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Auto body repair
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ChadTower:
Don't have a pic handy, I can get that tonight.

This is a 2005 Elantra hatchback.

My wife backed into a car wash control box that was roughly 3 feet off the ground.  Not all that hard. 

She broke the driver's taillight housing, just barely.  The housing is broken but the lights are all intact and working.  Didn't actually push it in, only the shell is broken.

Then it dragged up the quarterpanel, across the gas cap door.  There is a drag mark the entire length of the quarterpanel, about half an inch deep.  Doesn't look like the panel is deformed outside of that, not pushed in at all.  Just a deep scrape.

My deductible is $500... and this could definitely be one of those on the high end of "not worth claiming" because of the surcharge and loss of good driver bonus and it costing more in increased payments than we actually get after deductible to fix it.

The real question I have is, assuming that the sheet metal isn't actually pierced, does this sound like a simple bondo/sand/paint job and replace the tail light housing?  Or is there something I'm not seeing.  Again, I can get a pic tonight, but for now assume my desc is accurate and it's all superficial.
Stingray:

--- Quote from: ChadTower on October 30, 2006, 11:51:13 am ---

The real question I have is, assuming that the sheet metal isn't actually pierced, does this sound like a simple bondo/sand/paint job and replace the tail light housing?

--- End quote ---

That's the way it sounds to me. You might want to price that tail lamp before you decide on wheter to involve insurance. Some of those things are outrageously expensive.

-S
ChadTower:

A bit of Googling turns up that it's about $125-140 retail.  I bet I could snag one off Ebay much cheaper if I'm patient.

My biggest challenge with doing it myself is going to be paint.  Definitely the paint.
shardian:

--- Quote from: ChadTower on October 30, 2006, 02:01:34 pm ---
A bit of Googling turns up that it's about $125-140 retail.  I bet I could snag one off Ebay much cheaper if I'm patient.

My biggest challenge with doing it myself is going to be paint.  Definitely the paint.

--- End quote ---

You can always do all the body work, and then take it into a paint shop to have them spray it.
ChadTower:

Yep, I figure that's probably the only way the paint will come out looking good.  I don't have an indoor area that big to spray in.

How much would I reasonably expect to pay for a local repaint like that?
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