Quick Body Shop Help PLEASE!

[jodyberry]

My folks are bringing their Midnight Blue RT into the (AAA recommended) body shop today for repairs. Someone scratched most of the right side of the car below the chrome trim piece. The worst of it was on the front right fender where it actually scraped to the metal. The rest looked like it could almost be buffed out, but they say it's $2000 worth of damage.

They also say that the door handles, chrome trim piece and right headlight needs to be removed. Why all this for a scrape BELOW the trim piece? Maybe I don't know body shop procedures well enough. Are they planning on painting the whole door and fender? Why cant they just paint below the trim piece? And my main concern - will the paint be as good as the factory paint? (Isn't there a clear coat on factory paint?)

I plan on speaking in more detail later today with the claims guy and maybe the body shop, but I wanted to get the real scoop from you guys on the forum so that I'd have some ammunition (if needed).

Thanks in advance for your help,

Bill

[402 Motoring]

They are doing all that because its the right way to fix the car. If we let those items on the car and painted around them the new paint would eventually start to peel. When we do a repair on a panel because todays cars are bascoat / clearcoat we are only blending the basecoat into the repaired area. We then apply the clearcoat to the entire panel to blend the old paint with the new. Modern quality bodyshops do not "spot" panels anymore. The factory paint has to "hard" of a shell. The new paint will not "melt" into the old so it will only lay on the top of the old paint. You would see a ring where the old and new overlapped each other. It will also not last longterm.

[SoCal_Magnum]

makes sence....

[diamondrmp]

My folks are bringing their Midnight Blue RT into the (AAA recommended) body shop today for repairs. Someone scratched most of the right side of the car below the chrome trim piece. The worst of it was on the front right fender where it actually scraped to the metal. The rest looked like it could almost be buffed out, but they say it's $2000 worth of damage.

They also say that the door handles, chrome trim piece and right headlight needs to be removed. Why all this for a scrape BELOW the trim piece? Maybe I don't know body shop procedures well enough. Are they planning on painting the whole door and fender? Why cant they just paint below the trim piece? And my main concern - will the paint be as good as the factory paint? (Isn't there a clear coat on factory paint?)

I plan on speaking in more detail later today with the claims guy and maybe the body shop, but I wanted to get the real scoop from you guys on the forum so that I'd have some ammunition (if needed).

Thanks in advance for your help,

Bill

I just got Magnum out of the shop. They removed EVERYTHING including the rear quarterpanel window and painted.

If you get someone to do it cheaper and they don't remove the parts as Avon said it will peel later.