Skin Replacement...For Doors Palmer AK

While it's possible to repair a door skin properly and profitably, replacing a door skin is cleaner, can be faster and can also produce a better-quality repair - once you know what you're doing.

By Henry Netter
12/1/1999

Because car manufacturers have added more style and shape to their vehicles, the extra time it takes to re-shape and repair a damaged outer panel on a car door cuts into profits. Beating, banging, aligning, grinding, filling, sanding, re-filling, feathering, priming - plus the materials and labor - make this an expensive repair. And when you take into account the dirt and overall mess of plastic work, it's obvious an alternative would be in the best interests of the technician, the shop and the car owner. I'm not saying doors can't be straightened to look good. I've been banging metal and feathering edges all my life, and I know it can be done. What I'm saying is there's an alternative that's cleaner, could possibly take less time and, in my opinion, is a better repair.

Insurance companies and customers both want downtime on a damaged vehicle to be as short as possible, and the driving public deserves the best type of repairs on their cars. Repairs must be as durable as they are beautiful. This is why I think replacing a door skin vs. repairing it is a better all-around repair. Why? Because a replacement is an undamaged, clean, level piece of metal with no ripples or paint build-up to cause potential problems. It's a win/win situation for the bodyman a...