Accident / Insurance Repair Questions

[NA1 #2853]

Just had someone back into my passenger door tonight, and pushed it in and creased it.

I'm taking it in tomorrow to have the estimates done.

And was just thinking..... I do not want any "Bondo" or body filler on the car at all. I can always tell when cars have had filler work done, i pick on them at car shows, and after cars have come out of body shops.

Being the the car is aluminum, it probably wouldnt be as easy to replace the door skin like my integra.

Would that mean that i would have to have the whole door replaced? would an insurance company pay for that? or would they force me to have it repaired with "bondo" / filler? and would i be responsible for paying the difference to have a new / another door put on?

and now i just noticed that this girls insurance card expires tonight.... great... i'm going to go ballistic tomorrow if Allstate tries to pull something tomorrow.


can i also specify which bodyshop that i want to work on my car..... i want the shop that painted the Skyline for me to also do the NSX.

-Ray

 

[Larry Bastanza]

NA1,

I will assume you have a good reputable insurance co. If so, yes, you can specify where, what. You can insist on a new door skin, not bondo. The car should be restored to it's "original" condition, in order to maintain it's value.

Find a shop that know NSX's if you can. Even if it is a hassle, it will be worth it.

HTH,
LarryB

 

[nsxtasy]

Larry's right. Also...

Originally posted by NA1 #2853:
and now i just noticed that this girls insurance card expires tonight.... great... i'm going to go ballistic tomorrow if Allstate tries to pull something tomorrow.

She had coverage on the day of the accident, so they are responsible for the damage - even if she fails to renew her policy and/or you wait several weeks before getting the car repaired.

 

[LJSB]

The NSX door outer panel is not serviced separately as it is on many other cars.
It is serviced as a shell.
If it were serviced with a outer panel it would be a mess of filler by the time it was installed and you don't want that.
If it's creased and pushed in, replace the door.
You should be able to take your car to any shop you'd like. See the folks that fixed your Skyline.


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www.vincesautobodyworks.com

[This message has been edited by pbassjo (edited 21 February 2003).]

 

[NA1 #2853]

Well Allstate wants to send their adjuster to take a look at it before they authorise the repairs, what ticks me off is that they said they get one out to me in 5 to 7 business day. That sucks, i'm going to goto one of their drive in inspection places and demand they do it now. they told me that they are all booked up for estimates for a week. WTF?

The collision center that did the Skyline took a look, and said i need a new door shell (like in the above post) because they cant use a electric dent puller (it welds a steel stud to the skin for the dent puller to pull on, and you can weld steel to aluminum) and they cant buy a skin from Acura. Plus they said on a car like this they would do nothing less than a brand new door anyways.... Great! Lets hope that the Allstate adjusters know about that, but either way it'll get taken care of in a "adjustment" to the claim.

The door shell = $2000.... not as bad as i thought. I thought it would be worse with how much the quarter panels, and fenders cost.

Praying to god that there is a door shell available in the USA. i have some parts on order for the auto-> 6sp conversion i'm doing, and they had to order the stuff from Japan. They also had to do that with the window regulators i replaced in a preventative maintainance measure. I have (2) 2000 Type-R transmissions on order, and i have been waiting for about 2 months now.

Ack, enough Jabber-Jawing....

-Ray