Repair or replace quarter panel

[CWilson]

Hi guys,
I just got back from the dealership (Inskip Porsche in RI) having the damage from my accident looked at. The Body Shop Manager claimed he could panel beat the quarter back into shape without taking it off. He said that the structural integrity of the factory welds are better than what anyone can do in a bodyshop and that a small weakening of the fender flair is better than weakening of the rocker panel and decklid joint. Does this make sense to anyone else.

Here is a reminder of the damage



I guess as long as it is put back to the same place it doesnt make a difference. Also the repair is guaranteed so if the panel flexes and the paint cracks its their responsibility.

Any thoughts are appreciated

PS For those guessing it was an off duty police officer who ran the stop sign. And of course SHE was driving an SUV.

[Roger Chafen]

Can't see the quarter-to engine lid gap from your pic, but one of the criteria for panel replacement is whether or not the gaps have been altered. If not, what they are telling you has some merit. They may have to r & i oil tank for access.

Ask about painting. No major paint manufacturer warrants a blend within a panel-which means your r/r quarter, upper body panel(the piece between the engine lid & the rear glass) & the l/r quarter should be sprayed. Unless the shop is confident of their color match, or if your car were any color but white or black, you should consider blending into the r door also.

Hope this helps!

[A Quiet Boom]

Well it doesn't look like you got hit too hard, I'd say that as long as the gaps at the door and decklid aren't tweeked your bodyman is correct. Cutting out that whole quarter and welding a new on in will not only be difficult but their will be no galvanizing around the welds! Not a good thing down by the rocker. I assume you've checked that the oil tank is ok? If it's a good shop they'll get the panel straight again will minimal filler.

[DANNOV]

I had similar damage when I hit the guard rail at a DE event. I hit just above the wheel arch and had a dent about 12" long which scraped the paint but did not penetrate the fender. The door gap and rear lid gaps were not affected, it was very localized damage. I was concerned just as you are. My rear 1/4 panel was straightened and repainted, and it looks just great. Your damage looks like a reasonably simple repair and I doubt if the fender was bent so much that the rear decklid gap was affected. But you might want to check that.
But I should add that in order to get a color match the whole side of my car was repainted. My 911 is red and the body guy did not feel he could just paint the rear 1/4 panel and get a good color match. The whole job was about $2,000 but it looks as good as new. I often look at that rear panel to see if I can discern any defect and l can't find any problem, and I look very hard. I have looked many times under different lighting conditions and I cannot see any indication of damage. or faulty color matchup. I had the job done by a guy that does a lot of expensive and classic car work, but I think a Porsche dealer will do a quality job. I would not worry about this repair but color matching is something you should be very careful about. Your car appears to be white and that is probably an easy color to match.

[Zeke]

I agree with all of the above. might be a little touchy right around tail light and wheel arch lip. Also, looks like the wheel got a little of the damage too. Might check the rim for straight and get the car aligned. Otherwise, a good metal man can do that job. I've fixed worse on Vdubs and those fenders are cheap. (Originals are rare though).

For anyone's information who cares to know: The secret to metal work is to figure out exactly what happend an take the damage out in the reverse order in which it occured. A lot of that panel will pop out to its original shape when the stress is relieved which is holding it in.

[carnut169]

The 911 is a unibody vehicle. According to NAAA a replaced quarter panel is considered frame damage and a repaired quarter is not. Always repair if it is possible & feasible.

[911nut]

If the quater panel has to be replaced, I recommend that the entire panel be replaced, window aperature and all.
A PO had the quater replaced on my car. Gaps are all f****d up and the repair panel was lap welded to the original panel at the apex of the quater window. It's now rusting in that lap joint. The paint match was performed by a blind man too.
I get p*ssed off every time I look at it.
PB

[Neilk]

Clay,

Just a word of warning, the dealership bodyshop is not always the best. My brother has a bad experience with the local Porsche/Audi bodyshop and had to take it elsewhere to be properly fixed.

[carmad]

I had similar damage to the left rear quarter panel on my 930, (PO wife spun the car into a lake). The cost of replacement was very expensive. The body work guy said he could repair the panel, he was very skilled with a hammer and dolly and did a fantastic job.
I showed my mechanic the repair and he said he would not have known if I hadn't told him there was previous damage. All panel gaps etc are perfect.
I am no expert, but from your pictures it looks like it could be repaired. Choose your body shop carefully.

[Don Plumley]

I'm in agreement that for a rear body panel, I'd much prefer no cutting and welding. If I was having a PPI done on your car and came across the weld marks, that would be a full stop for me, while a well done dent repair would be bad, it would not be terminal.

There are real artisans that know how to work metal. There is a larger populations of gorillas that bend metal and poke holes prior to liberal application of bondo. Suggest you work hard to find the former and avoid the latter.

Talk to the high end car clubs and dealers and find out who does the best work in your area. The same name or two will keep coming up. Then examine the work. You have one chance to get this done right. My $0.02.

Good Luck!

[CWilson]

Well I took the car to a couple more bodyshops and so far its a 50/50 split to replace the panel. I Figured I'd do a little work and see how bad it is myself.

The panel gap for the deck lid closed slightly as seen in this picture.



I took out the reflector looking for damage and found this.



It looks like a hydrolic ram could push out the corner of the fender until the sealer closed, repairing the gap problem. It could then be resealed.

I also wanted to see the damage to the bumper and wheel so I attacked it with sand paper and rubing compound and there is now no trace the accident ever happened.



So now I am wondering if I should take the money they are offering and get the fender repaired and paint to the top of the decklid to rocker pannel, keeping the difference as an unofficial diminished value payment. At $42 an hour (Inskip Porsche rate) can that be done for less than $1000. Without respraying the entire car there is no way the paint will be a perfect match anywhere so why not use that money to fund other projects?

Again any advice is appreciated.