how easy is it to replace a body panel?

Detailing & Bodywork
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jc7885
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how easy is it to replace a body panel?

Post by jc7885 »

Hi everyone,

Most recently I've discovered that i dented and scratched the passenger side front wing and front bumper on my Polo (latest model - mk5 i think it's referred to).

Got a quote from the dealer who said it would cost in the region of £700 to fix it but surely it's not that difficult; is it?

Some of you must have been able to replace/update body panels on your Polo's before so wondering if i could get some instructions on how i can do it myself? labour costs by the garage and ridiculously expensive I think, plus, i can get the parts online (well, i hope there genuine; any recommendations would be also much appreciated).

Can anyone help please?

cheers
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coupechamp
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Post by coupechamp »

Hi there,
wings are one of the easiest to do as their not like others, i.e welded on. It's usually 3 or 4 bolts on the top where the bonnet meets, one around the bottom by the door or just behind the wheel towards the door. There may well be trim to take of under the wheel arch and then it's usually bonded to the chassis with a glue / sealent type of stuff. also dont forget bumper, which doesn't have to be fully removed. It's a little different on my race polo and takes about 10 minutes, basically because most of the stuff has been removed. But this should give you an idea. How about the spraying of the new wings etc, who is doing it? As new panels dont usually come painted, or are you buying second hand painted. Hope it helps,
Doug
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Tim_GTi
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Post by Tim_GTi »

Just for reference mate, the latest Polo released is the mark7 8)
polo-sib
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Post by polo-sib »

If its just the wing the genuine part is around £40-70 for the wing, paint work with water based paints should be around £100 (for the wing to be sprayed, without blending), fitting would be £70 or you could do it yourself. There's not many bolts holding it down but its abit fiddly as you will need to take the mud guard out etc... but doing it DIY style shouldn't take more than just over an hour.

Doing paint work DIY would probably set you back more as you'd spend at least £14 on prime, then about £35 for a litre of the base paint and on top you will need a compressor with the spray tools (£100+), followed by £12 worth of laq. Plus DIY'ing paint work can be frustrating and if it goes wrong it involves alot of swearing :)
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