http://www.car4play.com/forum Car4play forum en-gb Tue, 07 Apr 2026 17:53:18 +0100 Copyright: Car4play webmaster@car4play.com (Technical) 5 car4play687810 Tue, 07 Apr 2026 17:53:18 +0100 >> Perhaps need a revival of panel beating skills? Back in the 1970s when working in >> Zambia I remember watching a crumpled car (Toyota Corona, I think) being restored to acceptable >> smoothness by a highly competent panel beater. >> Your post reminded me of this advert... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50A9wjJ40Dk http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=687810&v=e car4play687808 Tue, 07 Apr 2026 17:37:34 +0100 >> In the road near us a Brand new Seal parked . Looks like the driver >> reversed into a very solid pole. Visiting a mate in Marseille, France in '82. Brand new Nissan Cherry reversed in to a lamp post at speed when nothing else was around. Mate reckoned it was an insurance fraud. ('82 I had just finished school. Mate's family had moved there.) http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=687808&v=e car4play687806 Tue, 07 Apr 2026 17:18:16 +0100 >> Wow! That show just how much money the Chinese government are pouring into their manufacturers >> in their attempts to drive western car manufacturers out of the market. >> Subsidies - the conventional meaning is use of taxpayers money to support particular activities. - they may do some of this, but the root of Chinese ondustrial dominance is far deeper. The average monthly wage in the auto industry in China is £400-1000. Probably closer to £2500-5000 in Europe before employer costs. The government makes it easy for business to operate without the constraints which add cost and reduce efficiency - cheap energy, fast track planning, little or no public consultation, more limited H&S, I suspect limited employment rights etc etc. The government control internal and external currency exchange rates - seems complex but seems to have a material impact on competitiveness. This all makes them fast, responsive and cheap - Europe may never catch up with behaviours, leguslation, expectations and attitudes rooted in the past. It is how they can sell cars at prices well below comparable European companies. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=687806&v=e car4play687784 Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:13:40 +0100 >> He said that BYD, along with one >> of the other Chinese manufacturers whose name I can’t remember, had been working with Thatcham >> on how to lower the insurance groups for their cars. As a result they have >> imported hundred of cars just to be canibalise-able for spares while they sort out the >> spare parts supply chain. >> Wow! That show just how much money the Chinese government are pouring into their manufacturers in their attempts to drive western car manufacturers out of the market. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=687784&v=e car4play687695 Sat, 04 Apr 2026 16:09:01 +0100 Bucket of hot water? Yes , that’s exactly what I did with my wife’s vitara after someone kindly backed into the front bumper. Pushed one corner right in . Plenty of hot water and some hand manipulation got most of it returned to its previous shape . http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=687695&v=e car4play687694 Sat, 04 Apr 2026 16:06:49 +0100 >> Perhaps need a revival of panel beating skills? Back in the 1970s when working in >> Zambia I remember watching a crumpled car (Toyota Corona, I think) being restored to acceptable >> smoothness by a highly competent panel beater. Skills like that can only decline in a gig economy. Not many now will do years of apprenticeship and stay in their trade for life. Maybe, once people started caring about safety, patching up structural panels would be less acceptable. OTOH I gather it's becoming common for lightly damaged Chinese EVs to be written off because of parts unavailability. 6 months at 'credit hire' rates of £700 a week for a replacement car plus the repair cost can mean a £20,000 write off is preferable to what should be a £3,000 repair. The car insurance industry is structurally massively inefficient. The last two claims I've made have been from the third party and in both cases I went directly to their insurers. Both basically bit my hand off. They knew they could save thousands by providing a hire car direct to us on normal rates of about £175 a week, and and were happy for me to specify the repairer. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=687694&v=e car4play687682 Sat, 04 Apr 2026 09:18:45 +0100 >> Perhaps need a revival of panel beating skills? Back in the 1970s when working in >> Unfortunately, plastic does not respond well to beating, perhaps throw a bucket of hot water at it? http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=687682&v=e car4play687681 Sat, 04 Apr 2026 08:53:57 +0100 Perhaps need a revival of panel beating skills? Back in the 1970s when working in Zambia I remember watching a crumpled car (Toyota Corona, I think) being restored to acceptable smoothness by a highly competent panel beater. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=687681&v=e car4play687644 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 12:14:27 +0100 Providing the chassis is still straight then it'll be a reasonably quick repair especially if as Peter has said they have the bits, in the right colour, to hand http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=687644&v=e car4play687643 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 11:58:04 +0100 Possibly not as long as you’d think….friend of mine is MD of a national chain of body shops that exclusively do insurance work. He said that BYD, along with one of the other Chinese manufacturers whose name I can’t remember, had been working with Thatcham on how to lower the insurance groups for their cars. As a result they have imported hundred of cars just to be canibalise-able for spares while they sort out the spare parts supply chain. I don’t think canibalise-able is a word, but it should be :) http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=687643&v=e car4play687635 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 10:36:09 +0100 In the road near us a Brand new Seal parked . Looks like the driver reversed into a very solid pole. Bumper and boot lid damaged and boot lid had pushed up above the rear window., Ouch. There's me wondering how long to fix that....? http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=687635&v=e