Estimate cost to fix bodywork damage

johndaman66 · 07-05-2023 8:26pm #1

Hi All,

Just checking if someone in the know would be able to give me an idea of a ballpark price I would expect to pay to rectify the bodywork damage as per the attached snaps? Damage to the back door, back of the sill and quarter panel. Pull in too tight to a driveway and ripped along the corner of a low wall.

Car is a 2011 with 318k km on it so ideally don't want to spend a fortune on it. At the same rate don't want a bargain basement job with horrendous paint match so noticeable that it would annoy me every time I look at it.

Whocare · 07-05-2023 9:44pm

I would think going by bit bodywork that I need doing Recently enough for a1 repair. I be thinking 1300 up to around 2 k mark

User1998 · 07-05-2023 10:19pm

Around €500 from a backstreet place, but then you’ll have two doors that are different colours. So budget another €250 if you want the front door painted too

johndaman66 · 07-05-2023 10:26pm

Thanks guys. Ouch, a bit more than I thought though. I think if I'm looking at €1,300 upwards I'd almost consider putting it through my insurance, even though I bumped the excess up to €500 to reduce the premium. I do have step back bonus protection but think I'd end up paying for it in the longer term.

I wonder might I fair better trying to pick up a second hand door and plastic sill from a breaker if available in the same colour - I know that I will likely end up with different shades of colours of doors there too though unless I'm lucky. Will still need to get the qtr panel sorted at a body shop.

jake frost · 07-05-2023 10:32pm

My son had a similar run in with a pillar, on a 2018 corolla. He got 3 quotes, it was the back door and rear quarter panel, 1st quote from a highly recommended back street panel beater. quote €400. 2nd quote: panel beaters also highly recommended €800. 3rd quote: a a bigger panel beater operation: quoted him €4300, they wanted to put a new door and beat out the Quarter panel. He went with number 2 for 800. Did a very nice job. The damage was almost identical to yours, maybe even slightly worse.

GavPJ · 08-05-2023 9:38am

Cash in hand as a nixer to someone 5 to 600.

johndaman66 · 09-05-2023 12:01am

Thanks all for the commentary, appreciated. It will be next Saturday at earliest that I get to call to a few (at least one) crash repairers. I will keep you posted.

vandriver · 09-05-2023 5:04am

You're going to spend the value of the car on cosmetic repairs?

I'd save it towards the deposit for your next car.

djan · 09-05-2023 9:47am

Exactly, given the age and high mileage of the car I'd get a backstreet place to do it for under 500 and leave it at. Definitely don't go through insurance as that will end up costlier in the long term.

Beta Ray Bill · 09-05-2023 12:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120567986#Comment_120567986

I would avoid using the insurance, step back bonus protection in my eyes is for something very bad happening (You write off the car) and dont want your NCB wrecked for the next 10 years. Not a scrape on the side.

If you don't wanna pay the €1300 suggested to fix it just leave it. It's a 12 year old car with high mileage, I wouldn't spend money on cosmetic issues

bazz26 · 09-05-2023 1:06pm

If the OP goes the insurance route they will still have to pay the €500 policy excess they have on the claim they put in. That's not going to be that much cheaper than going the back street repair shop paying cash route. At least that way your NCB will remain intact.

Buffman · 10-05-2023 2:06pm

Personally I'd just DIY touch up the paint to stop it from rusting and live with it. You'll never recover any big money you spend on repairs against the value of the car.

johndaman66 · 14-05-2023 10:13am

Just to provide an update I went along to 3 crash repair centres yesterday morning. Two of them took photos and said they would give me a call back yesterday evening which I'm still awaiting on (will give them a chance yet - they both seem busy guys). The third one quoted me €600. Cross questioned him and he said I can expect a good colour match to the naked eye and in fairness he seems thorough. I'd be happy to run with the quote of €600 depending on what the other guys come back to me with.

Its likely enough to be spending on it given the age and mileage. However intend keeping it a few years yet and that damage would just annoy me to be looking at every time I were to go to the car. In 4 years driving and many of them miles put up by myself car has being extremely good to me, only needing an alternator above the usual wear and tear. Do my own servicing bar the tricky pieces and them kind of repairs so its not like it is costing me an absolute fortune. Otherwise its in pretty fine fettle and running like clockwork despite the high mileage.

I'm unsure if I can see any of the other 2 coming back any cheaper that that. Will likely be a few weeks yet before I get it done as using the car everyday and just need to get the chance to leave it in - will likely have to take a day or two off from work or try to wrangle a car out of somebody for a couple of days. Will keep you posted and put up some after pics in time (although that may be a few weeks yet).

PS -Thanks all for the comments and input

johndaman66 · 28-05-2023 11:49pm

Just to give an update (my pet peeve is no follow up regarding conclusion when a thread is started). I got the work done over the weekend by a guy that was highly recommended to me. I was told the paint he uses is better than most other crash repairers and will not chip off with power-washer down the line (whether this is true I'm unsure but I went with him on that basis and being told his work is off a high standard.

I also had a serious dent and even a small hole in the back bumper where I had reversed into a low bollard a few weeks back - which I also got him to rectify (apologies I never posted the same in my initial post and it does make the quotation of €600 I mentioned irrelevant). Because of this knock the back bumper bracket was damaged at passenger side and hence bumper was hanging out and it had being hanging out all along on the driver side which he rectified along with fully painting the bumper. He also painted the drivers mirror cap - an Eastern European guy slapped off it some time ago and got a casing from a breakers which was a different colour. I sprayed it myself with a rattle can I got made up but the job was moderate at best. So overall there was considerable extra work there versus the quotation of €600.

Final price was €850 and I am extremely happy with the end result. Finish and paint match are excellent in my eyes. Please see below photos and apologies I never added the photo of a stinker of a dent in the back bumper initially or even mentioned it. Any marks you see is just dust from country living in the warm weather.

Estimate cost to fix bodywork damage

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