Let's play guess the repair estimate!
- Thread starter AZjeff
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AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
Winner winner chicken dinner!
2 estimates from bigger shops in town, $6,500 and $6,800 and that included $600 for a new wheel. Pretty amazing that this fairly small amount of damage will cost almost 20% of what the car just cost.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
The 2017 Elantra that she had actually had some battle damage on the passenger side as well.
my coworker in Paraguay got her Renault crushed including roof by tree falling. It cost her $1000 down there including glass to get roof banged out, windows and paint with doors/windows that work again.
I'll go $2,468.36
Guessing door is expensive since newish car. My daughters replacement door was only $200 used for 2013 Acura ILX.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
It's a 2024, used doors are probably pretty rare.
Keyword is estimate. Once they get in there the number will probably go up a bit.
Don't forget to check for alignment. If that wheel got hit hard enough there might be some things that have to be taken care of in the back.
Owen Lucas
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I presume blend the front door and clear quarter up and over to the roof rail. If the body shop wrote the estimate they probably included to clear the door jambs at least to the B pillar.
Insurance will probably cut the paint down to burn the clear into the quarter sail. I'd insist on a new OE wheel. Who knows what happened to the reman wheel. Unless Toyota wants a core, just keep it as a backup for yourself.
Check the tire to see if there is a gouge, that is grounds for a new tire.
There will need to be a light pull time on the dogleg with a lot of labor. Hopefully no reason to section in a new part but not so hard on a small area like that. Possibly a new rocker panel which a savvy shop might even use grounds for blending the fender for after they paint the RF door. Might as well paint the whole right side.
If I ran a body shop I'd ask for at least a wheel alignment setup.
Don't let them forget new door edge guards.
Insurance will probably cut the paint down to burn the clear into the quarter sail. I'd insist on a new OE wheel. Who knows what happened to the reman wheel. Unless Toyota wants a core, just keep it as a backup for yourself.
Check the tire to see if there is a gouge, that is grounds for a new tire.
There will need to be a light pull time on the dogleg with a lot of labor. Hopefully no reason to section in a new part but not so hard on a small area like that. Possibly a new rocker panel which a savvy shop might even use grounds for blending the fender for after they paint the RF door. Might as well paint the whole right side.
If I ran a body shop I'd ask for at least a wheel alignment setup.
Don't let them forget new door edge guards.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
Lots of good advice but I'm an observer only, wasn't asked for help dealing with it. Turns out this dealer group has it's own body shop that she didn't go to yet but I'll bet that's who will get the job.
Owen Lucas
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A dealer body shop is the way to go. Techs know the vehicle inside out and can get parts the fastest.
Hardly any body places can "blend" they want to paint over perfectly good original paint on a third of the car. Just paint the damaged area, but don't use water paint to do it. Use the water paint on houses and fences.
Owen Lucas
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Waterborne paint is now required in some states depending on their environmental laws. Can't really get around it because the supplier won't even sell you the paint. IIRC some clearcoats are still solvent based but wouldn't be surprised if that all moved to waterborne by now.
Insurance write-off! Replace car.
Metal is metal, plastic is plastic. While I'm sure they could have high-quality body repair folks, this comes from skill and experience, not who the employer is.
$5-$6,000 which seems ridiculous but probably not out of line.
Owen Lucas
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I guess my position on dealer body shops is controversial, even in other forums. My reason for this is (as an insurance adjuster that been to 1000's of body shops) that certified dealer shops have better training, service, and quality in my experience.
Often the body shop is near the service center so alignments, ADAS recalibration, engine R&Is and other technical issues are easier and faster to fix. Non dealer shops often have to tow cars to the dealer or have a mobile diagnostics guy come by, this extends repairs 2-3+ days. Who wants to have their almost fixed car thrown on a tow truck back and forth?
Dealer shops have to meet certification and training requirements. When you get to German and exotic vehicles that require a dedicated aluminum bay and manufacturer supplied tools, you can only go with the dealer. Try having Al's body shop order an aluminum quarter panel for a 24 Audi A8, let alone have them install it.
It is becoming hard for independent shops to keep up with advancing technology. The well to do independents maybe have some dealer certs and training so that's great especially if they have no dealer competition. Most other shops I wouldn't trust for any structural or exotic vehicle work.
Yeah yeah, required in some states. I bet any bridges, aircraft and military items ships etc are not painted with dollar store kids paints.
Only latex paint for us pee ons stuff, while how many jet planes a minute are leaving airports spewing more VOC's than you can imagine, then there is dumping fuel for landing etc etc. and they want to take our good paints away?
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