primetime21

Whats up guys....I havent posted here in awhile but a got a quick question if anyone can help me.

I just got into an accident and it looks like a need one new headlight and a new hood + grille...What do you guys think it would cost to fix this at a body shop? Im just lookin for a rough estimate...over 1k you think?

Cocoa

iTrader: (2)

Will you be suppling them with the parts? I believe the headlights were going for $145 each on ebay, someone correct me if I'm wrong. The grille shouldnt cost too much. But the hood is what is going to cost you a bit. No one makes replica hoods for us, so that will be a junkyard item or dealership part only.

primetime21

NO, im not gonna supply them with parts...most bodyshops wont allow that b/c they make money on the parts....so what do you think woudl be an estimate for everything (1 headlight + hood) + labor + paint....?

Andrew Slane

In all honesty, you could prolly get the headlight and a carbon fiber hood for less than $1,000 total on eBay. They have aftermarket headlights on there now for like $150 plus shipping, and I've seen carbon fiber hoods for around $500-$600 plus shipping, which I don't think is too bad (You'll be getting close to that with a junkyard or OEM hood and a paint job to be honest.) Get those and all you'll need is a grill, which you can prolly find from a salvage yard somewhere and have shipped for a reasonable amount (Might even be able to find it on eBay too.)

AznX TL

labor is about $80 an hr........i would just fix everything myself and get it painted somewhere.

SwervinCL

I would guess about 2-3k after the parts/labor/paint.

primetime21

damn are u serious?? im fucked...i have a 97 cl with 140k miles on it...its prob only worth 3k...

Wow, i was thinking around 1-1.5k

To all the others, Im not interested in modding the car at all...I just need it to drive to work and such..I just want to fix it back to stock...

shnee

theres a primrose hood on ebay for like 40 bucks right now

primetime21

yah but if i buy a hood and take it to a body shop to install and paint woudl they do it? I was under the impression they would not....

Cocoa

iTrader: (2)

They are helping you with less costly alternates of going about resolving your issue. When they refer to aftermarket headlights, it just means they are not OEM and they are just replicas made by other companies. Buying a used hood and having it painted is one way of saving money. Buying a CF hood is another. Take it to a body shop for them to make more money, well then, that's exactly what they'll do. We can only give you rough estimates based on our experiences, but it really depends on location. If they are the only body shop within a 5 mile radius, then they can charge what they want since the lack of competition. If they're 10 on the same block, then they will be more resonable with the prices.

Get quotes if you want a shop to do it. Or it can be done by you if you'd like.

AznX TL

why wouldnt they paint it lol they want your money whether its painting or fixing

primetime21

how difficult would you guys say it is to install a hood and the headlight? what tools are needed?

I want to thank everyone for their help btw!!

AznX TL

hood seems pretty easy, the headlight requires you to take the front bumper off.

Andrew Slane

Using some info from the DIY section, you shouldn't have a problem installing a hood and headlight at all. It'll take you a couple of hours to do for sure, since you have to remove the bumper to swap out the headlight, but just think that every hour of work you do on your own saves $80 or so.

Here's links to some of the headlights on eBay that we've mentioned. Looks like you'll be shelling out $165 shipped for one of them, which is a lot better than OEM (and you'll be getting a brand new lense as opposed to using a salvage yard):

Left: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/97-98...05187295QQrdZ1
Right: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/97-98...05187301QQrdZ1

primetime21

Awesome thanks man...
There is a hood on there that is greyings...my car is the emerald green color...would i install it first and then take it to get it painted....or paint the hood then install it?

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

I'd say at least 2 grand, I had my 2 bumpers replaced and painted and it was like $2500 total, and our hoods are hard to come by

Andrew Slane

A good shop will take the hood off to paint it. They'll also want the car there with it for at least the first little while so they can match the new paint to the rest of your car. They'll tweak the factory color a bit to match it to how your finish has faded over time. All-in-all, I'd say you'll be looking at an easy $500 for a good paint job if you supply the hood. Depending on your area, it might be a bit more or less, but I'd say that's as good an estimate as any without getting on the phone with people.

abouelmm

i say 1500-1800.. anything other than that and you getting raped.. atleast thats what i would charge ya if you brought it in

SwervinCL

A screw driver and a 12mm/14mm socket... Thats it

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

And a long extension