Used Vauxhall Cavalier Quarter Panel

The Cavalier ran across three main generations in the UK: Mk1 (1975–1981), Mk2 (1981–1988), and Mk3 (1988–1995), and the quarter panel is entirely generation-specific so panels from one generation will not fit another. Within the Mk3, a facelift arrived in 1992 which may have brought pressing changes, so if you are sourcing across that 1992 boundary you should confirm with the breaker against your exact registration rather than assume a pre-facelift panel will drop straight in. Always lead with your generation when requesting a quote.

No — body style is the single most important factor for a quarter panel, and the saloon, hatchback, and estate each have a completely different rear body structure with no interchangeability between them. When contacting a breaker, state your body style clearly from the outset as well as your generation, because a Mk3 saloon panel and a Mk3 hatchback panel are different pressings. Never assume a panel will fit just because it came from the same year or engine.

These two cars sit either side of the Mk3 facelift, which arrived in 1992, and while both are Mk3 Cavaliers on the same platform it is not certain that pre- and post-facelift quarter panels are interchangeable. You should name both your registration year and the donor year to the breaker and ask them to confirm the panels are from the same pressing revision before buying. Body style must also match — saloon, hatchback, and estate panels are not shared even within the same facelift phase.

Trim level — whether GL, GLS, CDX, or any other grade — does not affect the pressing or fitment of a quarter panel, so a panel from any trim will fit the same generation and body style regardless of specification. What you may notice is cosmetic differences such as body-coloured mouldings, rubbing strips, or different paint codes between donor and recipient cars, but those are finishing details rather than fitment problems. Confirm generation and body style with the breaker; trim is irrelevant to whether it bolts on.

Yes — quarter panels are handed, so an OS (driver's side, right-hand side in UK right-hand-drive cars) panel is a mirror image of the NS (passenger's side) and the two are not interchangeable. Always specify NS or OS clearly when contacting a breaker, alongside your generation and body style, to avoid being sent the wrong panel. A Mk3 hatchback NS and a Mk3 hatchback OS are separate parts with separate part numbers.

Quarter panels are stamped to the exact profile of their body style and cannot be adapted between estate, hatchback, or saloon — the curvature, shut lines, and structural geometry are fundamentally different, not simply a matter of length. Attempting to modify the wrong body-style panel would almost certainly produce an unusable result and would not be structurally sound. Source the correct body-style panel from a breaker and confirm it matches both your generation and facelift phase.