Rocker pannel

[Tay]

Okay! So, i have a '98 beetle, and i love it But the other day, i drove off a curb. Dumbest thing ever, i know!

Well my family has been a toyota kind of family for many years, so we dont know alot about VW's (thank goodness for car manuals!)

I was wondering if anyone could tell me if i should go to a body shop, or would i be able to do this at home? And if i do it at home, how? and if i take it in, how much do you think it would roughly cost? Thanks!

[Ollie]

I bought a panel to replace mine years ago but never got around to it (Felix had and has rubber running board covers that cover the damage). I think the panel (the outer skin of the beam) was $90 or $110 at the time- likely more now. There is welding involved and the fenders need to be removed or at least pulled away from the rocker area. Sorry not to be much help- good luck!

[Tay]

Originally Posted by Ollie

I bought a panel to replace mine years ago but never got around to it (Felix had and has rubber running board covers that cover the damage). I think the panel (the outer skin of the beam) was $90 or $110 at the time- likely more now. There is welding involved and the fenders need to be removed or at least pulled away from the rocker area. Sorry not to be much help- good luck!

Oh, okay thank you!

[DZLBUG]

Definitely not a DIY job, professional experience required. Bumpers and fenders have to come off (thats the easy part) and the old one has to be cut out and a new panel welded in place followed by lots of grinding and filling before finally repainting it. I'm sure its a $1500 repair at a minimum, probably more. If you have collision insurance on it, it might be a good idea to get an estimate or two and see if you want to submit it to insurance. Just realize you might end up paying higher rates.

Try not to drive over any more curbs...mmmkay?

[digitalputty]

OUCH! I see so many bugs with that same problem. Even mine has a small dent underneath - pulled out of a parking spot and misinterpreted the curb.

I've read before on here (not sure if it is true or not) that the rocker panels are a structural support piece that if damaged, hurts the safety/structural integrity of the car. Again, not sure if it is true or not.

Another thing that can damage your rocker panels is improper jacking up ... you know, when you go get your oil changed or a tire replaced. A LOT of places jack the car up without using the jack points under the car. This can slightly crush them. Just a random bit of information for ya.

Hope you can get it fixed!!! And watch out for curbs and stuff!

[CASilBug]

Yup. You need a good body shop to do a proper restoration. Insurance paid for my run in with a deer. Everything's back as it was when I bought it.

[marvins_dad]

My first crushed rocker was pulled and repaired with custom paint for right around $1000. The second time wasn't as bad as yours and I pulled/filled and painted myself.

I've never had the rocker replaced, the body shop would rather not do that...from what I can tell. But your damage is bad enough that I would suggest a rocker replacement. I think they told me their cost was $50-100 for the rocker at the time...it was the pulling of fenders and welding that was the chore.

[MyOtherRidesAVette]

Originally Posted by marvins_dad

My first crushed rocker was pulled and repaired with custom paint for right around $1000. The second time wasn't as bad as yours and I pulled/filled and painted myself.

I've never had the rocker replaced, the body shop would rather not do that...from what I can tell. But your damage is bad enough that I would suggest a rocker replacement. I think they told me their cost was $50-100 for the rocker at the time...it was the pulling of fenders and welding that was the chore.

Rocker replacement WILL be expensive! My wife did this to her 2000, back in 2000 right after she got it (but not quite as bad). I sent her to the Dealer, they sent her to a local national franchise shop that they used for their work. I've found this is something VW Dealers outsource. Did a great job, didn't involve rocker panel replacement, and was well under $1000, I want to say a few hundred, paint in stock, common color.

What I see, with yours, IF there is no structural damage, is a fairly (relative) inexpensive repair. Go get a couple estimates, you might be surprised. And OMG use a reputable shop.

Find out who your local VW dealer uses. Paint cost is a big part of the cost, a large shop, that regularly does bugs will have the color in stock. This color was used from '98 to '05 inclusive, Paint Code LG3L. It is also non-metallic, which will reduce the cost of the repair. I have minor body and paint work done at a dealer for less than a hundred dollars, which wouldn't buy the paint at any shop that did not have the in stock, and paint the color regularly.

$1000+ is a lot of money to put in a bug of yours' age. The one issue you will be faced with, is paint match, yours' no doubt, at 10-11 yrs old, will have fading, even though you may not see it (no basis for comparison).

Tell the shop your paying out of pocket, some will discount, as they have no paperwork to process and no check to wait for. If it's a shop with a "free loaner", it's not free. It's built into the cost of the repair.

Good Luck!