Loading… Understanding Quarter Panel Repairs and Their Importance — AutoBodybyBuffy.quarter panel repair (ad)com Follow May 18 ·2min read Photo by Free-Photos on Pixabay Safety is an important part of the motoring experience. If this panel becomes damaged, fixing or replacing these panels significantly affects safety and performance. Experts, such as Mark Olson maintain that even the repair of a used quarter panel can be compromised by improper welding specifications. For example, holes drilled in a used quarter panel may have too large of diameters for OEM compliance, which prevents the plug welds required12.
Using Junkyard Quarter Panels — Why It Is Not A Good Idea
Quarter panels play a large role in the structure of your vehicle; improper repairs can result in overall safety concerns 1.
Issues with Welding: Used panels often have larger holes than allowed by OEM specifications, which can result in weak welds that do not meet safety standards12.
Work Hardening: Used panels that have been reheated and welded multiple times can work harden — a process where the steel loses its flexibility over time, rendering used parts less reliable than new1.
Repair vs. Replacement
Quarter panels must be repaired using new parts to further protect the safety of your vehicle because this work will reduce back injuries.
A quarter panel replacement typically requires cutting the vehicle structure, which is complicated and expensive but usually also warranted for a proper repair of collision damage5.
So ultimately, the decision to go with more economical used components instead of brand new is not a wise one due to safety and performance affecting factors that arise post quarter panels repair.
