Tarmac_Terrorist Posted May 19, 2006 Report Share Posted May 19, 2006 I personally think a re-shell will be OK and the ideal way forward. A friend of mine had one a few years ago and you would never have known the difference. Will it be on a register somehwhere that it's been reshelled and will this impact on a future trade in price. If I were to buy a used GTI from a VW franchise I would hope they would inform me that it had been reshelled although I suspect they're not obliged to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhibbin Posted May 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2006 Tarmac_Terrorist> If you would want to know that a 2nd hand GTi it had been reshelled then how can you say it will be ok? I happen to agree with you but thats just my point. If you had said that you wouldn't care when buying 2nd hand then I may have believed you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarmac_Terrorist Posted May 19, 2006 Report Share Posted May 19, 2006 hibbsy, I'm fairly cool about repaired cars providing they're repaired to a very high standard. Buying from franchised dealer I would personally expect a degree of openness and honesty. Furnished with the knowlege that a car I was looking to buy had been reshelled, I would definitely look more closely at the fit and finish of things. I have previously bought a three year old car privately knowing it had suffered a reasonably large front end crunch (a convertible at that!). I felt it had been repaired well and bought the car. It served me very well for the next 3 years before I sold it on. I guess my expectations of buying a used car from a franchise would be higher in terms of quality and honesty given the premium price you pay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhs Posted May 19, 2006 Report Share Posted May 19, 2006 If it hasn't had an insurance write off, then there won't be an entry against it on DVLA register.... So for sure, trade it in for a different model, perhaps the MY07 or MY08 car, or even for an R32? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastair_A3 Posted May 19, 2006 Report Share Posted May 19, 2006 Sorry to hear of your loss. Such a new car! If its any help, my neighbour had an accident in her new freelander several weeks ago. There was simular damageto the A frame and it was a write off. I t looks like a write off Im afraid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt R Posted May 20, 2006 Report Share Posted May 20, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Sorry to hear of your loss. Such a new car! If its any help, my neighbour had an accident in her new freelander several weeks ago. There was simular damageto the A frame and it was a write off. I t looks like a write off Im afraid [/ QUOTE ] Like I said before it is being repaired, the bodyshell has been ordered! I know this because I ordered it!! Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGK512 Posted May 20, 2006 Report Share Posted May 20, 2006 Just out of curiosity how many hours do you allow for a reshell ? What constitutes 'the shell' are we talking bare metal no doors etc etc. Just interested in the process Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorburn Posted May 20, 2006 Report Share Posted May 20, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Thats nothing against AB Crush and their experience but rather just my own gut feel based on the following concerns: 1. Everything and I mean everything has to come out of the old body. My fear is that all that trim etc that used to held in place by 12 little plastic clips will be held in place by 8 or 10 (after a few snap) in the new body shell. You multiply this effect over 100s of parts and hey presto its not the rock solid product it was at new. 2. That tree stump did something to make the two front wheels point in opposite directions and the left one did not respond to any stearing...this sounds really bad, I hope this can be fixed perfectly. 3. How fragile is the DSG gearbox ...it was quite a bang under the car 4. Can the chassis really not be damaged ? [/ QUOTE ] My dads 528i got completely reshelled when it was about 3 months old when part of a tree fell on it while we were on holiday. If anything it came back better than new as it was basically hand built, 180,000 miles on and its been flawless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazdot Posted May 20, 2006 Report Share Posted May 20, 2006 [ QUOTE ] My dads 528i got completely reshelled when it was about 3 months old when part of a tree fell on it while we were on holiday. If anything it came back better than new as it was basically hand built, 180,000 miles on and its been flawless. [/ QUOTE ] Holy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhibbin Posted May 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2006 Wow thats quite alot of damage, good to know it can be done well. I was told the re-reshell alone was 80-90 hours and is the entire body and floor pan without doors, boot, or bonnet. Matt R> any drivers door on order, or anything to replace offside wheel mountings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGK512 Posted May 21, 2006 Report Share Posted May 21, 2006 It'll be a work of art when it';s finished then ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt R Posted May 21, 2006 Report Share Posted May 21, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Wow thats quite alot of damage, good to know it can be done well. I was told the re-reshell alone was 80-90 hours and is the entire body and floor pan without doors, boot, or bonnet. Matt R> any drivers door on order, or anything to replace offside wheel mountings? [/ QUOTE ] I'll check the parts list on Monday, I know its deffo having a steering rack! I might pop down to see it at Crush's. I think the parts bill is about £7000 at the moment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oli Posted May 21, 2006 Report Share Posted May 21, 2006 If it were my car it would be sold as soon as it was repaired!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted May 21, 2006 Report Share Posted May 21, 2006 Hi Oli . I can understand the psychological reasons behind wanting to sell after (immaculate) repair/restoration, but what sort of price would such a restored GTI be realistically sold for ? Wouldn't Hibbsy lose significantly, financially ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oli Posted May 21, 2006 Report Share Posted May 21, 2006 No one bar you would know the damage. But thats it, you would know!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted May 21, 2006 Report Share Posted May 21, 2006 Agreed. You/me would feel bothered and oversensitive to every little thing about the car after a rebuild. But my point was the financial hit that would surely come from selling even such an immaculate car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhs Posted May 21, 2006 Report Share Posted May 21, 2006 Yes, but it's the peace of mind from having another new car from new that makes the financial gap worthwhile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorburn Posted May 21, 2006 Report Share Posted May 21, 2006 If it was just rejigged then I could see the arguement, but its getting a whole new shell, it will be almost indistinguishable from a new one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitas3 Posted May 21, 2006 Report Share Posted May 21, 2006 from my experience with my first S3 back in 2001, I'd fight very hard to get the insurers to write this off. The initial quote from my accident was 8k to repair a 3 month old S3 and the insurers wouldn't write it off. By the time they had finished the work, it was just under 13k and obviously write-off territory. Now after knowing the repairers, they were on a fiddle to make sure they get the job and not write the car off. How much is the labour to paint/reshell/correct defficiencies etc etc? keep a close eye on these trade people IMHO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oli Posted May 21, 2006 Report Share Posted May 21, 2006 [ QUOTE ] If it was just rejigged then I could see the arguement, but its getting a whole new shell, it will be almost indistinguishable from a new one. [/ QUOTE ] Im not denying that!! But you would know, every small imperfection!! Dont get me wrong, I run a bodyshop, but at the end of the day its down to how you feel about the car. My wife had a nasty crash in our old A3 (about £7000) and it never felt the same - maybe its all in the mind. There is hardly a car on the road today that hasn't has some paintwork done.!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted May 21, 2006 Report Share Posted May 21, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Yes, but it's the peace of mind from having another new car from new that makes the financial gap worthwhile [/ QUOTE ] ....I agree whloeheartedly. I was just curious about the financial cost if selling on after repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhs Posted May 21, 2006 Report Share Posted May 21, 2006 Good point SiTaS3 It is in the repairers interest to start repairs - and if they find extra work later - well so be it, the repair will then be uneconomic, but will be completed anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhibbin Posted May 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2006 Seems that there are two opinions here, some say it will be great and "as new" with a rebuild, while Oli and Red would trade asap. I'm guessing that it is going to cost me at least £4K to trade for a new one. This assumes that I can sell an imported rebuilt GTi for £18K. Any dealer will want to make at least £1500 on trade vs 2nd hand sticker price. Plus I have the finance company to sort out. Much below this figure and it becomes very tempting, much above and it is pretty much ruled out. I'm more or less stuck with it ...just hope when i drive it home in a few weeks my heart doesn't sink. Even if I dig deep and play some financial games the 2nd GTi will still feel very expensive...not the bargin import I was driving. Might try to see it tommorrow, meet with the fix it guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhibbin Posted May 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2006 SiTaS3> How exactly do I fight for it to be a write off. My insurance company have been very helpfull but they just say its simple maths 60% of UK List. Thats £13.5K and the repairs are at £3K less. AB Crush get loads of business from Direct Line if they messed them about this would soon dry up surely. I have asked another VW bodyshop to quote based on the photos and talked them through the damage and the quote is much the same...slightly less since they have not seen all the damage underneath. Its a nice idea but nothing more I'm afraid ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhs Posted May 22, 2006 Report Share Posted May 22, 2006 So perhaps it's time to retitle the thread - perhaps to "My GTI looked dead, yet is being resuscitated!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now