Team-BHP - Skoda Octavia: Should the entire panel be replaced or not

This is the damage. There are two options. Mend the panel and make it factory finish OR replace the entire panel that includes: wheel arch, door frame top, B-Pillar, A-Pillar and a straight panel behind the front right fender.

Reason for the query, the accidents department in charge told me that the entire one piece panel is welded and is a part of the monocoque. Welding tools at the body shop in a dealership body shop differ vastly from what are used in factory assembly lines. This panel hasn't taken much of a knock to consider replacement but if we insist he can do it for us. He suggested that the panel be mended without taking it out. Please advise what would be right approach?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rtech (Post 585444)

Replace the door. Fix the panel. It's not bad enough to cut through. And if the service centre themselves are not confident of doing a good job, there really is no debate on this.

A good job fixing the panel and a good paint job later, you will not be able to tell the difference.

Bingo!!! i agree with Rtech!! and i have witnessed ppl doing wonders with crashed bodies.

Replacement sounds messier compared to mending the panel in your case. I do not think the damage is going to be vey hard to mend. Like Robin says, replace the door and mend the panel.

An added advantage, you can claim full insurance for labour costs hence mending the panel may work out to be a better option if you are claiming insurance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rtech (Post 585444)

Replace the door. Fix the panel. It's not bad enough to cut through. And if the service centre themselves are not confident of doing a good job, there really is no debate on this.
A good job fixing the panel and a good paint job later, you will not be able to tell the difference.

Its not cut through, its just crumpled which is why the accident dept. incharge recommended repair. He is confident of doing a good job but warned me about the welding part. He says it can never be done to factory standards (at least the welding part) when done in a body shop of ANY dealership.
I saw a Skoda Rider with a changed panel and roof which looked horrible because I saw the welding spots all over. I'd suggest repair against replacement too. He has assured that we wouldn't be able to make out the difference.

Quote:

Originally Posted by quicksilver (Post 585480)

Replacement sounds messier compared to mending the panel in your case. I do not think the damage is going to be vey hard to mend. Like Robin says, replace the door and mend the panel.
An added advantage, you can claim full insurance for labour costs hence mending the panel may work out to be a better option if you are claiming insurance.

Door is going to be replaced. Running board repaired and as you guys suggested, I'll ask him to go ahead with repair than replacement. I'll post pictures of a replaced side panel of a SMASHED Skoda Rider with a blown roof. I have pictures of the smashed panel too. It looked very messy to me.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I did once have my Maruti 800's entire quarter panel with integrated C-pillar, roof section and A-pillar replaced for a silly 30 mm x 150 mm gash.

In the case of my Maruti 800, it meant buying a new entire sheet metal component (including A, B, C1 and C2 pillars), worth Rs. 6,700, cutting away and discarding some sheetmetal, plus tinwork and painting, plus the rubber gasket around the rear quarter glass. A total damage of Rs. 9,000+ in Jan 2006.

But then it was a tinfoil Maruti 800 not a Skoda Octavia.

Replacing is nevertheless the brute-force solution. It's throwing money at the problem.

Meant for countries where labor is too expensive and workers have more overpaid attitude than skilled craftsmanship.

But, surely in the country of the Taj Mahal, there would be master-craftsmen, brazers and tinkerers who could do an excellent job. It won't be in the overpaid megapolises, though, I suspect.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ram (Post 585723)

Replacing is nevertheless the brute-force solution. It's throwing money at the problem.

Secondly Ram, don't you think resale value of the car will go down for a replaced panel once someone gets into the service records? A replaced panel points to a major accident which this car hasn't been suspected to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by moralfibre (Post 585930)

I'd imagine, not too many people in India ask to see, nor get to see, complete service records.
And suppressing incriminating evidence is the done desi thing.
So why worry?

And I'm sure Skoda dealerships would have tons of good sheet metal, perfectly complete good doors, etc. from other crashed Octavias, that the unscrupulous ones might palm off as new.
Skoda quality being so good, it would be hard for the untrained eye to distinguish between pristine sheet metal and sheet metal from a good Octavia that was totalled on (say) the other side.

That said, I'm sure there are good dealerships and bad dealership to get accident work done.

All Skoda bodyshops were not born equal. Some time invested in finding the right bodyshop, will doubtless, pay off in the results.

Ram

MF
I'm not able to view the pic but i assume the talk is about replacing the quarter panel.

Quote:

Originally Posted by moralfibre (Post 585930)

It depends on how the quarter panel is fixed by the bodyshop ppl. If they cut the quarter panel from the original joints n fix it there then it can be found out if the quarter panel has been changed or not.
Normal procedure is not to mess with the original joints unless there's damage near the pillar or the running board.