179 Chapter 9 Nonstructural Panel Repair Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Glued on moldings are secured with double-sided sticky tape. Glued-on plastic moldings can be removed with a special attachment on an air chisel. The flat attachment cuts the glue between the molding and the vehicle. Another way to remove glued-on moldings is to heat a putty knife and use the hot edge of the knife to cut the glue. The putty knife can be heated with a propane torch. Make sure the putty knife’s edge is straight. A ragged knife edge may cut into the molding or the vehicle. Be very careful when cutting metal- backed or metal-containing moldings. If the molding is undamaged and is intended to be reused, bending the molding will ruin it. Wheel opening moldings may be fastened with clips that fit into square holes. Pull on the molding to remove the it. See Figure 9-7. Tapered studs can also be used to secure wheel opening mold- ings. The tapered studs fit into round plastic inserts in the quarter panel around the wheel opening. For access to the back side of a fender, the fender liner can be removed. In most cases, these plastic liners are held in place with plastic rivets or bolts. Plastic rivets can be raised with a trim panel removal tool. Bolts are removed with a socket and ratchet. The wheel may have to be turned to access all the fasteners. On some vehicles, the back side of a fender can be accessed by removing the headlight assembly. See Figure 9-8. Some hoods have insulated pads that must be removed to access damage. These pads are held in place with clips. Use a molding release tool to remove the clip. After the clip is removed, the pad can be easily removed from the hood. Disassembling a door can be a challenge. The fasteners for the door trim panel may be hidden under Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Figure 9-6. The rear bumper cover has been removed from this vehicle in preparation for left quarter panel repair. Notice that the bracket for the tire pressure sensor has been damaged. Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Figure 9-7. This wheel opening molding is held in place with plastic clips that fit into square holes in the quarter panel. Pulling out the molding releases the clips. Accessing Damage ADAS sensors and brackets may be damaged in a collision. If a bracket is repaired, confirm that the position of the bracket is correct before refinishing and assembling the vehicle. Before you can begin the repair of a damaged panel, various components, such as moldings and trim panels, must be removed from the vehicle to allow access to the damage. Look closely at the part to be removed. This will generally give you clues as to how the part is attached. Always think about how a part was installed. Work carefully when removing parts. Plastic parts are easily damaged if handled improperly. Figure 9-6 shows a vehicle with a damaged quarter panel that will be repaired rather than replaced. The rear bumper cover has been removed, as well as the two snap brackets that secure the bumper cover to the quarter panel. Also, the trunk vent cover, left tail- light, and wheel opening molding have been removed. Although it is not a part of dent repair, the left rear door handle was removed for the refinishing process. The quarter panel glass will be removed too. The trim panel inside the rear hatch has been loosened and moved out of the way. Body side molding can be clipped or glued in place. The molding clips often fit into square holes in the doors. Pulling on the molding to snap the clip out of the hole will release the molding. The molding may have both clips and glue. WORKING SMART