What is panel beating, and why is it important?
Panel beating refers to full body vehicle repairs including the chassis, as well as any structural car damage.
The term comes from the original work of beating out the dents in the panels of your car. (In some countries, a panel beater is referred to as an auto body mechanic.)
Panel beating involves removing dents, straightening bent frames and repairing or
replacing damaged auto body parts.
Why is panel beating so important?
One of the reasons why panel beating is so important is because often there is often damage that goes deeper than just the exterior of your car. If your vehicle is involved in a collision or accident, regardless of how minor it is, it’s important to have a professional panel beater inspect the damage.
Even though there are just scratches or dents on the outside, there may be more serious damage to the internal parts of your vehicle. In a collision, your bumpers are designed to flex and bounce back into shape.
But if you’re hit hard enough, there may be damage to your axle, suspension, tyres or other parts that you cannot detect just by looking at your car.
Panel beating is also important because repairing damage to your car helps the paint job last longer, helps minimise rust and helps your car hold its value longer.
The tools that are used
Panel beating, when done properly, requires specialist tools and equipment. These are usually not things that the average DIYer has at home, so it’s best to leave this work to the professionals.
Some of the tools required for panel beating include:
- A full suite of panel beating hammers (flat faced hammers, crowned faced
hammers, cross pein hammers, pick hammers, shrinking hammers, dead
blow hammers) - Dollies
- Slappers
- Spoons
- Panel ripper/rocker
- Impact wrench
- Bumping files
- Body files
- Sander
- Sanding blocks
- Tack clips
- Panel fillers, sealants
- Polyurethane spray-gun
Can all cars use panel beating?
At Mt Roskill Collision Centre we can work on just about any type of car. We are experienced in all makes and models, including European cars and luxury brands.
Unless they’re brand new off the lot, most cars in Auckland would benefit from some type of panel beating to keep them in tip top shape. It’s best to look after those minor scratches and dings before they become more serious problems.
When would I need panel beating services?
There are a number of things that the panel beating services at Mt Roskill Collision Centre can help you with:
- Collision repairs
- Touch-up paint
- Tyre check and replacement
- Brakes check
- Wheel alignment
- Headlight restoration
- Car colour change
- Car polishing
- Car servicing
These services would be required if:
- Your vehicle has been in a collision
- You’ve just purchased a used vehicle privately
- Your car is getting a bit old, and you’d like to extend the life of it
- You’d like to do a bit of work to your car so you can sell it for a better price
Can panel beating fix rust issues?
Rust issues can often be fixed or repaired by panel beating. This depends on the extent of the rust, but in many instances we can remove the rust and repair the panel so that it looks almost new.
Panel beating can help repair scratches and dings so that the damaged parts of your vehicle are not prone to rust.
Can I do my own panel beating at home?
We don’t recommend the DIY approach when it comes to panel beating. There are a lot of products available that claim to remove scratches and rust, but we’ve found
that they only work superficially and often make the problem worse.
We certainly don’t recommend trying to straighten out or remove any dents your vehicle has sustained. As we’ve mentioned, it’s important to have your car inspected for internal damage or any other serious issues after a collision.
Why you should leave panel beating to the professionals?
At Mt Roskill Collision Centre we have all the necessary tools, equipment and supplies required for effective panel beating. We also have the training, skills and experience needed to work on different makes and models of vehicles.
Car manufacturers are continuously changing materials and components and,
unless you know what you’re doing, you could make your car worse off if you try to
do the panel beating yourself.
How much is panel beating?
At Mt Roskill Collision Centre we offer an extensive range of panel beating services.
We can help with collision repairs, car touch-up paintwork, car paints, car polishing, and more. We’re happy to provide a no-obligation quote for any panel beating work you require.
The Mt Roskill Collision Centre promise
Our goal is to have everyone on New Zealand roads driving safely. We offer a lifetime guarantee on our car repairs from our panel beating and collision repair service centre in Mt Roskill, Auckland. Contact us online or call us on 0800 227 762 for a free quote or to book an appointment.
For a no-obligation quote on any of our panel beating services, please contact the
experts at Mt Roskill Collision Centre.