Car ?'s
- Thread starter BeardedWonder
- Start date
Koushirou
Log Wizard
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Not sure if this is the right spot to ask, but recently both our cars took some minor paint/dent damage. I've never dealt with getting a car repaired for cosmetic damage before and I want to make sure we're not getting ripped off as I generally have no idea how much shit like this costs other than paint is $$$. Is it better to go through a dealer or to find an independent shop? Will most independent shops be able to paint match stuff like the sparkly paint shit on my CRV or acquire replacement stickers for his Challenger? Are you generally allowed to just pay out of pocket for this and avoid going through insurance so our rates don't go up?
Pics for reference:
Pics for reference:
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Should be $800-2000.
Dealer shops are fine if you don't have that "body shop eye" for paintwork. If you don't know what I mean then don't worry about it.
Independent shops can get all the same factory parts any dealer can get.
Yes you can pay out of pocket.
Hoss
Make America's Team Great Again
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I always use an independent to fix the cars my daughter wrecks. The one I keep coming back to is the guy who's willing to get parts from a junk yard because he's like half the price of the dealer shop. But I do still get quotes from the expensive guys to scare her with.
Dealers will rip you off, and still contract the work out to a body shop they work with. Deal directly with body shops. Unless its a fucked up shop, the body shop can match the color easy. Tech has made it much easier to get right. Not saying some dumbass can't fuck it up, because they can. Just a lot easier now.
The blue car from what I can just see.
R&I= remove and reinstall R&R remove and replace (new/used parts) and OH is overhaul.
Essentially you will R&I the bumper off the car. Depending on the car, they also now have to remove the tail lights. If there are more items on the bumper they will just do a OH, meaning they just add about 1.8 hours of labor on to the estimate, paint time would be about 2 hours and 0.7 clear coat and then about 40 dollars for each paint time for paint materials.
They also have to sand down the area where the damage is, for that I would pay a body shop 0.5 hrs max for the blue car- a shop would try and argue for like 2 hrs.
If there are reflectors on the bumper and double-sided tape, they replace them since they aren't reusable. 15-30 dollars x 2
The blue car has decals. They will take them off since they are double sided with tape, and replace with new ones. 40ish dollars
.3 hours to remove the license plate.
Most shops charge a post-scan that costs about .5 labor hours due to scanning the car after disconnecting the lights if needed.
They pretty much wrap up a minor paint scuffing like yours.
I would look at about 700 dollars
It depends on what the labor rates at shops are. The main shop I deal with is around 48 labor, 48 paint, 35 paint materials. A shop that loves to commit insurance fraud and fuck people over near me charges 85 dollars labor, 60 paint, and 50 paint materials.
Remember everything is negotiable. If they say they charge 60 try and talk them down. They want your money- no different than a dealership. It never hurts to haggle.
I work for one of the major insurance companies and have to deal with shops directly. 99.7% are scum. If you have any questions you can always shoot me a PM and I can answer them.
Also for anyone who does their own car work. Use car-part.com Best way to find the cheapest parts. I use this site 90% of the time when I am doing an estimate.
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BeardedWonder
Lord Nagafen Raider
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I've had great luck finding independent shops for both body and mechanic work. You will have to shop/ask around but it's worth the time. As long as the paint is factory paint and not custom, most places can match the factory paint code and respray. Looking at the bumper, maybe a couple hundred dollars for bondo, sand and respray, cash. The red stripe may cost you more, though. Can't tell by the pics but the stripe has to be touched up or restriped. Is it vinyl? And the black has to be touched up. So, get quotes and ask for pictures of the shops work on similar projects. Some of those guys take a shit load of pictures of their work like tattoo artists.
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BeardedWonder
Lord Nagafen Raider
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If it's steel underneath, than it maybe rust under the paint. If it's not steel, its over spray from shooting too much paint in one area. The paint will "wrinkle". (Red Pic, rust. Green Pic, wrinkle)
ShakyJake
<Donor>
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This is on the bumper so it's plastic. It definitely looks very similar to the green pic, but why would this suddenly appear nearly two years after purchasing the vehicle? It absolutely was not there before. I'm VERY particular about my vehicles and would notice something like that.
Since asking the question, I've tried using a polishing compound with a random-orbit buffer but made zero impact on it.
Lanx
<Prior Amod>
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Quick question, rear brake light isn't coming on while driving. It does flash when I hit my keyless entry. Because it works that way, should I take that meaning it's not a simple bulb or fuse?
Ronaan
Molten Core Raider
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Depends if you have a older or a newer car. Older might just be the switch (actual switch) that gets pressed when you step on the brake, or a cable connection with that. Newer might be electronics shmelectronics and you need to hook it up and look at the error code.
Or just what Brutul said.
Or just what Brutul said.
A5150Ylee
Ahn'Qiraj Raider
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It could be a dual filament bulb that serves as both brake light and turn signal. My wife's car uses those and the brake light worked, but the turn signal filament was burned out. Is it possible your keyless entry flashes your turn signals which might still work, and the brake filament is burned out?
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BeardedWonder
Lord Nagafen Raider
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Then it maybe heat related on the underside of the bumper or it's chemical related?
BeardedWonder
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Ronaan
Molten Core Raider
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It's the rear, duh.
Now that you mention it, this seems the most probable.
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BeardedWonder
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