[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!