Paint & Dent Repairs on TDI?

Not sure what forum to put this in but will start here. Wife had a minor (although none is minor when it is my TDI) accident today. /images/graemlins/frown.gif Not her fault but I now have a rear panel that is dented and a long scape down the side which breaks the paint. I don't know anything about paint on TDI. What should I look for in getting the car painted? What kind of paint or anything else to know about? Insurance will pay so I'm going to a paint & body shop which I assume is better than dealer.

Thanks

first I would try Dent Wizard or Dentbuster, and then body shop.

I had a bit of an accident as well... I rode into a parking garage, bike on top, in Reston, Virginia. I had to laugh at myself because it was so stupid. Well, I don't live in the city and was visiting and am not used to stuff like that. $650 and one week later the car is almost fixed. Ah, add another $150 to that for replacing the bike rack. What a nightmare. Put about 4 dents in the top of my car - the front load bar just ripped right out, not before shoving it down and denting a bit. It also hit some things on the way down. Oh well - I sure won't do that again! EVER.
Webb

When my husband had a fender bender last winter with our Beetle, the whole front bumper had to be replaced. I called the dealer we bought the car from and they recommended a shop. You might try that.

would probably look to getting the dent removed by a professional who specialized in paintless dent removal first. usually, if they're not able to fix it, they'll refer you to a bump shop. as for bump shops, be sure to ask what kind of paint they use. having worked for a dealership for a while (dealt lotus, morgan, and all euro makes), take it from me that it matters a whole lot what kind of paint a shop uses. don't go with a shop that uses any american paint, e.g., ppg or dupont. i can't remember the exact brand of paint that most euro makes use, but on monday i'll make sure to find out and let you know. trust me, it makes a VERY big difference when it comes to blending the repaired panel with the rest of the car. i'll get back on monday.

Don't worry about the brand of paint. I can tell you that in Europe, we use all paints on all cars, no problem. Now, IIRC, many VAG dealers use Spies Hecker (Dupont) or Glasurit (also sold as BMW official paint system). But good, reliable results are achieved with PPG, Standox, Dupont, DeBeer et al.
How do I know? I install and support mixing scales and computers for all the major paint companies...

installing scales is one thing, but trying to sell car that has been repaired with paint that doesn't accurately represent factory colors is another. i've seen it all, good paint/bad labor and vice versa and it does make a difference. i also have very close friends that actually do the bump work and they would agree wholeheartedly.

Do they live in Europe or have factory training in European paint techniques?

A bad match is caused by a bad painter, not bad paint. If a painter mixes according to the listed formulation and it's a poor match, perhaps he chose the wrong variant? Put the wrong brand of clearcoat on top? Used the wrong shade of primer?
If all these are correct, the good painter will either hand- tint and repaint, or request a revised formulation from the paint company. Remember that the paint companies work closely with vehicle manufacturers on colour- matching for warranty repairs...