Issues Getting Parts for Bodywork Repairs

[SuperH]

So at the start of December I clipped another car after being nearly run off the road by two speeding Police cars coming round a blind bend, resulting in pretty deep scuffs to the bumper which was also displaced, and a dent to the wing where the bumper had been pushed up. Most of the sensors hosted in the bumper came up with errors due to the displacement, so although the body work was mostly just aesthetic I didn't fancy driving it with all those error messages popping up (although that's a think I'd come to expect with this bloody car at the best of times!).

By the time the garage had assessed it it was nearly Christmas so it got booked in for the 14th of January for the bodywork, with an estimate of a 10 day fix including ceramic coating the new panels.

21st of January I got a message from the dealer that there was an unknown duration delay with getting parts from Porsche, with no estimate of their arrival.

28th of January I chased the garage for an update, so that I could inform my insurer of the delay and see if I had any alternative options. The garage told me that the majority of the parts had just arrived that morning, so the work would be booked in ASAP.

6th of February I received an update that the car was now booked in for work to start on the 9th of February (presumably the last of the parts had arrived) and would be completed by 19th of February.

17th of February I received a call to say that there were yet more delays with getting parts from Porsche, so it would be a further 7-10 days before a specific bumper bracket was available, then would need to be fitted and the job finished.

So as yet I have no idea when my car may be returned, mostly due to delays with Porsche parts coming in from Germany. I thought I'd share my experience, which I'll update with any new developments, so that anyone else with bodywork issues has an idea of potential delays as things stand at the moment.

The only two good things to come out of this have been a) the mileage on the Macan is now approx. 3,000 less that it would have been by this date as I've not been able to drive it and b) I've got a replacement top of the range Mercedes GLC EV on order now as I have been so pi*s*d off with the whole Porsche experience since getting the car in Nov 2004. I've nothing but issues with the Macan but had been persevering until my husband also got fed up with it and told me to put a deposit down on the Merc. It may well also have teething issues, but the Macan has just left a bitter taste in my mouth given the price point and supposed quality of the brand, and the Merc is spec'd up to the hilt with gadgets (my personal driving pleasure, more so than speed) and is at least build on Merc's already tried and tested EV platform.

Further updates on parts to follow!

P.S. Anyone want to buy a 16 month old Turbo - one (clearly not so) careful lady owner....

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[SuperH]

Pretty minor damage for a repair that’s taken since 14th January to get parts for, with no date I’ll actually have it back.

 

[jwatte]

Enjoy the Mercedes!

 

[SuperH]

Enjoy the Mercedes!

I am hoping to lol I'll let you know in about 6 months lol

 

[pm4s]

I'm confused as to how the colour changed from provence to white?
Crash definitely a silver lining, merc far superior.

 

[SuperH]

I'm confused as to how the colour changed from provence to white?
Crash definitely a silver lining, merc far superior.

The car in the photo is definitely my Provence car, but it was in the evening so the lighting wasn’t great, so perhaps you’re just seeing it as a paler shade.

 

[Wivenhoe]

The shortage of parts is one of the reason the car thefts are as high as they are. Those that aren’t sent overseas are broken down into parts as spares. I was surprised that they are stealing cars worth £ 50k+ and breaking them up but there is very little risk of getting caught compared to selling on a stolen car - change plates, VIN and so many sites to check previous ownership.
I’m sure the Merc will be a fine car - I have previously bought 6 from new and all were rock solid cars - I just wanted a change from the iPad !

 

[MKSZ51]

Pretty minor damage for a repair that’s taken since 14th January to get parts for, with no date I’ll actually have it back.

Not sure I'd call that minor damage - the fender ("wing") is displaced upward meaning that whatever it is fastened to is damaged / displaced. The surface appearance in damage like this rarely declares the totality of the damage. If the fender tagged the hood then that will also need paint repair. I'd be asking the body shop if they plan to panel paint the fender only or if blending into the door will occur. Whenever panels "tear apart" like the bumper cover to fender interface substantial force has been encountered and damage beneath the surface is likely. Good luck. Do you have concerns about diminished value?

 

[MKSZ51]

One last comment - some of the hardest vehicles to obtain collision repair parts for are fairly new vehicles that are still currently in production. Inventory goes to production of new vehicles - collision repair is a secondary concern.

 

[PrudentOcean]

I took delivery of my car one year ago yesterday. Ten days ago I was hit by a driver who was in a left turn lane and abruptly tried to change into the lane going straight or turning right. He must not have looked or he would have seen me.

He hit the left side of my car so hard that it rode just on the right wheels momentarily. Both doors on the left side are badly damaged and won’t close. The car complains about the doors being open when putting the car in drive, and because the car thinks the doors are open I can’t lock the vehicle.

In addition to the doors the left rear RS Spyder got scuffed, and the wheel isn’t pointing straight. The car crabs and the steering wheel is pointed left when driving straight.

The car is at a body shop and parts have been ordered. I was told the repairs will take four to six weeks. I hope that parts availability doesn’t delay things.

Another complication is that the first body shop I went to that I had used with great success in the past was not certified to work on Porsche EVs, so I had to take it somewhere else.

I’m in a rental car (ironically the same make and model that hit me) and can’t wait to get my Macan back.

 

[SuperH]

Not sure I'd call that minor damage - the fender ("wing") is displaced upward meaning that whatever it is fastened to is damaged / displaced. The surface appearance in damage like this rarely declares the totality of the damage. If the fender tagged the hood then that will also need paint repair. I'd be asking the body shop if they plan to panel paint the fender only or if blending into the door will occur. Whenever panels "tear apart" like the bumper cover to fender interface substantial force has been encountered and damage beneath the surface is likely. Good luck. Do you have concerns about diminished value?

The garage who are doing the work are now only Porsche approved but do all of the work for my local Porsche dealership; they only work on premium vehicles so I have no concerns about the end result, more so about the time it's taking to get to that end. One of the contributing issues is that their reputation means they are always fully booked and busy, so any delays with parts have a substantial impact on when they slot the car back in for the next stage of the work. They have previously repaired a dent and paintwork repair to the bonnet of the Macan after a tree branch landed on tit in a storm last winter and you can't see that there was ever a dent.

In the UK only larger insurance claims (where a car is written off for example) are registered with any impact on value, so there shouldn't be any negative influence on resale value so long as the repair work aesthetics is of a high quality., which I believe it will be, and won't be accepting the car back unless it is.

 

[SuperH]

I took delivery of my car one year ago yesterday. Ten days ago I was hit by a driver who was in a left turn lane and abruptly tried to change into the lane going straight or turning right. He must not have looked or he would have seen me.

He hit the left side of my car so hard that it rode just on the right wheels momentarily. Both doors on the left side are badly damaged and won’t close. The car complains about the doors being open when putting the car in drive, and because the car thinks the doors are open I can’t lock the vehicle.

In addition to the doors the left rear RS Spyder got scuffed, and the wheel isn’t pointing straight. The car crabs and the steering wheel is pointed left when driving straight.

The car is at a body shop and parts have been ordered. I was told the repairs will take four to six weeks. I hope that parts availability doesn’t delay things.

Another complication is that the first body shop I went to that I had used with great success in the past was not certified to work on Porsche EVs, so I had to take it somewhere else.

I’m in a rental car (ironically the same make and model that hit me) and can’t wait to get my Macan back.

That's terrible! It sounds like some serious work is needed to get that back to its original condition. I'm lucky that the garage it has gone to is the one used by my dealership for their bodywork repairs so they are experienced with Porsches and working on EVs like the Taycan for a number of years.

 

[PrudentOcean]

The body shop it is at was recommended by my service advisor.

I had just gotten the car back after having the backup camera safety recall done, and got hit the following day. I received a text message from my service advisor and told her that my car got hit and that I was taking it to a body shop. She asked which one, and after I told her she checked and replied that they were not certified to work on Porsche EVs, and that this could create potential problems with any future warranty work. Consequently I picked up the car and took it to a body shop that she recommended.

That body shop is not in the network of my insurance company, meaning that their estimates aren’t automatically approved by the insurance. If the insurance company doesn’t approve it I am liable to make up the difference. If that happens I will need to go after the other driver for reimbursement.

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