LaLaAcura

Newbie here!

My sad story is this: Had my new 05 TSX (auto/non-navi/carbongrey) for less than two weeks, when something (????) flew at my car on the freeway and knocked a couple dents and scratches on the rear side panel (passenger side). Oh, the pain!

My dealer gave me two options:
1. "95 percent recovery": they push out the dents, sand down the scratches and retouch the paint for about $150
or
2. full recovery, about 3x the price, and it would be at the body shop for a few days

I hate to go "cheap" on my new car, but $$ is a factor. Does anyone out there know about body work and if the cheaper option is a bad thing to do long term??

Opinions? Expertise? Thanks!

osubuckeye98

Welcome to the Azine's!

You have any pics of the damage?

If there isn't significant damage, and you are on a budget, it sounds like option 1 will do just fine...but i think they should retouch the paint, then sand it down and polish it...otherwise you'll have some unslightly paint "bumps".

NightShredder

I say go for the less expensive option if $ is a factor. Besides you can always expect more scratches and dings all over the place. It is just a fact of life. Besides, the chances are, only you will notice the the imperfections when the first option is done.

sauceman

Get it in the body shop right away. You car is new or almost. It deserves to look new.

ndx2

can't this be covered under insurance? comprehensive coverage, like rock chip in the windshield??

post some pics. can't say whether the option #1 will work without seeing any pics first.

pizzaman555

what state do you live in maybe i can help

LaLaAcura

California

Insurance deductible is $500

Can't post pics yet....

My main concern is:
Is the "cheap" fix somehow inferior to the "real" work done at the body shop? Is there risk of the cheaper work deteriorating over time, or rusting, or....? In other words, is it somehow worth it in the long run to pay more now?

Thanks to all!

Alin10123

Well, the expensive fix of course will be better than the original becuase they are probably replacing the entire panel.
If it was a new car i'd be pissed.
If money is an issue, but $500 isn't too bad. I'd pay the deductable and let insurance take care of it. Unless... option 2 is cheaper than 500. Then just take care of it. Maybe... since you just bought it have the finance manager add the option #2 back onto the price of the car and roll it onto your financing.
That way your payment will only go up a couple of bucks over the long run.

ndx2

you could wait until someone hits you, too, like my brother who has a lil chip or some sort of imperfection on his rear bumper. i swear i heard him whisper under his breathe"oh please hit my bumper, i need a new paint job" while looking at his rearview when coming to a rather quick stop one day.

ggsashi

Similiar thing happened to me too on the freeway the first week I have my car Something flew at my car and dented the hood and scratched the front passenger side door. I got it fixed with option #1. The shop did a good job. I don't have picture of what it looks like now, but I don't see any imperfection. They pushed out the dent, then sand, repaint, and repolish the area. BTW, I paid around $800

I hope you find a good shop to fix your car soon. Good luck.

LaLaAcura

Thanks for all the input!

ggsashi: thanks for sharing that heartbreaker. i guess i shouldn't be whining too much about something that's gonna cost me less than $500... still, there is comfort in knowing this crud happens to other people, too. glad your tsx is back in pristine condition.

ndx2: NICE! I'm gonna roll the dice and get it fixed now, though.