177 Chapter 9 Nonstructural Panel Repair Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Analyzing Damage The next step in the repair process is to analyze the damage. The collision repair technician must be able to identify high and low spots in a panel. Begin- ners can feel that a panel has ripples, but they often cannot determine if a particular spot is a high spot (above level) or a low spot (below level). The first way to develop this skill is to carefully examine the panel by sight. If the panel has paint on it, examine the panel inside the shop, out of direct sunlight. Sight the overhead light reflection in the painted surface. If there is a bend in the reflection, there is a dent in the panel. Study the damage care- fully. Next feel for damage. Use your entire hand as shown in Figure 9-2. Extend your arm and slowly drag your hand toward your body. It is important to use your entire hand and not just your fingers. Feeling with just your fingers will not reveal all the damage. A shop towel placed between your hand and the panel will reduce friction and make irregularities easier to feel. A towel must be used to find dents on a bare metal panel, as the bare metal produces a great deal of friction. On a panel that is crowned in only one direction, a straightedge can be used to identify highs and lows. Figure 9-3 shows a straightedge being used on a door. The door is crowned from top to bottom. The straight- edge is held perpendicular to the crown. If the straight- edge rocks on a point, the point is a high spot. Low spots will be seen as gaps between the straightedge and the panel. Once high and low spots have been identified with a straightedge, go back and feel them. Note the difference in feel between a high spot and a low spot. A straightedge cannot be used on a double-crown panel (a panel crowned from left to right and from top to bottom). On this type of panel, you must rely on your ability to feel the highs and lows. As you check the panel for the high and low spots, identify all the buckles. When studying the damage, think through the collision event and ask yourself the following questions: • Are body lines involved? • What types of buckles are found? • Are buckles consistent with the force direction? • Has the overall length of the panel changed? • Has the surface area changed? • Did longitudinal force cause folding? • Did lateral force cause stretching or arrowheads? • Are internal braces or inner panels damaged? • What part of the damage is the strongest? By answering these questions, you will have forced yourself to look closely at the damage. A careful anal- ysis of the damage is essential to making a proper and quick repair. Only after you carefully examine and analyze the damage will you be able to decide if the damaged part should be repaired or replaced. One way to determine this is to compare the cost of repair to the cost of replacement. If the cost of repair is more than 75% of the replacement cost, the damaged part is generally replaced. For example, the estimated time required to repair a dented fender is 4 hours. At the shop labor rate of $50 per hour, the cost of repair would be $200. The cost of a replacement fender is $150, plus 2 hours labor to install the fender. The total cost of replacement is $250. The repair cost is more than 75% of the replacement cost, so in this example, the fender would be replaced rather than repaired. Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Figure 9-2. This technician is using his hand to identify high and low spots. Always use your entire hand when feeling for damage. Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Figure 9-3. A straightedge can be used to identify highs and lows in a panel. Note that a low spot is visible near the 12 1/2″ mark.