Body Shops.

[LabelKing]

Recently my car received a small dent on the passenger fender. Of course, I want this to be repaired, but I was wondering if there was a significant difference in the quality of work performed by body shops.

That is to say, I went to one place, which is supposed to specialize in Porsches, and cars of that sort, and the estimate was about $2600--the fender is not replaced; rather they hammer it out and then repaint it with a blend into the hood and passenger door.

Now, I wonder if this price is supposed to "swindle" the insurance company as the estimate form had what seems like an unusually high number of hours listed for the labor. The paint--Glasurit--and such materials were not particularly expensive.

 

[matadorpoeta]

my understanding is that actually repairing it is the cheap way, and that if you have insurance they will usually replace, not repair, body panels, fenders, etc... of course it depends on the age your car as well. if you have your insurance involved they will no doubt charge much more than if you had gone in and asked for an estimate sans insurance.

without knowing the details i will venture to guess you would have been better off not getting your insurance involved and just paying some guy with a hammer a couple of hundred dollars.

 

[LabelKing]

Yes, that's my concern as well. I think they upped the price because of the potential insurance payout. Granted, the shop is supposed to be a reputable place, but body shops all have this aura of sleaziness.

The car is a 1985 Mercedes SL in a rather bright original signal red. I don't really want to replace the fender as the damage isn't extensive enough for that sort of thing. Besides, the new replacement OEM fenders are somewhat inferior in quality compared to the originals. They are, however, available from Mercedes.

 

[Baron]

I had a body shop that does the repairs for a local mercedes dealership repair something for me after being dissatisfied with the work a smaller, cheaper shop did on my car. The more expensive Mercedes specialists did a noticably better job, but they were pricey. They also gave me a small break because I was paying out of pocket rather than with insurance.

There's a huge difference in the quality of paint jobs you can get. A factory quality paint job is probably $3K to $4K, and you can pay a lot less for a crappier job, or you can pay $20K for a custom job way better than factory paint.

 

[LabelKing]

I think a factory quality paintjob where they sand and remove everything using something like Glasurit is $10,000.

I went to another place that claims they didn't need to do a blend into the hood and door, which I find suspicious. The price was also lower than the Porsche place. I feel that the Porsche place upped the price because of the insurance.

 

[Huntsman]

LK, there is a huge difference in quality between body shops. Those bloody Maaco places will paint a car for $199 on sale.

My father's baby (also an '85) got a big dent in a rear door panel -- it caved in the entire skin to the point impact which was about 3" in -- and opted to have it 'dollied' out and repainted rather than replace the skin (wanted to keep it original). There is serious labor and skill involved in this procedure -- the metal that was stretched now has to get squished back into its original size. It's unbelievable that this can even be done.

I also would not trust the shop that said blending was not required. The original paint is likely a lacquer of a type that can no longer be used, and there is some difference that is visible (it's less in the color, but more in the specular reflections, in the sheen somehow) to a reasonably observant person. My father's was blended beautifully and I can't see it.

As for price, my father's affair was $1800.00 at a very good local shop that we checked out thoroughly. I took the Jag there a few weeks ago to get a quote on a full resand and paint -- $5-7k. Your $2600 quote sounds a little high, but perhaps not too bad. I would try to get two quotes from places you are comfortable and compare only those prices.

Luck,
Huntsman

 

[LabelKing]

Huntsman,

Yes, the original is a lacquer paint that has a nice hue to it. Those Maaco places look horrible as I suspect are most automative-care chain places--Midas, etc.

I will go to another high-end place and ask for an estimate. I think I'll leave out any mention of insurance.

 

[c3cubed]

Try to avoid a body shop that uses "Bondo" resinplast as opposed to what you really want, that is a expert tinsmith who uses molten metal to fill and smooth out the surface. A bit tricky to find, but most towns have someone like this. Some of the shops have artisans - and if you find one, they are gold forever. Pricey though. These are the fellows that do restoration work on classics, and actually take pride in their art.

 

[LabelKing]

I believe the good work is filled with lead rather than plastics and that sort of thing.

 

[c3cubed]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

I believe the good work is filled with lead rather than plastics and that sort of thing.

Exactly - that's what you should look for. It lasts for the life of the car and the paint won't peel.

 

[LabelKing]

I had the car repaired for a reasonable price and the job was satisfactory.

However, the interior was slightly dirty. I never like other people to operate my car as it inevitably leaves the interior vaguely unclean and oddly dusty.

I had to spend an hour repolishing the plastic, chrome and wood interior parts since there were fingerprints over the gauge covers, the rear view mirror and the burlwood wasn't as shiny as it was previously. The brown carpet didn't look perfectly brown anymore. The steering wheel looked dry for some reason; an application of Leatherique solved the problem.

When I have time, I'll have the car waxed.