General cost of renewing rear quarter panel

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General cost of renewing rear quarter panel

Metalguru3

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Hi folks
the other day a wheelie bin blew across the car park where my son works and it has trashed the rear quarter panel on the passenger side (no fuel cap) of our Sei
The owners have agreed to pay for repairs and i dont know whether i should have it filled or replaced.
i know if i had done the damage to anyone elses car, most would want a new panel
has anyone had this panel replaced, and how much is it likely to cost
i cant see a bodyshop wanting the bother of typing out a quote when the repair will likely exceed the value of the car, so ill try to guage their opinion when i give them a guesstimate!
 
How bad is it? Maybe it could be taken out with heat or pulled back into shape? They can do some pretty amazing stuff.

Im trying to imagine how bad a wheelie bin could wreck a car...

it's got to be unusual work on an older car. But at a guess minimum £500?
 
The cost of a whole side panel, and the hassle of fitting it, with the interior trim disturbance, lots of paint, etc., will be expensive. If on insurance, it would write it off. Why not contact a 'paintless dent removal' company, they may be able to make is good as new, or nearly so for a smaller price, and the original panel and paint will always be preferable.
 
To get a lorry dent repaired I had some quotes (high and cheapo) that ranged from £1000 to £350.

The £350 repair turned out not too bad. Some barely visible imperfections compared to the much better finish than it had before.

None of the repairers were interested in quoting for fitting a new panel. The car would be a write-off.

The quarter panel has to be cut out (angle grinder) from behind the B-pillar (door lock) all the way down to the inner sill and up to the black strip on the roof.... back to the lights and hatch. It is the single worst panel to repair on a car. They are often double skinned, which makes it even more fun... although it's occasionally possible to get behind the panel and tease it back into shape before filling/painting the rest.

Get a body shop to quote you. If you want a new panel... forget it.


Ralf S.
 
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