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Auto Body Repair

1K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  argus 
#1 ·
Well, with a subject heading like that you know this can't be good. I've been away from these forums for awhile. And, I hate to say it's unfortunate circumstances that prompts me to re-visit.

The wife spun out our 97 Intrepid on a patch of ice and put her into a guardrail. :sad: We are fortunate that my wife was not injured and no one else or other vehicles were involved in the accident. However, the matter of our car is something else.

I didn't see the accident scene. However, from the damage it appears the passenger side rear quarter caught the guardrail end on. There is damage to the rear "fender" mostly above the bumper line. The "fender" was pushed into the trunk lid which shifted a bit toward the driver's side. The rear "bumper" is pretty chewed up. The passenger side rear tail light is completely gone and the reverse light across the trunk lid is partially destroyed. As you'll recall the gas cap is on that side and it is also damaged. Also, it looks like there has been damage to the inner fender well.

Most of the above is cosmetic and doesn't affect safety or driveability. I have not yet ascertained if there is anything more serious. The car is driveable but I haven't taken it out because of additional bad weather in our area (and the broken tail light). I'm concerned about things such as damage to the gas tank filler neck, rear suspension components, or (gasp) a bent "frame".

You may have noticed some of the words I placed in quotes: fender and frame. I believe these LH models are unibodies if I'm not mistaken? So, they wouldn't have a frame, per say. Also, I'm not sure if the rear "fenders" or "quarters" are separate components or are part of the unitized body/frame. Anybody know that answer?

So, I'm really not sure what questions to ask just yet. Obviously, I need to get the car into a body shop or two to get some quotes and have them look it over for more serious damage. Can anyone offer suggestions as to what to look out for? Has anyone needed similar repairs? If the "frame" is bent, is there any hope of having it straightened or is it a lost cause?

Oh, and one other wrinkle... my wife's birthday was December 30 and her driver's license expired (yeah, about 4 weeks ago). She forgot to get it renewed and consequently our insurance company is refusing to cover the accident because her license was expired. So, all repairs are coming out of our pocket! I guess the fact that we've been with this insurance company for six years and never filed a previous claim means nothing! :mad:

Any suggestions or advice is appreciated.

Thanks, Robin.
 
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#2 ·
check first with better buisness or chamber of commerce in your area, ask co-workers and others for recomendations, it would have to have been a hard hit to damage unibody structure,and get at least three estimates.If you can find a private shop that does work for car dealers, they might be a good bet.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the suggestions. I've looked more closely at the design of the quarter panel. It does appear to be part of the unitized body structure. So, if it can be replaced it's not a bolt-on repair like a front fender!

I got the first quote from an auto body shop --- over $3,900.00! :eek: Ouch! I'm going to get at least two more shops quotes before I decide what to do.

We just bought this vehicle used last Summer and still owe quite a bit on it. I'm not sure if its worth investing that much money in repairing it. But, in all honesty the remainder of the car is pretty clean and it runs good and has relatively low miles for a 97. I'd do the repairs myself if it wasn't for the unitized body thing making repair of the quarter panel really difficult.
 
#5 ·
I rear-ended some assbag last year that decided to stop on a freeway off ramp (yes, I know, it was my fault—even though the guy was a complete moron).

From the front tires back the car was perfect—was a fairly light hit to the front—the airbags didn’t even deploy. Cost over $4000. Shop around like you said, but as your already finding out, body work aint cheap like it used to be.

Btw, welcome back. ;)
 
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