[Samartha]

The car parts have arrived and the work has begun. I have two very specific questions that I need answers to:

* As you're aware, I was protected by the seat belt during the accident. Does the Punto seat beat have a pretensioner? If yes, will it need replacement? I checked with the dealership and they're unable to give me a specific answer.
* While the external side body is being entirely replaced, the service adviser handling my car says they'll try to salvage the internal body to the greatest extent possible using the chassis straightening machine. Is this the right approach? Of course, I will make the sure that the car is completely waterproof at the end of it all.

Please let me know your thoughts.

[autocrat]

Originally Posted by Samartha

The car parts have arrived and the work has begun. I have two very specific questions that I need answers to:

* As you're aware, I was protected by the seat belt during the accident. Does the Punto seat beat have a pretensioner? If yes, will it need replacement? I checked with the dealership and they're unable to give me a specific answer.

The top end Puntos come with ELR seat belts + pretensioner iirc. If you check the owners manual you might find an answer.

[Samartha]

Originally Posted by Autocop

I won't suggest filing an FIR and trying to get the claim settled thru the Xylo's insurance provider. The procedure for that in INDIA is just too complicated.

I am just back from the workshop. The car is currently on the chassis-straightening machine and repairs seem to be progressing fine (albeit very slowly; it is already a month since the accident).

I have one point where I'm not too sure and would need advice. The outer side body has arrived as part of the spare parts ordered. The workshop guys are insisting that they'd want to cut and replace just the portions that are damaged, instead of replacing the entire side body. Replacing the side body, per their version, would cause a lot of overhead. They'd need to detach and reweld the roof and also the windshield. Is that the case? They're trying to convince me that the final welded outer side body will be completely uniform and strong.

Note that this discussion pertains to just the outer side body. They're replacing all the pillar and body fragments that are damaged. Please let me know your thoughts.

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team: Please avoid quoting a lengthy post since it inconveniences our mobile and small screen users.

[pganapathy]

Originally Posted by Samartha

I am just back from the workshop. The car is currently on the chassis-straightening machine and repairs seem to be progressing fine (albeit very slowly; it is already a month since the accident).

I have one point where I'm not too sure and would need advice. The outer side body has arrived as part of the spare parts ordered. The workshop guys are insisting that they'd want to cut and replace just the portions that are damaged, instead of replacing the entire side body. Replacing the side body, per their version, would cause a lot of overhead. They'd need to detach and reweld the roof and also the windshield. Is that the case? They're trying to convince me that the final welded outer side body will be completely uniform and strong.

Note that this discussion pertains to just the outer side body. They're replacing all the pillar and body fragments that are damaged. Please let me know your thoughts.

If they are only talking about body panels that form no part of the crumple zone or safety cage then it is fine. Please check it though because if you say yes to this, they might then take the liberty with all the parts and that might be a bit of a risk.

[Samartha]

Originally Posted by pganapathy

If they are only talking about body panels that form no part of the crumple zone or safety cage then it is fine. Please check it though because if you say yes to this, they might then take the liberty with all the parts and that might be a bit of a risk.

Oh, I'm being very finicky with them. Yes, they are referring to the outer body panel.

[condor]

Originally Posted by Samartha

The car is currently on the chassis-straightening machine and repairs seem to be progressing fine.

Any pics of the car on the jig ?

[Samartha]

Originally Posted by condor

Any pics of the car on the jig ?

Since you asked, I am including pictures of the car (work in progress) that I clicked yesterday. :-) The wine-red cut-out panel is the discarded piece of the external side body. This part is being replaced with a precision-cut new piece from a fresh side body panel. You can also see some places where the chassis has been "pulled out" slightly.

Thoughts are most welcome. The car will reach the paint shop tomorrow, it seems.

Just an additional question: How do insurance companies usually deal with scrap? Can I claim it and sell it in the open market?

[condor]

Thanks, Samartha. Looks like the repair is being done very professionally & not a quick-fix. Hoping the car will be as good as new after this.

[Samartha]

Originally Posted by condor

Thanks, Samartha. Looks like the repair is being done very professionally & not a quick-fix. Hoping the car will be as good as new after this.

Much thanks for putting my mind to rest. Yes, I'm happy with how the repairs are progressing. Just that things are taking a bit of time.

I'll post 'after' photos once I get the car.

[condor]

@Samartha, please keep an eye on the panel gaps. You could point it / highlight it to the guys working on the car.

Reason I Mention this is pic #4 above. Pls check if the gap on the other side (the un-damaged side) is similar.

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by autocrat

The top end Puntos come with ELR seat belts + pretensioner iirc. If you check the owners manual you might find an answer.

Only the fully loaded, read Emotion Pack (If Pre 2012)/ Emotion (2012) come with this feature.

[Samartha]

Originally Posted by condor

@Samartha, please keep an eye on the panel gaps. You could point it / highlight it to the guys working on the car.

Reason I Mention this is pic #4 above. Pls check if the gap on the other side (the un-damaged side) is similar.

Thanks for the useful advice. I checked and the gaps seem fine to me.

I am attaching some more photos that I captured yesterday. The only area of concern I saw was a patch on the floor around the point of impact where the metal seems to have thinned out when the chassis was "pulled out" using the chassis-straightening machine. I spoke to the service adviser and he said they'd spot weld this part and also fill in silicon wherever required.

The car is in the paint shop and I'm hopeful I'll be driving it again in a couple of days. It's been a long, grueling wait.

That's about it at the moment. I have learnt a lot about car-building in the past month, thanks to the helpful experts on Team BHP!

[Samartha]

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

Only the fully loaded, read Emotion Pack (If Pre 2012)/ Emotion (2012) come with this feature.

Fellow BHPians,

Finally, 52 days after the accident, I have some good news. The car has been repaired and delivered to me.

The inordinate delay was getting unbearable, but once I escalated the issue to the Dealer Principal, things moved pretty quickly. Spare parts started arriving swiftly and road tests began yielding results.

One final issue was discovered after I'd received the vehicle (for the first time). I headed straight to the fuel station and diesel started leaking all around under the car after a few hundred bucks worth of fuel had been pumped in. The fuel gauge wasn't working as well. I took the car back to the workshop and they discovered a broken fuel pump. They replaced it promptly and the car seems to be working fine now.

There's one final glitch. They have still not been able to arrange the recline adjusting level for the passenger seat. 10 more days, it seems.

The total damage from my pocket (including crane charges) turned out to be Rs. 9700.

Here are some photos I clicked while getting the door beadings installed:

[Samartha]

Some more pictures of the inside repairs; also a snapshot of the 'QuickFixed' passenger seat lever in the last picture...

[SanScorp]

Hi Samartha,
I too had an accident involving my year old scorpio. In my case a lorry rammed from the back. Fortunately I was going at 40 kms and the impact did not cause damage to my chassis. But my back door and the back side panels are badly damaged along with the rear floor. Dealer says that the floor cannot be replaced and even Mahindra feels the same. I am waiting for my body shell replacement approval. Not sure how long that process will take.