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Had to choose between a full quarter panel or a section on a 2018 Silverado last month
The insurance wanted a section to save cash, but the damage went right into the wheel arch. I pushed for the full panel because the factory spot welds would have been a nightmare to match. It added two days to the job, but the fit is perfect and it will never come back on me. Anyone else had to fight for the right repair lately?
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murphy.tessa5mo ago
Exactly, that's the whole fight right there. They see a line on a sheet and think a section is fine, but they don't get how the factory puts it together. If you cut through a factory seam or a bunch of spot welds, you're just building a future problem. Good on you for holding the line. It's not about adding time, it's about not having that same truck back in your bay in a year with a seam pulling apart.
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holly_garcia5mo ago
Read a story once about a shop that kept having comebacks on quarter panels. The estimator kept writing for partials, but the tech finally took photos of the factory seam they were cutting through every time. Showed the boss the weld flange sitting right on their cut line. After that, they started writing for full panels and the comebacks stopped. It's crazy how much hidden structure is in those factory spots.
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dylan_brown305mo ago
My uncle's old shop had a rule of thumb, they'd add an extra two inches to any partial cut just to clear factory welds. Said it saved more headaches than any time it cost.
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ben_lewis4mo ago
Murphy.tessa hit it, that "future problem" is just code for a repeat customer you didn't want.
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