The condition of the bodywork and chassis of your VW or Porsche is fundamental to whether your project even starts, let alone gets finished. Whether its badly corroded, accident damaged or just showing signs of age, most buying guides will suggest you make a purchase based on body condition as a priority.

It is easy for common sense to take a back seat when looking at older cars; letting rarity, style, and price lead us into projects that require more body panels than we first expect. But, once you have started, it makes sense to do it right and fix all the corroded or damaged VW body panels while you are there. The good news is we stock hundreds of VW and Porsche repair panels, so you have come to the right place to find replacements.

Top quality replacement panels from all the best brands.

When it comes to sourcing replacement VW bodywork or Porsche restoration panels we are confident we can supply the parts to best suit your needs. Working closely with manufacturers such as Dansk, Auto Craft, Wolfsburg West, IGP, Klokkerholm, Rhibo, FORST, SSP not to mention offering genuine VW panels and Original Porsche body panels where possible. Speak to our team if you have a specific requirement or brand of choice.

The best car body panels for repairing accident damage

Accident damage is a risk we all take when owning, driving, or leaving our vehicles somewhere. Whilst it is often beyond our control, should the worst happen you want to know that top quality body panels have been used to repair your vehicle back to its pre-accident condition. Whether it needs a replacement bumper, a new door skin, a quarter panel or a bonnet we can help.

How to prevent classic cars from rusting

Rust occurs when unprotected metal is subjected to moisture. Oxidisation starts on the surface, but if this chemical reaction isn’t stopped it will keep eating away at the metal making it weak and eventually creating holes.

It is important that all areas of your vehicle are protected from moisture and are kept clean of dirt and debris too. A collection of soggy leaves and road grime in the corner of a wheel arch or window aperture is the perfect breeding ground for rust. Make sure you have used a good quality underseal or stone chip paint on your VW Beetle floorpan, VW Golf wings and even your Porsche 911 sills to prevent this from happening and regularly rinse these rust traps out with a high-pressure hose. Remove any moss and algae build up around windows on vehicles left standing for long periods of time, as they soak up rainwater and feed it your bodywork!

How to treat rust bubbles

Rust bubbles occur when moisture gets underneath the painted surface of your Porsche floor panels, VW Golf scuttle panel, or Type 2 rear corner. With the paint sitting on top of the moisture it cannot escape, so it is held in place to eat away at the bodywork of your car. The best thing you can do is scrape the paint off the top of the bubble and let the moisture out. It might look unsightly, but it will help extend the lifespan of the metal and allow you to clean it up and apply new paint.

Corrosion close to a suspension mounting point or a seat belt mount is something for concern. Even if your vehicle is exempt from an annual inspection, you need to be certain it is safe to use on the roads. We sell numerous body and chassis repair panels to address these critical areas, including Beetle rear suspension mounts, Type 2 seat belt mounts and Golf jacking points.

Battery leaks are a very common reason for new Porsche or Volkswagen body panels to be purchased. Battery acid is highly corrosive, and if left will eat through the metal battery tray, removing strength and potentially letting water into your car.

Backdating your Porsche or VW with new body panels

Another reason for buying new body panels might be to back date, or make your car appear younger than it is. Whether its fitting pre-67 body panels to a late Beetle, or a T5.1 facelift on your Transporter, we understand what is required and we can help. Backdating is especially common in the classic Porsche scene, and we are experts when it comes to supplying Porsche 911 body panels for custom and hotrod projects.

We don’t just sell classic VW and Porsche body panels, we manufacturer them too. We work with factories in the UK and internationally to reverse engineer and recreate obsolete body panels and custom repair panels to help keep the cars and campers we love on the road.