Styling How to replace the rear panel?

[SB1500]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121345385733

Just saw a couple of these listed on eBay. How would you fit it?

I looked on my Panda and I'm certain it's part of the chassis?!

I've a bit of rust on an arch so in the future I'd buy one of these panels to fix it. But I don't know how one goes about it!

 

[irc]

Unless it is really necessary you probably shouldn't.
A localised repair would make much more sense unless the whole panel is affected.
The panel is mainly intended for repairing accident damage where panel is rippled and deformed.
Quite a bit of work to fit properly with all of the right gear, and it can have an effect on the structural rigidity of the car if not done right.
Rare to see a Panda with rear wheelarches bad enough to need repair panels through rust (unless they were damaged and badly repaired before). Insurance repairs like that tend to be done with genuine parts or good quantity alternatives, not cheapo pattern ones, as the cost of the panel is small in comparison to the cost of the labour involved, and it costs money to make a badly fitting panel look right.

Seen some rusty front ones, but as far as I can tell, they were DIY repaired with pattern parts at some point. One had rust bubbles after 14 months... then again that one was obviously a c**p repair as the paint didn't match, the headlight touched the front of the wing, and the door gap went from 10mm to 0 and back again.

Rust treatment and paint repair would be easier.

 

[Sweetsixteen]

Treat the rust on the arch. Not worth cutting out the old panel, then welding in the replacement and spraying it unless you have major damage there.

 

[koalar]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121345385733

Just saw a couple of these listed on eBay. How would you fit it?

I looked on my Panda and I'm certain it's part of the chassis?!

I've a bit of rust on an arch so in the future I'd buy one of these panels to fix it. But I don't know how one goes about it!

Not really a home job

Drill out the old spot welds with a special drill or grind.

Carefully clean up

Suspect there will be no access to the rear of the panel. In which case drill around outside of the panel and plug weld.

None genuine body parts tend to be of thinner metal and will not fit without some bending and takes Up quite a bit of time. Factory parts will just fit unless there is accident damage.

At lest this is what I have found in the past on other cars.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

:yeahthat:

This isn't a job worth considering unless you're looking at repairing accident damage etc. Once changed there is then always the risk of rust down the line along the panel joins if the job hasn't been completed 100%

 

[Bad Panda]

I'd buy another Panda if it's that bad, Panda's are pretty cheap and loads on ebay

 

[SB1500]

Thankfully I don't need a new panel. I was just curious as to how it was fitted given I couldn't see any way to detatch the original part!

I'm told with the minor rust I have on the arch it'll take years and years to ever develop into a problem

 

[jrkitching]

:yeahthat:

This isn't a job worth considering unless you're looking at repairing accident damage etc. Once changed there is then always the risk of rust down the line along the panel joins if the job hasn't been completed 100%

It's not worth considering at all on a 10+yr old 1.2 Panda.

Replacing and refinishing this panel would cost substantially more than the value of the car. An insurer facing such a replacement as a result of accident damage on a car of this age would write it off without a second thought.

 

[DaveMcT]

Thankfully I don't need a new panel. I was just curious as to how it was fitted given I couldn't see any way to detatch the original part!

I'm told with the minor rust I have on the arch it'll take years and years to ever develop into a problem

There is no such thing as minor rust unless you are about to deal with it.

You need to get the rust sorted out, because once there it will quickly eat into the car.

 

[ArthurM]

Hi How many times have we heard "it's alright it's only surface rust" Agree with most of what has been said.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

It's not worth considering at all on a 10+yr old 1.2 Panda.

Replacing and refinishing this panel would cost substantially more than the value of the car. An insurer facing such a replacement as a result of accident damage on a car of this age would write it off without a second thought.

Agreed. Working in the industry I've seen some of the eye water costs - and the photos of the pain staking work involved.

 

[SB1500]

So if I got a brand new Panda tomorrow, fully loaded for about 12k would it be the same story of just writing if off due to such a disturbance in the rear most part of the chassis?

 

[DaveMcT]

So if I got a brand new Panda tomorrow, fully loaded for about 12k would it be the same story of just writing if off due to such a disturbance in the rear most part of the chassis?

If it's new, the problem would be a warranty issue.

If it's crash damage, the problem is covered by insurance

If it's neither of the above, you got screwed by the seller.

 

[koalar]

So if I got a brand new Panda tomorrow, fully loaded for about 12k would it be the same story of just writing if off due to such a disturbance in the rear most part of the chassis?

No

It would be repaired.

The repair cost (parts labour and hire car) would be less than value of the vehicle.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

:yeahthat: