A few days ago, I was leaving a parking lot that I was unfamiliar with and happened to almost take out the wooden gate. (Those long pieces of wood near a cashier booth.) The sun was straight in my eye as I drove forward and I didn't even see it! Thankfully I stopped when I was almost on top of it.

At any rate, when I came forward, it nicked the top edge on the driver's side (The part that runs alongside the windshield.). I took it yesterday to get an estimate and was amazed it would cost $576! I was told that they would have to remove the side window and replace the entire piece of metal that runs above the driver's door.

Gah!! Is there a cheaper alternative? The paint was chipped and yes, the sheet metal is exposed. (Just a tiny area, really, but still, it's exposed.) I don't want rust to set in but I seriously don't have the $$$ for that kind of a repair.

Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated. I have the Silver Storm color.

 

Can you post a picture of the damage?

Good bodywork is VERY expensive and in my opinion usually VERY worth it.

The cheaper option would probably be to find some matching spray paint and feather sand out the damage, paint, sand, buff. You will still probably have a couple hundred dollars in it. This is assuming there is no metal damage.

It will not look nearly as good as if a body shop does it though.

 

Thanks, Funkster, for your reply.

I was afraid you'd say that. I know bodywork is expensive but I guess I was hoping they wouldn't have to replace the part. Photos are below.

 

$576!!! That's adding insult to injury....Cheaper solution is to live with it. Have the damage fixed with a good touch-up and it will most likely go un-noticed by most and saliently remind you of that guillotine.... There's a few of those in my library of oops.

 

Who gave the quote? A body shop? Dent Pro? Dent Doctor?

 

A collision and repair place, where I had some previous work done. They're good, actually.

I am getting a second estimate. This repair shop is saying it will run around $1100 - $1300 because they'll have to remove the windshield. Honestly, I'm not sure what is true and what isn't. It's hard for me to imagine that so much work has to go into repairing such a small spot!

Then again, I'm not a car repairman...

 

OH UGH!!!!

My sympathies Silver Lady.

 

I'm guessing that they want to do a proper job and not some filler and paint-over touch-up work.

Do get a few more quotes.

 

I say just wait till you're ready to sell the car, then fix the damage. For now just touch up the bare metal so it doesn't rust.

 

have your insurance pay for it. if coming out of pocket, then that's a rip off.

should be able to fix under $400.

 

Get your little bottle of touch up from Honda for $10. Do it now before any rust sets in. Should not be a problem.

 

BINGO

 

Thanks, everyone, for your input. I'm leaning toward the touch-up bottle!

Another body repair shop just gave me an estimate. Are you ready for this?

$1316.65!!!

Holy Cannoli!!!

They were actually saying that the front fender would need to be removed as they "blended" it into the fender. WTH? The small nick is nowhere near the fender and I don't understand why they'd have to blend it all the way to that point, anyway. For the love of pete...

That beauty of a quote was from 3C Body Shop, if anyone is in Columbus. I've heard they're high but really am not sure if such prices are justified. In my case, I'd say no.

I do have a $500 deductible with my insurance. So now the first quote doesn't seem so bad compared to that second one!

I just wish I could find someone who would be a moderate solution. Someone who could do the wet sand, prep it, touch it up, and then seal it. The solutions proposed by these body shops seem extreme to me.

 

SilverLady - Black3sr knows from which he speaks.

Not feeling like you want to tackle it? Find a small independent shop that looks like it's been around for ever.
Ask them to do you a favor and speak not about the story, just that you did something, well you drove into the.. oh, just make it all sound funny.
Also, brownies win favors in body shops - better than beer.
This is inside info, trust me on that ;-)

From what I see it's a small fix for someone who knows how. All that body work talk is a sign of the times, sadly.

 

Boy, that's a shame about the industry being that pricey. Boo!

Someone who used to be a member on this board (and lived in my town) recommended someone here but yet this guy does work on exotic cars. (Hmm. Honda Fits ARE made in Japan, right? lol) At any rate, a Porsche, she's not.

I got a kick out of your brownie comment! I may contact this last guy just to see what happens. Would you suggest dropping by first with the brownies? When should the "brownie drop-off" occur? I want to make sure I'm "brownie" savvy...

I'm a fairly decent cook and baker, so I'd like to make the brownies.

Nuts or no nuts? I know... questions, questions!!

 

This is a good option, but only if you have a REALLY low deductible... say, south of $500. But if the OP goes with the higher estimates for whatever reason, then it'll be worth the hassle.

OP -- if you have a low collision deductible (which this will be classified under), then use it. While this will be classified as an accident, MOST companies won't count it against you if the value that they pay out is below a certain value, though this varies from state-to-state and company-to-company. I'm licensed to sell insurance in Ohio, so I'll check it later on today.

But the prices are fairly realistic, despite how insignificant of an incident it may have been. My girlfriend was driving on the freeway, and some tumbling piece of wood on the freeway scraped her rear left passenger door, and it was a $600-700 job, though she made an insurance claim, so she only had to pay her $200 deductible (which I put on her policy) while the remaining amount that the insurance company paid won't be counted against her since it's below the cut-off.

 

Silver - trick is to set it up first. This is really a small repair/fix. No need to haul out the buffers, you simply want it made better to protect things.

So you need to find a likely little shop, drive in and talk with the boys.
* You're not going for an insurance fix. *
This is what puts a shop off. They figure they want a piece of the action.

You need help...

This is where your presentation comes in. Can you help me out? You got caught by the automatic gate and the glaring sun. Stupid move on your part trying to get out of a parking lot... nooo insurance. You simply need the nicks touched up. You love your Fit.

If things start working in your favor, like they can do a nice 'touch-up', mention brownies and ask if the guys do like them you make 'em great.

Nuts no nuts chocolate for sure. A 9x12 pan when you bring it in OR if they get right on it, the next morning!

I like brownies too ;-)

 

Here was a spray can touch up for me. $10 approx. This was over a year ago and still looks good.

Go get the bottle of touch up. Use a tooth pick to "paint" the scratch. If you don't like the look wipe it off quick and try again.

Before





After

 

Black3sr, your DIY touch-up looks fantastic!

Well, I went to the Honda dealership yesterday and bought a bottle of touch-up paint. My husband applied it but may sand it slightly and re-apply to get a smoother look.

Meanwhile, I took the car today to "Dent Doctor" and he said he could get the small dent out ("dime-size" he called it) and re-touch the paint ("Could do a bit of a better job than you.." said he. I didn't say my husband did it. )

All for a very reasonable price of $136, including tax.

So I'll consider getting the dent removed and see what he can do. He said the other option was replacing that entire panel but quickly added, "I wouldn't do it."

I have to agree. It's a big expense for something so little. At least it's in a good spot where it's not obvious if you look at the car from the side.

If I do go to the "Dent Doctor," I'll post my "after" pics.

 

to have my grille molded into my front bumper, scratches repaired on the lower part of the lip and the whole bumper repainted NHBP cost me about $600.00