Riley'sLife Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Does anyone have experience about bodywork repair? This brand new Honda Civic hit a tree, with no other vehicle involved. It was only the second time on the road and had been driven for less than 50kms before the driving “instructor” (!!!!) caused this damage. I am trying to help my wife’s cousin get the repair done properly. Honda say a new chassis will be fitted, but I am concerned that the central door pillar and roof framing are affected too. Surely a new body is required? The total damage repair cost is estimated at 50% x car value and the insurance want to repair, rather than write-off. If anyone is interested in the full story surrounding this “accident”, I’m happy to start a separate topic, but meanwhile, ….. Any bodywork experts on the forum care to give an opinion about how repairable the vehicle is, and what to look out for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riley'sLife Posted September 3, 2012 Author Share Posted September 3, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transam Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 I saw a similarly damaged Toyota in a main agents for repair. In farangland it would of been written off cos labour costs but here they do work wonders. I would suspect in this case that new door pillars/posts will be replaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kartman Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 The OP is thinking it has a chassis as in truck where in actual fact it has a Monocoque chassis ie the roof ,door pillars ,boot and front chassis rails are all included in any replacement a chassis to Honda is that as they don't do the 1930's thing' so it will get in laymans terms what the OP calls a new body + 2 doors etc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaicbr Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 i would really try and get a replacement vehicle. I would NOT be happy driving that after the repair unless they are going to change everything over to a new body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
culicine Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 i would really try and get a replacement vehicle. I would NOT be happy driving that after the repair unless they are going to change everything over to a new body. Basically the whole shell and panels would need replacing it seems. If they do not and do a rough repair, I'd sell it as soon as it's finished. The OP should find out from honda exactly what they will do in terms of repairs. Most Thais seem to sell their vehicle after a bad accident. That's probably due to superstition more than bad repairs though:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canopus1969 Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Unfortunately they seem never to write-off cars here which is why never buy a secondhand car, you have no idea what history it's had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robblok Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Unfortunately they seem never to write-off cars here which is why never buy a secondhand car, you have no idea what history it's had. Our car was written off 2 years old and Honda too.. at first there was a short time they wanted to repair it. But in the end the damage was too extensive. Your right about buying second hand cars id be worried about it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funcat Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 If this was my car and only 50 km on it...I would do whatever necessary to get a new one...including a legal case,if needed! This wreck maybe repairable in here,but what is the insurance for...you don't want somebody to cut a structural uni-body/platform and just weld it back together...that's dangerous!Put your insurance and,or lawyer to work...not a body man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robblok Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 If this was my car and only 50 km on it...I would do whatever necessary to get a new one...including a legal case,if needed! This wreck maybe repairable in here,but what is the insurance for...you don't want somebody to cut a structural uni-body/platform and just weld it back together...that's dangerous!Put your insurance and,or lawyer to work...not a body man! Problem is your insurance want the cheap option. So you will have to hire a lawyer and then maybe you get it. But you could just as well end up with lawyer fees and no results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funcat Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 If this was my car and only 50 km on it...I would do whatever necessary to get a new one...including a legal case,if needed! This wreck maybe repairable in here,but what is the insurance for...you don't want somebody to cut a structural uni-body/platform and just weld it back together...that's dangerous!Put your insurance and,or lawyer to work...not a body man! Problem is your insurance want the cheap option. So you will have to hire a lawyer and then maybe you get it. But you could just as well end up with lawyer fees and no results. ...I guess we all know that...but this Honda IS a wreck!!The lawyers fees (before going to court) are not much,so at least get a legal advise...if there is a law against practices like that,it will be worth to try... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
007cableguy Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 I worked in the trade years ago ,With that damage on a new car they would order a new shell and swap over all undamaged parts , It will lose its new car feeling ,no matter how good the repairers are it will never be the same as a factory finish ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tywais Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 If this was my car and only 50 km on it...I would do whatever necessary to get a new one...including a legal case,if needed! This wreck maybe repairable in here,but what is the insurance for...you don't want somebody to cut a structural uni-body/platform and just weld it back together...that's dangerous!Put your insurance and,or lawyer to work...not a body man! Most insurance coverage is for 80% of the cost of the car so they won't be giving you a new one, at least unless you pay the 20% difference. It will be a difficult and probably expensive court case. Even so, probably a good idea to talk to a lawyer and get his thoughts on it. But the bottom line is what the insurance policy outlines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robblok Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 If this was my car and only 50 km on it...I would do whatever necessary to get a new one...including a legal case,if needed! This wreck maybe repairable in here,but what is the insurance for...you don't want somebody to cut a structural uni-body/platform and just weld it back together...that's dangerous!Put your insurance and,or lawyer to work...not a body man! Most insurance coverage is for 80% of the cost of the car so they won't be giving you a new one, at least unless you pay the 20% difference. It will be a difficult and probably expensive court case. Even so, probably a good idea to talk to a lawyer and get his thoughts on it. But the bottom line is what the insurance policy outlines. Of course the total loss value is stipulated in the policy. If the damage is greater as the total loss value then they wont fix it. You won't get a new one but the value specified in the policy. If the damage is less then the total loss value they will fix it or offer you the damage price. We had the same thing and it was a close call in the end they paid the total loss value. You will never get a new one and you will always loose some money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodsie888 Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 It never ceases to amaze me the extent to which Thai Insurance Company's will go in order to avoid totalling a car. The attached photo of a Civic this year demonstrates this and the complete lack of understanding current repair methods perfectly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robblok Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 It never ceases to amaze me the extent to which Thai Insurance Company's will go in order to avoid totalling a car. The attached photo of a Civic this year demonstrates this and the complete lack of understanding current repair methods perfectly. Yes they like to save a buck, i hated it when our car was in an accident and it was not sure if it was total or was going to be repaired. Its stressful because nobody wants a car that has been in a bad accident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WebBangkok Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Should just take it to an abandoned park and burn it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funcat Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 That looks like the OP's car being repaired... As to the insurance pay off,I know you will never get the value of a new car,but if somebody wants to drive a new and safe car,they should not accept the wreck to be repaired,if the damage is so serious.I guess I would like to learn myself how it's going to be handle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodsie888 Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 (edited) It never ceases to amaze me the extent to which Thai Insurance Company's will go in order to avoid totalling a car. The attached photo of a Civic this year demonstrates this and the complete lack of understanding current repair methods perfectly. Although obvious to some of you, I might add this example was at a large Honda Dealership in BKK. The methods being used here are the same as in 1970 in the west. A repair of this magnitude carried out using a very good jig system such as Car O Liner or Celette is very possible and the result would be extremely satisfactory. However in this case, no such system was employed. The car would not be straight and very likely never steer correctly again. Edited September 4, 2012 by Woodsie888 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
culicine Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 It never ceases to amaze me the extent to which Thai Insurance Company's will go in order to avoid totalling a car. The attached photo of a Civic this year demonstrates this and the complete lack of understanding current repair methods perfectly. Although obvious to some of you, I might add this example was at a large Honda Dealership in BKK. The methods being used here are the same as in 1970 in the west. A repair of this magnitude carried out using a very good jig system such as Car O Liner or Celette is very possible and the result would be extremely satisfactory. However in this case, no such system was employed. The car would not be straight and very likely never steer correctly again. That's probably why most Thais sell their vehicles after being in a bad accident. They are never quite the same to drive again, especially after major chassis damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthurwait Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 It never ceases to amaze me the extent to which Thai Insurance Company's will go in order to avoid totalling a car. The attached photo of a Civic this year demonstrates this and the complete lack of understanding current repair methods perfectly. Although obvious to some of you, I might add this example was at a large Honda Dealership in BKK. The methods being used here are the same as in 1970 in the west. A repair of this magnitude carried out using a very good jig system such as Car O Liner or Celette is very possible and the result would be extremely satisfactory. However in this case, no such system was employed. The car would not be straight and very likely never steer correctly again. I just saw the photo. I looked several times for a jig or even some bracing. I thought I must have missed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now