OT: Anyone work in a body shop? How-to?
- Thread starter adamjr
- Start date
adamjr
New member
Here are some pics.
The first pic is shows the area of impact and why my neck is sore a week later. This totally blew my weekend last week.
And this shot shows the side view of how the dent is forcing the side of the cover outward below the quarter panel.
A friend of mine teaches high school auto shop and will help me do the work. He has 24 hour access and free reign. Putting this on a lift will make it easier to work on.
Aiko, the paint is pretty well trashed at the impact site. I know a guy that will paint it up for me and my uncle is a PPG Master mixologist. I can get the paint matched and mixed with the proper elastomers to spray it on rubber.
If I can get this removed properly I can work the inside slowly with a Wagner heat gun and reform it and destress it.
Adam
The first pic is shows the area of impact and why my neck is sore a week later. This totally blew my weekend last week.
And this shot shows the side view of how the dent is forcing the side of the cover outward below the quarter panel.
A friend of mine teaches high school auto shop and will help me do the work. He has 24 hour access and free reign. Putting this on a lift will make it easier to work on.
Aiko, the paint is pretty well trashed at the impact site. I know a guy that will paint it up for me and my uncle is a PPG Master mixologist. I can get the paint matched and mixed with the proper elastomers to spray it on rubber.
If I can get this removed properly I can work the inside slowly with a Wagner heat gun and reform it and destress it.
Adam
adamjr
New member
I don't so much mind the crease. I just want to get the big punch reversed. If I do that it will releave the stress causing the side to bulge out under the quarter panel. I can orbital sand the crease with a 300 grit orbital sand pad. Then I can fill and seal it before gunning the paint.
Also I posted on a Hyundai Forum for tuners and a guy posted up the page from he shop manual showing how to remove it. He even translated the Korean into English for me. It's super simple.
Remove cap screws from the mud flap on each side and one cap screw where the bumper cover attaches at the top of the wheel well to the quarter panel.
Remove both tail lamp housings (3 nuts).
Remove 2 screws from each side which are revealed when the housings are removed.
Remove 4 screws revealed when the trunk lid is raised at the top of the cover between the two tail light openings.
Remove 4 screws from the bottom rear of the cover.
PLOP! It should fall right off.
Wagner heat gun on high and even back and forth strokes until it gets softened and dolly it out.
Then use great stuff to fill where the styrofoam cushion is cracked and sculpt with a styro sculptor. You can make one of those with a piece of .040 stainless steel grid wire attached to a couple of D-Cell batteries.
I might tackle it tomorrow. I'll post pics when I am done.
Adam
Also I posted on a Hyundai Forum for tuners and a guy posted up the page from he shop manual showing how to remove it. He even translated the Korean into English for me. It's super simple.
Remove cap screws from the mud flap on each side and one cap screw where the bumper cover attaches at the top of the wheel well to the quarter panel.
Remove both tail lamp housings (3 nuts).
Remove 2 screws from each side which are revealed when the housings are removed.
Remove 4 screws revealed when the trunk lid is raised at the top of the cover between the two tail light openings.
Remove 4 screws from the bottom rear of the cover.
PLOP! It should fall right off.
Wagner heat gun on high and even back and forth strokes until it gets softened and dolly it out.
Then use great stuff to fill where the styrofoam cushion is cracked and sculpt with a styro sculptor. You can make one of those with a piece of .040 stainless steel grid wire attached to a couple of D-Cell batteries.
I might tackle it tomorrow. I'll post pics when I am done.
Adam
bryanth73
New member
whoever told you that is nuts !!!!! You do not use great stuff on the absorber, I am a master ASE tech. That is ment to cussion the impact at a specific rate of speed also if the rebar is damaged it must be replaced NOT REPAIRED, it is hss steel. If you repair it it ruins the strength of it. The cover will not be a structural item but if you repair it its likely to pop at the slightest impact again. Break down and repair it, reman covers are availible, but rigging the bumper is not to bright. Would you buy ( or want your wife and kids) a car that is possibly unsafe to save a couple of bucks for a fish tank???
adamjr
New member
Slow down there Bryan.
The steel is all intact and undamaged. I was impacted on the far edge of the bumper cover. The absorber (the metal part like a strut) is completely undamaged. The styro that is damaged is the overhanging part past the bumper (Steel) and serves no structural purpose. That is according to the estimator. I am fully aware of the purpose of the cushion and am doing nothing that would harm my family.
I hope that clarifies it.
Thanks though for your concern. I am not being sarcastic here. I am touched by it.
Adam
The steel is all intact and undamaged. I was impacted on the far edge of the bumper cover. The absorber (the metal part like a strut) is completely undamaged. The styro that is damaged is the overhanging part past the bumper (Steel) and serves no structural purpose. That is according to the estimator. I am fully aware of the purpose of the cushion and am doing nothing that would harm my family.
I hope that clarifies it.
Thanks though for your concern. I am not being sarcastic here. I am touched by it.
Adam
adamjr
New member
I don't believe we are talking about the same design.
The bumper is attached to the frame of the car with a steel absorber assy on each side of the bumper.
The styro absorber is sandwiched between the bumper and the bumper cover. Once again the area of the styro that is damaged isn't structurally significant.
I'm not punting. I've seen it from manual pictures and I looked under the car to verify it. I spent three years woking in a testing lab at Underwriters Laboratories. I am very anal retentive about safety. I also know a bit about working with plastic assemblies as it is what I do for most of my day.
The bumper is attached to the frame of the car with a steel absorber assy on each side of the bumper.
The styro absorber is sandwiched between the bumper and the bumper cover. Once again the area of the styro that is damaged isn't structurally significant.
I'm not punting. I've seen it from manual pictures and I looked under the car to verify it. I spent three years woking in a testing lab at Underwriters Laboratories. I am very anal retentive about safety. I also know a bit about working with plastic assemblies as it is what I do for most of my day.
dohc97
Active member
I know exactly what your talking about, by looking at the pic i can tell that the hit was not directly on the metal absorber but rather above it, it probably just crunched up the styrofoam. Some of these bumper covers are extremely cheap(im not sure if this one is the case). We just replaced the one on my friends nissan and it ended up costing 45 dollars. Of course it was unpainted but its brand new, no creases and our little ghetto paint job doesnt look half bad. The trick to cheap body parts is getting them directly from a supplier.
bryanth73
New member
this is the rear bracket your talking about it is not a shock. Again the foam is tested and will crush at a rate of speed determined by the manufacturer believe me they just dont put that there for no reason. Almost every part including the glass is part of the structure or crash performance of a unibody car great stuff is NOT recomended as a repair by any manufacturer in the world.
bracket
bracket
adamjr
New member
Bryan I admire your passion. That passion has led you to posting a link to an item that as I have stated numerous times is not damaged and not even touched.
When I hydroplaned and missed hitting the SUV in front of me I was attempting to veer right to go between my lane and the lane to my right in case my vehicle could not stop.
When the Envoy coming up behind me hydroplaned she attempted to turn left, risking her left front tire, to glance across the median and stop. She did this to sacrifice her vehicle against getting into an accident with another car. Very commendable actually.
The actual point of impact was outward from the bracket you have posted a link to. The bottom of her bumper contacted the top of my bumper and did so at a glancing angle. If I had been about 6 to 8 inches farther forward the angles would not have intersected and we would not be having this discourse.
The following poorly drawn illustration shows from top to bottom; Back bumper of unidentified SUV I missed, My Car, the GMC Envoy that hit me.
I have approximated the angles of the vehicles. The boxes at the rear of my car are the placement of the brackets you identified which were not touched.
Bryan, I am not denying you know your stuff. If you are an insurance adjuster you have to. Now with all due respect I must say that I feel you are making an assumption that just because you know your stuff and that I am not an insurance adjuster that I do not. I appreciate your opinion. With that said you did not adjust this particular claim.
The adjuster that did spent about 45 minutes inspecting the damage, taking pictures, and most of that time was spent on a creeper with a flashlight under the car. His inspection was th most thorough of all the ones I have been a part of. I would have to take his assessment seriously and according to him the bracket is untouched.
I drive the car for 98% business. I put on 40,000 miles per year. I own it free and clear. A scratched up bumper is the least of my worries.
Adam
When I hydroplaned and missed hitting the SUV in front of me I was attempting to veer right to go between my lane and the lane to my right in case my vehicle could not stop.
When the Envoy coming up behind me hydroplaned she attempted to turn left, risking her left front tire, to glance across the median and stop. She did this to sacrifice her vehicle against getting into an accident with another car. Very commendable actually.
The actual point of impact was outward from the bracket you have posted a link to. The bottom of her bumper contacted the top of my bumper and did so at a glancing angle. If I had been about 6 to 8 inches farther forward the angles would not have intersected and we would not be having this discourse.
The following poorly drawn illustration shows from top to bottom; Back bumper of unidentified SUV I missed, My Car, the GMC Envoy that hit me.
I have approximated the angles of the vehicles. The boxes at the rear of my car are the placement of the brackets you identified which were not touched.
Bryan, I am not denying you know your stuff. If you are an insurance adjuster you have to. Now with all due respect I must say that I feel you are making an assumption that just because you know your stuff and that I am not an insurance adjuster that I do not. I appreciate your opinion. With that said you did not adjust this particular claim.
The adjuster that did spent about 45 minutes inspecting the damage, taking pictures, and most of that time was spent on a creeper with a flashlight under the car. His inspection was th most thorough of all the ones I have been a part of. I would have to take his assessment seriously and according to him the bracket is untouched.
I drive the car for 98% business. I put on 40,000 miles per year. I own it free and clear. A scratched up bumper is the least of my worries.
Adam
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dohc97
Active member
Bryan as said previously i really admire all your passion and you may well be and ase master tech(which by the way i am not). But there is something to be said for cosmetic damage versus structural damage. Sometimes we need to stop trying to complicate things and start with the simple stuff first. If the structural crush area of the bumper is not even touched, how is Adam's car at a greater risk on a crash just because he repaired the bumper cover? sure in an insurance claim or if this was my customers car i would want the cover replaced, but i dont see the harm in fixing it for someone who would rather save some money that have the car look perfect.
bryanth73
New member
its not the cover, its the absorber the cover is cosmetic the absorber (styrofoam) should not be repaired with great stuff and shaped that is the issue. My point in showing the bracket is not that its damaged, but that the car does not have a shock at the rear bumper. If the bumper is bowing at the quarter there is a good chance there is damage to the rear body panel which wont bee seen until the car is torn down. Adjustors for many companies are told and trained to write light unless the car is at a shop, the reason is just what is happening now you cash out they get off cheap since there is never a suppliment to repair the damage. If you do decide to repair later they are not obligated since you release them from liability. I do have to admit its your car but unless you plan to keep the car until its junked it will end up in somone elses hands some day. Estimates are free go to a body shop (not affiliated with the ins company, and not a mechanical) get it gone over. I just had an 06 cobolt come in rear ended the bumper had a scratch (not even dented) it ended up needing $3000.00 in work (new trunk floor and new rear body panel) the ins. adjustor wrote a $400.00 estimate for a repair to the cover pretty scarry stuff.
with that Ill get off my soap box
with that Ill get off my soap box
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