Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I was recently an idiot and hit a poll in my parking garage backing out . To be fair, I'm very new to the area/apt complex and am not used to the garage! But alas, the damage is done.
I am in need of (and have been quoted) that I need the front left fender replaced and obviously blended to match my door.
My question to you all (since this is a new experience, and in my measly five years of driving have never hit a thing!), is should I trust a friend of a friend to replace the left panel for $100 less than shops are quoting me, and can do same day repairs? The shop will take about 3-4 days and not offer me any sort of shuttle service. I live in an area where I can go without my car for a few days, but 4 may be pushing it.
A little background: 2011 Toyota Corolla with about 3 years of payment left on the vehicle. This was my fault, but I am not reporting it to insurance since it seems to be less than/on par with my $500 deductible. Since I'm young, I'm thinking my premium would increase far too much for this repair to be worth it.
My father who has used my brother/his friends to fix his cars the past 10 years has told me that this is a very minor, foolproof repair and that as long as the paint is blended adequately, it should be fine. This guy comes highly recommended from a friend. I'm 7 hours away from my brother, or I'd hire him to do it!
I needed a left front fender, bumper, grill and all of the molding and such that is involved replaced on my Jeep and my boyfriend did it and it looks just like it was done by a professional. He has been working on cars all his life, so I guess that helps, but he is not in the auto industry.
My brother is an auto body/paint guy but is terribly busy. He ordered all the parts for me and I gave him the money and it was done.
He did have one of his guys paint the parts that needed painting. The only thing with that is that my Jeep is a 98 and the new doesn't match the old............so I just speed through the mud! wahahahahahaha!
First of all you want the repair to be done correctly and NOT noticeable . Replacing a fender (if nothing behind it is bent) is easy but as the other guy said matching the paint is the issue. The paint on you car is not something that can be matched with just one spray can. The paint has a colored base coat. step 2 a color coat and step 3 a clear coat to make it shine and protect the paint.
Either take what you get from your 'friend" or pay the professional shop to do the job correctly. Given you are a newish driver I suggest paying for the work out of pocket and not telling the Insurance company.
This one might be ok. Then again...they might laugh at me and call it a cheapy.Woodworking Specials
That's near $600. Also they use heat to bake on new paint and clear coat. The days of quality garage and driveway paint jobs are over if they are using modern finishes.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. To be fair, I'm very new to the area/apt complex and am not used to the garage! But alas, the damage is done.
