What to look for in a bodyshop

mikebai1990 · 08-27-07, 08:32

My dad was involved in a minor sideswipe accident a few days ago, and we're probably going to have to have some body work done on the car. A lot of the damage is actually just paint transfer (that I should be able to correct), but there is a fairly big dent on the car. After the insurance company comes to take a look, I'll probably fix up the paint transfer and then probably take the car to the bodyshop.

I'm in the Long Island/Queens area, and if you guys could recommend a good body shop, that would be great. Otherwise, what are some things I should look for to find a good body shop? I'm just worried with all these horror stories of the paint getting completely hacked up. Also, my paint is a purple metallic, so the matching might be a little bit of a problem.

Some pictures:

Should I even take it to a body shop? Or should I just get the money, get the tail light replaced and try to push out the metal from the inside?

Setec Astronomy · 08-27-07, 08:38

That spot near the taillight is down to the primer, if not the metal. You could get a PDR guy to work on it, and just replace the light and see how it looks, maybe a little touch-up paint. The location of the damage will require a large section of the car to be sprayed so that the repair ends at panel edges, at least according to member MorBid (where has he been lately?)

mikebai1990 · 08-27-07, 08:45

Right.. I see what you mean. Would you care to explain to me a bit more about PDR's? I know what it stands for, but I don't really know much about how it works. Also, would it be cheaper than a job at a bodyshop fixing it with the "traditional" method?

Yea, I'm a bit worried about respraying the panel. What if the color doesn't match well? What if the metallic doesn't match. What about orange peel... It would definitely be good if it didn't have to get resprayed.

Setec Astronomy · 08-27-07, 08:50

The shops are pretty good these days about matching the color (they have sophisticated tools for that) and seem to be pretty good at matching the flake distribution and OP.

PDR is a method for pushing out the dent from the back side, as long as there is access (as there should be in the trunk). If there is no/minimal paint damage, it's a lot better than the body shop because there is no repaint (hence no matching problems), it's faster and cheaper. In your case, since there is paint damage...body shop would probably be better, but you have to balance the cost etc., IIRC correctly that car is pretty old. The damage being at that corner might be a problem for PDR. I'm sure you could get it to look decent with some PDR, experienced touch up paint app (perhaps from the PDR guy), and some polishing...if "decent" is good enough for you.

mikebai1990 · 08-27-07, 08:59

Yes, I'd say "decent" is fine for this 14 year old car. It's had a fair share of damage (rust, lots of bumper marks), and as long as the panel looks okay, I can live with it.

I believe the dent area should be able to be accessed through the trunk. Glad it wasn't some hard-to-reach area..

With the cost, if it were to be sent to a bodyshop, the other party would be paying anyways, but considering, like you said, the costs and the value of the car, it'd probably be better just to pocket most of the money and go for an "acceptable" rather than "good" repair.

Setec Astronomy · 08-27-07, 09:01

Do you have collision insurance on a 14 yo car?

mikebai1990 · 08-27-07, 09:04

Well, no, we only have liability. But if the other party is at fault, then they pay for our damages, no?

edit: I seem to have forgotten to mention that the other party was there and we had the police and everything. Here's what happened:

My dad was making a right turn onto a road, and the mini-bus was also making a right turn. There was only one lane for right turns (as opposed to the two lane right turn lanes). My dad was making the turn, when the mini-bus swiped his rear. According to my dad, he (my dad) was just making a right turn as usual. According to the other side, the other driver was banking out a little so his mini-bus would clear the corner. Now considering that my dad's car was hit in the rear, I think it's fairly clear that the other company should be paying for damages because the 80% of the car had already passed the front of the mini-bus, and it was the bus-driver's fault that he didn't stop. It's impossible that he didn't see my dad's car if the rear of our car got hit. It (should also be) the bus driver's fault that he didn't check his blind spot before executing the turn.

/edit

Setec Astronomy · 08-27-07, 09:25

Er...that is why they call these "accidents". Legally, I don't think the other party has any liability. How would you collect from them? Personally? Rather than from their insurance company? Perhaps I am being naive about this, but I guess I've never been in an accident with another car when I didn't have collision insurance. I've been rearended, and my ins. co. paid me minus my deductible and then went after the other guy's insurance company for the deductible, but you won't be making a claim with your insurance co. cuz you aren't insured. Perhaps you can make a claim against HIS ins. co., I guess that's what his liability ins. is for, but I always thought that was for personal injury and (non-automotive) property damage.

mikebai1990 · 08-28-07, 01:11

Maybe the way insurance works is different in NY or maybe I'm not too knowledgeable about insurance..

So since we have liability insurance (as opposed to full collision insurance), I believe that it means if we are at fault at an accident: 1)The insurance company pays for the damage on the other party's vehicle and any personal injuries. 2)Damage to our own car is completely our own responsibility (repairs).

So if my understanding of liability insurance is correct, I believe that we can make a claim against the other parties' insurance company because they were at fault in this accident.

xtahoex · 08-29-07, 02:59

I think miekbai has it correct as long as the other people were at fault which the police should have decided then their insurance will pay for his dads repairs. Good Luck.

David Fermani · 08-30-07, 07:04

This isn't a good candidate for PDR. It's $625 to fix the 1/4 and replace the light. Includes removing all the trim and refinishing the entire 1/4 (no clearcoat burn). I'm not familiar with New York's law, but most states make the at fault party (or their insurance company) pay for all the damages. If your state is a No-Fault style state, each person collects damages from their own carrier unless the vehicle was parked. You can buy a quality used taillight from Auto Gobbler Parts Inc. NY(Brooklyn) 1-718-251-2140 for $75 or buy an aftermarket one for $281 or a brand new one for $370. Hope this helps.

Setec Astronomy · 08-30-07, 07:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Fermani

This isn't a good candidate for PDR. It's $625 to fix the 1/4 and replace the light. Includes removing all the trim and refinishing the entire 1/4 (no clearcoat burn). I'm not familiar with New York's law, but most states make the at fault party (or their insurance company) pay for all the damages. If your state is a No-Fault style state, each person collects damages from their own carrier unless the vehicle was parked.

I forgot you're the guy to ask about this. NJ is no-fault so maybe that's why I thought he might be SOL.