Questions tagged [body]

The part of the vehicle which surrounds and encapsulates the drive train and occupants. Is usually made out of metal, such as steel or aluminum, but can be made of fiberglass or even plastic. Can be referred to as the "skin" of the vehicle.

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Can a "punctured" plastic bumper be repaired?

My dad's car was hit in a parking lot and there are 2 holes or "punctures" in it from the numberplate bolts on the offending car. The holes are about 10mm (.4 inch) diameter. I've used ...
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1 answer
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Is car body same thing as frame (or chassis)

I am confused - this article says that car body weight only 153kg. For a car's frame that is very little (as far as I know). Or do they mean body as all the outside parts - bonnet, doors, etc. - not ...
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Mouse in Vehicle

My wife has a 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid. The car is in excellent shape. We live in a wooded area and she parks outdoors. She drives the car daily. The issue is that a mouse has taken up residence ...
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What could cause these scratches on the rear hatch?

I noticed some weird scratches on a part of a car which is not on the exterior. There are similar scratches on both sides: What could have caused this?
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What does it mean if the bumper is not firmly attached to the rest of the body?

I saw a few cars where the bumper was not closely attached to the rest of the body: I have a few ideas on what could possibly cause this: The bumper somehow became loose without any accident. There ...
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2 votes
2 answers
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What does it mean if there is "Bondo" under the trunk mat behind the spare wheel?

This picture is from underneath the trunk of my car: As you can see, it seems like there is some "Bondo" on the edge behind the spare wheel. What does this mean about the history of the car?...
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2 votes
1 answer
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Holes drilled in driver side Door Jamb?

I recently bought a used 2017 Chrysler Pacifica van. One day when I was getting into the driver seat, I noticed two holes that appeared to have been drilled into the door jamb of the driver door: ...
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how to install body brake light retainer nut

This is the retainer nut for a center high brake lamp on the roof of a ford van (2008 e350) Here is a link showing this nut and the assembly in which it goes. In the assembly diagram its labeled &...
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Help! Should I be concerned about this rust on my wagon?

2005 Saab 9-5. Looking underneath the passenger side, is this the subframe I'm looking at? https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RpmbwwUWoQlVzvFV7pjfsTGADQ-kJKLq?usp=sharing New subframe doesn't ...
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Is it possible to fix this? Clear coat turned out matte looking

I applied 4 coats of clear, waiting 10 minutes in between, but it came out matte looking and it is not smooth. Is it possible to fix this?
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How can I repair this gouge in my Hyundia Ioniq bumper?

Below are a couple of photos of my rear bumper trunk on my 2018 Hyundai Ioniq after I was rear ended by a truck. You can see that there's a clear protictive strip that is gouged as well as the paint ...
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Unibody off-road vehicle with differential locks and reduction [closed]

I want to create a list of current off-road vehicles (say in production during last 10 years) that have unibody construction (as opposed to body on-frame) but still have most off-road features like ...
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3 votes
2 answers
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Body spot welds all let go - what's going on?

2004 Nissan. Have been feeling like the hood and front part of the body (i.e. fenders) really move around a lot when off pavement (washboard logging roads, etc). Feels like the whole truck was ...
4 votes
1 answer
321 views

Do electric cars corrode faster?

I am buying a new Peugeot e-208 (Full electric) and I noticed something strange in the contract: Peugeot warrants all its new cars for 12 years against corrosion, but for electric cars they reduce the ...
2 votes
2 answers
608 views

Car bodywork welding: Is that enough penetration for a panel repair?

I'm practicing welding with the purpose of doing some bodywork on my own car soon, and lately I've been working with flux cored MIG (gasless MIG). I've some scrap 1.25mm (18 gauge) steel sheet, which ...
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Mitsubishi Lancer active 2012 body kit query

I have a 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer active which I have found to be quite uncommon however I don’t like the way the bottom of the from number tilts back inside so I was wondering if any of the Mitsubishi ...
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2 answers
703 views

Best way to remove small dent from front side panel?

Not wanting to do any (more) damage here as I’m a complete body repair newbie so what would the experts do to fix this dent? Any tools I should look at?
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What is this material under car carpet, can I remove it?

Here is a pic of underneath my car carpet (civic vti 1999). I was thinking of getting rid of the carpet however I noticed a black rubber type material which gives off it’s own smell. I notice this ...
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2 answers
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Is it possible to build a new car at home DIY based off an old car chasis?

So, I live in Mauritius and I am an amateur car enthusiast. I wanted to build a 450+ HP car in my garage (I, fortunately, have all the necessary tools). My plan is to buy an accidented car, strip off ...
2 votes
1 answer
311 views

Will pushing this dent out make the job harder for a Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) specialist?

I have a 9.5" x 7" dent on a front fender: Because it's right by the wheel well, it'd be easy enough to just reach behind and pop it out. I'm curious to try it and see how far that gets me. I also ...
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What do you call the part that covers the license plate light?

My friend has a 2012 Honda Civic and the license plate light cover falls off. I searched online for replacement and I can’t find the official term for it. Does anyone know?
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Engine hood opening

Why most modern cars have engine hood cover that opens from the front while many older cars have it the other way around? I am interested to know what is the technical reason the car manufacturers ...
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Toyota crown body tune up

Is it possible to upgrade exterior looks of cars ? i.e. Upgrading the front look of a 2007 toyota crown to 2013 toyota crown From this look To this look Is there anywhere online where i can buy ...
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1 answer
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1972 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia - What is this part / portal on the body?

Curious as to what this circular port is on our 72 VW Ghia. There is a matching one on the opposite side. There appears to be a bolt immediately opposite on the inside panel but I've not attempted to ...
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3 answers
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What is the side lining near the bottom of a car frame called

On my car, a golf rabbit 2007, there is a lining on both sides near the bottom of the frame. Its surface is rougher than the rest of the body panel surfaces Anyone have an idea what this part is ...
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Can I install a 2018 Subaru Forester bumper onto my 2016 Subaru Forester?

Can I install a 2018 Subaru Forester bumper onto my 2016 Subaru Forester? I like the style and it looks more sporty. Also, can I install the 2017-18 tail lights for the same car?
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Need help to fix code P2138 on a 2007 ES Lancer

This is a 2007 Mistubishi Lancer ES with a P2138 code. I have replaced the pedal sensor and a complete new throttle body and after clearing the code my engine light eventually comes back on and I ...
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Selecting a body for a sleeper

More specifically how do you determine whether a car's chassis can support the weight of aftermarket parts when building a sleeper. For example can you fit a v8 into a car that originally had an ...
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Welding on the battery tray

I need some help with welding the grub screws on my car. I want to welding the grub screws on the battery tray to hold the battery to stop the battery tray to being move about on the road surface. ...
2 votes
1 answer
3k views

2019 Jetta - How to Remove Grille?

I just purchased a 2019 VW Jetta, and would like to remove the grille. (The car has a wimpy horn, and removing the grill would allow access to the space between it and the radiator/AC condenser, ...
2 votes
2 answers
10k views

Roof is rusted and pitted - Use Flex Seal?

Will Flex Seal spray work to "fix" a vehicle with a rusty and pitted roof? By "fix", I mean: Keep all water out Keep the rust from spreading
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1 answer
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Remove the body on a Discovery 3 just to replace turbo?

I have a 2005 Discovery 3 2.7D and the turbo has failed and every garage I took it to says the body shell has to be removed. They're quoting me £1000-£2500 just in labour alone plus the turbo £700 and ...
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1 answer
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Can I have bodyshop made the frame symmetrical without putting parts on?

I have a small crash and front bumper, hood was damage. The frame inside is also bent. My budget is tight so I can't fix everything at once. Is it possible to ask body shop pull out the frame to its ...
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4 answers
300 views

Can a car body get rusted?

I have a Toyota Etios Liva Viera Limited Edition car, which is going to be three years old next year January. It has run for about 3711km. Today, I noticed these spots on the car body: I tried ...
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1 answer
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removing excess paint on a nick touchup

i dropped a spark plug on the fender of an $8000.00 paint job. i touched up the 2 nicks ,but have a little excess paint outside of nicks. any suggestions on how to remove the excess? i used a product ...
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1 answer
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Side door impact beam damage

If your car (let's just assume some unibody sedan) gets hit in the side door enough to deform the side door impact beam, does that pose a serious threat to the future safety of the car (like in ...
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Re-attach roof rack rails

I put a table on the roof of my 2000 Subaru Forester. I was a little too enthusiastic tightening the ratchets on the tie-down straps and the front of the rail which attaches to the roof pulled up. ...
1 vote
1 answer
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Is this chemical residue on the car surface? If so, how do I repair this?

A couple weeks ago, I brought my car to a detailer. At the time, I asked the detailer to clean out some black marks that were on the white paint door surfaces on my car. I saw him use a pink bleach ...
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3 answers
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How can you prevent the frame and undercarriage on your car from rusting?

I drove a '97 Subaru Legacy for many years and that thing got over 280,000 miles and was still running smooth before rust finally killed it. The frame started rusting away; there was a hole straight ...
2 votes
1 answer
347 views

Jetta (Mk4) Body Repair

On a 2002 Jetta TDI, there is dirt collected at the bottom of the fender near the door hinge area. After removing the rotting fender, I find that there is some rust penetrating the structure below it....
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1 answer
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Seat belt / airbag light ON polo 2013

Hello I have a polo from 2013. I just inherited it from my grandfather, whom has not driven it that much. Most of the time it has been in garage. Only done 28.000 km After I got it a lamp started ...
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1 answer
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Non-destructive cost-efficient method for measuring state of rustedness of a vehicle

Besides visual examination, is there some way to find out reliably how much a given car is affected by rust? I mean, which parts (possibly covered by paint) are rusting in the inside, and to what ...
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3 answers
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Lifting primer and paint around sanded areas

I am in the process of painting some plastic parts(fog light cover) on my Toyota Camry. I started with sanding the plastic to prepare it for the primer layer and while doing that, in some areas I ...
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What clean, non-sticky lubricant can I use for door hinges?

I cleaned the hinges of my doors and tailgate, the grease had attracted all sorts of dirt and turned black, tar-like and abrasive (metal shiny when I wiped the stuff off). I used a toothbrush, WD-40 ...
3 votes
1 answer
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Why do hybrids have the aesthetic wheel cover on the body?

I've noticed that the manufacturers tend to cover the rear and/or front wheels on the hybrid models more often than the regular vehicles. Are there practical or functional reasons for the covers? Is ...
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4 answers
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Programmatically defrost car windows?

It would be most convenient to find a way to defrost car windows programmically (using a timer and switch). Remote starts don't seem to have the functionality to programmatically schedule a start ...
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Honda civic 2010 steering/body vibration after 99kmp

My Civic vibrates after 99 kmp every time. If I forcely give acceleration in that speed range, I observe the vibration is less. Whenever I take my foot from accelerator pedal, it feels like more ...
3 votes
0 answers
474 views

How to seal / repair large crack in bumper

A car was in a collision and the front bumper is dented inward and cracked, I'm guessing up to an inch wide. Is there a way to either fill the crack with some type of foam? (Sophisticated tools and ...
7 votes
3 answers
41k views

Can polishing compound ruin my car's paint job?

I have my Mitsubishi lancer 2004 (silver) that was painted last year. Today I bought a polishing compound named http://www.abro.com/pc-310.html . I put a small amount of the polish on a cotton cloth,...
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Why did my clear coat turn out matte instead of glossy, and how can I fix it?

A while back I fixed up some rust spots on stone kicks on my hood, and ended up repainting my whole hood to cover them up after grinding/puttying/priming. I got custom matching spray paint made and ...
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