Tree damage to roof

[Lordie]

I've submitted a freedom of information request so we'll see how that goes. As far as I'm aware they should inspect trees every 5 years at least. Unlikely to get anywhere without forking out tons of personal money on a lawyer, but worth a try

Well I've been in touch with PDR companies and they all seem to say it's too bad to 'massage' out. TDN from youtube/the link in another comment said it can be repaired using 'push to paint' methods. You can google it for information on how its done, but essentially it's pushing the dent out as good as possible then grinding the metal down to make it smooth again, and repainting. Problem is they seem to be the only company I've contacted capable of doing it that way.

Every other place seems to just say the roof needs cutting out and replacing with a new one 

[dubber36]

Just a thought...

https://www.webasto-comfort.com/en-uk/product-overview/#!Car///1

[barrym381]

I think you’ll need a new roof skin to repair and as it’s a red car good luck getting it to match the rest of your car 

[SRGTD]

I think you’ll need a new roof skin to repair and as it’s a red car good luck getting it to match the rest of your car 

Historically, flat red has had a reputation for being a quite difficult colour to match, and newly painted panels can have an orange appearance under certain artificial lighting. Light metallic colours also have a reputation for being difficult to match - especially silver. I’ve seen many silver coloured cars with very obvious evidence of repairs, with distinct shade differences between old and new paint, even allowing for blending of the new paint into adjoining panels.

However.......back to 2020. Paint matching technology has moved on. Spectrophotometric paint matching technology is likely to be used by high quality, reputable car repair body shops. A spectrophotometer is used to take multiple readings around the car to capture accurate data of the actual car’s colour, and the paint is mixed based on that data, rather then just using the car’s paint code. This should mean a high degree of accuracy in paint colour matching..

@Lordie - your insurer will want you to use one of their approved repairers as it will be more cost effective for them. If you check the small print in your car insurance policy it should give you the option of using a repairer of your choice. If you opt to use your preferred repairer rather than one recommended by your insurer, then they may impose a higher excess, and a courtesy vehicle may not be provided. However IMO, a few days inconvenience might be a price worth paying if your end up with a better quality repair. I’d also be asking the repairer what method of paint matching technology they use.

 

[Watts]

I think you’ll need a new roof skin to repair and as it’s a red car good luck getting it to match the rest of your car 

My TR PP unfortunately needed paint on three seperate occasions (only one was my fault.....). There were no colour matching issues.

[clubsport]

Lordie, reading your post above in regard to grinding away metal, the roof skin is quite thin, there would not be metal to grind away!
An competent  dent repairer, would have to remove the headlining, which is a task in itself, only the experienced will be able to replace the original intact!
Once the internal structure of the roof is seen, it will determine if a repair is possible, there are double skinned structures that you cannot tap out from underneath. In that case dents can be pulled up, the liklihood is that these are pulled up too far beyond flat and will be gently tapped back down rather than grinding away.

To replace the roof skin, you will have to remove the internal headlining anyway. As far as painting it red, it will probably show a mismatch for a while unil it fades in, being a flat panel you will not notice a slight difference in shade compared to say a front wing.
Another option could be to paint the roof black? My own red mk7 came from VW with a black roof & mirrors. 

[Lordie]

First of all I'd like to thank everyone for the replies  it's really a big help

The current update:
The car certainly needs a new roof as the dents too deep and just not repairable. I have the challenge now of trying to find the best place to do the work with care and put everything back together as good as possible. Obviously a roof panel replacement means removing the headlining, a lot of the interior, all the wiring in the roof, the boot, and the windscreen etc. I'm really worried about it all going back together well. Currently the interior has no creaks and I'm upset that might not be the case when I get it back.

It's certainly going to be an insurance job as the total price will likely be around the £3,000 mark

Just a thought...

Unfortunately it's close to the windscreen  but I did think about that too haha

Historically, flat red has had a reputation for being a quite difficult colour to match

Spectrophotometric paint matching technology is likely to be used by high quality, reputable car repair body shops

@Lordie - If you check the small print in your car insurance policy it should give you the option of using a repairer of your choice,  they may impose a higher excess, and a courtesy vehicle may not be provided. However IMO, a few days inconvenience might be a price worth paying if your end up with a better quality repair. I’d also be asking the repairer what method of paint matching technology they use.

Really useful reply, thank you. After reading this I'll certainly be quizzing places to see how they plan to match the colour. It would without a doubt be a much better colour match if technology like that it used.
Yeah I heard that might be the case with my insurance co. My compulsory excess is £75 and voluntary is £0. I heard they might double my excess but that's not bad at all. As for the inconvenience, it doesn't effect me too much as I don't use the vehicle for work anyway. I just want it done right, so they can take their time as much as they like (within reason). One accident repair place said 20 hours labour. Will take them about a week, so not too bad.

My own red mk7 came from VW with a black roof & mirrors. 

I think I might attempt the red respray to see how good of a job they can do. I will ask them to keep the overspray on the side pillars as minimal as possible (if they can). Then if I'm not happy with the colour match I'd consider spraying the roof gloss black to make it look better. I do actually have gloss black wheels so it would match. I'd rather have a red roof but if it looks more factory black then go for it.
Do you have a picture by any a chance so I can see how the black roof looks? Thanks. Was the black roof a factory option or something?