Some idiot backed into my Porsche at the car park.

So, I took it to the local Porsche workshop and they tell me; the whole rear wing and the bumper need repairing and repainting; rear quarter glass panel out, rear seats and panel trim removed for access, blending into door etc…

Needles to say I have second thoughts and just the thought of them taking out rear seats, interior trim plus glass is giving me the kittens.

Then friend of mine (also a body shop specialist) looked at it and said; you are insane to do the above, just do the local repair as the dent is not all that big. If you do the whole wing and are ever trying to sell your car no-one will believe you it was just a scratch...

The Porsche guy says; he won't do that and that even if he would that the repair would be visible; that there will be a line where the blend will take place, if not straight away then with time - six months let's say. My friend call's it BS. Huh?

I am really unsure now; any paint job expert advice would be appreciated. I just want this to be done properly and invisibly - money no object.

Thanks.

Ps. such little dent and so bloody complicated!

 

Try paintless dent removal first and a good buffing...

 

Why not just let your friend who is the body shop specialist do the work for you? Or point you in the direction of someone he trusts to do the right work for you?

 

That should pull out, option, rear light out, cut into back section to gain access and work it from there, you don't want to do replace rear quarter that's a nightmare!

 

Especially here in the UK, it's important to get the repair done by a Porsche-approved body shop for the sake of resale value. If it's covered by insurance, just let them do what they're going to do. Qualified repairs are covered by a lifetime warranty from Porsche too.



ps - Stevo - dooooooooood call me

 

1. If you need to paint, then YES, the rear quarter and bumper will need to be blended and both entirely clear coated.

2. To clearcoat the quarter, the front and rear glass (front and rear windshields) need to be 'roped' (pulls up the rubber to allow painting under) and the rear quarter removed. (rear turn signals, body side mouldings, air intakes, etc,e tc)

3. A simple dent you could do paintless dent repair, but there is a 'corner' where the metal fender meets the flexible bumper- I do not think paintless will work.

4. Paint looks scratched. Can't fix that with paintless dent repair.

5. Anyone who will spot paint and spot clear this is a hack.

You want to maintain value do it RIGHT. Take pictures beforehand, document the extent of damages, should be a non-issue.

My 2 cents

A

 

Totally. That dent may just pop out. It will look like it never happened.

 

I agree. First try paintless dent removal. Or something simple. If then it doesn't look right close up, then go for the works. Doing computer consulting for years, I can't tell you how many times I was brought in to a job for a second opinion. Usually the other 'expert' recommended radical stuff, costing the client hours and money. And it usually turned out to be a bad cable. IMHO, and I understand the rationale behind doing it all up, but first see how liveable the simple way turns out.

regards,

billy

 

Who painted your rims?

 

Porsche, they are originals.

_______________________

Thanks guys, what worries me is that the skill of workmanship even at the official Porsche Center here in Slovenia where I am stationed is abysmal. I would love to have it done properly but I fear I will probably end up with a damaged interior trim and leaky rear quarter. I will start with dent-repair (paint-less) then do a “hack job” and hope the blend will be invisible. If that fails I can always do the whole quarter back in the UK.

Thanks again, will keep you posted.

PS. To ARD; The scratch polished out, but agreed the corner will be a problem. :-(. I am hoping that dent repair will considerably reduce the damaged area which would result in a very small invisible "hacked job" - fingers x-ed.

 

IMO you should wait until you can get it done right. No sense getting something repaired half-assed twice. If you can live with the dent, just wait until you're back in the UK.

 

Some of my other cars I used paintless dent removal for even bigger and deeper damages and they turned out just perfect like it never happened. Looking at the photo, it should be an easy job to pop the dent out. Then get a really experienced buff guy to do a great buff job on the damaged area. Body damage should disappear completely but on the paint you may be able to see a tiny little scratch. I am completely against doing a full paint job, they just never turn out like the original.

 

I will reiterate. There is a hard 90 degree bend where the outer body meets the bumper. It is incredibly hard for a PDR guy to move the metal where there are creases or seams. It isn't just how the dent looks, but where it is in relation to underlying edges and seams. Get a few opinions. I cannot see from the picture if the edge/corner is actually deformed.

If you never get the repairs to look as good as original, you are going to the wrong shop. Exceptional work- not according to an insurance adjusters estimate- but truly fine work can duplicate any factory paint. (thickness excepted).

Good luck

 

Thanks guys. Here it is @ another angle. Plan is to try paint-less then hopefully the damaged area will be extremely reduced. I forecast the area where it meets the bumper will remain damaged but that will equal a very small local spray job. I have moved away from total wing repair – original paint is original paint and will therefore try and keep the paint job to a bare minimum.

Ps. Ard you are right, but insurance adjuster gave crap norm and Porsche Slovenia will follow this crap norm. On top of that they are really crap and don’t care. So doing it properly is not an option.

 

Ah, thought you were in London.

Tough call. Personally I would not do anything until I can do it right. Here in the US you can negotiate a claim with insurance, pick up a check, and just wait until you want to repair it. Add your own $$ to the job if you want extra work or extra care. (Get the new techart bumpers, have them painted along with the repairs ....that sort of thing.)

Consider dent removal (do they even have that in Slovenia? ) and skip the paint until it can be done right. A poor job will most certainly reduce trade or resale value.

Good Luck

A