Fender Bender Advice

[anf2374]

Unfortunately my Mirage was involved in a fender bender. Take a look at the pics; there is some damage to the quarter panel as well as some chipping on the bumper, but no damage to the headlight. The car was parked while someone was backing out of their driveway. Surprisingly the person admitted fault the next day and the insurance company has slotted me a check for all damage (a bit over $1000). There is no frame damage, the car drives and rides exactly the same as when I picked it up at the dealership. Of course it happens to a new car with only 1200 miles on it.

I need some advice... Since the car is so new I'm nervous about getting the work done at the body shop. The particular one I'm dealing with is nearly 5 star rated on Yelp, but I'm not too keen about having them remove the quarter panel and bumper to fix. I want the car to be EXACTLY as factory specification, and I have a strong feeling that no matter what body shop I go to, they'll forget something like a clip, a foam piece, or insulation. Then I get nervous about wiring; will they cut the factory wire and reconnect vs. properly removing wiring harness?

I guess these are questions that I'll have for the body shop. Nevertheless, does anyone think, based on the pictures, whether the factory parts could remain on the car, and simply repaired, vs. replacing the entire quarter panel, including taking off the bumper?

[Cobrajet]

Well, that is actually the fender not the quarter panel. The quarter panel is in the rear.

ANY body shop should be able to fix that with little trouble, as the damage looks purely cosmetic. I suspect they will just unbolt the old fender and bolt on a new one. They may even get a used one off of a wrecked Mirage.

My car was backed into as well, and it put a large dent in the passenger rear door. I found a matching door off of a wrecked '15 Mirage and swapped it myself.

I wouldn't worry too much about it being done properly, but the only way to be sure is to do it yourself.

[Eggman]

Get estimates. Your dealer should be competitive.

I'd like to know how they handle this.

[Cani Lupine]

The fender actually bends around pretty easily. After I hit a black bear cub in Shenandoah National Park, I just took the check from the insurance and did the work myself. It's a lot of eyeballing to make sure everything is straight.

Before:



After:

[Daox]

I agree with Cobrajet. The damage is quite minor. Its going to be a simple unbolt and bolt on a new one.