Fixing body damage(worth it?)

[rjundi]

I purchased a 07 MDX on the cheap(below trade-in) with some minor body flaws but as a year passed it had cruddy body work done. They did not rust proof a new door skin leading to some rust at bottom edge of the door. This door is noticeably a different color at dusk/night. At least mechanically it is in exceptional condition and dealer maintained.

The vehicle got hit and insurance covers the associated rear panel + blend of door with rust. I also had a minor ding/scratch when purchased in front fender.

It is $150 to fix the rust on door which I want to do. It is is a high quality body shop.

Is it worth an additional $350 to fix the front scratch/ding and blend everything to look consistent on the entire side? Or am I crazy to do this to a car with 95k?

 

[JamesBond]

The body shop is probably getting most of their pay from the insurance company, this extra work that you want done probably has a more flexible price. Get them to tell you how much it will be to fix all the stuff over what the insurance is paying, then tell them "Eh, I don't know if I can afford it right now" if they don't offer you a lower price, just ask them.

I've had a body shop try to upsell a family member on some extra work over what they were already doing for an insurance repair, when they were told that the extra work was too expensive they started taking hundreds off right away. They're already fixing a bunch of stuff adding more doesn't really add much time on their end.

Plus it will bug you everyday if you don't do it now, and when you finally give in, the estimate to fix just the front will surely be higher.

 

[Dave Hess]

Of course you should spend the money to repair.

 

[dishdude]

If the rest of the car is in really good condition, I'd probably spend the extra $350 - but only if I planned on keeping it. If you go to sell it, I doubt anyone would notice or care.

 

[DuckRyder]

It would be worth it to me, only you can decide if it is worth it to you.

 

[JHZR2]

No body shop is doing that work for that little. The rest of the money is coming from insurance, and for $500, IMO it is worth it.

My concern is what kind of repair they are doing, and how good it is. I doubt it will keep rust off and away forever. I might be more interested in replacing the door with a known good OE one from a wrecked southern car, and then just letting them blend the whole thing.

 

[01rangerxl]

I would get everything fixed. The total cost is a small fraction of the value of the car, so it seems worthwhile.

 

[rjundi]

Thanks for reassurance, my wife feels otherwise but grew up with beat up cars.

The rust(surface/door edge) apparently was due to the prior body shop not doing the proper prep or step to rust proof the panel sadly. It is OEM acura.

The body led a hard life in a small MA town and was parked outside approximately 50' from the Atlantic.

My ownership will be the next 50k-100k miles or fuel is too excessive my wife gives up on this vehicle.

 

[meep]

that vehicle is probably still worth over $10k. I think it'd be worth repairing. OTOH, if it were me, I'd probably be trying to do it myself, with the risk of a not-as-perfect paint job.

. but i'd be more interested in protecting from future rust.

 

[Vikas]

Frankly, I can not believe that you think your new body shop is better than the old one. Even a rundown body shop does not want to work on fixing rust and will NEVER in a million year warranty rust repair. And that goes double for a reputable body shop.

A shop volunteering to fix the rust for money is unheard of. I think you are being taken.

Having made that clear, I would definitely pay extra to get the old job corrected but only if I can get a real written warranty and really believe that the shop would be there in couple of years when the time comes to collect on it. You would be surprised as how many body shops change their names periodically.

- Vikas

 

[rjundi]

They are a reputable local shop with owner who lives in town and been around for about 20 years.

Maybe rust is wrong term. It surface rust on the bottom of door panel.

This is shop with decent reviews> http://local.yahoo.com/details?id=10384823

 

[Whimsey]

I have a 2002 F-150 Supercab. I live in NJ, ie winter salt, my driveway is stone and it has a underground water stream. The truck only stays outdoors. About 4 years ago the bottom of all four door seams and the tailgate seam were showing signs of rust underneath the paint. I had my local body shop grind out the rust and refinish the seam joint. It cost $350 with no warranty. I accept that and understand once rust begins you can not cure it only stall it's advance. I just had the same rust condition taken care of again, though it was not as advanced at this time. Again it costs me $350. The body shop owner was honest and said that it will continue to rust faster because it's inside the door skin. And soon the metal will be too thin to repair. I'm happy to pay to at a least slow down the rust. Sooner or later it will rust through and can't be repaired. At least I will have had over 10 years of a rust free truck body in rotten conditions.

Whimsey

 

[cjcride]

Spray rustproofing into the door panels. Use stuff that is not to thick, the thinner stuff will creep into seams.