious nearside rear quarter panel dent!

[AlphaQuail]

Hello,

My Toyota Corolla T3 suffered a serious dent to the nearside rear quarter panel, right on the join with the door. I can't seem to get a picture up at the minute but it's essentially caused the panel to bend in causing a gap between the door and the rest of the car I can get my fingers in.

I'm not confident this will beat out as it's right on the join/edge of the panel itself. If it won't, i have seen a new panel on ebay for £30 which sounds perfect and will fit according to the shop selling it but it only goes as far as the B pillar, not the whole A pillar which is what appears to be on the car.

My question is, under the paint will the rear panel stop at the B pillar? The panel on the car currently looks like all one panel that runs right to the A pillar adjoining the bonnet. If not, will someone (not me as I don't have the skills or tools) need to cut the current panel on the car out? Bonus question to anyone who knows the car - will the panel go straight in with bolts or is it likely needing to be welded in (I do intend to have a poke around today i just need to get to the answer quickly)

Link to the ebay panel I've seen is here

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TOYOTA-COROLLA-QUARTER-...

this is unpainted to which I'm happy to spray myself with rattle cans. I need to keep costs down as too much labour cost is likely to just write the car off

Thanks

[Buggyjam]

The panel won’t run all the way round to the A pillar. It’ll be welded/ bonded such that you don’t see the join with the next section. Some of the other fixtures on the panel maybe bolts or welding, don’t know so can’t help you there. Without pictures or someone with an expert eye hard to say on rest of it, but with impact damage, there’s always risk of damage beaneath the panel that is hard to gauge with the naked eye.

Is the car a beater or is it fairly valuable to you? With a panel that size id absolutely so don’t bother trying to spray yourself unless you’ve done it before. Even if you did do it yourself you’d want at least to use a spray gun and prep the panel properly. I use rattle cans for things other than cars and they’re a disaster for large areas like car panels. It’ll notice a mile off doing a DIY. Colour matching and blending is an art in itself. Additionally putting in a quarter panel yourself without any experience will end in tears. If you can weld it maybe worth it on an old banger but you’d have to be confident you could spot other damage to the pillars and structures beneath.

I’d take it to a bodyshop and ask what they think myself then make a decision from there.

Edited by Buggyjam on Sunday 21st January 13:03

[AlphaQuail]

Thanks for the response. I agree I have never welded cars before nor do I have the kit either. It's a banger of sorts (it's 15 years old with 110k on clock) but it has been well looked after by one lady own prior to me so it's worth more than it is on paper. I was hoping to run it until the end of to help year easily and maybe into next

I think you're right. It's a trip to the body shop. I think enquiring with the insurance will end in a write off. I spoke toheohimkhe a family mechanic after I posted this and he's said the same as you. Fitting a panel myself is definitely put of the question.

Hopefully the shop can get most of the mess straightened out and filled and sprayed. I'll just have to take the hit on this one

thanks again

[HustleRussell]

That panel is spot welded on. It’s a job for a panel beater. The panel beater will probably use the panel including the pillar which will replace yours and the join will be on the sill / above the door frame.

That said if you’re trying to keep costs down to the point of painting it yourself you’re clearly not expecting a perfect finish, in which case I’d consider talking to a panel beater, determining what parts need to be stripped in order to do the work, stripping it yourself and letting the panel beater do the best he can with the existing panel- you’ll probably be surprised. Then filler and paint.,