Quote:
Originally Posted by Face_Plant
Final update: as expected, insurance totaled the car  I'm going get a quote directly from the body shop to see what it would really cost to fix. I'll probably spring for it if it's not too expensive. I absolutely hate starting over fresh with a new/different car and would like to avoid that at all costs.
Keep your eye on the classifieds. I'll probably have my stuff up for sale within the next week... |
you would need to buy the car back for that to happen. with the damage to the rear quarter panel, i'm doubtful that the shop might be willing to accept the liability of working on it. if they do agree to do it, i don't doubt that they're going to give you a repair cost exceeding $15k once they factor in labor. insurance rates and private pay rates might be slightly different, but not substantially.
cars are changing where steel is no longer steel, so parts that used to be capable of being welded together can no longer be consistently welded by body shops. it can still be done, but it needs to be done by someone with a full understanding of the metalurgy, and most body shops don't staff people like that.
here's an example from mercedes for their 2012 s-class on the different metal types that go into a single vehicle structure
