JCtx

Saw the creep backing up into my car, and caught him when he was fleeing. And yes, most creeps like that don't have insurance, including this one.

Damage was minimum, but still requires a new bumper cover and front left fender due to broken brackets (and that's the way I'd fix it anyway). Fortunately, wheel, headlight, and even amber side marker were spared. Looks like $100 worth of damage, but the only Lexus dealership in town qouted a whopping $1,700. The bad news is the stupid parts come UNPAINTED. Then the place said they need to take door parts off (mirror & door handle strip) to 'blend' the paint; what kind of crap is that? I don't want interior panels removed on my car to be able to remove those parts; they can use the perfectly fine fender and 'blend' the paint with the rear edge next to the door, no?

Anyway, have any of you had body work done on your car? How easy is to match the factory paint? Then these bozos want my car for FOUR days sitting OUTSIDE (aaaargh!). Wish the parts came painted, and I'd just do the job myself.

This being my first 'wreck' in over 20+ years, I don't even know where to get the car fixed other than the dealership's body shop. I assume they should know how to fix my car properly, but wish I could find out for sure.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks gentlemen.

D-MAN63

Sorry to hear that man.. I had situations like that in the past, but I never saw the A-holes who did it..

I would take it to a couple of outside bodyshops for an estimate.. when you take it to a dealer, they take it to an outside bodyshop which they have a contract with. (from what I have seen)... Just get an estimate from a couple of outside shops.. U usually can tell most of the time the professionalism when you speak to them about the quality of the work.

martini3

Oh jeeez louieeez! I hate hearing a story like that. But ----t happens and you try to cope and overcome a bad into a good.

I can feel your pain since you take care of her w/ a lot of TLC.

for minor scratches/scrapes, I usually go to DentPro where it usually takes them 1-2 hours to repair.

since I don't have any experience w/ damaged parts for a body shop to repair, I can share my experience in regards to an unpainted kit for a body shop to paint/install.

The paint is 99.9% accurate. It takes a day or two to paint and dry. Another day or two to install. the job took them a week cause of other cars in the shop. Wait until 30 days after new paint has cured, then you can wax regularly.

find a auto body shop that has done imports and have installed kits for Lex, Mercedes and other high-end cars. At least you know they've done it before and are careful of not damaging the kit or your car.

Good Luck and I hope you have her back to the day you just bought her.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

if 1700 including painting and install i think that could be about right, especially if you need new fendrs. painting wise, the right way is always blend the color, so yes they will need to take out the mirrors and some other door parts. that's if you are painting the fender and blend the whole color, which again is required if you want a good job done.

this is regardless of how good of a color matching anyone can do

btw, sorry to hear about the accident man, that sux

JCtx

Thanks guys. Man, if those brackets hadn't been broken, I'd think long and hard doing it with a 'DentPro' place like you mentioned Teeman, even when it meant some bondo, but they'll have to be replaced. Now it's just a matter of where.
D-man, the place I took the car is the dealership's 'body shop' buddy. My question is if they'd do it any better than any other bodyshop, since it's owned by the same people who own the Lexus dealership (along with MB, Volvo, Acura, Infiniti, VW, and Toyota, I believe). They said there's a bracket that needs to be replaced as well. And my other concern is I want genuine parts, and don't know if other body shops can even order Lexus OEM parts.

Again, thanks for your help. Funny thing is I thought I'd choke somebody if they hit my car, but I was cool. It's done anyway, so why make matters worse? I was proud of myself. Take care gang.

Max707

Is this guy taking financial responsiblity? Sorry about the hassle

Pearlpower

iTrader: (2)

Sorry to hear ,but the price is about right and so is the blending which is a very common practice for a proper paint job as there is no way to match paint exactly which also explains why parts do not come painted minus smaller trim items. Even ground effects that come painted from the factory are not an exact match.

Now if all they are painting is the fender then possibly a expect painter can get a very close match and the panel gaps will be enough to hide the difference. But since the bumper is needing paint I would recommend blending as bumper pieces come out differently compared to metal due to the absorption rates. I have heard so many claim that the paint is exact and there is no way to tell the difference for something painted on their car, yet when I see it in person, I can easily spot it.

So far it sounds as if they are quoting a decent repair job.

sc430blue

That sucks JC, I know how you baby that car. Its always been my experience that a blend is necessary because it is hard to match the adjoining panels. BUT when I had my hood painted and my car wasnt available, the shop I used took the front bumper cover and used that to match the car perfectly.

JCtx

Thanks guys. Before anything, can somebody explain what 'blending' is? I understand the concept perfectly, but not the execution (how it's done). Does it consist in coming up with the right paint blend? Or actually changing the hue towards the edge of the part? Inquiring minds want to know.
In my case, where bumper cover and left front fender need painting, they can use the old fender for 'blending', no? Since it's hardly damaged, so they can use the front part to blend the bumper and rear part to blend with the door. They can also use the old bumper for blending, as it's also damaged in a very small spot.

As for the guy, no, he didn't take responsibility. He probably would have if it was $100. He refused to give me his driver's license, insurance, or anything else (he was fleeing, remember?), but I kept my cool all along; I immediately knew he was an employee and feared trouble with the company (and I was right). Since the damage looked so minor, he offered to pay cash without involving his insurance, and produced a cell phone number...which I promptly dialed on the spot (it rang). That, along with his license plate was all I could get. Well, got the estmate right away, and when I called him with
the news, I'm sure he lost his balance for a moment, and said he'd think about how to pay it. I knew it was the last time I'd hear from the guy, and was right again. Involved insurance company a day after his promise to call me back never materialized. Left a message saying I thought he had a word, and had no choice but to involve my insurance company. Progressive quickly got to work and traced the plates to a plumbing company (just like I predicted). Vehicle was financed, so has to have full coverage (good news), but on the other hand, being a '96 means they're probably not doing very well (not so good news). If owner is a weasel (possible), might not accept the claim without being forced to. Hope Progressive's lawyers can take care of that if it happens, so I don't have to fork over $500 for the deductible, plus rental fees for 4 days or so. Didn't file a police report (minor damage in private property; insurance is okay with that), but have witnesses.

Finally, the problem with many uneducated people is they're not always reasonable. He might have thought I was trying to milk him out of money, because he couldn't fathom $100-looking damage turned into $1,700 (that's what insurance is for). In addition, if he loses his job over this, he might blame me for it, when it was 100% his fault. And guess what? He knows where's my office. You get the picture. Hope he takes responsibility for his actions. Will keep you posted.

bodylines1

blending on the doors is needed to make the paint match better cause when u repaint the fender and bumper it will look off..... when u blend (door) u will sand down the whole door paint the edge by the fender *not the whole door* will get paint just a light mist of the color ...then u re clear the whole door and the other parts if u blend it rite u should not be able to tell where the new paint came from..and the color difference..cause all paint does not match 100% as stated by another member on here..and depending on your color how much harder it will be to match...

JCtx

Holy crap. So they'll have to strip my door, and do that sanding crap to the hood as well? And how about the right fender, at the other side of the bumper cover? And the left roof pillar? Geez. If door is not removed, it'll look 'wrong' at the edges, no? So the f***ing door has to come off as well? Can't believe this $*it. Dismantle half the damn car for such little damage.

It's the same darn work like if I had had a collision. Unbelievable. How much is my car going to be worth now? If it was a Civic, I'd probably leave it as it is; it's that minor, but being **** retentive, can't leave it like that. But damage is that minor. Will take some pics when it stops raining. And will make sure to keep them safe, as this crap will turn up a major red flag when it's time to sell. Heck, I doubt people are going to believe the truth with such a major job. Oh well. One more reason to keep the car for a long time, huh? Good day guys. And thanks for the explanation about 'blending' buddy.

bodylines1

the door does not need to be removed just wet sanded for blending...the mirror will need to be removed..and depending on your dammage u might be able to repair some of the parts that might save u money....any pics

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

Sorry to hear about your hit and run. It happened to me too. What I can recommend from experience that if no paint is broken and there is not a crease, take it to a paintless dent repair shop and see if there is anything they can do. You'd be surprised. My wife's RX330 just got a big nasty door ding about softball size, and the experts removed it and you can't tell at all.

Secondly, regarding the blending, taking off parts, etc. I know it sounds funny, but coming from one super **** retentive guy to another: It will be okay. Really. Relax. Millions of people each day take their babies in (some babies much more expensive than ours) and get them repaired. It's just the process. Don't fight it. I know it all sounds ridiculous, but you are right...it's not a Civic. A Civic job would cost about $300!

Finally, most Lexus dealer paint jobs don't even show any paint work at all. When they remove the parts and have a flawless job (if there is one in the body shop world), no one can tell. My car had paint work and I had three or four experts inspect it and couldn't tell. The catch is now Lexus will have the paint work attached to your VIN and when you do resell, CARFAX and Lexus can pull it up as an "accident" since there was a claim, I believe.

JCtx

Thanks for the comments guys. Yes, I know the car will show up as wrecked. Unfortunately, I don't think Carfax differentiates what was the damage, but I'll take some pictures and put them in the car's folder for future resale. Will also tell the body shop to put in writing the damage, as the fix is the same as if I had had a much larger wreck. What a mess, huh?
And thanks for the thoughts. As long as the car looks like new outside, I'd be pleased. No need to sweat this. The bad news is the van's owner is a weasel, just like I predicted. Since it was in private property, looks like I'm screwed, and will have to use my insurance (and pay the $500 deductible). Oh well. Take care guys.

Hey guys, quick question: Will the new paint be at least as strong as the somewhat soft Lexus factory paint? Can I ask for a specific paint brand, or I don't have any choice? I believe there should be all kinds of different qualities in paint, just like on any product, right? Forgot to ask about that. Thanks.