my car hit by a lorry some repair advice please.

[sut]

hi guys

im hoping you can give some repair advice, my car 2020 vw golf mk8 is being collected thursday in order to be repaired after a lorry side swiped me on motorway, he didnt see me in his blind spot,
now while i have not suffered massive damage i do have a concern.

they rear quater panel has been badly bent and buckled that could not be pulled and and put back into shape and as far as i can see this panel is 1 peice that flows into the roof and under the car so how can this be repaced ? i really dont want them cutting out sections and welding new sections in ?

as you can see from the one picture that rear panel is a solid peice from the lower sills to the roof and other side of the car.

also inside the rear door the internal structure body sheel again has been badlt bent and buckeled and again this as far as i can see if 1 solid peice an the panel cant be replaced.

how will this be repaired ?
can it be repaired ?
will it effect my resale value ?

thank you for any help.

 

[PanEuropean]

...I really don't want them cutting out sections and welding new sections in...

That is exactly how the repair is carried out - the damaged body section is cut out, and a new section welded in.

The VW repair manual contains extensive documentation and instructions explaining how this type of work should be carried out, and it is a very common procedure in automotive collision repair.

I don't think you need to be too worried, just choose a repair facility that you have confidence in. What I do where I live (Canada) when I have a collision problem - which happens about once every 10 years - is to take my VW back to my VW dealer, and ask them to write it up on a work order and deal with it. They don't do body repairs, so, they sublet the work out to a facility that they have trust in, then collect the car, inspect it, do a quick diagnostic scan & test drive, then call me to come pick it up. The advantage of doing this is that the repair is done on a VW work order, which means if there are any problems down the road, your warranty coverage will not be compromised. There are other advantages as well, such as the dealer making sure that only genuine parts are used for the repair, the dealer knowing "what to look for" both before and after the repair, etc.

Michael

 

[SRGTD]

@sut; sorry to hear of your car’s damage - hopefully no one was hurt. IMHO, damage looks to be cosmetic rather than structural, so it should be repairable.

Agree with @PanEuropean - unless damage is very minor, it’s normal practice for the damaged panel sections to be cut out and new replacement panels welded in, unless it’s something like a front wing, in which case they simply bolt onto the car.

Assuming you are going through your insurance company to get repairs carried out, be aware that most if not all UK insurance policies give you the option to use a repairer of your choice (check the small print in your insurance policy) i.e. you don’t have to use you don’t have to use your insurance company’s recommended repairers. If you do use a repairer of your choice rather than one of your insurance company’s recommended repairers, you may not be provided with a courtesy car, and there may be an increased excess to pay (again, check the small print in your policy). The link below should enable you to find VW approved repairers near to you; input your postcode in the box above the map.

https://volkswagenapprovedrepair.co.uk/approved-crash-repair-centre-locator-map

In the UK, a VW approved repairer won’t necessarily be a VW dealership‘s own bodyshop, but they should carry out repairs to VW approved standards and use genuine VW parts / paint.

On completion of repairs, inspect your car very carefully when collecting it to ensure you are happy with the quality of work;

• Paint colour match and finish exactly matches the original factory paint on adjoining panels when viewing from all angles and different lighting conditions. Ensure there are no paint shade differences between original / new panels (with metallic paint, the new paint should be blended into the original paint on adjacent undamaged panels to avoid shade differences).
• ensure panel gaps are even and uniform.
• ensure there is no paint overspray onto trim, door / window seals or glass and there are no ‘hard’ edges between new and original paint where undamaged panels adjacent to the new panels have been masked off prior to painting.
• if the weather is poor on collection day, try and arrange to inspect the car under cover in the dry as it’s not possible to inspect repairs satisfactorily if the car’s covered in rain spots.

If possible, always take someone impartial with you when collecting a car so they can also inspect it. They won’t have any emotional attachment to the car, so they should be able to provide an unbiased, impartial view of the quality of repairs.

Good luck with getting the repairs done - hopefully it won’t take too long. Please keep this discussion topic updated with progress and the outcome.

 

[PanEuropean]

On completion of repairs, inspect your car very carefully when collecting it...

All good points.

One additional recommendation: take a careful look all around the car to confirm that no new damage occurred when the car was in the body shop. You may want to photograph all aspects of the outside of the car once you arrive at the body shop to drop it off. Taking photos there, on the parking lot of the body shop, will eliminate any challenges about whether or not damage existed when you dropped the car off.

Lastly, to be kind to the staff at the body shop, completely empty the trunk & back seat of the car, including anything in the spare tire well. The staff will need to remove some interior panels at the rear of the car to carry out the work needed to repair the damaged rear quarter.

Michael