Buy all your VW California Accessories at the Club Shop Visit Shop

Dent in tailgate - what chance of repair?

brooodie

brooodie

Messages
146
Location
Glasgow
Vehicle
T6.1 Ocean 204
The below dent appeared from an unknown source not long after I got my new van and I'm sick of looking at it now after trying to ignore it for the last year. I emailed a local dent guy but his response was "I doubt I could get it out".

What do you reckon the prognosis is for this? Is it worth an insurance claim (Would lose my full 10+ years NCD so I doubt it)? Have messaged a few local bodywork places on facebook but none of them have got back to me (must be busy) so I've not been able to get a quote.

2.png1.png
 
I would try another dent guy, I know it’s on a crease line which is difficult but access behind should be easy and I would have thought they could make it much less obvious if not 100% perfect.
 
If your NCD is protected, one claim will not make that much difference.

The Mrs caught the rear side panel on a gatepost whilst turning out of a tight entrance, another car was doubleparked opposite the entrance which made it a tight turn. We claimed through insurance, cost was about £1200…next years premium was £20 more with same insurer.
 
Last edited:
It's not worth losing no claims bonus over in my opinion. You'll pay an excess and your renewal will be inflated even if its protected. I would go to a good bodyshop and get a quote. I had mine repaired (see the picture below) for about £700 and you couldn't see it afterwards. He couldn't access the rear of the panel so welded on some tabs to pull it out, then a skim of filler and a repaint with the blend onto the next panel. Yours is much easier so would be a lot cheaper, but not from a mobile dent removal service.

IMG_2304.jpeg
 
brooodie said:
The below dent appeared from an unknown source not long after I got my new van and I'm sick of looking at it now after trying to ignore it for the last year. I emailed a local dent guy but his response was "I doubt I could get it out".

What do you reckon the prognosis is for this? Is it worth an insurance claim (Would lose my full 10+ years NCD so I doubt it)? Have messaged a few local bodywork places on facebook but none of them have got back to me (must be busy) so I've not been able to get a quote.

View attachment 113658View attachment 113657
Click to expand...
Visit some small independent body shops rather than an industrial accident repair centre to get some quotes.
 
Certainly not the most difficult repair but to do a decent job you would have to get to the back of the dent. So the panel in the tailgate would need to come off. Unlikely to be able to blow it in but not impossible.
Probably need the whole tailgate painting To get a 100% job.
 
I had to go through insurance this year for a similar dent in the rear panel. They replaced the whole tailgate claiming the locking mechanism was stopping a repair from inside, it cost £3500 plus vat !
 
You may well find there is a stiffener on the inside along that feature which is why your dent guy refused.
 
I think you need a proper repair not a dent repair. WG is right, I had a slightly bigger dent and was quoted £2k by a big repair shop which focussed on insurance repairs. A local shop did a brilliant job for £700 including a full respray of the boot and new badges all lined up. The paint was matched by analysis rather than paint code. You cannot notice it at all now. The dent guy spent ages on it and couldn’t get behind it properly.
good luck
 
Thanks all.

Can't believe some of these quotes though, way more than I thought it would be! :sad


So annoying that I don't even know who did it or what they did as the bumper below was unscathed and it was parked on a one way street (so car/van behind could only have been parked with its nose next to my van, couldn't have been a tow-bar for example).

I bought the removable tow-bar for my own van specifically to prevent this sort of thing and never got round to fitting it prior to it happening :mad:
 
There is nothing on the inside that would prevent the dent being knocked out.
The door would obviously have to be stripped down but I’m sure it’s quite feasible.
In the days when I did my apprenticeship we did repairs far more difficult than this that turned out perfectly.
Today is a throw away society and nobody wants to solve simple repairs and problems any longer. Once the door has been stripped it would take no more than 10 minutes to get the majority of the dent out.
When that is done and depending on how much the paint has been damaged ,take it from there.
The problem is finding the right craftsman to do it.
 
mobile PDR should be able to sort that, biggest pain will be the time taken to remove interior trim, id remove the trim myself and then get a PDR to resolve the crease.
 
Nik_campervan said:
mobile PDR should be able to sort that, biggest pain will be the time taken to remove interior trim, id remove the trim myself and then get a PDR to resolve the crease.
Click to expand...
Thanks for this. I've no tools or experience with removing trim but plenty of time on my hands at the moment so might look into trying this myself. Will start with driving to the local small shops and see what they say. Will report back when I get it sorted.
 
The mobile paintless dent repairers are generally franchisees and are often inexperienced. You need to find someone line Dent-Tox in Swansea that really excels at PDR.

Often they don’t need to remove the panels: they make a small hole and work through that, which is then sealed and plugged. I did a huge dent in our sliding door and Dent-Tox made a small hole in the rear side edge which looks like it’s just a blanking plug that was always there. Absolutely stunning work and well worth the trip: it was about £180 compared with the £1000s of a new door.
 
brooodie said:
Thanks for this. I've no tools or experience with removing trim but plenty of time on my hands at the moment so might look into trying this myself. Will start with driving to the local small shops and see what they say. Will report back when I get it sorted.
Click to expand...
I’ve just watched a vid on YouTube and the dent you have would be no problem to get out . But you would need to be able to get to the back as a variety of tools need to be used.
just be persistent and don’t worry, you will find someone who will take the job on.
I have to admit when I saw the guy get a dent out very similar to yours on a wing I was totally amazed, the finished job was absolute perfection.
Take a look at some Youtube videos and it will put your mind at rest.
 
Ting Tong said:
The mobile paintless dent repairers are generally franchisees and are often inexperienced. You need to find someone line Dent-Tox in Swansea that really excels at PDR.

Often they don’t need to remove the panels: they make a small hole and work through that, which is then sealed and plugged. I did a huge dent in our sliding door and Dent-Tox made a small hole in the rear side edge which looks like it’s just a blanking plug that was always there. Absolutely stunning work and well worth the trip: it was about £180 compared with the £1000s of a new door.
Click to expand...
Thats an excellent suggestion. I wonder if the hole could be drilled in the section hidden behind the number plate, thus making it completely invisible in daily use. Heck the kind importer in Belgium has already created 2 holes just in case.... what foresight:rolleyes:
 
brooodie said:
The below dent appeared from an unknown source not long after I got my new van and I'm sick of looking at it now after trying to ignore it for the last year. I emailed a local dent guy but his response was "I doubt I could get it out".

What do you reckon the prognosis is for this? Is it worth an insurance claim (Would lose my full 10+ years NCD so I doubt it)? Have messaged a few local bodywork places on facebook but none of them have got back to me (must be busy) so I've not been able to get a quote.

View attachment 113658View attachment 113657
Click to expand...
A old school dint man would repair that dent. One reason that repairers won’t take it on is that it’s a bit tricky to take off the chair holders/ rear panel.
If you are handy or know someone who has removed real door panel , then do so and bring van to dint man / woman . They would be more inclined to do the job of the panel was removed for them.
 
brooodie said:
The below dent appeared from an unknown source not long after I got my new van and I'm sick of looking at it now after trying to ignore it for the last year. I emailed a local dent guy but his response was "I doubt I could get it out".

What do you reckon the prognosis is for this? Is it worth an insurance claim (Would lose my full 10+ years NCD so I doubt it)? Have messaged a few local bodywork places on facebook but none of them have got back to me (must be busy) so I've not been able to get a quote.

View attachment 113658View attachment 113657
Click to expand...
A old school dint man would repair that dent. One reason that repairers won’t take it on is that it’s a bit tricky to take off the chair holders/ rear panel.
If you are handy or know someone who has removed real door panel , then do so and bring van to dint man / woman . They would be more inclined to do the job of the panel was removed for them.
 
When I had a dent needing repair, (at the side, not on the tailgate), I went to Motofix. The High Wycombe branch was not only approved by my insurer (LV) but also by VW. I even got a VW 'certificate of authenticity' afterwards! They did a very good job so this may be an option (whether you claim or not) if there's a VW approved Motofix nearby. One thing to bear in mind is that the rear window blind retracts into the space in the tailgate. I don't imagine this has been affected but it might be worth checking, if you haven't already done so. I don't know the internal construction but if anyone doing the repair needs to get behind the dent, then it would be a good idea to check that this won't be damaged in the process.
 
I have a dent like that on the side, right on a crease. Had a good experienced dent guy out to look at my wife’s car and he reckoned about £350 but access was more difficult so should be cheaper for the tailgate.
Get another guy in.
 
happyjames013 said:
I have a dent like that on the side, right on a crease. Had a good experienced dent guy out to look at my wife’s car and he reckoned about £350 but access was more difficult so should be cheaper for the tailgate.
Get another guy in.
Click to expand...
Dentox, Swansea 07855161006
The dentfather
You'll never know there was a bump!
 
I would keep asking around with paintless dent repair people. I had the dent above in our rear door and a recommended paintless repair person from Nottingham (Adey Shaw of Dents First) did a fantastic job. It really isn't visible now unless you know what to look for. I learned that many people don't like to repair vans as the metal is heavier grade than in cars.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

2into1
Cost / experiences of body work repair on T4 Westy
2
Replies
39
Views
7K
Grebetow
G
Norfolk Jim
Scottish Trip - campsites heaving
2
Replies
25
Views
6K
Norfolk Jim
Norfolk Jim
ClanTimmins
Our first trip in Monty and what we learned....
Replies
22
Views
6K
ClanTimmins
ClanTimmins
bigmac77
Summer hols road trip
Replies
8
Views
2K
Hotel California
H
calibusje
A bit long but honest and personal review of our coast.
2
Replies
37
Views
5K
Kemper-van
Kemper-van

Useful links

VW California Club

  • Comfort Insurance
  • VIP Membership
  • Comfort Insurance
  • CampervanBits Accessories
  • Conquest
  • Hire a Vw California

About us

The VW California Club is the worlds largest resource for all owners and enthusiasts of VW California campervans.

Our Partners

Our Partners

Back
Top