Dealer or Collision shop for '05 damage?
03-02-2006, 04:46 PM
#1
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Join Date: Jan 2006
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Posts: 272
Dealer or Collision shop for '05 damage?
Would you recommend going to the dealer for 2005 Mustang collision repair or to a collision repair shop?
I was rear-ended this week and the damage is not very bad (as far as I can tell). Initial estimate is $540 for R/R of rear bumper and paint of the new parts. I would assume that there could also be damage underneath the bumper but that won't be seen until the bumper is removed.
I didn't get a great feeling from the collision repair shop that my insurance sent me to. I am leaning towards taking the car to one of the better dealers in my area with hopes of getting OEM parts and the best color match for the paint. ?????
If you have had damage and repairs, where did you go and what was your experience?
I was rear-ended this week and the damage is not very bad (as far as I can tell). Initial estimate is $540 for R/R of rear bumper and paint of the new parts. I would assume that there could also be damage underneath the bumper but that won't be seen until the bumper is removed.
I didn't get a great feeling from the collision repair shop that my insurance sent me to. I am leaning towards taking the car to one of the better dealers in my area with hopes of getting OEM parts and the best color match for the paint. ?????
If you have had damage and repairs, where did you go and what was your experience?
03-02-2006, 05:33 PM
#2
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Missouri
Posts: 3,441
RE: Dealer or Collision shop for '05 damage?
I have had a few good cars screwed up in accidents...
discovered over time the best shop in my area.. NOW I ALWAYS take it to "Spirit" when I need body work.
The dealerships don't really know what they are doing. Dealing with their body shop is nearly the same as with their service center.. and there aren't a lot of very happy people with their service experience!
discovered over time the best shop in my area.. NOW I ALWAYS take it to "Spirit" when I need body work.
The dealerships don't really know what they are doing. Dealing with their body shop is nearly the same as with their service center.. and there aren't a lot of very happy people with their service experience!
03-02-2006, 08:42 PM
#5
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Join Date: Jun 2005
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Posts: 271
RE: Dealer or Collision shop for '05 damage?
A moron in an SUV backed into my Mustang last fall, bending in the bumper. I went to the best body shop in the area to get it done right, Cooks Collision Repair in Dublin, CA. A collision repair shop that specializes in high end cars is going to do a better job than a dealer. They have better painters and take more care to put everything properly in its place.
I think it cost more like $800 to have my rear bumper replaced, and there wasn't any damage underneath. You can't tell that the bumper isn't original or that any work has ever been done on the car.
I think it cost more like $800 to have my rear bumper replaced, and there wasn't any damage underneath. You can't tell that the bumper isn't original or that any work has ever been done on the car.
03-03-2006, 08:26 PM
#6
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Denver, CO.
Posts: 281
RE: Dealer or Collision shop for '05 damage?
never go to the dealer for anything but warranty work...
i'm an auto adjuster myself and it's funny how you echo the same misconceptions that most everyone else does as well.
Colormatch is a function of forumla. And even more of a function of the quality of the painter. Most dealers higher less than stellar people, those great great expert paintes own their own paint and body shops-thats where the real money is.
The paint code on the door or b-pillar tells the painter what to mix and in what proportions based on dealer spec. Because every dealer, even different ford dealers will use different brands of paint in different areas depending on what's available. Simply changing the brand of paint the car is painted with can change the tinting and color qualities, and there's a lot: Dupont, Sherwin, Glasroot, PPG and 3M to name some bigger ones. And the chances of the shop you choose using the same brand that your car was orig. painted with is pretty slim. And on top of that each color code can have as little as 1 or as many as 10-12 tint and color variations (lighter and darker than base). Painting and matching is an art. Throw that purple tint you have and mild metallic flake on your Sonic Stang (same color as mine btw-good choice) and things just get plain fun for making all of the paint match perfectly-its not easy.
The second thing is with parts...and you mentioning the dealer using OEM parts cracks me up. Everyone thinks that if they go to the dealer they'll get only OEM parts. It humors me that we ALL (myself included) sit on forums like this to discuss the best AFTERMARKET parts to cram in every corner of our cars, but once the insurance company says those infamous words: non-oem, or aftermarket everyone cries FOUL- and NOT ON MY CAR!!! Anyway that repairshop, dealer or what not, has ZERO to say about what parts go on your car, your insurance company makes the call as to what they allow based on your state's laws.
Moral of the story: use a reputable non-dealer collision repair shop in your area. The dealer may be able to do the work just as well obviously, but dealer customer service never seems to be up to par.
i'm an auto adjuster myself and it's funny how you echo the same misconceptions that most everyone else does as well.
Colormatch is a function of forumla. And even more of a function of the quality of the painter. Most dealers higher less than stellar people, those great great expert paintes own their own paint and body shops-thats where the real money is.
The paint code on the door or b-pillar tells the painter what to mix and in what proportions based on dealer spec. Because every dealer, even different ford dealers will use different brands of paint in different areas depending on what's available. Simply changing the brand of paint the car is painted with can change the tinting and color qualities, and there's a lot: Dupont, Sherwin, Glasroot, PPG and 3M to name some bigger ones. And the chances of the shop you choose using the same brand that your car was orig. painted with is pretty slim. And on top of that each color code can have as little as 1 or as many as 10-12 tint and color variations (lighter and darker than base). Painting and matching is an art. Throw that purple tint you have and mild metallic flake on your Sonic Stang (same color as mine btw-good choice) and things just get plain fun for making all of the paint match perfectly-its not easy.
The second thing is with parts...and you mentioning the dealer using OEM parts cracks me up. Everyone thinks that if they go to the dealer they'll get only OEM parts. It humors me that we ALL (myself included) sit on forums like this to discuss the best AFTERMARKET parts to cram in every corner of our cars, but once the insurance company says those infamous words: non-oem, or aftermarket everyone cries FOUL- and NOT ON MY CAR!!! Anyway that repairshop, dealer or what not, has ZERO to say about what parts go on your car, your insurance company makes the call as to what they allow based on your state's laws.
Moral of the story: use a reputable non-dealer collision repair shop in your area. The dealer may be able to do the work just as well obviously, but dealer customer service never seems to be up to par.
03-03-2006, 11:53 PM
#7
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Join Date: Jun 2005
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Posts: 213
RE: Dealer or Collision shop for '05 damage?
I'll chime in for a dealer. After my wife crashed my car, I sent it directly to the nearest ford dealership. They did excellent work and when I asked for stuff to be tweaked and hood pins added, they did it for free. Guess I got lucky.
03-04-2006, 12:27 AM
#8
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: IL
Posts: 9,644
RE: Dealer or Collision shop for '05 damage?
ORIGINAL: BrookShadow_RC
I'll chime in for a dealer. After my wife crashed my car, I sent it directly to the nearest ford dealership. They did excellent work and when I asked for stuff to be tweaked and hood pins added, they did it for free. Guess I got lucky.
I'll chime in for a dealer. After my wife crashed my car, I sent it directly to the nearest ford dealership. They did excellent work and when I asked for stuff to be tweaked and hood pins added, they did it for free. Guess I got lucky.
4wheelkillr, he speaks the truth
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