So I wrecked my 05 G sedan tonight. Ended up on the shoulder of the interstate, got into the grass and ran the drivers side of my G down the ARMCO barrier. The headlight, fender, both doors and the rear quarter , and taillight are toast. And the alignment is off, something might be bent. I'll try to get pics up tomorrow.

My question is about the rear quarter. When they try to repair the car, are they going to try to replace the complete piece from the taillights to the strip next to the roof? Or will they try to cut if off at a point and weld in a part of the panel? I cannot imagine they could get the weld right with all of those complex curves, but I cannot see removing the whole side of the car either. Trying to bang it out would likely look as bad as the weld and take forever. Anyone seen how they handle this repair?

JH

 

yea,

you can order the entire QuaterPanel and the taillamp pocket together.

they have to cut out the old quater panel and weld the new one on using one of those fancy cutting welder thingy-ma boggers.

if you go to infinitipartsusa.com you can see the picture of the quaterpanel. it incorporates a large chunk of that area. its cheap too. less than 400 bucks

 

Wow,

$400 for each door
$160 for the fender
$370 for the rear quarter
$500 each wheel - 2 damaged
$370 Headlight
$190 Taillight

Only $2900 to replace the whole side of the car. Cheaper than I thought. Any Idea on how much labor and the IP paint will cost?
JH

edit: Plus $600 shipping, so $3500 in parts.

 

thats where you get *** raped

 

Good work comes at a hefty price...and knowing you got good work done is a PITA.

 

if it needs to be replaced, they will pop all the tack welds along the trunk, door sill, under the tail light, and bottom edge of the quarter. most of the time, the damaged quarter is cut on some part of the c pillar, where welding a line would be easiest (most places don't like to get into the welds under the rear glass either). however, since the g has a roof line covered by a strip of rubber, they may take it to this point (this does mean that the glass has to come out, and the tack welds removed from the interior c pillar support). oh, and make sure they place both doors instead of reskinning them.

 

Depending on the damage to the 1/4 panel and doors, most shops will pull the dent out with a slide and then fill in the imperfections with body filler.

 

i would guess 10k total repair.

 

a good shop will cut the 1/4 panel off, let you inspect it, and weld the new one on, let you inspect it, and than paint it, and let you inspect it.

 

just ask to see all the parts that were replaced (this should always be done with mechanics too) and you can tell what was done.

 

In a perfect world with endless amounts of cash, then yes. When insurance is involved, you're at their mercy.

 

actually, depending on the state, you are not. your insurance can not tell you where to get your car fixed, and in most cases, you can insist that your parts be oem, and not aftermarket.

 

There's nothing aftermarket about fixing a dent with a slider and bondo. It's common practice for over 90% of the door and 1/4 panel damage repair.

An insurance company can't tell you where to get your car fixed, but I can guarentee you they won't pay top dollar to fix it either. They make an estimate and then you take it to a shop and get estimates. From there they'll tell you how much they're willing to pay using bids you got. If all the shops say they're going to fill the panel, then you really have no choice other than to accept that type of work or take the settlement check and pay money out of pocket to get it fixed to your liking. They're not going to pay $5000 if all the shops are quoting $2600-3000 for a fill and refinish job.

Shops avoid cutting out panels because often times it's unnecessary, very expensive, and is tricky to get right. Even then, it still requires some filling to blend in the welds.

 

ummm...the original question was about replacing a quarter panel. yes, most of the time, dents are pulled and filled, but that wasn't the question.

 

If you noticed a alignment problem you may have bent your front frame rails. You should check the gap between the fenders and doors on each side to see if they are the same. If they need to replace the frame rails, they will need to pull the engine. That's where the labor costs really start piling up.