Update on the bodywork done on my 2008 Maruti Suzuki Estilo

To bring back the car in expected condition, he'd knock off all the loose rust first, then sand it down to bare metal with a wire brush grinder, cut new sheet metal to the exact size, stitch weld it using MIG welding, and coat it with an oxide coating

BHPian F10D_Estilo recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Recently, I decided to take a look under the hood of my car to check for any issues. I noticed some rust developing in areas like the apron, front cross member, and near the wheel wells. When I tapped the bumper and fenders, there was a lot of noise, and one of my fog lights was wobbling even with a little force. Figured it was a good time to get things fixed.

I went back to my friendly mechanic for help. He suggested a body shop—the same one where I'd gotten my exhaust leak welded a few years back. Since I hadn't had any exhaust issues after that fix, I trusted and approached them again. After a friendly introduction and explaining my issues, the guy opened up my front bumper and found a hole in the lower front cross bar. I asked if this vehicle was even worth saving. He sweet-talked me into believing that fixing the car was a good idea. As old as it is, he said, it had very little rusting (which was true). He asked for three days to get it fixed and quoted an estimated cost of Rs. 7500 to patch weld every rust hole and paint it with rubberized paint. I agreed, and the work began.

Just to see his workmanship, I thought to wait for a while for the first fix to completer and boy was I not satisfied. First, he patched the rust hole on my front cross bar. The way he did it wasn't too reassuring. He broke off all the rotted area near the rust hole with a sharp-headed hammer. Then he took a piece of sheet of metal, cut it to shape, and welded it on top of the hole while hammering the sheet to match the contours of the cross bar. Not the worst way to fix it, but not the best either. Since I'd already given him an advance, it was too late to back out, so I went with it anyway.

Image of the patch work being one on lower cross member

After three days, he called to let me know all the repairs were completed and I could come collect the car. I went over and inspected my vehicle for the issues we'd discussed. I was happy to see how much more solid the fenders and bumper felt after the rework. The fog light issue was also resolved. When I asked what was wrong with the fog light, he said some bracket was broken, so he fixed it. I took her for a short test drive and found most of the body-related sounds were gone for good—except for one. When I inquired about that sound, he said it wasn't a body-related issue, which was true as every body part felt solid during my inspection. So, I paid him the amount and headed home.

Once I got home, I gave the vehicle a full body checkup and found more issues. Everything under the hood felt nice and sorted, but when I looked at the underbody, I found heaps of rust and what looked like a rotted floor pan. I immediately snapped some photos and sent them to him on WhatsApp. He replied saying he only quoted me for the front end of the vehicle. He said he could fix the rest but it would be chargeable. Already not satisfied with his patching workmanship, I turned down the offer.

Image of rusted underbody

The next day, I took my vehicle to my friendly mechanic and told him the whole story. I asked him to put the car on the lift to check underneath, and he obliged. Soon, the vehicle was in the air. We inspected underneath and found bad rusting on the joint where the accident repair had been carried out. There was also surface rust underneath on the front half where the accident repair was carried out but nothing too major. I also noticed a huge rust hole on my passenger side floor pan. I could literally break off the rusted pieces by hand. Mid to rear section of the car felt as fresh as new with zero signs of any rust.

Image of the rotted joints

My mechanic understood why I was disappointed with the body shop he'd suggested. He told me he only recommended that place because it was the cheapest he knew. After hearing that, I reminded him how much I loved this car and that I had no plans of scrapping it anytime soon. Hearing this, he suggested another body shop run by a guy named Zahid. He only sends high-end vehicles there because, 1) His labor is expensive, and 2) Zahid bhai is the best body shop guy he knows in Hyderabad. He said Zahid bhai has over 35 years of experience and has revived vehicles deemed unfixable. Listening to this, my faith in the restoration project was revived. I quickly asked for his phone number and location. Meanwhile, my mechanic also fixed the final most annoying sound I was dealing with—it turned out to be a dry brake calliper pin. He greased it up, and the noise was gone. I was happy that at least one of my issues was solved.

The next day, I called Zahid bhai and told him about my vehicle and the issue. He told me to bring it to the shop that evening. I agreed and took the car over. The shop had no signboards or names—it was just an empty lot between two function halls with a shed and a small room. Nobody from the outside would suspect it for a body shop. But when he opened the door, I found all sorts of high-end cars like Mercedes and Audis, and even some almost-totaled vehicles. After a friendly introduction, he casually inspected my car and confirmed that the accident repair joint area was badly rusted. He asked me to leave the vehicle for a day so he could take the seats and carpet apart and inspect it properly. I agreed, handed over the keys, and went home.

The next day, I called to ask if the seats and carpet were removed. He confirmed and asked me to come see the damage for myself. I arrived to find my seats and carpet outside the car. When I looked at my passenger floor pan, I was shockingly disappointed—it was rotting away from the welded area. I could see the ground through it, as shown in the image.

Image of the rusted floor pan from the interior

The driver’s side seemed perfect. There was another tiny rust hole underneath the front passenger seat mounting bracket. Other than that, the overall body was in great shape. I asked him his opinion on my car—is it worth saving? He said the car was in pretty good condition overall with no visible rusting other than these rust holes which wasn't a big deal considering it's 17 years old.

Image of the tiny rust hole underneath the passenger seat bracket

I requested him to do the best job he possibly could, as this car is very close to my heart and I have no plans of selling it. He explained what it would take to get it to the condition I wanted. He said he'd knock off all the loose rust first, then sand it down to bare metal with a wire brush grinder, cut new sheet metal to the exact size, stitch weld it using MIG welding, and coat it with an oxide coating. Didn't know what oxide coating meant, but I was sure it was good stuff since I saw a lot of Wurth cans lying around. He also said that after all the welds were done, he'd coat all the welded areas with a rubberized coating he sources from someone who works at a VW dealership.
Listening to all this, my confidence shot up—it was just like how I'd seen a credible YouTuber like ChrisFix fix a rusted floor pan on his CRX. I asked him for a quote, and he told me Rs. 11,000. I knew it was high and kind of expected it before visiting him. But because it was a skilled job and the way he explained his workmanship was so perfect, I didn't want to bargain. Part of me also felt that bargaining might lead to corners being cut somewhere, whether in workmanship or material quality, and I didn't want any compromised work on my vehicle. So, I agreed to the price and gave half the amount as an advance.

After two days, I went to the shop to see the progress. To my surprise, the floor welding was done, and it was perfect. Just the kind of workmanship I wanted. The welds were flawless, and the metal shape looked so original that I asked Zahid bhai if he'd cut it from another Estilo. He showed me the plain sheet metal he purchased—it screamed quality workmanship. Although the repair cost me half of my monthly salary, I felt like it was the best investment ever (coming from a stingy guy like me, that's saying something), thinking my baby was getting the attention she deserved.

My satisfaction and happiness were clear on my face, and he said this is the kind of happiness and satisfaction that keeps him motivated and happy. Being an automobile enthusiast, I went over to some of his customers' vehicles and asked about the jobs being done and how he planned to execute them. He was happy to share all the technicalities of the work. Listening to him showed his knowledge and expertise, which put him high on my list of most respected people.

Image after the rusted holes were patched by Zahid bhai

That's when I asked about his background—how and when he started his career. Turns out, he began in the 1980s when he was quite young. He worked at body shops all over Hyderabad, spending a few months in each garage for free just to learn the skill before opening his own shop. He had visited may authorized service centres over his course of life and according to him, even today, they don't fix collision repair vehicles well since they lack skilled manpower and often resort to severe cost-cutting measures. I kind of agree with him—my Estilo was fixed by an authorized service center, and still, the welded joints rotted away. Only time will tell how good Zahid bhai's work is, but my initial impressions are great, and I hope it lasts a lifetime. Considering how many high-end vehicles he works on, the fact that his shop isn't even marked on Google Maps, and there's no banner in front of his shop, I can safely assume his only marketing is word of mouth—which is the most powerful marketing in the world.
After a few days of driving the Estilo post-rust repair, I can clearly feel a difference in NVH levels inside the cabin. The road noise has definitely decreased, which makes me happy and pumped about this project.

Next on my list are the power windows. My friendly mechanic has suggested rewinding the window motors and replacing the broken master switch. I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions on this.

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