Hello its my first post here and unfortunately its a sad one.

I got into a little fender bender and need some advice. The only thing damaged is my Right Passanger Fender and the edge of the door is scraped witch I am wondering if it is necessary to fix as it is barley noticeable. I dont mind if its an aftermarket pannel and was wondering what would look the best for the money. I got a few quotes one from my acura dealer witch has a body shop in witch i thought was outrageous at $1,625. Also got a quote from Gerber witch was a little more reasonable at $1,125. And quote from a smaller shop for just replacing and painting the fender instad if blending the paint into the hood and door for $790. What do you guys believe i should be paying and what should i do?

Thanks in advanced for the help!

Here are some pics attached:

 

Damn dude that sucks you alright? Not much you can do, I'm sure it will buff out anyhow.


Lol I had to, but when it comes to body work u get what u pay for... But I wouldnt go thru a sealership. Most sealerships bodyshops do half ass work and over charge. Look at some local shops and see what kind of work they have done/ what kind of reviews they have online.

 

Ya im alright no injuries it was >15mph accident. Thanks for asking. Ya i dont know 16 hundred just seem steep for just a fender and paint. Gerber is very well known around me for high quality work as for the outer place i went to my dad has gotten work dont there and they did a pretty good job. Thanks for the advice.

 

ouch.

 

You get what you pay for, just remember that...if they replace the fender and don't blend the door, that fender will stick out like a sore thumb...also do you not have insurance?

 

dont' cheapen out.

do it right or don't do it at all.

with that said, typically aftermarket panels don't quite fit as well as OEM panels. in order to make it look right as if nothing happened, you need to have the panel blended with the door (hence the scuffs will be fixed too) and the hood. and the price you got is not that outrageous. the panel alone as you have found is going to run $7-800 by itself. add in the blending of the other panels and the labor involved with that....then $1600 is a touch high, but no obscene. and as someone mentioned...you pay for what you get.

dealer body shops aren't ALL THAT bad. it really depends. if you make it clear from the get go of your expectations, then the shop will probably make sure the job is done well. if you're the "everyone" crowd (non-enthusiast), then they may let a few of the cometic paint flaws get past them.

i make it clear to any place i leave my car, that i'm anal and VERY particular. the last thing they want to see is an angry customer esp the one that is particular.

 

yep, regardless of how "minor" it looks, if you gotta replace a fender you gotta replace a fender. a ballpark of at least $1k sounds about right for that job.

you can research a few shops on yelp.com. many good shops will post several before/after pictures.

 

No insurance ?

 

Thanks for all the advice! The panel is $380 form acura and the aftermarket panel was $270. and to answer the question about the insurance I am only 17 so i dont want my insurance skyrocketing so i am handeling it cash.

 

get the OEM panel and then take it to a body shop that will paint it and then blend it with the rest of the car.