Advice wanted from you paint and body shop guys!

[SCMOKN]

Ok I have a post already about what happend. Now I need some impartial advice from the pros. Here are a couple pictures of the damage.

Now this is where I need some advice!

I took the car to the body shop and they suggested that they repair the panel. He showed me a late model Camaro with simular damage that they just did. They worked the damage from the back side and very little filler was used. It was black as well and the final product looked really nice.

The insurance company wrote it up to place the entire rear quarter panel. While i'm not fond of body filler i'm not sure how I feel about removing the entire rear quarter either.

So my question to the body shop guys here what would you recomend? Repair or replace?


Thanks for your advice!

 

[Chewy]

I'm VERY familiar with body repairs and that quarter panel needs to be replaced. They have no access on the front lower portion of the quarter and it will not be good to repair that panel and they will be using quite a bit of bondo to recontour that body line. It totally sucks having to cut off a structural part like this, but make sure you take it to a reputable shop. The door skin appears to be borderline too and the wheel looks like it took an impact as well. What did they write on those 2 components? And did they allow for an alignment?

Also, BIG QUESTION>>> What shop in Florida are you taking this repair to and what Insurance company are you insured with?? And who is the other person insured with?

Oh, and EDIT....Very good case for Deminished Value (DIV)

 

[SCMOKN]

They wrote it up to repair the door. Both wheels took a hit as well, they wrote them up for repair ( not happy about that ) one tire replaced and the other to be inpected once off the wheel.

I am undecided about the shop at the moment. I am in Ocala City Collision is the Ins Co. recomended one. Jenkins is supposedly the most advanced shop in town, though that does not really mean alot with out the quality people.

Allstate is the carrier for myself and the at-fault driver.

And yes going after diminished value!

 

[Chewy]

The wheels (as long as they are just rashed up) can easily be repaired. Make sure the vendor they are using is powdercoating them. That's the OEM finish. Alot of mobile wheel guys are just using regular auto paint and that is not acceptable.

I know you're a little ways away, but I have a very close relationship with 1st Class in Pompano Beach. IT's worth the drive .They are 1 of 6 factory Authorized shops in the country to repair Ferrari, and are Porsche, Aston Martin, Maserati & Jaguar certified. They are one of the one shops that are using the new Waterborne paint system which is as close to the OEM as you can get. If you want your vehicle to never look like it was ever repaired they are the real deal. I've seen them do $200,000 repairs on exotics and you would never kow they were touched.

Here's their website: Luxury Auto Body Repair | Pompano Beach Sports Car Repair | Boca Raton Auto Body | Collision Repair

 

[SCMOKN]

Any others?

 

[fast ford brian]

City fixed our black Yukon when I got rear ended last year . Paint and body look awesome but there where a few bolts and connectors they missed ! I wouldn't let them cut up your car . Let them fix it , they warranty there work if it doesn't turn out .

 

[Chewy]

Any others?

See who these guys use for local body work:

Ferrari of Central Florida - Serving Orlando, FL

I'd avoid the shop Allstate is suggesting. Alstate is notorious for keeping repair costs low which means they won't go the extra mile to insure the repair is done with the utmost quality.

Keep in mind that a good repair is one that is not detectable. Nothing worse than popping the trunk and noticing the repaired jamb looks totally different then the untouched side? That means all the seams, jamb finishes, welds and such are returned to OEM appearance. On black, that is an even higher hurdle to jump over. A shop that works on high end vehicles regularly are more apt to recognize these standards. If you don't get the vehicle repaired to spec, your deminished value claim will be denied. The insurance company can flake out and use the excuse that due to inferior repairs that were completed on your car, that decreased the value more then the accident itself. Get it fixed right and you have much more of a solid case.

Are you handling the DIV claim yourself or hiring someone for guidance?

 

[SCMOKN]

See who these guys use for local body work:

Ferrari of Central Florida - Serving Orlando, FL

I'd avoid the shop Allstate is suggesting. Alstate is notorious for keeping repair costs low which means they won't go the extra mile to insure the repair is done with the utmost quality.

Keep in mind that a good repair is one that is not detectable. Nothing worse than popping the trunk and noticing the repaired jamb looks totally different then the untouched side? That means all the seams, jamb finishes, welds and such are returned to OEM appearance. On black, that is an even higher hurdle to jump over. A shop that works on high end vehicles regularly are more apt to recognize these standards. If you don't get the vehicle repaired to spec, your deminished value claim will be denied. The insurance company can flake out and use the excuse that due to inferior repairs that were completed on your car, that decreased the value more then the accident itself. Get it fixed right and you have much more of a solid case.

Are you handling the DIV claim yourself or hiring someone for guidance?

I have someone taking care of the DV claim.

 

[KTTrucks]

Dont be worried about replacing the panel... it definitly needs it. the damage goes into the jamb, and of course into the door. Bumping out panels is not what it used to be.... replacement is better, hands down, and will look better. Make sure that they look THROUGH the damage, IE things like checking the wheels to be true, stress cracks in the door frame, separated seams, etc... a good estimator will catch all of that stuff.... it sounds like the collision shop was trying to save a deductable or fast track the job to cycle it through. ask about 200 questions... if you're not satisfied with the shops answers, move on. YOU have the choice of the repair facility... NOT the insurance company. It's the law.

 

[snakebite72]

Take your time and do your research, find a shop in your area that does...by all means outstanding work, the panel is part of the structure of the car so please take your time and find a shop that could handle that type of work, if it where me i would go ahead with the panel replacement, i had a similar damage on my 01 Cobra and the shop didn't want to replace the panel so they ended up pulling it out and using a small amount of body filler well long story short the skirt looked funky in that area not sitting properly against the body... here is a pick of my former 01 car...

here is after the repairs... i took the opportunity to paint the car pearl black, to the naked eye looks good but when we started to get it together the skirt on that area did not match well with the body of the car this was where the damage on the rear panel was right in front of the rear tire just like yours.

Also keep in mind... black is a pain in the a$$ to match thats why i painted the entire car.

 

[Mach828]

That thing should be replaced. Too much damage for filler. It could be hammered out and repaired, but not worth it. Fight for a replacement only!

 

[Dirks9901]

It could be repaired but I would get it replaced hands down

 

[5ohpowa]

Id have the panels straightened. As long as the use the proper equipment you will not have any issues. As far as replacing the quarter panel i would avoid that as much as possible as i dont like to disturb the factory seam or spot welds. Also if they replace the quarter it will be a splice between the quarter panel and the factory a pillar as it doesnt come from ford as a "uniside panel" it comes as just the quarter panel. After all they warranty their work so you should be fine. Also with the quarter replacement the rear glass will haveto be removed as well as all the adjacent interior panels which options opens the door for other issues down the road

 

[5ohpowa]

It basically comes down to the tech and the shops abilities. Repaired or replaced if they dont do quality work it will be sh#%. A replaced panel that isnt done properly will "sweat" rust between the seams and the seam sealer and splice job may not be done to your standards. If repaired the jambs will be factory still with no after-build splices or spot welds. Also for the guy with the 01 cobra above if the rocker didnt fit priperly thats probably because after the straightened the car nobody prefit the panels before paint (lazy) but the choice to try to save the panel on a 94-04 car makes sense since the bottom of the trunk hinges in the jamb are burried in flowable seam sealer from the factory and is difficuilt to replicate after you replace the quarter.

 

[Chewy]

Also if they replace the quarter it will be a splice between the quarter panel and the factory a pillar as it doesnt come from ford as a "uniside panel" it comes as just the quarter panel.

How does this make any real issue? They would install the 1/4 the same way the factory does (seem wise at the aperature). This is a proper way of doing things and is how ICAR instructs you to do it.

Can the 1/4 be repaired 100%.........???????
Not without removing it >> straightening it >>> reinstalling it. Otherwise, it's getting roughed in and filled full of mud. Replacement of the panel is the best route.