dinged a merc, how much is this likely to cost to get fixed?

vibe666

reversing out of my driveway this evening I failed to spot my neighbours merc parked right opposite me (for the first time in 2.5 yrs here, the space is ALWAYS empty) and put a bit of a dent in his rear wing by the filler cap as you can see in this pic.



insurance is a bitch as always so I'd rather just pay cash for it if possible, which he's okay with. he said he'll get two quotes tomorrow and let me know what it's likely to cost to get it fixed, so I was just wondering what to expect cost wise.

I think it's a 2005 C220 if that makes a difference.

does anyone have any ideas how much this is likely to hurt?

it's been a tight few months recently and the car tax is due this month so this is one more thing I could do without, but I don't want to go and throw away all my no claims bonus over something like this if I can help it.

thanks guys.

p.s. sorry about the sob story, been a bad week.

ytareh

Undoubtedly 4 figures ie 1000 ++++? unless done as a 'favour' or by very 'smalltime'/'cowboy' outfit/individual.Im a few years out of the trade but nowadays this could be even 2-3 grand or more ...Its not just the ding repair which is bad enough in itself ...the whole side of the car would really need to be sprayed or it would stand out like a sore thumb to an expert .Are you very young? -probably better to put it through insurance unless crippled with insurance costs .As an 'insurance job' this could be 3-4 grand !!!Somebody else will advise you a better maybe but look into how much your insurance will REALLY go up with the claim....Would have to be pretty bad to be more than this is gonna cost to fix.Why not just relax and let insurance pay for it .Thats what you pay them for...

ytareh

PS Thats not 'a bit of a dent' that is a big job as I advised you above .If you take this to a quarter decent place you will get a big bill.From your neighbours point of view if you expect him to take it to a bargain basement place that will do a terrible job well his trade in /resale value will be ruined -hes down a grand or two at least even as it is because any car salesman worth his salt will spot 90% of repairs even if done to a high quality.A damaged repaired car is always going to be worth less or harfer to sell or both .This sort of thing can cause bad feeling between even strangers let alone neighbours -seriously consider letting the SIMI approved body repair shop rape the insurance company on this one ...

Oilrig

2 - 3 Grand my ar*e. 6 - 800 would be more like it. Its a relatively simple panel repair, plastic parts not involved, if the bodyshop is anyway decent they'll get the match right and will blow it in on the adjoining panels. Allow 10 - 15% of the repair value added for depreciation effect of a repair to the value of the car. Total cost should be under a Grand. Should be done in a day.

ytareh

Ummm Id be very surprised if any place that would do any kind of 'insurance work' would do this for 600 euro-even the 'flat'/'straight' lip over the wheel arch is going to be a bit of work to put right ...Make sure to let us know what the quotes are original poster!The body shops are probably putting more cars off the road than the NCT with the cost of minor/medium damage repairs being more than the cars worth...

vibe666

bugger, that's the last thing I need.

I was having a look on my way out of the estate this morning and it's the nicest car on the whole street. jebus, why couldn't it have been an old banger?

nialler

Hi Vibe

I had an entire front wing wrecked and a front drivers door on an S320 (00 admittedly) all done through insurance went through Ashmore Ryder in Ringsend it cost approx 4.5k (both panels were in or around 1k each before stripping spraying etc). It's the 2nd time it happened first time Gerry Maguire in Percy Lane did it in or around same cost (Gerry was just 1.8k for the door only including spraying etc and blending) both are very high spec body specialists.

Now explaining all this to my mechanic (Seamus Mulligan excellent merc mechanic) and he said personally he wouldn't bother (not sure if that's because I drive an 8 year old car) going to such high spec places that there are better and less costly alternatives out there.

That is a bit of a ding/bang and in such a shaped area on the rear quarter it would take a very skilled craftsman to get it correct, I'd personally say look at 1k for it possibly slightly more and get the pictures to barry in Ashmore Ryder that'll give you the upper end of the market to give you a guestimate and see where your neighbour wants to take it.

N

TCP/IP

Oilrig wrote: »

2 - 3 Grand my ar*e. 6 - 800 would be more like it. Its a relatively simple panel repair, plastic parts not involved, if the bodyshop is anyway decent they'll get the match right and will blow it in on the adjoining panels. Allow 10 - 15% of the repair value added for depreciation effect of a repair to the value of the car. Total cost should be under a Grand. Should be done in a day.

This is complete rubbish. I had a much less dent on my car and it was €1600 to fix. As for one day how can you say that it will be most likely a three day job. Day one striping and preparing, Day two spraying, Overnight Drying, Day three inspection and hopefully collection. I mickey mouse place might do it in the day but I would not have much confidence in the repair.

RobAMerc

there is a crowd called the dingdoctor or DentMaster or some such. I sent them some pics of stuff before and they quoted me. ( Maybe ring too to tell them they have mail )

Unless one of them is a panel beater, put these quotes posted here in the bin where they deserve to be.

the fact its a Merc should make no odds unless something needs replacing and it looks as though nothing there would.

ShadowHearth

This country is mad!!!!!!

For such a dent about 3k eu?!?! Your mechanics are rip off!

I feel sorry for you m8, i know as much it will cost, it will be pain in a hole .

Btw they will make it extra costly only becouse of merc name!!! Even if thats the same job like in fiat punto, believe me, i had such experience! :mad:

bazz26

Get a few quotes from body shops, all you will get here is guessing and speculation.

BTW did the owner get any quotes for the repair work? They will most likely decide where the car will be repaired rather than you.

TJJP

vibe666 wrote: »

does anyone have any ideas how much this is likely to hurt?

As above rumour and specualtion is rife here. I had a similar ding on my car about a year ago. Other driver was paying so I got two quotes, both similar for around 1,000 if that helps.

The dent will need knocking out or/or filling. It is not easy to fit a new panel at that location so I'd have thought filler is likely option. The wing and door will need to be blended once the dent is cured.

3-4k is way wide of the mark and one-side re-spray is also nonsense.

Depending where you are and if your neighbour is willing to travel, try Brian at Ever-Ready on Baggot Lane, D4. They are good and reasonable at the same time, a rare combination in this business....

<Edit, seems you're in Navan? so D4 might be a bit out of the way... Sorohan's on N3 castleknock is an option too, they do the work for Brady's>

vibe666

thanks for the advice lads, even if it is speculation it's still giving me a ballpark figure (a pretty big ballpark, but meh) which is more than I had before.

it only happened last night so he said he'd get some quotres today and let me know, so fingers crossed.

I've mailed pics to the following too who are both reasonably local.

www.autodentsolutions.ie
www.quickdent.info

I'll see what they say and then what my neighbour has been quoted and decide what to do from there.

might be a silly question, but I've never had to claim off the insurance before so I have no idea what the story is, but I have 3yrs NCB on my insurance.

will I lose all of that if I claim off them, or will they just deduct some of it if it's the first claim?

De Hipster

Damien Connolly aka The Dent Man: http://www.thedentman.ie/content/contactform.asp

Not sure the equipment will pop that though, it's creased the paint, looks like it may crack with manipulation...Good Luck!

RobAMerc

vibe666 wrote: »

might be a silly question, but I've never had to claim off the insurance before so I have no idea what the story is, but I have 3yrs NCB on my insurance.

will I lose all of that if I claim off them, or will they just deduct some of it if it's the first claim?

you want to avoid claiming if at all possible mate, they'll try get every penny you get from them back in installments as you'll not be touched by another insurer for 5 years, leaving the crowd you claimed from rape you of the money they paid out ( Another scam let slide by the Govt ), plus your excess may well cover 50% of the cost of this.

Claims are only for biggies imo -

vibe666

i got my first quote in just now based on a couple of pics.

he said it couldn't be done with the PDR tools because of how bas it was (which I kinda knew anyways) but reckons 2 days work and will do it for €600 inc. respraying the door to match. he seemed confident tha the could get it as good as new anyway.

he also offered a courtesy car for the duration if yer man transfers his insurance over which was nice.

so a thumbs up to Oilrig for guessing right on the button.

well, the next quote might be 3000€, so i'm not counting my chickens just yet.

just hope yer man has as much luck as me (touch wood).

ytareh

Well I dont think the guy is wasting his time posting here looking for a ball park figure ...One things for sure if you went to 5-10 different places the difference between cheapest and dearest would be easily double or even triple...(Id guess in the range of say the 800 euro the sceptic guy suggested for an absolute dogs dinner of a job in someones shed to 3 grand in a top of the range place like one or two already mentioned -I did say I had some experience in the trade and would echo the recommendation for Gerry Maguire) Which as I think I said before leads to one of the biggest problems in this kind of scenario our Boards member will want to get the job done as cheap as possible and the Merc driver will want it done as well as possible .It will be hard enough to find a happy medium to please both so insurance might still be the way to go (subject to researching implications-try 123.ie online for prospective 'future' quotes maybe )
Unfortunately even up to the medium end of the market price range there are guys who will pass off utter rubbish work with runs ,overspray ,orange peel effect etc and happily charge you plenty while massively depreciating the value of the car .Of course there are gentlemen (and a few ladies ?) in the body repair line but be wary-try and see some of the guys work -I dont think the whole insurance scene is as much of a nightmare as it was 10 years ago -claiming and getting a top job done seems safest way to prevent neighbour wars to me ...I was involved in a very ugly episode like this when girlfriend reversed into a guy in a carpark...You dont want to pay for a cheap cash job and have Merc man reject it ...

ytareh

Mmmm looks like I could be eating humble pie served up by OILRIG -make sure to let us know about the rest of those quotes ....Is the 600 euro guy a half decent outfit?

Biro

TJJP wrote: »

The dent will need knocking out or/or filling. It is not easy to fit a new panel at that location so I'd have thought filler is likely option.

Not easy? Try not possible. You can't fit a rear quarter panel, unless you have an angle grinder and a welder, but then the car will be useless!
It's a fill job mainly as that will be impossible to tap out perfectly. €600 could do it, but definately try to see some of that guy's work. It's extremely hard to find a good sprayer. Ideally one with an oven to dry the paint too. It'd be worth €300 more for a guy who's known to be good, although not saying what the €600 guy is like.
Unfortunately though, it's up to the Merc owner to be happy with who he gets. Pending on who he decides on, don't be surprised at 1k or over, but expect it to be less.

vibe666

that first quote was from www.autodentsolutions.ie.

of course, as you've said its ultimately up to mr merc to decide on the final outcome, so I'll let you know how it goes.

TomMc

I'd have to agree with Ytareh. Belgard motors charged someone I know a grand 3 years ago to paint the exact same panels on a car without the need for any panel beating whatsoever. They are at the more expensive end of the market.

Maybe your neighbour will not be a real fusspot about it (I myself would) and you will get away with a cheaper or lesser quality job than you might want if it was your own car. However back street merchants are far more likely to churn out a poor repair. Silver is one of the hardest colours to match and any discrepancy (shade difference) will be apparent under strong sunshine. Some firms are good at panel beating put very poor at painting. If you pay lower rates they will alot less time and do a quick job with less prep & cutting corners by masking areas rather than removing trim etc. It all adds up to an imperfect finish. The clear coat can start peeling in a matter of months around rubber window/door seals and such like. You get what you pay for and sometimes even paying lots is no assurance of quality. And in all my years I have never seen a fuel filler flap (corners) repainted to a high standard.

Anyway, good luck - hope it all works out. If the Merc owner picks the person themselves they cannot blame you if things turn out poorly. Will have to sort out that themselves with the bodyshop. Make sure of this or else the cheapest job of your choosing may be a dear one in the long run should a second repaint be required.

ytareh

I dont know specifically about Belgard Motors but any main dealer or smaller dealer is probably the wrong person to approach as they will simply send the work on to the local body repair shop and charge you a fortune for their trouble.

vibe666

just heard back from my neighbour and he's had a quote from a local body shop (afaik) near where he works and they've also quoted him €600 and he seems happy enough with that so he's going to go ahead with it.

€600 is still a lot of money (to me anyway) but it could have been a lot worse, so I guess I'll just count myself lucky it wasn't any more than that.

oh, and a double thumbs up for Oilrig for his correct guestimate.

L-M

Lol only read this thread. I think 3000 would cover a full respray with change. Not just a wing. Althought u are lucky to get away with 600 yo yo's.

ShadowHearth

Limerick-man wrote: »

Lol only read this thread. I think 3000 would cover a full respray with change. Not just a wing. Althought u are lucky to get away with 600 yo yo's.

For 3k eu you can respray all car... exactly. what ever they smoking... i whant aswell . I was told it will cost me to respray mine car in to different color for 2k eu.

I was expecting to see 1k eu for this work to be done. But 600 is just nice m8! Happy for you, lets hope next time you wount hit him again

Pete4779

vibe666 wrote: »

just heard back from my neighbour and he's had a quote from a local body shop (afaik) near where he works and they've also quoted him €600 and he seems happy enough with that so he's going to go ahead with it.

€600 is still a lot of money (to me anyway) but it could have been a lot worse, so I guess I'll just count myself lucky it wasn't any more than that.

oh, and a double thumbs up for Oilrig for his correct guestimate.

Sorry I'm late to the thread.

A panel like that on an MB will cost usually €150-200, and the the spraying cost and labour for it is the extra. €600 isn't bad. Someone reversed into the front right panel on a W210 E class I used to have, and the body shop tore his insurance to bits and charged this - €170 for the panel (front right wing) from Mercedes (MB parts are usually very reasonable), €800 or so for spraying and labour.

vibe666

from speaking with the guy and reading here (and looking at it), the part that's dented isn't a panel like a wing would be but physically part of the chassis so it can't be replaced and has to be filled, sanded and painted.

the quote I had back mentioned water based paints and having to spray the repair and the adjoining door so as to be able to blend the new & old paint etc. two days work for €600 all in so I imagine my neighbour was told something very similar if his quote is the same cost and time frame.

now I just have to figure out where I'm going to find the €600 to get it done.

RobAMerc

the rear 1/4 panel can of course be replaced - they would cut the old one off and make a join somewhere up along the C pillar fill the gap and you'd probably never notice the difference.
( Do people think they just throw out cars when they get rear ended so ?)

This doesn't look to be damaged enough to warrant anything like as extreme as that - its a dent - not crashed ( crumpled ).

A quick search found this as a simple example

http://images.popularhotrodding.com/tech/0804phr_02_z+rear_quarter_panel+.jpg

http://www.popularhotrodding.com/tech/0804phr_rear_quarter_panel/index.html

vibe666

i think i was trying to say you can't just replace it as simply as something like a dented wing where you buy a replacement and just swap them over.

you can replace just about anything if you're willing to take an angle grinder to it.

L-M

vibe666 wrote: »

i think i was trying to say you can't just replace it as simply as something like a dented wing where you buy a replacement and just swap them over.

you can replace just about anything if you're willing to take an angle grinder to it.

+1
Or u can use ALOT of filler:P

vibe666

and stuffed with heaps of newspaper behind it to save on filler costs if it's a big hole.

OldmanMondeo

Good quote, My wifes car had a similar dent, needed a new 1/4 panel, any where I went said that it could not be fixed but had to be replaced, €3500 plus car hire.

L-M

:eek::eek:

OldmanMondeo wrote: »

Good quote, My wifes car had a similar dent, needed a new 1/4 panel, any where I went said that it could not be fixed but had to be replaced, €3500 plus car hire.

That is absolute madness!:eek:!!
I got a new boot, quarter panel fitted and sprayed by a very reputable fella for €1400. My god 3500 is crazy

Ferris

With regard to the op's dent, a good bodyshop would pull the dent out and 'panel beat' it back to the original shape. They can usually get it very close to the original shape. Then they will use a skim of filler to cover small dents and ripples. Using a big lump of filler is cheaper but it will crack/sink.

Some body shops used lead loading to fill in dents, is this still done?

The actual panel beating takes very little time to complete, its the prep work for spraying that takes the most time.

vibe666

if you want a final bit of irony, my step dad actually has a garage/bodyshop. he's a very talented mechanic and originally did his apprenticeship as a panel beater way back in the day.

unfortunately he's in the UK so he's not much good in this case and since he's a bit of a technophobe with no email access or anything like that I couldn't even send him a pic of the damage for him to look at.

anyway, all sorted. even managed to wangle the funds to pay for it, so I'm all set.

he's taking it in on Tuesday to get it done, so I should know how it went two days later.

once he has it sorted I'll get another pic for a before/after shot and see what you guys think of the work.

vibe666

I haven't managed to get a pic yet for the before and after shot, but the job is perfect, you can't even get a hint of any damage from looking at it, the repair job was perfect so both my neighbour and myself are pretty happy about that.

it seems like the old guy in the garage couldn't work the credit card machine, so i didn't get the call yet to pay for it, his son will be in in the next day or so but so far it's pretty good, all things considered.

dainius

well done. I was quoted by Toyota 1300 for a small scratch on the q.panel and a door. The estimation looked like this...parts 250, labor 16h x 58 p/h =1178 + VAT! There is no way they spend 16hours working on the car, they simply charge for the time car spends in their garage.

L-M

dainius wrote: »

well done. I was quoted by Toyota 1300 for a small scratch on the q.panel and a door. The estimation looked like this...parts 250, labor 16h x 58 p/h =1178 + VAT! There is no way they spend 16hours working on the car, they simply charge for the time car spends in their garage.

Holy god, if you read above i got a quarter panel fitted sprayed and a boot sprayed for less than that. Madness