Help with understanding body shop estimate
 

My Passat had a frontal last week. Just got the estimate for repair. My main concern is that the repair is NOT an engine-out job because the PD diesel motors are a plumbing nightmare. They say it is NOT an engine-out job.

What I am curious about is the estimate says "replace offside front and nearside front chassis leg sections".

Are these bolt-on bits that support the front end / bumper crossbar?

thanks, Craig

Need a VW expert to confirm but they might be crumple bits designed to collapse on impact to stop spread of impact thus minimising damage.

Parts will be removed to allow access (air con rad, radiator, fuse boxes, battery, wiring looms, washer bottles etc...) why remove an engine and g/box when there is no need to and the repair can be worked around it being left in situ the repair may take a little longer and require a bit more skill/patience from the panel beater and painters but in the long run it will be a quicker job as the trimmers wont be messing round moving engines. Your front panel will be black plastic and when this is removed it opens up the front end of the car once the wings etc are off as long as there is a decent space between the engine and the legs the repair can be done, if need be they will have to remove the engine but you cant tell until you have the car in pieces. IIRC you will have alloy shock absorbing struts that go between the bumper re-inforcer and and bolt up inside the chassis legs so these may have taken most of it? I spent a couple of years as a trimmer whilst in between jobs and out of the four of us that were there we only removed a few engines (repairing around 10 vehicles per week) in that time and this was on cars that were totally wiped out at the front (wings touching doors etc...). VW's are fairly strong and they could just be covering themselves in the estimate and may be able to repair the existing legs.

The chassis leg is part of the shell, it extends forwards from the bulkhead that the pedals and steering wheel bolt onto and goes out as far as the front panel. You'll most likely find they'll just replace part of it, it's such a big panel that it's often not necessary to fit a complete one. It sounds a nightmare but it's a prefectly normal repair and nothing to worry about:)