Dang it, a bad day today! this afternoon when i was pulling into a restaurant's parking lot, i saw two "huge" women walking toward me (i was driving about 10mph). In order to get out of their way, i pulled to the right and kept on driving. All the sudden, i felt the car hit something---a freaking pole...Now the damage is on the fender on the passenger's side and the lower right of the bumper..I almost got a heart attack and i didn't want to take a second look at the damage anymore! So now the question is where can i order a new fender for the best price? (i will go to a friend's shop tomorrow to get a quote also) Or should i file insurance claim? the deductible is $500 though, that's killing too...
Please, please give me some help, guys! thanks in advance.

 

You have insurance for reasons just like this, BUT.... Believe me, anything you file, they WILL find a reason to make up for it (increase your premium) later on down the road. They may say no right now, but when the times right, like lets say you make another claim months or even years from now for a fender bender, get a speeding ticket, switch providers or something in those lines, they'll pull out your file and tell you that since you had claimed "so and so" back in "date and time" they'll find a reason to give you a rate adjustment, and it wont be for the better. Insurance companies look at ALL claims as risks. Regardless of whether or not it was an accident, not your fault, whatever. A claim is money they have to shell out and for them that's not good. So sometimes in order to assure you never run into such problems for relatively small out of pocket issues (not like a total loss or something very severe), 9 out of 10 people will simply pay for it out of pocket, than go and claim it with thier insurance company. Talk to your friends body shop and see what they can work out for ya. You may be better off spending 2 or 3 times your deductable, then letting that amount times maybe 4, 5, 6, 7, ?.... creep up with ya in the future...

Good luck and I'm sorry to hear about your G!



"See, the problem is that God gives men a brain and a *****, but only enough blood to run one at a time."

 

So true....It is a real shame that today, Insurance is only good for a MAJOR accident or problem.
If you do file a claim they don't like....they will cancel you completely!
You are much better off raising your deductible higher and taking care of the smaller stuff yourself.

"I like you.....You remind me of myself when I was young and foolish"

 

Hit the fat lady next time....she'd just bounce off your car and you would not be in this situation =P


'04 6 spd MT Diamond Graphite / Graphite, Prem, Aero, 20GB Phat Box, Limo Tint, Clear Corners, Aluminum Pedals, Clear Bra, JWT Popcharger and Z tube, Injen Super SES Exhaust

 

I agree with B33R... My rule is, pedestrians have the right of way...unless they are in the way....

Anyways, get the INGS +1 fenders, just a little more but look very nice...

 

Well, i went to my friend's shop today (he works there, not owns it), got a quote for 800 something, which is with $200 discount already. Expensive? i think so!! The boss said he gotta fix the fender, paint it and blend the color into the door, bumper, and the hood. Just a minor problem costs so much...I almost fell off from the chair..He also commented on the paint," Pearl Ivory is an expensive color." Man, is that supposed to make me happy or what? But something he said really made me feel a little better,"That's a nice car from inside out."

 

He should not be blending the bumper. Bumpers are made of plastic(urethane). They require a flex agent(which has an ever so slight yellow tint to it) to deal with the higher expansion rate. Bumpers can not be blended as a result since the color will not match the panel that is entirely painted. Blending is used to mask any imperfect matches in paint color from a new panel to the next major adjacent panel. They basically feather some new paint ontto the adjacent panel so that you don't see a difference in color from the new paint to the old paint. The color change(although minor) will be gradual enough that you do not percieve it. Since the bumper paint is a slightly different color it is pointless to blend it. And it would be a bad idea to try and paint it without flex agent unless your car never sees temperature changes.

$800 does not sound too bad for a fender replacement, but I don't know the part cost of the fender so it is hard to say. You might want to get a couple of quotes elsewhere just to make sure.

And if the paint does have a pearl coat, it will cost more. Pearl is the hardest color to match. The Mitchell Collision Repair procedures say to keep blending pearl into the next adjacent panel until it matches. I've seen where an entire side of a car had to be painted with a new pearl coat for a minor repair.

 

Gin,

You are driving a 35K + car and are complaining about getting it fixed? I would not file a claim for a few hundred dollars - you will pay for it in the future. Dont try to save a few bucks on paint. Get it done correctly or you will always be noticing the paint differential.


NY G SQUAD<font color=red>&lt;---Official Website

 

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

Hit the fat lady next time....she'd just bounce off your car and you would not be in this situation =P

<hr></blockquote>
Bad idea cause you'll have a bad fender to fix(same situation as now) and the fat lady will be sueing you. [img]/w3timages/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

Agreed if you want done do it right the first time around.

My Data Systems_G35

 

CKwik--

I had to have my bumper repainted due to my neighbor backing into the left front side of the bumper. Small hairline crack just below the front left headlight. Anyway the first paint job the bumper did not match (big difference between the fender and bumper). Took it back and they repainted the bumper and then blended the hood and both fenders. You can still notice a slight difference because of the flex agent on the bumper, but it is closer than they way the back bumper blends from the factory.

Cost was about $945.00, the best benefit from having the whole bumber painted is I only have 1 small chip on the front of the car and have driven it 10,000 since the paint job!

------------------------------------------------------
2004 Infiniti G35C IP/5AT/aero/now with chin spoiler/premium/nav/performance/clear corners/K&N filter

 

Front fender from EverythingNissan.com is $260.50.
I love my Ivory Pearl but sure don't want to have to get it fixed.

Mark

2003 Sedan AT. Sport Aero Ivory Pearl/ Willow
20% tint. Z-tube. Clear Corners w/ PIAA.
Aluminum Pedals

 

guys, today i re-read the estimated paper again, and couldn't figure out why it would take the shop so many hours to finish the job. Here is the list, please tell me what you guys think:
1. remove/install FRT Bumper ASSY 1.5hr
2. repair FRT Bumper Cover 1.0hr
3. refinish FRT Bumper Cover 2.2hr
4. Remove/install R FRT combination Lamp Assembly 1.0 hr
5. Blend Hood Outside 1.1hr
6. Repair R Fender Panel 3.0hr
7. Refinish R Fender Outside 2.0hr
8. Blend R FRT Door Outside 1.0hr
9. Remove/install R FRT Door Mirror (included in clear coat calculation)
10. Remove/install R FRT OTR Belt moulding 1.1hr
11. Remove/install R FRT Door Trim Panel (included in clear coat calculation)
12. ADD'L OPR Clear Coat 1.8hr
13. ADD'L Cost: Pain/Materials $218.7

And the subtotal is:
Body: 7.6 hrs * $37/hr = $281.2
Refinish: 8.1 hrs * $37/hr = $299.7
tax: 50.83
Labor total: $631.73 (WOW, that's rediculous! It was a minor hit after all!!!)
Paint: $218.7 + tax = $237.84
So Net Total is: $869.57

I think that's way too much for that little damage. i wish i would have the time to take a pic of the damage to show you guys.

 

This is the cheapest fender i found: http://www.carpartswholesale.com/cpw...el=G35%20COUPE
But obviously, the shop wanted to repair the old one and it seems costs more, crazy..[img]/w3timages/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

 

"i wish i would have the time to take a pic of the damage to show you guys."

You typed in all the above info........but don't have Time to take a pic so we have something to base our responses on?????????
PULEEEZZZ


"I like you.....You remind me of myself when I was young and foolish"