Me being a bit OCD, I'd sell it. That truck will never be right again with those repairs.
After accident, should I sell or keep?
- Thread starter Cujet
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I'd keep it myself. I just went through this, though not quite to the same extent. Someone pulled out in front of me as I was going 50 mph. I got slowed down to about 20 mph or less before I hit her. Fortunately, her car was light (Chevy Malibu) and I just kind of spun her around, reducing the damage to both cars. But they had to replace the bumper cover, the front fender, and do some minor repair to the driver side front door on our Honda.
The repairs are cosmetically perfect. You truly can't tell anything has been done from the outside. There are a few tell-tale signs if you look closer, though (like the new fender not having the VIN decal like the rest of the body panels do). Every now and again, I can hear some tweaking/squawking from the door if the body twists a little going over a bump or something. It's a minor annoyance.
But still, it's OUR car. We know its "likes and dislikes" so to speak. We've bonded with it. We could ditch it for something else, but there are risks with that, too. I speak from a little experience there as well. I traded my beloved '97 Cadillac SLS for a newer '01 Cadillac STS and never bonded with the '01. And it was made worse because I had lost the bond with the '97 and couldn't get that bond with the '01, which was a self-fulfilling kind of thing.
So, no, I'd keep your truck, and continue to enjoy it as you always have. Nothing about that damage should affect the way it drives, and I suspect they'll do a fine job with the repair.
The repairs are cosmetically perfect. You truly can't tell anything has been done from the outside. There are a few tell-tale signs if you look closer, though (like the new fender not having the VIN decal like the rest of the body panels do). Every now and again, I can hear some tweaking/squawking from the door if the body twists a little going over a bump or something. It's a minor annoyance.
But still, it's OUR car. We know its "likes and dislikes" so to speak. We've bonded with it. We could ditch it for something else, but there are risks with that, too. I speak from a little experience there as well. I traded my beloved '97 Cadillac SLS for a newer '01 Cadillac STS and never bonded with the '01. And it was made worse because I had lost the bond with the '97 and couldn't get that bond with the '01, which was a self-fulfilling kind of thing.
So, no, I'd keep your truck, and continue to enjoy it as you always have. Nothing about that damage should affect the way it drives, and I suspect they'll do a fine job with the repair.
Originally Posted By: Cujet
NOT a simple fix. And the diminished value is $4500 according to the shop.
Seems like a lot of damage from rubbing across a concrete bollard. I'd have thought that the tires would have slid (as if sliding around a curb turning a corner) before the body would deform like that.
NOT a simple fix. And the diminished value is $4500 according to the shop.
Seems like a lot of damage from rubbing across a concrete bollard. I'd have thought that the tires would have slid (as if sliding around a curb turning a corner) before the body would deform like that.
I had almost the same damage on my 2010 F150. A girl T-Boned me while I was driving and the damage was a little worse than what you had pictured. They had to replace the door opening, the rear door, the front door skin, rear tire, and the bed skin. After it was all done I did notice the rear door was a little harder to close, the trim on the door sill was never quite right, and is seemed like there was more road noise from that area. But I'm OCD and AR about these things.
Originally Posted By: Cujet
Mama drove my perfect 56,000 mile, 2009 F150 4x4 Lariat, into the steel pipe "bollards" at the mall
Obligatory woman driver comment.
Mama drove my perfect 56,000 mile, 2009 F150 4x4 Lariat, into the steel pipe "bollards" at the mall
Obligatory woman driver comment.
Originally Posted By: Cujet
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Just relax, and see what it looks like when they're done. Then you'll know.
The truck wasn't in a hard collision, it was a rub. If it had been in a hard collision, that would be completely different.
My '04 truck had nearly $11,000 worth of work done on it in '09 by a very quality conscientious shop, and I'm still driving it today.
The cab "B" and "C" pillars were pushed inward about an inch at the bottom. Since they are "cab structural", it was a very difficult repair, requiring hydrualic force to straighten. The door jamb at the bottom was also pushed inward and it bent upwards in the middle from the extent of the force. In essence, the cab was quite distorted.
The bodyshop had to order 5 doors to find one that fit properly (each one is a tiny bit different, believe it or not. Then they went to work straightening the cab and fitting everything together. It was a major process. All the windows had to come out, along with much of the interior.
You can't see it in the pics, but the cab was distorted enough to have a 1 inch gap between the door seals and the new doors. In other words it was quite tweaked. Also the top of the doors protruded about an inch.
NOT a simple fix. And the diminished value is $4500 according to the shop.
You need a better shop. It is that simple.
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Just relax, and see what it looks like when they're done. Then you'll know.
The truck wasn't in a hard collision, it was a rub. If it had been in a hard collision, that would be completely different.
My '04 truck had nearly $11,000 worth of work done on it in '09 by a very quality conscientious shop, and I'm still driving it today.
The cab "B" and "C" pillars were pushed inward about an inch at the bottom. Since they are "cab structural", it was a very difficult repair, requiring hydrualic force to straighten. The door jamb at the bottom was also pushed inward and it bent upwards in the middle from the extent of the force. In essence, the cab was quite distorted.
The bodyshop had to order 5 doors to find one that fit properly (each one is a tiny bit different, believe it or not. Then they went to work straightening the cab and fitting everything together. It was a major process. All the windows had to come out, along with much of the interior.
You can't see it in the pics, but the cab was distorted enough to have a 1 inch gap between the door seals and the new doors. In other words it was quite tweaked. Also the top of the doors protruded about an inch.
NOT a simple fix. And the diminished value is $4500 according to the shop.
You need a better shop. It is that simple.
Originally Posted By: Cujet
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Just relax, and see what it looks like when they're done. Then you'll know.
The truck wasn't in a hard collision, it was a rub. If it had been in a hard collision, that would be completely different.
My '04 truck had nearly $11,000 worth of work done on it in '09 by a very quality conscientious shop, and I'm still driving it today.
The cab "B" and "C" pillars were pushed inward about an inch at the bottom. Since they are "cab structural", it was a very difficult repair, requiring hydrualic force to straighten. The door jamb at the bottom was also pushed inward and it bent upwards in the middle from the extent of the force. In essence, the cab was quite distorted.
The bodyshop had to order 5 doors to find one that fit properly (each one is a tiny bit different, believe it or not. Then they went to work straightening the cab and fitting everything together. It was a major process. All the windows had to come out, along with much of the interior.
You can't see it in the pics, but the cab was distorted enough to have a 1 inch gap between the door seals and the new doors. In other words it was quite tweaked. Also the top of the doors protruded about an inch.
NOT a simple fix. And the diminished value is $4500 according to the shop.
Was the collision enough to put you in the hospital, or deploy the airbags?
No? Then it wasn't a hard collision. The truck will be fine.
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Just relax, and see what it looks like when they're done. Then you'll know.
The truck wasn't in a hard collision, it was a rub. If it had been in a hard collision, that would be completely different.
My '04 truck had nearly $11,000 worth of work done on it in '09 by a very quality conscientious shop, and I'm still driving it today.
The cab "B" and "C" pillars were pushed inward about an inch at the bottom. Since they are "cab structural", it was a very difficult repair, requiring hydrualic force to straighten. The door jamb at the bottom was also pushed inward and it bent upwards in the middle from the extent of the force. In essence, the cab was quite distorted.
The bodyshop had to order 5 doors to find one that fit properly (each one is a tiny bit different, believe it or not. Then they went to work straightening the cab and fitting everything together. It was a major process. All the windows had to come out, along with much of the interior.
You can't see it in the pics, but the cab was distorted enough to have a 1 inch gap between the door seals and the new doors. In other words it was quite tweaked. Also the top of the doors protruded about an inch.
NOT a simple fix. And the diminished value is $4500 according to the shop.
Was the collision enough to put you in the hospital, or deploy the airbags?
No? Then it wasn't a hard collision. The truck will be fine.
Finally got the truck back from Mullinax Ford Body shop. Bottom line: They did a great job on the repair, welding, replacement of parts with OEM parts and so on. Just a couple of very minor issues which they promise to fix.
Really, the paint looks every bit as good as the rest of the truck. They sanded and buffed it, to a deep glossy shine. It's got less orange peel than the OEM paint and nearly zero flaws. I'm pleased! No tape lines, no visible indication of repairs anywhere.
They purchased 5 doors to get 2 that fit properly. And, they do fit just right!
The minor issues: They promise to fix the issues when I go back. The new doors don't have the OEM sound damping (like dynamat) installed. So, they sound a bit like "tin cans". And the pax door lock rod rattles inside. Also, the new paint on the bed chipped (about 1/2 inch) where the repair was done and soft bondo shows. This was done during bed installation.
1) 2 new OEM doors
2) installed OEM patch panel
3) repaired bed by conventional means
4) straightened B and C pillars to get doors to fit
5) repaired door jamb with hyd pressure
6) replaced side step with new
7) all new seals, decals, close out plugs and trim
I'm going to rustproof the inside of the "C" pillar with aviation spec corrosion inhibiting compound. I can get in there easily, as the body shop left the trim off "just for me". That should greatly reduce the risk of rust.
Really, the paint looks every bit as good as the rest of the truck. They sanded and buffed it, to a deep glossy shine. It's got less orange peel than the OEM paint and nearly zero flaws. I'm pleased! No tape lines, no visible indication of repairs anywhere.
They purchased 5 doors to get 2 that fit properly. And, they do fit just right!
The minor issues: They promise to fix the issues when I go back. The new doors don't have the OEM sound damping (like dynamat) installed. So, they sound a bit like "tin cans". And the pax door lock rod rattles inside. Also, the new paint on the bed chipped (about 1/2 inch) where the repair was done and soft bondo shows. This was done during bed installation.
1) 2 new OEM doors
2) installed OEM patch panel
3) repaired bed by conventional means
4) straightened B and C pillars to get doors to fit
5) repaired door jamb with hyd pressure
6) replaced side step with new
7) all new seals, decals, close out plugs and trim
I'm going to rustproof the inside of the "C" pillar with aviation spec corrosion inhibiting compound. I can get in there easily, as the body shop left the trim off "just for me". That should greatly reduce the risk of rust.
I wanted to post an update:
The front door takes at least 2 pulls to get it open.
The speaker rattles.
The door latch hardware rattles and squeaks while driving (very annoying)
The wind noise is much louder than before, yet the seal fit is fine.
The window roll-up-sound is awful, like a can of marbles.
The paint is developing a weird, large pattern, orange peel look. Very strange. As it was perfectly smooth right from the body shop.
I'll give them the chance to fix it, but I'm not at all happy with the results.
The front door takes at least 2 pulls to get it open.
The speaker rattles.
The door latch hardware rattles and squeaks while driving (very annoying)
The wind noise is much louder than before, yet the seal fit is fine.
The window roll-up-sound is awful, like a can of marbles.
The paint is developing a weird, large pattern, orange peel look. Very strange. As it was perfectly smooth right from the body shop.
I'll give them the chance to fix it, but I'm not at all happy with the results.
Sorry about your experience but this is very typical. Hopefully the number of issues will lessen over time, but that is not always the case.
I have never seen major damage repaired by a body shop that wasn't problematic.
I have never seen major damage repaired by a body shop that wasn't problematic.
I've never seen major repairs that were done by a car dealer body shop, that weren't problematic.
The truck should have not been returned to you with such issues. It sounds as if no one gave it a good test drive.
Not sure if this is the first time that you mentioned that the work was at a dealer's body shop, or not.
Unfortunately, the most frustrating experiences that I've personally had, have come from dealer body shops. I've yet to see a dealer body shop that is exceptional. Why? There are often too many other demands placed upon management and the owner of the dealership.
A dedicated body shop is a body shop, and only a body shop. It is what they do, and the body work gets all of the attention. A dedicated body shop doesn't also sell new cars, used cars, parts, service, deal with warranty issues, and on and on and on.
With a dealer, they have all of these other demands, and the body shop is often lost in the mix... The rest of it will help keep the body shop afloat, even if it is only average.
And... the quality of the work is only as good as the experience level of the guy doing the work. A body shop will hire the best people out there that they can find (or recruit them away from the competition). They won't hire anyone who is mediocre. They want to stay in business.
I've said it before... the quality of work that the body shop does will hang around past the experience with the insurance company, past the use of the rental car and everything else.
Finding the best body shop in the area is the biggest task that anyone will have after an accident, outside of medical issues.
The truck should have not been returned to you with such issues. It sounds as if no one gave it a good test drive.
Not sure if this is the first time that you mentioned that the work was at a dealer's body shop, or not.
Unfortunately, the most frustrating experiences that I've personally had, have come from dealer body shops. I've yet to see a dealer body shop that is exceptional. Why? There are often too many other demands placed upon management and the owner of the dealership.
A dedicated body shop is a body shop, and only a body shop. It is what they do, and the body work gets all of the attention. A dedicated body shop doesn't also sell new cars, used cars, parts, service, deal with warranty issues, and on and on and on.
With a dealer, they have all of these other demands, and the body shop is often lost in the mix... The rest of it will help keep the body shop afloat, even if it is only average.
And... the quality of the work is only as good as the experience level of the guy doing the work. A body shop will hire the best people out there that they can find (or recruit them away from the competition). They won't hire anyone who is mediocre. They want to stay in business.
I've said it before... the quality of work that the body shop does will hang around past the experience with the insurance company, past the use of the rental car and everything else.
Finding the best body shop in the area is the biggest task that anyone will have after an accident, outside of medical issues.
I hope you don't mind, but can you tell us what the damage estimate dollar value was?
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