Accident... Front left quarter panel
 

Long story short - car (my baby) was in an accident 2 days ago and there is a huge dent on the front left quarter panel. There are scuff marks on the tire as well. The door only opens partially.

What kind of damages can I expect apart from the body work? The car drives fine, except that the steering wheel needs to be aligned. I will be taking my car to the body shop tomorrow.

The insurance guy mentioned on the phone that they will weigh the costs of repairing the car vs. totaling it. I do not want them to total her!!! Should I watch out for any body shop/insurance company scams? Any advice for me?

Visually, it doesn't look bad enough to total the car, but looks can be very deceiving. The shop should be able to measure whether the car's basic structure is bent.

I try to avoid any of the insurance companies preferred body shops. They seem to be all about saving the insurance companies money to keep being a preferred company. My once favorite body shop has become one and their work now is terrible now. Getting a good job is hit or miss depending on the body man that draws you vehicle. I worked in a body shop for awhile, but you job would be hard to mess up. It’s a small job in reference to some of the work done. It looks like your car is silver which is a hard match. I would ask for color match guarantee. A good body shop should have no problem matching it.

My 95 LX was crunched by an out of control trailer that came out their lane a tagged me, left side. The insurance company was the same as mine, so they were on the spot to take care of it. The other driver admitted fault. It's the "appraiser" that makes the decision; judging the car's value - after the body shop estimate. They say that they use ads and classifieds to get a value, as well as Kelly Blue Book. Keep it clean, they took money off for 15 year old coffee stains.

It didn't seem like that much to me, but they totaled the car. When I got hit it pushed in the "cradle"; where the door hinges are. They said over $5000 to fix it. They valued the car at $3200. Bought back the wreck for $400. I took it to anther shop and they fixed it for less, It feels like it is not the same - they shimmed the door to get alignment. Junk yard doors and a new fender, the fender was $24.00 but $67 to ship it. Repaint is a little off. They figure a 95 with 150K is old! What?

Now my title (CA) says SALVAGED. I had to have the brake and lamp inspection for $125. If you car is stolen or totaled, you have to have the inspection. I had a little $$$ left over, but my ride ain't mint now. Argh!

Thanks for the advice. I'll be on the lookout for scams. While I was at the body shop I asked the guy for a quote to paint the hood (not related to the accident). The clear coat had virtually disappeared on the hood. He gave me an estimate of $400. Is that a fair price for painting just the hood?

$400 to paint the hood seems pricey, but if it is a high "quality" shop, that is probably right. Let us know how it goes.