PSA: I had to pick between a full quarter panel cut or a big patch on a 2018 Civic

Got a 2018 Civic in last week with a huge dent and a long tear right behind the rear door... the damage went into the wheel arch. The choice was either cutting the whole quarter panel at the factory seams or trying a big patch panel just on the bad part. I went with the patch to save the customer some money and keep more of the original metal. It took me a full day to shape the patch, weld it in, and grind it smooth, but the fit came out really nice. I used a lot more weld-through primer than usual to fight rust under there. The paint match was the easy part after all that metal work. Has anyone else done a patch this big on a unibody? I'm happy with it, but I wonder if a full panel would have been less work in the long run.

2 comments

2 Comments

jana_price3d ago

My buddy Mike patched a huge section on a Camry's rocker panel last year. He said the extra prep time was worth it to keep the factory welds.

christopher9523d agoTop Commenter

Yeah, I always try to save the original welds too.