Just took my car in for an estimate because I backed up into a stupid post that was too short to see in the rear view. I've got an 03 with 80k miles so the car is worth like 9k, and the shop quoted 2.3k for the repair.

Should I try and get this done privately?

Here's a pic of the damage:
http://imgur.com/nlyJUrK

And here is the estimate:
http://imgur.com/g05f1vl

I can't believe how much it is, and that doesn't even include "likely additional damages after dissembly because the quarter panel might be pushed it. It's a tiny bit warped so he said it might be something else underneath. 250 for a rear tail light despite it being entirely intact except the covering and they are only sold as a whole unit...

This blows my mind, the damage is done to less than a 10th of the overall exterior of my car, and it will cost me 25% of my cars total value to fix? Sure seems like it would be very easy to "total" my car then without actually totaling it.

 

You didn't post the link to your estimate, so it's hard to know what all they are charging you for. Take a picture showing more of the rear of the car.

You can get the taillight cheaper than that. There are a ton of them used on eBay. A new, OEM unit from infinitipartsusa.com is $167.61.

 

Oops. Messed up the link: here is the estimate:

http://imgur.com/g05f1vl

I'll post a new pic of the damage when I leave work.

Is the part hte same for coupe vs sedan? On that site, for 03, I can only select sedan but mine is a coupe.

 

Here are some more pictures of my damage:

http://imgur.com/a/r3DOJ

Yeah body work is expensive, but 25% of my car's value for such a small thing?

 

the parts you can prob find cheaper. the labor seems about right. since they prob have to fix the R quarter panel.

if you dont like the quote go to another shop and see what they charge.

 

No, they aren't the same part for coupe and sedan. Coupe taillights were the same from 03-05 though, so just pick a different year. 06-07 got the triangular reverse lights instead of the round ones.

If you don't like their price, get more estimates.

At least on this estimate, you can do better on the parts than that if you buy them yourself.

Bumper Reinforcement Bar:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2003-2004-IN...FS5-bQ&vxp=mtr

Tail Light:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2003-2004-20...JWuhmI&vxp=mtr

 

Hmm okay. Just seems so insane to pay so much for small damage. But it's probably because my car so old the value isn't very high. If it was newer version and value was like 17k+ it would seem more reasonable, but the car repair man still has to buy the part and put in the labor. Thinking about learning to do it myself, my friend is a car hobbyist and says it's not that difficult with patience.

 

You and your buddy can take the bumper cover off in a few minutes. That will let you see the bumper bar which is a massive bit of steel. Repair shops like to replace them because it adds another $500 to their kitty. With your damage it seems unlikely it was even touched nevermind nicked.

Fixing the cover isn't that big of a job as you can see here... There are tons more vids on it on YouTube. My wife backed mine into a Xterra in the exact same spot but didnt dmg the taillight. I took the cover off and used a heat gun and wet cloth to get it back into shape. If you look you can tell but eventually I'll get it painted. Yours is more folded (and torn?) so would require more work to repair.

The body shop quoted a refurbished replacement bumper cover. LKQ (the nationwide network of salvage yards) is the largest bumper cover refurbisher in the US market and have a big dedicated factory in MX. You can call them and see what they have.

You can also check car-parts.com which will let you search inventories of salvage yards across the country. You may find a rear bumper cover in your color in good shape. Maybe tail lights too.

If you don't have to paint and can get the parts, you're looking at 30 minutes to swap the bumper cover and taillight.

You might also check with the best (per Google and Yelp reviews) paintless dent removal shop in town and see if they can recommend someplace to fix the bumper cover. There are companies that specialize in that and charge a lot less than full-blown collision shops.

Jim