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Home / Collision Repair News / Appearance Isn't Everything

Appearance Isn't Everything

Posted on 02 April 2018 | Share: | Print Print

Normally the quality of a collision repair technician can be measured by whether or not you can tell they were ever there. Meaning that the damaged vehicle was returned to pre-collision condition. You shouldn’t be able to see welds, mismatched paint, or parts that don’t fit. We want to hide the fact that someone was there. However, sometimes the OEM does not make that possible.

There are several Volkswagen vehicles whose repair procedure, particularly sectioning, requires a weld to be made where one did not exist before. For example, per the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan front lower rail sectioning procedure, “The gas-shielded arc continuous weld seam cannot be reworked (sanded or smoothed).” In other parts of the manual it states that the strength of the weld cannot be ensured if the weld is sanded (dressed). So, it will be impossible to hide the fact that a repair was made. Even though it may be apparent to a trained eye that a repair was made, following the OEM procedure is the only way to ensure a complete, safe, and quality repair.

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