As some of you who've seen my previous post might know, my S2000 recently had the driver's side rear quarter panel replaced. When I first got it back from the body shop, there were some parts of the repairs that I was less than happy with. Since then, the body shop has resolved most of those concerns, but I found one more issue that isn't really the body shop's fault...

Upon closer examination and comparison, I found that the shape of the rear quarter panel on the driver's side (the side that was replaced) differs slightly from the shape of the rear quarter panel on the passenger side (the side that had no work done). The difference is in the back, above the taillights, where the rear quarter panel narrows to a point and meets the trunk lid.

On the passenger side, with the stock rear quarter panel, the area I've described above is smooth and pointy. On the driver's side, however, the same area on the replacement rear quarter panel is not as pointy - it's more blunt and flat. In other words, the replacement rear quarter panel ends more abruptly, and doesn't end in a pointy "V" shape like the original one...it ends in more of an "U" shape. The difference is relatively minor (most folks might not notice), but it's definitely there.

The replacement rear quarter panel is an OEM piece. Since the body shop didn't do any work (other than painting) on the area in question, I'm pretty sure that it came from the manufacturer like that. Do I have any recourse on this? I plan to ask the body shop about it, but am pretty sure the response won't be satisfactory, because replacing that piece with a new one would mean redoing all the work...plus it wasn't really their fault. Has anyone gotten bad OEM body panels before? Is there anyone at Honda (or whoever sells the OEM body pieces) that I can talk to about it?

I'll try to snap some pictures of what I'm talking about and post them to this thread later. Or, if anyone has knowledge that might help, PM me and I'll send the pictures. Any input appreciated.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by cyber_x
[B]The replacement rear quarter panel is an OEM piece.

 

you have to take pics, I agree with cdelena, it's mass produced part. What model year is your S2000? Maybe we can compare if it did change between years and since it is so subtle no one ever noticed before.

 

are you 100% sure it was Honda OEM? I have a friend that owns a body shop that says most likely you got a Taiwanese made "OEM" quarterpanel or that corner of the quarter panel was damaged in shipping and was shaved down a little. The materials are relatively the same between Honda OEM and the Taiwanese parts, but the panel is not always made as well, and the pricing is way cheaper. He says both Honda OEM and the Taiwanese made parts are often referred as OEM and are accepted as the same by most insurance companies.

Since it's a quarter panel, you can't really tell if it's stamped as Honda OEM or not. I would speak to the body shop though. This sort of thing isn't what you'd like for people to notice if you plan to sell your car one day.

 

Alright, thanks for the input guys. I'll take pics shortly and post them here. I knew it would be difficult to describe, but it was bugging me, so I decided to post first.

I've also posted in the Bay Area forum to see if anyone there can meet up with me and have a look.

Btw turbo_pwr, it's model year 2002. Man, this neverending saga with the body repairs is really staring to piss me the f*** off.