TABLE OF CONTENTS The repair of all collision damage can be divided into three categories:
Repairing by realigning and reshaping the damaged section which can be economically repaired
Repairing by removing sections beyond economical repair and replacing them with new sections
Repairing by using a combination of realigning and reshaping together with the replacement of appropriate sections.
Before deciding whether to repair or replace, consideration must be given to the extent and type of damage, whether it is possible to repair a particular panel or not (this fact is influenced by the equipment which is available), and also whether it will be cheaper to repair or replace any one section. A good body repair worker would probably be able to repair almost any part of a car damaged in a collision; however, the labour and time cost involved in attempting to repair extensively damaged panels would be an uneconomical proposition. Only experience in body repair work will give the ability to estimate the time required to do a particular job. Therefore the final decision depends on what is possible to repair and what is economical to repair.
As the construction of the modern vehicle advances, body panel assemblies are becoming very complicated and therefore their cost is constantly increasing. The cost of replacement parts differs between one manufacturer and another, and even between models. In most cases the following parts are usually replaced rather than repaired:
All chrome exterior trim. Owing to the intricate design...
