Question about Body work.
05-14-2006, 04:55 AM
#1
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Norwalk, CT
Posts: 185
Question about Body work.
First off, heres my situation...
Long story short, heavy rain, lots of pollen, and a curved highway onramp caused me to spin out doing 35 two months after I bought the car.
Ok so, drivers side quarter panel is toast in the rear, rear bumper is gone, trunk lid is prob gonna need replacing, along with spoiler, and there is a kink in the passenger side quarter panel. Hopefully there is no structural damage, the police officer was able to move the car so Im guessing that means the rear axle and differential are intact. Preliminary examination at the shop the guys said its not a total at all and they can make it just like new.
My question is regarding the replacement parts, will the parts come already painted from the factory? Or will the shop have to do the painting? Also I heard from a friend that the quarter panel will probably not be replaced entirely just have the broken part sawed off and a new piece welded on, but Id think it would be easier to just have it completely replaced wouldnt it? Either way biggest thing Im worried about is the paint, I want it to look stock, even if the shop can do a better job than stock, I just want the whole car to look the same, so Im hoping parts come from the factory painted.
This accident was a real kick in the ***, Im having a real hard time getting to work and to my job interviews =/ On top of that my insurance is taking their sweet *** time getting a claims adjuster down there so the shop has had the car since wednesday and they still havent been able to touch it.
So anyone know how this works with replacing body panels? Thanks.
Long story short, heavy rain, lots of pollen, and a curved highway onramp caused me to spin out doing 35 two months after I bought the car.
Ok so, drivers side quarter panel is toast in the rear, rear bumper is gone, trunk lid is prob gonna need replacing, along with spoiler, and there is a kink in the passenger side quarter panel. Hopefully there is no structural damage, the police officer was able to move the car so Im guessing that means the rear axle and differential are intact. Preliminary examination at the shop the guys said its not a total at all and they can make it just like new.
My question is regarding the replacement parts, will the parts come already painted from the factory? Or will the shop have to do the painting? Also I heard from a friend that the quarter panel will probably not be replaced entirely just have the broken part sawed off and a new piece welded on, but Id think it would be easier to just have it completely replaced wouldnt it? Either way biggest thing Im worried about is the paint, I want it to look stock, even if the shop can do a better job than stock, I just want the whole car to look the same, so Im hoping parts come from the factory painted.
This accident was a real kick in the ***, Im having a real hard time getting to work and to my job interviews =/ On top of that my insurance is taking their sweet *** time getting a claims adjuster down there so the shop has had the car since wednesday and they still havent been able to touch it.
So anyone know how this works with replacing body panels? Thanks.
05-14-2006, 05:05 AM
#2
I ♥ Acer
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location:
Posts: 782
RE: Question about Body work.
Betcha ........ ya got GEICO !!!!!!!!! That "greeen lizard" will destroy you. Not to mention that "tricky pollen"
Do you have a decent carrier ????? A good insurance provider would not be d***ing you.
Please advise.
JMO
Do you have a decent carrier ????? A good insurance provider would not be d***ing you.
Please advise.
JMO
05-14-2006, 05:11 AM
#3
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Norwalk, CT
Posts: 185
RE: Question about Body work.
I have State Farm, and yeah that tricky pollen got a lot of people that day, on my ride back home from my accident I saw 2 other accidents, one was one car, the other involved two cars.
05-14-2006, 05:21 AM
#4
I ♥ Acer
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location:
Posts: 782
RE: Question about Body work.
UR BEST BET IS TO, argue this out with SF,.............. It's hard to understand, why....... you have a PROBLEM.
SF is an excellant carrier, they always take good care of their customers.
Somethings "missing" here.
JMO
SF is an excellant carrier, they always take good care of their customers.
Somethings "missing" here.
JMO
05-14-2006, 05:24 AM
#5
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Norwalk, CT
Posts: 185
RE: Question about Body work.
Ive been calling them every day to see when the guys is scheduled to go there and they just keep telling me that they sent the notice to the adjuster and they'll call me when its done, but they wont tell me when hes supposed to actually go.
05-14-2006, 10:57 AM
#6
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location:
Posts: 749
RE: Question about Body work.
NOTHING comes painted from the factory. Good body work is as much art as skill. If they replace a panel (which you should insist on with a new car), they always replace an entire panel, not part of it. With a front fender, hood, or trunk, it is always a bolt on (then paint) job (though sometimes a good shop will paint the inside portions of a new panel prior to installation). For quarter panels or roofs, though (and even door skins), welding is always involved. The rear window and quarter windows will need to be removed, and they will cut off the old panel at the factory weld (at the "C" pillar somewhere), then weld on a new one, then smooth out the weld with bondo. Not sure, but depending on the car, parts of the interior will need to be removed. They will then prime and paint to match.
The "make you feel good" answer here would be that a good body tech and good paint shop can make a car like yours look good as new. The reality of it is that major surgery is needed to get it there, and it is easy to screw it up.
Get a good referral to a good body shop, make sure that they have a track record of getting along with your insurance company, and hope for the best. And, if you do in fact have Geico, expect your cancellation notice any day.
Sorry to hear about the bad news. I hope that it works out for you.
-6x
EDIT: I just re-read and saw that you have State Farm. I had good experieince with them years ago; not sure how they are now.
The "make you feel good" answer here would be that a good body tech and good paint shop can make a car like yours look good as new. The reality of it is that major surgery is needed to get it there, and it is easy to screw it up.
Get a good referral to a good body shop, make sure that they have a track record of getting along with your insurance company, and hope for the best. And, if you do in fact have Geico, expect your cancellation notice any day.
Sorry to hear about the bad news. I hope that it works out for you.
-6x
EDIT: I just re-read and saw that you have State Farm. I had good experieince with them years ago; not sure how they are now.
05-14-2006, 01:47 PM
#7
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location:
Posts: 16
RE: Question about Body work.
Have my honey sitting here dictating as I type (she works in the biz)...
The parts do not come "pre-painted". The body shop will match the pain according to the code on your vehicle. They'll also cut the panel and weld in a partial. Your friend is right. They typically do not replace the entire panel unless the whole thing is trashed.
Just make sure you pick a good reputable shop to have the workd done. Shop and ask around.
The parts do not come "pre-painted". The body shop will match the pain according to the code on your vehicle. They'll also cut the panel and weld in a partial. Your friend is right. They typically do not replace the entire panel unless the whole thing is trashed.
Just make sure you pick a good reputable shop to have the workd done. Shop and ask around.
05-14-2006, 10:18 PM
#8
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: WI
Posts: 69
RE: Question about Body work.
If you take it to a State Farm Certified Body Shop you do not need an adjuster, they just do the estimate, call it in and get the OK to do the work. The body shop we use is SF Cert and we just drop it off and get it fixed.
05-14-2006, 11:25 PM
#10
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Norwalk, CT
Posts: 185
RE: Question about Body work.
OK guys, I just walkd to the body shop, and here is the damage:
I took a look underneath and I think there may be an issue wit the axle on the driver's side, the wheel looked kind of crooked on it, also the inside of the trunk is bent in, the guy said they could probably fix it without replacing it, but I dunno. Im guessing the gas tank will need replacing too, I owe $25,500 on the car so I doubt theyd total it out, right?
I took a look underneath and I think there may be an issue wit the axle on the driver's side, the wheel looked kind of crooked on it, also the inside of the trunk is bent in, the guy said they could probably fix it without replacing it, but I dunno. Im guessing the gas tank will need replacing too, I owe $25,500 on the car so I doubt theyd total it out, right?