Repairs Question
 

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So my insurer wants to write off the entire car because of damage sustained to the rear quarter panel thanks to a crazy Kangaroo that decided to crash tackle my car. It seems like a waste to me seeing the rest of the car is in mint condition. There saying it's gonna cost over $8000 AUD to fix which is about $6000 USD. On top of that my claim is under investigation because the accident happened the day after I signed up. There must be a cheaper way for me to remove those dents?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!!

This is a structural part of the car. So the 100% correct way would to replace the metal sheet with a new one.

Dent seems to be pretty deep. Also seems like the door is affected.

Question is if the metal sheet can be pulled and the lines can be brought back. Not an easy job. Especially on a black car. Would need an oldschool metal sheet artist.

Alternatively you can look for a crashed car where this part is 100% OK and than cut the old one out and weld the new one in.

Both repair methods should be below 6.000 AUD. I would say approx. 1 day labour plus prep and painting. So 1.5 to 2 days labour plus material costs for painting and paint box.

Regards, Markus

Is it worth it to just let them write off the car, and search for another one? I mean, it sounds like it is not just cosmetic, as you mentioned that the top operates with a noise now, right?...meaning the top transmission mounting point is damaged (behind that panel as well), and will need to be addressed. If they're putting your claim on investigation, they'll prob cancel your policy after the resolution too. Get a speed yellow or guards red one, so that the Kangaroos see you next time! :D

Looks like it's already been repaired once before. Isn't that a chunk of filler that's cracked? If it has already sustained damage from a previous accident, replacing the panel would be the better option.

Don't claim to understand the pricing of autos in the land down under. Here in the US, that damage would run pretty close to the value of the car to repair, so it will be totaled instead. Cheaper to buy a different car than try to repair this one, run into additional problems, and then maybe have issues when it's done?

Nice wheels.

You may have the best story on totaling a Box.

That panel has definitely been hit before as evidenced by the sheet of bondo that is on it peeling off. Do you know where else this car has been hit? Was it just that panel or whole side? Replacing a quarter panel is not that big of a deal, it will cost a couple $k but not $6k US like they are telling you. If they write it off see if they will let you buy it back and have it repaired with the money you get if you love the car.

The car was obviously hit by something soft as there are no gouges or deep scratches. Just bad luck for the insurance company.

Did the kangaroo survive? They must be fairly heavy, perhaps similar to a deer to put it into a North American context.

I would buy the written off car and just replace the rear panel and perhaps the door with parts from a dismantler.

If you wanted to do it on the cheap then use one of the dent puller systems and some body filler, then take the car to a good painter.

I can see how replacing the panel, door and repaint the entire car could cost more than $6K.

Was the kangaroo totaled?

Replace the wheels and tires with stock wheels and tires before they total it. You didn't pay extra for insurance on those and all the recycler is entitled to is the stock items.

I presume you know about Forums - PFA

Just on the quarter panel with a couple of small dents and cracks on the door.

Yes it was. Most animals would have run the other way but these things want to fight anything that moves.

Yes it is a chunk of filler you can see and unfortunately you're right the repair costs do come to %50 of the car's market value. :(

Unfortunately I don't have the stock wheels. The car came with bigger wheels when I bought it 2nd hand and yes I know about PFA.

Cheers!!

I'm guessing the car will be stripped down to the bone and sold off as spare parts?

There's at least $10.000 worth of parts on it.

Different insurance companies have different standards on what is considered totaled. This could also be different from country to country or even state to state. I believe its 70% to 80% of the vehicles value for my insurance. I damaged the rear quarter panel on my car where they had to cut out the old panel and weld in a different one. It cost $5k for a car I paid $7k for and they didn't total it. There was of course additional damage elsewhere.

About three years after that the panel had started rusting really badly and so I had the insurance fix it again under their "warranty" which is no cost to me and a "lifetime guarantee". They cut the panel out again and welded another new panel in and this cost just over $3k. If I ever have any other issues, I will be taking it back to them and having them fix it again. It would be good to ask your insurance about these things when signing up. I also usually take photos of my car the day I insure it just in case something happens. It might seem overkill but life is unpredictable.

jeez that is not a good bang for the buck, nasty animal. Sorry to see and hear about your car man, what a mess he did

If you still have that K-roo, their leather does pretty amazing road racing motorcycle suit. You could get $12,000 worth of parts if you know someone who can stitch