Panel tooling

[RoverRyan]

new tooling could be made if a fabrication/ pressing company had a good panel to work and take measurements from.

panels may not fit perfectly but could get us out of trouble as parts become harder to find.

a friend of mine had tooling made about 20 years ago for front wings on Ford Consul classics to sell them so it can be done, but you need a cash injection of a couple of thousand to get tooling developed.

maybe the club would be interested in setting something up? and members interested could put money towards the tooling - I would, if it means safeguarding our cars future.

[Sonic ZS]

Originally Posted by EnEnGee

The letter in PC gave the impression that poor panel availability was making very slightly damaged cars Cat D write offs.

The insurance companies seem to be writing ALL cars off for the slightest damage nowadays, even the newer stuff which once you would of put in a new boot floor or chassis leg, they just seem to prefer to pay out now rather than repair

Some years ago (but after Rovers demise), my partners Rover 220 was hit in the side, damaging the front wing & door. Both panels were unavailable new, but we agreed that good used panels could be fitted to keep it on the road. The insurance company sorted the location, purchasing & delivery of the panels to the local BMW dealer that resprayed them and carried out a pretty much perfect repair (unnoticeable afterwards) and kept an otherwise perfectly serviceable car on the road.

Last time I saw it, it was on 215,000 miles, so I think we can safely say it gave good service

Not really sure why they don't do this nowadays, we're supposed to be minimising waste & recycling - maybe someone should mention it to the ins companies !!

[RoverRyan]

Originally Posted by Sonic ZS

Last time I saw it, it was on 215,000 miles, so I think we can safely say it gave good service

Not really sure why they don't do this nowadays, we're supposed to be minimising waste & recycling - maybe someone should mention it to the ins companies !!

its a "throw away" world we live in.

things are just not built to last.

its easier for the insurance company to give you some money, take your car off of you and let you buy another.

you can understand them writing off maybe a 7 year old fiesta for a bent wing and damaged door but its the older cars like the 75 and ZT models which have the potential to become collectable in many years to come that need to be preserved.

[KRISTLEE]

Not meaning to hijack the thread so apologies to the OP but whilst folk are talking about panels approximately how much would it cost to get two tourer rear doors, a passenger front door, a tourer rear bumper and a passenger front wing resprayed Firefrost Red (they are currently Copperleaf Red)?.

[scorpio]

One of the biggest reasons for writing a car off is the ancillaries cover (Storage,hire car, injury claim and personal belongings) all of these are brought about by greed most of the time.

The storage company charges an arm and a leg, we want a comparative car so the hire company charges us a bomb for a BMW, our passengers and those we have hit want there slice so claim for whiplash and finally some of us claim for that leather coat we left in the boot or the sound system we left and it was stolen.

After all thats paid whats left for your repair is Ni, you can help yourself with your claim by doing 3 little things (as long as your able).

1. Never let them take the car away if you want to keep it get it recovered to your home address or a mates lock up. (storage saved)

2. Dont ask for a hire car unless you are desperate for one and even then take the cheapest they can give you.

3. Never let them write it off, ask for money in lieu of repairs or ask for approved S/H parts to be used, If its a really bad accident and they are adamant that it can never be returned to the road but you want the interior or other valuable spares from it tell them you will keep it for spares only.

All of the above have worked for various friends I know in the Land Rover world, so no reason why they should not work for us.

[Sonic ZS]

That certainly sounds like good advice Scorpio, especially for owners of 75 & ZT which often have rare or desirable items fitted. These are likely to be completely undamaged & could be transferred to a replacement car.

Not sure if it's still the case, but in the past if the accident wasn't your fault, you could specify that your car must be repaired, rather than written off ?