VZ Berlina - Quotes for two different pieces of damage

[Ajeff37]

So in the space of a few weeks both my neighbor and roommate managed to back into my car. The first one done by the neighbor is the damage to the door and the roommate is the damage to the guard. I plan on getting both fixed at the same time and have been given quotes by 4 different smash places as individual job quotes. The first three quotes are from places I went personally, 1 & 3 have good reputations as far as I've heard. My roommate went and "talked down" quote number four before I went and got the quote. He quoted $400 for the guard but I feel like that's far too low comparatively to the other quotes. I'm curious as to what in everyone elses experience these types of jobs would cost. Both of them want to pay in cash (making them pay up front) & not go through insurance.

The pictures don't show it very well but the door guard has also been bent in and the dent extends about 10cm below the guard. These are the quotes I was given for these jobs.
1 - 884.07
2 - 699.45
3 - 1155.88
4 - 681.12
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet Door 1
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet Door 2

Guard - the entire guard is warped away from the bonnet and some of the internal clips and brackets have been bent.
1 - 1221.58
2 - 853.86
3 - 1262.51
4 - "400"
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet Guard 1
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet Guard 2
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet Guard 3

There is some crossover with the jobs and those costs will be split between the neighbor and the roommate in a ratio equal to the cost of their individual quotes. First time I've ever had to repair a car.

 

[Risky]

I have friends of mine in the trade & they deal with this stuff every day.

First of all since they both caused the damage, have they not got insurance? The excess is usually $650 & that's all they have to pay to get the work done. If they don't have insurance and they admit that it's their fault, then that's their problem to fix.

Now you might think that the prices are excessive for repairs, but you need to know what goes into repairs & painting.

The painting part is the easy part but it's the prep work that takes the longest. You have to pay for labour & parts but also, these guys are in business to make money to keep their business. Overheads such as materials, electricity, transport of parts, rent are also included.

Now you might think that the damage is light on what you see, but it's what you can't see than can make up the costs of repair. In regards to the door you'll have the lock mechanisms, electric window mechanisms, strengthening bars as per ADR rules. They may need to be taken out so that the panel beater can repair the door. They may even replace it with a new door skin to cut down costs. To take those items out of the door is added into the costs of repair & then fixed back. One the panel beating or door skin replacement is done, then it goes to the paintshop where prep work starts for painting. Whenever painting a panel, it's just not the panel itself, you'll need to blend the paint to adjacent panels. Sanding, masking, cleaning the door takes time to get it right. Then mixing the paint to match the rest of the car has to be exact. Paint does fade over the years hence why it needs to blend in with other panels. Painting takes time to do as well as curing time. Then you'll need a clear coat. After that the panel will need to be buffed to a good standard & as part of the costs, the car will be cleaned & then inspected before you get the call to pick it up. All of this takes time.

With the front guard & bumper, you might think it's a simple job. Most of the time it isn't. Again what you see on the outside maybe worse on the inside. If the front guard cannot be straightened, then a new guard will need to be ordered. The bumper will need repair but also behind that bumper are plastic clips. If they are broken they will need to be plastic welded. Then you have the inner wheel guard. Is that broken. Is the metal work behind the panel & the bumper straight. If not that needs to be repaired (see photo). In modern cars you'll have oil/trans coolers with pipes or bottle washers or the back of the headlight may have a crack, the horn could be broken. It's usually hard to tell at face value until you start taking everything apart. Again as in the previous paragraph, there's the paint prepwork etc. Then all the panels have to be put back in place.

The smash repair guys that you saw should have explained this & it's not BS. What you see on top is not what you see underneath.

Quote number 4 looks like a backyarder job. Backyarders do not give guarantees & just patch up the work. The amount of backyarders that have hacked at cars that come through my mates shop is unbelieveable & the quality is crap. Fixing their work costs more than the original job. I've seen some shockers. Your flatmate & your neighbour caused the damage, they should pay for it as well. If they refuse to repair what is thought of as a reasonable price of repair, then get legal advice. It's your car not theirs. It sounds like your housemate wants it done on the cheap so he can wash his hands of the situation.

A good repair is guaranteed & a good repair is done by blokes who know their work properly & stand by the work they do. Numbers 1 & 3 sound about the right cost to repair.