General Poor Panda

[MrMagoo]

Guys, I'm very upset. Some chap pulled out from the right and damaged my car. Every panel on the driver's side including the sill and both wheels were hit.
Fortunately no one was injured.
I brought it as a temporary car 3 years ago and it's been a fantastic.
My wife wasn't initially keen on it, and I was going to part exchange it, but my wife fell in love with it so we kept it as our main car.
I'm hoping to keep hold of it.

 

[koalar]

Sorry to hear about your poorly panda

Superficial
Adds to it's charm
Buff out
Be better on the other side. You wouldn't have to look at it everytime you open the door


But nobody hurt is the main thing

I take it's going to be an insurance job?

A few years ago it would have deffo written off. But I have seen worse pulled out with today's modern equipment

Take a look at the B pillar, where the front doors slam shut, look for any creasing, paint flaking, compare it to the other side

Same on the A pillar with the door open look by the hinges

Any bending here I wouldn't bother trying to repair or buy back

Looking at the sill I would guess the B pillar is also damaged.

 

[MrMagoo]

I would say the damage is light and is easily repairable. The sill has a light dent but there's no structural damage.
The other chap was asking if I could get some repair quotes but I didn't want to get involved in potential non payment or blame games so my insurance is now dealing with it.

 

[koalar]

I would say the damage is light and is easily repairable. The sill has a light dent but there's no structural damage.
The other chap was asking if I could get some repair quotes but I didn't want to get involved in potential non payment or blame games so my insurance is now dealing with it.

Trust me, inspect carefully

This is light panel damage to a pandas doors

Both doors shut fine

It's not obvious

The doors have been changed and painted white

This has B pillar and rear axle damage.

 

[jrkitching]

Condolences. I can understand you being upset.

I'd suggest you heed @koalar 's warning. I've seen cars with less visible damage than yours that would have needed structural parts repairing or replacing.

If you are hoping to keep this car, I'd suggest you get a quote now for a cash repair from your local bodyshop. I'd be astounded if the insurers didn't write this off and you need to work out if it's worth buying back, and at what price. I'd also do some homework on the forecourt price of similar cars so that you can judge the reasonableness of any settlement figure they may offer.

If it were mine and the buyback price was sensible, I'd probably just run it 'as is' whilst looking for a decent replacement. Keeping it and using it buys you time; probably the most important thing you can have when searching for an older used car.

 

[MrMagoo]

I suspect they will write it off but I would want a payout to enable the purchase of the same specification vehicle; this is a 2009 Dualogic Eleganza model and everything works perfect.
I would also be quite happy if they repaired it.
I was surprised to see how expensive Panda's have become.

 

[DaveMcT]

If they scrap it do not accept the first offer (eBay and online car ads will show its likely value). Take the money and buy another one.

 

[koalar]

It's a difficult one if you go down an insurance route

If it's classed as a Cat S you will need an engineers report and new Mot before it can go back on the road. Which will add approximately £300 on top of the repair

Some insurance companies will not touch them

Others will charge higher premiums

Cat S can not be removed off the log book


If it's classed as a CAT N Every is simple

I hope the above information is still correct the rules keep changing


Putting a car back on the road you may get a letter from the police to fetch it in. They pick a few at random and inspect them to make sure it's not a ringer. No big deal you just drop it off in the morning and collect in the afternoon.

​

 

[koalar]

I suspect they will write it off but I would want a payout to enable the purchase of the same specification vehicle; this is a 2009 Dualogic Eleganza model and everything works perfect.
I would also be quite happy if they repaired it.
I was surprised to see how expensive Panda's have become.

Yep they average just over 4K for a low milage 2009 Dualogic Eleganza
Finding one will be difficult

 

[jrkitching]

Cat S can not be removed off the log book

Neither can Cat N. The marker stays with the car for the rest of its life.

Finding one will be difficult

Finding one isn't the problem; it's finding one in decent order at anything even remotely resembling a sensible price.

There's a 13yr old low mileage one out there just now with an asking price not far short of what it would have cost when new.

 

[DaveMcT]

Small cars like Panda 169 will continue to appreciate. While it will hurt to pay "over the odds" right now, it will still be cheap in two years' time.

 

[MrMagoo]

Yep. It's a fantastic package, a very competent car. It can carry 2 medium suitcases in the boot and cruise down the motorway with 3 very large passengers.
It has a no vices other then a choppy low speed ride.

 

[DaveMcT]

My only gripe is unsophisticated rear suspension that's either too hard or too soft. I would love to try air springs but have no idea where to start on the Panda. I used them 40 years ago on a kit car so I could get reasonable handling loaded and unloaded by adjusting the air pressure.

 

[MrMagoo]

Ok guys, I was prepared to let it go to car heaven but I couldn't find another Panda that could match it's condition.
I did an airport run the other week - fully loaded (4 passengers) and my father-in-law was most impressed how it kept up with traffic on the M25, and he normally drives big 4x4 V8's.
Anyway, does anyone have a source for body parts?

 

[koalar]

Ok guys, I was prepared to let it go to car heaven but I couldn't find another Panda that could match it's condition.
I did an airport run the other week - fully loaded (4 passengers) and my father-in-law was most impressed how it kept up with traffic on the M25, and he normally drives big 4x4 V8's.
Anyway, does anyone have a source for body parts?

What parts do you want

Wing and two doors and ignore the rest I guess

Be worth getting the correct colour save painting you will have to match the paint code

When I want a rear hatch it was just a matter of ringing round. Took some effect and had to travel out.

 

[MrMagoo]

Wing and both doors.
I haven't pratted about with cars for years so I have no idea what's out there except stuff I see on eBay.

 

[rmjbn1]

My first step would be to search 'Panda breaking' on eBay, find one that's the same colour as yours and contact the vendor for a price.

Here's one, listed as 'Blue 737'.

FIAT PANDA BREAKING PARTS SPARES OR REPAIR SALVAGE BLUE 737 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for FIAT PANDA BREAKING PARTS SPARES OR REPAIR SALVAGE BLUE 737 at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[MrMagoo]

Yep, seen that one.
Sent message but no reply from them...... yet.

 

[rmjbn1]

Ah, OK, fingers crossed. They also have a website with these contact numbers: 0161 947 1393 / 07784936353

 

[koalar]

Are you sure that's the right colour, Fiat have a habit of changing the colour slightly every few years

Several light grey/blue colours

737
792

If it's got an A at the end such as 737A it's metallic


The paint code is on every removable panel

Bottom edge of every door is reliable I use the selfie camera on a phone
Should also be on the hatch, open and look around the outer edge, the bonnet one often falls off