I went to get a price to put a new wheel arch on my xkr , and found out that they can bond panels together now !and in uk it's insurance approved too ! flippin' flip, whatever next .

 

if you are referring to the use of adhesives instead of spot or arc welding, this is true including here in the states. it is actually a superior repair for a couple of reasons not the least of which is that you are not introducing the high heat that burns off coatings and makes the repair areas more likely to rust. in general, metals exposed to welding require chemical treatments to be finished which is out of the scope of most repair facilities. the bonded seams are actually stronger than the panels themselves. new vehicles are often built this way at the factory.

 

Is it an advance in glue technology ? bearing in mind that a good weld should be as good -ish as the original metal

 

definitely an advancement in adhesive tech. good welding is always a gamble as custom work is not factory engineered. it relies more on the experience of the person doing the work. i personally would always chose bonding over welding for your type of repair.

 

Perhaps an XK?

Put together with rivets and glue with only one welded joint in the entire vehicle and the aluminium body doesn't rust.

Graham

 

Is that the 07 shape ? glued? cripes . Ive heard of ally corrosion on 'em though, haven't I ?

 

Where will they source the panel to be glued on? Where will they make the cut/join, and can they hammer and dolly the joint?

 

I detect synicism ? Rust removed, panel on top, welds top and bottom +tack welds + filler + whatever's required in the arch . I've already bought the panel, checked the fit .

 

No cynicism, just slight scepticism. I am pretty sure the that inner and outer wings are bonded together without any spot welds from the factory.

Anyway I am very interested as I will need to do work on my rear arches at some point and want to gather as much info as possible. If you can get lots of pictures of the process that would be great.

Where did you get your arches from?

 

Howdo. Cynic not Synic . Jagspares intefnational i think . About 79 plus vat .

 

YES - the later model like the one I have now.

I've heard rumours of paint bubbling on the rear wheel arches on early ones but never seen an example.

Graham