1997 SKODA OCTAVIA Body Repairs Workshop Manual

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Edition 08.96

Diagnosing vehicles damaged in an accident
When repairing vehicles damaged in an acci- dent, it is sometimes the case that damage to the chassis or components suspension is not discovered and this may subsequently result in severe consequential damage. When inspecting vehicles which have been damaged in an acci- dent where it is suspected that considerable stresses were involved, it is therefore necessary to pay particular attention to the following com- ponents - irrespective of the check of the chassis alignment which should always be carried out as well:
If it is suspected that the floor assembly has been damaged and/or twisted, the vehicle has to be inspected on the frame straighten-
ing rig and straightened, if necessary.
Inspect the steering and steering linkage to ensure that they operate properly over the entire movement. Carry out a visual inspec- tion for twisting or cracks.
Inspect all components of the running gear such as steering arms, suspension struts, steering knuckles, anti-roll bars, subframe, axle beams and the attachment points of such parts for twisting or cracks.
Examine wheels, tyres for signs of damage, concentricity and imbalance. Examine the tyres for cuts to the tread and the side walls. Check the tyre inflation pressure.
Examine the suspension of the engine, gear- box, axles and exhaust system for signs of damage.
The final step is a reasonable road test after carrying out repairs as an assurance that the vehicle is safe for the road and can be han- ded over to the customer without hesitation.

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As-delivered condition of body or of single parts for the paint shop
Before handing over a repaired vehicle or a sing- le part to the paint shop, the surface which has been repaired or panel-beaten and treated with
filler, as appropriate, has to be prepared with emery paper of a roughness of P 80 to P 100 to ensure that the shape matches the adjoining paintwork. This preparatory work is part of the operations carried out by the body repair shop and are con- tained in the time allowance for body repairs.
Straightening
The body and floor assembly are manufactured in series production from cold-shaped deep- drawn sheets. For this reason, restoring body panels to the original shape after accident da-
mage should be carried out in the same way.
Notes:
When straightening sharp-edged buckles,
there is a risk of the sheet tearing suddenly.
If the extent of the damage does not allowthe sheet to be restored to its original shape
by straightening it in the opposite direction
of the accident damage, the damaged partmust be cut out only after straightening the
adjoining areas.
Cuts
Cuts which affect the fatigue strength of the body and thus also the operational and road safety of the vehicle, have to be carried out in accordance
with the specifications in this Workshop Manual.

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Edition 08.96

Welding galvanised body panels
Important!
It is important to ensure proper ventilation of theworkbay and extraction of the gases by suitableextraction equipment, e.g. V.A.G 1586, as toxic zincoxide is produced in the welding fumes when
welding galvanised steel panels.
Note: As the resistance spot welding method (RP) cau-ses a slight erosion of the zinc layer only in thecentre of the weld spot and the zinc protective
ring which is produced at the same time aroundthe weld spot, protects it from corrosion, prefe-
rence should be given to this welding method in
contrast to shielded arc welding (SG).
Shielded arc welding (SG) of galvanised pa- nels Pay attention to the following points in order to produce good repair welded joints: The amperage at the welding transformer has to be increased.
At the same time, the infeed of the electrodewire has to be adjusted as merely increasing the voltage only produces a greater arc (re- duced fusion penetration, more porous weld structure).
Use a cylindrical instead of a conical gas nozzle (splatters at a gas nozzle which is too narrow results in formation of pores).
Guide torch about 12 mm above the material being welded at a neutral angle or at up to 10°.
Use the softest possible wire grades.
Both CO
2 as well as mixed gases can be
used for shielding.

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Edition 08.96


Spot welding (RP) galvanised panels Pay attention to the following points when resis- tance spot welding galvanised panels:
Welding transformerIncrease the welding current by 10% up to a max. of 30%.
If the welding transformer is fitted with a „welding time control“ it is better to extend the welding time.
Extending welding time related to panel thick- ness (reference values):
0.7 mm - min. 7 periods
0.8 mm - min. 9 periods
1.0 mm - min. 11 periods
The correct welding time has been selected ifthe weld spots can be placed without any
splatter. Electrode holder Use hard copper electrodes (copper-chro- me-zirconium alloy) with resistance to high temperatures (>400 °C).
Clean hard copper electrodes frequently or rework side of contact surface diameter to
∅4 mm.
Increase electrode contact force.
Pull-out test The best welding results can be determined by welding specimen sheets followed by a pull-out test.
This is done by unrolling or tearing off the narrow welded specimen strip from the second strip of sheet with a force acting vertically to the surface of the sheet. If the weld spot has been properly carried out, it will not tear in the contact plane when this is done, but will be pulled out.

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Edition 08.96

Removing underbody sealant and weld seams
Underbody sealant and weld seams must be removed with a wire brush wheel clamped in the angle grinder or in the compressed air
straight grinder.
Note
It is essential to wear eye protection and pro-tective gloves. The pieces of wire which may fly off are very sharp.
A further possibility is to heat the underbody sea- lant or the weld seams with a hot air fan (max. 420 °C) and to remove the softened underbody
sealant or the weld seams with the scraper. This procedure is particularly recommended for poorly accessible areas of work.
Important!
The vapours produced are toxic and should be ex-tracted using suitable extraction equipment, e.g.V.A.G 1586.
Remove paint and primer with paint remover.
Body sections and part sections
„Sections“ refer to sections of single parts which are supplied from the Parts Depot already cut to shape. „Part sections“, in contrast, have to be cut to shape in the body shop from replacement parts.

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Original joint
„Original joint“ refers to the weld joint which was made during the production of the vehicle. Such weld joints should be re-created to the ma- ximum extent possible during body repairwork. An important point to note is that the number of weld spots made when carrying out body repairs should not be less than the number in standard production but, for safety reasons, should rather be more if space conditions permit.
Methods and procedures differing from the ori- ginal joint are described in this Body Repairs
Workshop Manual.

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  Edition 08.96

Explanation of symbols Explanation of symbols for welding work

Spot weld seam (single row) Spot weld seam (double row)
Spot weld seam (double row offset) Shielded arc plug weld
Shielded arc stepped weld (has to be ground
off, if necessary, to match shape of body) Shielded arc continuous weld (has to be ground
off, if necessary, to match the shape of body) Shielded arc continuous weld, staggered (has
to be ground off, if necessary, to match the sha- pe of body) Brazing
Notes:
Shielded arc plug weld: (∅ 7 mm holes, spa-
ced 20-30 mm apart, are made in one of the
sheets to be connected in the area of connec-tion points, into which a good shielded arc
weld spot is placed.
Shielded arc continuous weld: the weld seam is carried out without any interruption if possi-
ble.
Shielded arc stepped weld: the weld seamis composed of a large number of individual
weld spots placed one after the other. Theadvantage of this method is the lower tem-perature introduced into the sheet compared
to shielded arc continuous welding
Shielded arc continuous weld (interrupted):the weld seam consists of shielded arc con-tinuous seams about 20 mm long, placed oneafter the other and separated by equally long
intermediate spaces.