I'd heard that the Insight's main structure is aluminum and I was wondering what is the outside of the doors made of? Steel or aluminum?

I'm guessing most auto shops would be able to work with dings, dents etc. on steel doors but aluminum is normally very hard to work with.

Anybody know?

sasparilla

They are aluminum. I've had body work done and there was no problem

61.5mpg lifetime - 82mpg in recent months

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I've also had bodywork done by local shops and not had a problem. The guys at the shop sais more vehicles are incorporating aluminum in their bodies to reduce weight. I think he said some trucks have aluminum hoods for example.

Eric Powers

MHG Organizer - www.MadisonHybridGroup.com
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its aluminum just about everywhere except the front fenders, wheel skirts, front and rear bumper covers, and the trim above the doors. shouldnt be a problem.

andy g.

2000 Honda Insight. Kenwood MP3 head unit, Blaupunkt door speakers, dual Cobalt amps, 3 MTX stealth subs, 4th very-high-mounted brake light, Sumitomo tires, yellow-top, hot induction air mod, tinted, SG2, MIMA, center armrest.


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I also have had body work done to the aluminum and plastic trim. In both cases the shop was able to make the damaged area look perfect. It didn't cost anymore than fixing steel.

It's quite suprising really, you'd never know where the two dings were or where the plastic was scuffed/chipped. Computer matching the paint makes metallic paint matching a whole lot easier too.

There is a downside to the aluminum though, if damaged your insurance company will be more likely to declare the car totaled. They expect the cost of replacing damaged aluminum panels to be quite high. This happened to the NSX as well.