Autobody workers can't repair clear body panels
26 posts across 2 communities in the last 60 days; 96% from r/Autobody.
“Well we can't see the extent of the damage from this picture at all, but worse case scenario youre going to need a new rear body panel, trunk floor and frame rail sectioned in. This would write off most newer cars, let alone a 10+ year old one. So to answer your question yes it…”
“You could try that, but it'll probably look pretty bad. especially if youve never done bodywork before. If your looking for "like new" or anything close to that, expect hundreds at least. Anything that needs factory-like paint is gonna cost a lot.”
“I wouldn't fix it either. What a shitshow. Replace it or go away.”
Several users express frustration and inability to work with clear body panels, citing reasons ranging from personal limitations to concerns about visibility. The posts indicate a desire or need for this type of repair but an apparent lack of skill or resources to complete it.
SOURCES (37)
“You could try that, but it'll probably look pretty bad. especially if youve never done bodywork before. If your looking for "like new" or anything close to that, expect hundreds at least. Anything that needs factory-like paint is gonna cost a lot.”
“Hi I'm OP and I know more about this business but don't know anything about this business!”
If your second opinion was our shop we’d tell you the same thing
“Can you share evidence of this practice? Additionally, yes, hidden damage is often found once we start removing damaged panels. That’s not unheard of.”
“This sub is not for advertisement or self promotion, it is for discussing the process of autobody repair.”
“This is f****ed, nothing a body shop couldn’t handle but you’re looking at a few thousand. DIY on this is out of the question, like seriously.”
“Cos most even ones who say they own or have worked in the trade for along time don't have a clue what they are talking about and when it comes to prices they talk like they are on 1k a hour. Your job at £1000 im making at least£700 for approx 3 hours work.”
“cuz some people never tried to fix it or tried to get it fixed by a big shop i basically work in some old mans garage we do this shit every now and then some pulling some sanding some wellding and painting and its fine”
“idk at the shop i work in we just weld over this then sand it down to level and paint”
“My word, dude didnt use nearly enough Teflon tape. May as well not used any at all. /s”
“It's totalled even if you change the door repair the body work damage the pillow will be twisted so it would never drive right and the new door would probably never align and close properly”
“Well its clearly visible that there was a damage before but it can be made at subaru factory or at the dealer or formerly owner. If a new car was damaged while production itwill not be throwed aeay, the manufacturer repairs it too. So it could be a rework at manufacturer. Or at the dealer. Or at formerly owner. However, for me (at this distance) it looks like good work. Theres primer and filler on it before they smash putty on it, thats good. It prevents rust and adhesion issues. So your only de”
“Haha you should really tell us the vehicle in the post. Being a 50s international changes how we would look at this post compared to a 2010 Chevy truck.”
“Well we can't see the extent of the damage from this picture at all, but worse case scenario youre going to need a new rear body panel, trunk floor and frame rail sectioned in. This would write off most newer cars, let alone a 10+ year old one. So to answer your question yes it is fixible, but very hard.”
They don’t. They buy an unpainted OEM bumper and paint it themselves.
“Damn. The trim pieces on the bumper man... Sorry. Yeah do the wet sand, what do you have to lose ?”
“In my opinion you should remove all the body filler and start over. Reassess the damage and go from there. Repair or replace that body panel. That's way too much filler.”
“Will post the destructive weld tests on Monday. If not adequate then MIG welding will be used.”
“Does anyone in here do body work or just replace parts? That could be fixed without replacing the panel. Yes it would have some filler, but if done by someone that knows what they are doing, it would last a lifetime. That being said, I think the asking price is too much. If you brought this to my shop and wanted it fixed, I would guess somewhere in the $2500 range and it would look great and last as long as you needed it to.”
“Yes that can be fixed. But, the bumper cover would have to be removed in order to access the damage from behind and the repair would probably be 2 - 3 hours after the r & I and o/h time. So the savings between repair and replace would depend on the price of a new cover.”
“And think, legally they have no choice but to total a car at a certain percentage of the book value. If your car is worth 30k it totals at 22k. Now imagine a Hyundai or Nissan that doesn’t hold value near as much.”