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Collision Repair......nervous

Smoktya

Active Member
Joined
April 1, 2011
Messages
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City, State
Bethlehem, PA
Year, Model & Trim Level
2011 4WD XLT
My Explorer got hit last month by an 88 year old guy. He was pulling out of a parking space and hit our car square on the driver's side front door, towards the bottom. Luckily there were two witnesses because he pulled a hit and run, otherwise we would have had to pay for $3200 in damages. I thought they would just have to replace the skin, but I found out that the whole door needs to be replaced because of the safety beam in the door being bent. The collision center said in order to paint match (Sterling Grey), they have to pull of the front fender and rear bumper. To say the least, I am a little concerned since this is the first 2011 explorer they are working on. I am also a bit **** about appearances, so hopefully all things will go smoothly, but them having to remove all that stuff has me worried about all the nuts and bolts that come along with that. I feel the probability is pretty high that somewhere something will be loose when i get it back. Does anybody have any experiences with this yet, and is there anything i can look out for. Wish me luck......Mike
 



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My Explorer got hit last month by an 88 year old guy. He was pulling out of a parking space and hit our car square on the driver's side front door, towards the bottom. Luckily there were two witnesses because he pulled a hit and run, otherwise we would have had to pay for $3200 in damages. I thought they would just have to replace the skin, but I found out that the whole door needs to be replaced because of the safety beam in the door being bent. The collision center said in order to paint match (Sterling Grey), they have to pull of the front fender and rear bumper. To say the least, I am a little concerned since this is the first 2011 explorer they are working on. I am also a bit **** about appearances, so hopefully all things will go smoothly, but them having to remove all that stuff has me worried about all the nuts and bolts that come along with that. I feel the probability is pretty high that somewhere something will be loose when i get it back. Does anybody have any experiences with this yet, and is there anything i can look out for. Wish me luck......Mike
Hey, calb has an extra bolt should you need one. Also if you had the problem with streaky windows, this would be a good time to have that addressed.
I know how you feel but I think the paint match should be good. I had an incident with my former '09 Highlander, silver metallic, and they had to repaint the back left side. I thought it looked good until one day while at work I looked out at it in the parking lot and noticed a slight colour difference. Do not notice it up close. Being yours is darker colour, hopefully they can get it right on. Good luck!

Peter
 






Depending on you insurance carrier i would send it to a shop that the insurance recomends that why you have lift time warranty on the job, geico etc ... They have this type of offers ask you carrier !!
 






don't know why they would pull the bumper and fender. normally what they will do it "blend" it to the next panel. meaning they would paint a section of the panel either in front or behind the damaged one so your eyes will not pick up on any color difference.
 






don't know why they would pull the bumper and fender. normally what they will do it "blend" it to the next panel. meaning they would paint a section of the panel either in front or behind the damaged one so your eyes will not pick up on any color difference.


The guy had State Farm insurance, and they recommend a collision center with lift-time guarantees, so that is who we are going with.

For Vroomzoomboom: they are going to blend, but to get an exact paint match, they have to take some paint from these areas. At least that is what the estimator told me.
 






That doesn't make much sense. They should be able to get the paint simply by going with the Ford paint code. Sounds like they're trying to bill extra labor to the insurance company.
 






Does your Ford dealership not have a body shop? If were me, I would probably go there to have the work done. That way you could avoid any potential warranty issues later on. When I had my Highlander fixed it was at a Toyota body shop and they guarantee to use genuine Toyota parts and the work was guaranteed by Toyota for as long as I owned the vehicle.
This might be something to discuss with your dealer if you have not already done so.
 






Repairs

I have been in the insurance business for 15 years. The shops usually drop the bumpers to blend the paint to the fenders and Qtrs. The bumpers themselves are usually not painted. Paint should be easily matched as new and the paint code is on the door. The painter still shoots test panels to get as close to a perfect match as possible. That is why they still blend into the bordering panels. You are on the right path. Find a shop that has a lifetime guarantee. You can even call the Ford Dealer you bought the car from and ask who they refer for body work.

It always hurts when the new car gets hit. Good luck.
 






I have been in the insurance business for 15 years. The shops usually drop the bumpers to blend the paint to the fenders and Qtrs.

i worked as a bodyman for 10 years, and have done it for a hobby for the last 5 and have yet to see that happen.
 






If you are blending a fender don't you drop the bumper or do you try and mask these tight fitting bumpers. Most shops drop the bumper 1/2 way or remove it to complete the paint job. Just curious.
 






you have to think of it like this. if you have to paint a "a" pillar, you dont pull the windshield, you mask the molding. they have blue, or if you like, fine line masking tape for when you have to mask in very tight area's.
 






Well everybody, i dropped the car off today at the shop and got a lovely:mad:, chevy traverse as my rental. I spoke with the manager today and told him about my concerns. He told me not to worry, as they have very qualified professionals who are probably as **** as me. That comforted me a little, but I still think it is a lot of work for just a bad door. I mean nothing else is wrong, just the door is messed up (about a basketball size dent). He wrote me a letter stating that they use Genuine Ford Parts, especially with this new of a car. It's not like he had a lot of options in the salvage yards :D. The whole process is going to take at least 8 working days, so hopefully by next Wednesday, i will be breathing a sigh of relief.
 












They are pulling the other parts so they can paint and blend without having to mask the entire vehicle. They probably have a booth reserved just for parts spraying and it's easier for them.
 






I got a call from the repair shop yesterday. The door, fender and other misc crap they had to take off are all off and they are fairly impressed with Fords work. I really don't know what that means, except something must look good under all that stuff. They said my car is still on schedule and hopefully will be completed by next Wednesday.
 






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