Ok so this post is an addendum to my original post:
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...r-cayenne.html

I took the CS to Marcos Auto Body in Pasadena as they are on the list of Porsche Approved Collision Centers in So Cal:
http://www.porschecollisioncenter.co...e/findzip2.php

So after they took off the bumper you could see that the underlying metal was warped / bent in but only in the rear corner of the drivers' side. There is some damage but it doesn't look all that bad (I can post pictures later). However, they are telling me that I need to replace the whole rear quarter panel / rear aperture panel because the part that is damaged under the bumper is one whole part connected to the aperture panel. And that the closest part they can cut into it is the actual body of the vehicle.

What that entails is removing the rear drivers' side passenger door and windows, then cutting into the aperture panel from just above the door frame about 3/4 of the way back (so right about where the big window and the little window meet) and also cutting right under the door. Basically they are telling me that this is the Porsche certified way of fixing the vehicle.

Keep in mind there is no exterior damage to any of the exterior body of the vehicle except to the bumper and rear tail light so the panel that they are cutting into is clean and undamaged.

Because of the uni-body structure of our vehicles they are essentially saying I need to take something that was 1 solid part and cutoff 1/4 of it then replace and weld a new rear quarter aperture panel on. Then repaint and refinish the entire aperture panel (even the front part which they are not cutting off) in order to get the paint and look to match. Most of what they are cutting off and replacing isn't damaged but because its 1 piece they are telling me this is the way to go.

Really need everyone's opinion on this. Basically the recommendation is to perform surgery on 20% of the frame to fix about 1% of the damage. Any similar experiences with damage in that area of your vehicles? Also any experience with Porsche certified vs non?

Also the price is about 5 times as much to do it this way than originally thought based on exterior estimate.

Thanks in advance for helping with this issue (this has been really killing/bothering me) as I haven't moved forward with the work based on this dilemma.

 

If you can post some detailed pictures. I own an auto body as well as an auto mechanic shop myself so I can definitely give you some advice and a second opinion if wanted.

Without pictures I can't see which part your talking about but regarding painting the body panel in front or next to the repaired piece even though it's not damage is correct. We call that blending the base coat (color) then clear coating that piece as well, then color sand and buff. The reason being.. the moment your car leaves the factory and is exposed to the sun, the color starts changing. We do have color matching machines but all they do is generate the color code that the factory gives.. it still takes a skilled painter with an eye for color to properly tint and match the shade to the factory color as close as possible. It does cost more but blending the color to the next panel ensures you can't see a difference or the repair after wards. That's not to say you can't just paint the damaged piece only.. which we do quite often at my shop but to a trained eye.. you can usually tell the color difference even if it's ever so slight. Most consumers cant tell unless you tell them to look at a certain angle and point out the difference.

Larry

 

Well since you have the list, have you considered getting more than one Porsche-approved estimate?

//greg//