Hit a gate, any ideas on cost to repair damage to car?

Ush1

Had a great morning, hit off a gate coming into work and wrecked the side of my car.:(

I've sent pics to a few places for quotes, any ideas what I'll be looking at money wise to get it fixed? I'm thinking it's gonna be expensive.

mloc123

Ush1 wrote: »

Had a great morning, hit off a gate coming into work and wrecked the side of my car.:(

I've sent pics to a few places for quotes, any ideas what I'll be looking at money wise to get it fixed. I'm thinking it's gonna be expensive.

Did similar a few years back on a e60 5 series. Metallic grey, cost about 350e IIRC to have it repaired. The guy said he could get away with blowing the paint into the door and not the whole side of the car as it was down low and less obvious.

Edit: it looks like you are not the first person either... back arch has a lot of filler in it?

Ush1

mloc123 wrote: »

Did similar a few years back on a e60 5 series. Metallic grey, cost about 350e IIRC to have it repaired. The guy said he could get away with blowing the paint into the door and not the whole side of the car as it was down low and less obvious.

Did it turn out well? I'd be delighted with 350, was it a Dublin based crash repair place?

rex-x

That rear arch is already full of filler, could be a can of worms

Ush1

rex-x wrote: »

That rear arch is already full of filler, could be a can of worms

I was just thinking that, so its obviously been damaged there before?

rex-x

Ush1 wrote: »

I was just thinking that, so its obviously been damaged there before?

For sure and repaired quite badly given how thick the filler is!

mloc123

Ush1 wrote: »

Did it turn out well? I'd be delighted with 350, was it a Dublin based crash repair place?

Yeah, good job... I would not notice it afterwards. North Kildare based.. so prices should be much the same as in town.

Ush1

mloc123 wrote: »

Yeah, good job... I would not notice it afterwards. North Kildare based.. so prices should be much the same as in town.

Can you PM name of the place and number please?

Spook_ie

Is the gate OK?

my3cents

Spook_ie wrote: »

Is the gate OK?

I thought from the title that the OP was asking for gate repair costs

Hope he's also paying for any damage he did to the gate :pac:

Ush1

The gate is fine!:pac:

I'd say it's done the same to manys a car, it's a city centre office that's fairly tight for space.

Dia1988

The old filler might need to be removed as it might have cracked and unbonded away from the original metal work.
You can see filler crack over the wheelarch to the left of the door handle.

I'm guessing it's a Renault Fluence that was once a rental that was repaired quickly to go back on road.

Ush1

Dia1988 wrote: »

The old filler might need to be removed as it might have cracked and unbonded away from the original metal work.
You can see filler crack over the wheelarch to the left of the door handle.

I'm guessing it's a Renault Fluence that was once a rental that was repaired quickly to go back on road.

I bought it from a main Renault dealer about three months ago.

Spoke to a crash repair place and he said you should definitely go back to the main dealer because unless they told you that car was damaged they've either pulled a fast one or perhaps weren't aware of the extent of the damage.

He reckoned that the damage would not have been as bad if it wasn't already full of filler and to really repair it properly it would need to have the filler removed and potentially panels replaced which would be into big money.

I'll get on to the dealer and see what can be sorted. Would I realistically have any comeback do you think?

seagull

Were you aware at all before this that there had been repair work to that panel? Is it something that was clearly visible beforehand? When you but from a dealer, they are obliged to tell you about any crashes the vehicle has been involved in/repairs that have been made. It comes down to whether they took it as a trade-in with the damage already done, and didn't realise the extent. I'd certainly hope they are prepared to cover at least some of the costs.

Ush1

seagull wrote: »

Were you aware at all before this that there had been repair work to that panel? Is it something that was clearly visible beforehand? When you but from a dealer, they are obliged to tell you about any crashes the vehicle has been involved in/repairs that have been made. It comes down to whether they took it as a trade-in with the damage already done, and didn't realise the extent. I'd certainly hope they are prepared to cover at least some of the costs.

Nope, no mention of previous damage or repairs.

Dia1988

Ush1 wrote: »

I bought it from a main Renault dealer about three months ago.

I'll get on to the dealer and see what can be sorted. Would I realistically have any comeback do you think?

Yes this changes the scenario. I'd definitely get back to the Renault dealer and highlight this, the car was previously damaged and inadequately repaired. You bought from a franchised Renault dealer that I suspect you paid top dollar for the peace of mind that you've bought a genuine original Renault product, you clearly haven't by the thickness of the filler in that botched job. The Renault importers for Ireland would look unfavourably on this.

It's important to remain calm, logical and persistent in your approach in dealing with this Renault dealer. Get written evidence from a good crash repair place detailing that the previous repair is not to standard and shouldn't have been filled in the first place. Try to also get the crash repair place to estimate that the filler is at least 3 months old to clarify that the repair was done before you had the car. Present this evidence to the dealer and ask them that as you thought yiu bought a genuine original Renault product that you want them to pay for the original repair to be properly repaired otherwise you will contact Renault Ireland and then pursue it through the small claims court.

It could be argued that the damage you caused is now irrelevant as the original repair is substandard and must be repaired anyway, but you may have to pay a bit towards the rear door repair but not the wheel arch repair.

What year is the car? Mileage?
Chances are that the dealer never even noticed this and that the repair was done by the rental agency repair shop. The rental agency probably charged the customer that did the damage for a complete new rear arch professional repair, they banked the money and repaired the arch as cheaply as possible with filler!

ratracer

Wife done similar to my car last year, needed new door and quarter panel. Repair was €2750.

Ush1

Dia1988 wrote: »

Yes this changes the scenario. I'd definitely get back to the Renault dealer and highlight this, the car was previously damaged and inadequately repaired. You bought from a franchised Renault dealer that I suspect you paid top dollar for the peace of mind that you've bought a genuine original Renault product, you clearly haven't by the thickness of the filler in that botched job. The Renault importers for Ireland would look unfavourably on this.

It's important to remain calm, logical and persistent in your approach in dealing with this Renault dealer. Get written evidence from a good crash repair place detailing that the previous repair is not to standard and shouldn't have been filled in the first place. Try to also get the crash repair place to estimate that the filler is at least 3 months old to clarify that the repair was done before you had the car. Present this evidence to the dealer and ask them that as you thought yiu bought a genuine original Renault product that you want them to pay for the original repair to be properly repaired otherwise you will contact Renault Ireland and then pursue it through the small claims court.

It could be argued that the damage you caused is now irrelevant as the original repair is substandard and must be repaired anyway, but you may have to pay a bit towards the rear door repair but not the wheel arch repair.

What year is the car? Mileage?
Chances are that the dealer never even noticed this and that the repair was done by the rental agency repair shop. The rental agency probably charged the customer that did the damage for a complete new rear arch professional repair, they banked the money and repaired the arch as cheaply as possible with filler!

Car is 131. 58,000 kilometres on the clock.

That's brilliant, thanks for your help and advice. I'll get on to them and see how it goes.

Dia1988

Ush1 wrote: »

Car is 131. 58,000 kilometres on the clock.

That's brilliant, thanks for your help and advice. I'll get on to them and see how it goes.

Okay based on age and low mileage of car I doubt It was a rental but that's an irrelevant off topic point anyway. Must have been private owner and repaired cheaply and inadequately. Do you know how many previous owners it's had before you?

It's not important who owned it or repaired it anyway as it is still an inadequate repair and a repair you were unaware of at time of purchase from a Renault dealer.

Kenny Logins

That damage appears to be a lot worse than it should be as the impact has undone a previous bodge. IMHO it could have been an easy repair if the panel was original or repaired properly the first time.

Spook_ie

Kenny Logins wrote: »

That damage appears to be a lot worse than it should be as the impact has undone a previous bodge. IMHO it could have been an easy repair if the panel was original or repaired properly the first time.

Yeah, you could have probably got away with some filler and paint

Kenny Logins

Spook_ie wrote: »

Yeah, you could have probably got away with some filler and paint

Some. Not the whole tub. :pac:

Ush1

Just an update folks, Renault are fixing the whole thing at no charge!

Thanks a mill for the advice everyone.

heroics

Ush1 wrote: »

Just an update folks, Renault are fixing the whole thing at no charge!

Thanks a mill for the advice everyone.

Good result. fair play to them

Dia1988

Ush1 wrote: »

Just an update folks, Renault are fixing the whole thing at no charge!

Thanks a mill for the advice everyone.

That's great customer service by Renault I must say! Credit where it's due!

Just make sure it's not a fill in job again lol!
I wonder who did the repair in the first instance.

Again, fair play to Renault, they don't seem to have messed you around and paying for all the job is better than expected!

Did they say how it could have happened?

Ush1

Dia1988 wrote: »

That's great customer service by Renault I must say! Credit where it's due!

Just make sure it's not a fill in job again lol!
I wonder who did the repair in the first instance.

Again, fair play to Renault, they don't seem to have messed you around and paying for all the job is better than expected!

Did they say how it could have happened?

No to be fair it I just spoke with the sales guy I bought the car from. He listened to what I had to say and just said he would speak to the manager and get back to me. I emailed him the photos. He rang back a few hours later and said they will take it in and repair it free of charge, giving me a rental loan car an all.

First time I bought through a main dealer and think from now on will stick to it. Very good experience with regards to warranty and comeback on cars.

I know they got the car from Kearys Renault in Cork, he said it was one lady owner before but I suppose they always say that!:p

Dia1988

One needs to question why Kearys Renault sold a 2013 low mileage easy to sell car within the trade !

I still think it might have been a rental and the rental agency stung the customer for a whole new rear arch professional repair, they banked the money and got their own repair centre to botch the job with a load of filler. Kearys got the car back noticed something iffy with it and sold the car off in the trade to avoid a come back with a customer.

If it were a private owner the insurance would only pay for a professional repair.

Ush1

Dia1988 wrote: »

One needs to question why Kearys Renault sold a 2013 low mileage easy to sell car within the trade !

I still think it might have been a rental and the rental agency stung the customer for a whole new rear arch professional repair, they banked the money and got their own repair centre to botch the job with a load of filler. Kearys got the car back noticed something iffy with it and sold the car off in the trade to avoid a come back with a customer.

If it were a private owner the insurance would only pay for a professional repair.

I'll chat with him when dropping the car off and make sure its done right and the rest of the car checked, thanks so much again for you input.

mickdw

Good result.
That said, I wouldn't be so full of praise for them. They surely knew it was a dodgy repair. I'm sure an experienced eye could see that it was a poor repair.

Ush1, if it all turns out well in the end don't be afraid to name and praise. It's hard to get genuine feedback (positive or negative) online, so you'd be doing prospective buyers a favour!

Ush1

As good as new!

Dealership were brilliant. Renault Belgard for people wondering. Sales guy named Derek has been an absolute legend. Replaced panels and even threw in a valet all no charge. A happy customer I am!

frozenfrozen

nice to hear a happy story to do with a main dealer these days

mickdw

From the little that can be seen from the picture, I'd be thinking it's still full of fillers.

Ush1

mickdw wrote: »

From the little that can be seen from the picture, I'd be thinking it's still full of fillers.

Really? What would be the give away?

my3cents

Ush1 wrote: »

Really? What would be the give away?

Get a magnet and see if it sticks evenly all over the area.

There's just one blemish in the line of the curve of the wheel arch that doesn't look quite right.

mickdw

I might be wrong but from 1 o clock position to 3 o clock position, it doesn't look to be 100 percent - overly rounded and just looks heavily filled

Happy4all

mloc123 wrote: »

Yeah, good job... I would not notice it afterwards. North Kildare based.. so prices should be much the same as in town.

Looking for someone to do a similar, smaller job around north kildare. Would appreciate pm of contact details.

EPAndlee

Fair play to Belgard for fixing it but why exactly did they fix it for nothing? A good result tho

JohnBoy26

mickdw wrote: »

From the little that can be seen from the picture, I'd be thinking it's still full of fillers.

I think so too. The lines on the filler cap don't match up with the lines on the quarter panel and the arch looks off too.

JohnBoy26

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

I think so too. The lines on the filler cap don't match up with the lines on the quarter panel and the arch looks off too.

The fuel filler cover crease didn't 'line up' before the repair, so I'm not sure why it would after. It also doesn't line up on the first page of Fluences a google image search threw up, nor in this video of one https://youtu.be/_7ZJJcCukw0?t=17s

The arch doesn't look off, it's just an unfortunate shape that blends into the lower rear door and sill strangely - again, as can be seen by an image search or the above video.

I have no idea of the quality of repair, but the pictures of the repair make it look as good as new compared to pictures of actual new Fluences.

Ush1

EPAndlee wrote: »

Fair play to Belgard for fixing it but why exactly did they fix it for nothing? A good result tho

It had previously been damaged which I wasn't made aware of when I bought it.

my3cents

Ush1 wrote: »

It had previously been damaged which I wasn't made aware of when I bought it.

But did you try a magnet on the area after the repair?

rex-x

To be honest the rear 1/4 was never going to be cut out and replaced and the repair looks very good! Filler or not I think the OP has done well and should be pleased