Panel shop fees - insane !

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Dolby

Dolby

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As mentioned in another post, someone bumped my RunX on Saturday night. He admitted fault and he'd pay. The damage is minor : 3 or 4 hairlines cracks in the paint and black marks that can't be polished out.

I went to Autohaus - an approved Toyota workshop. They aren't prepared to repair, so they're R4500.00 for a new bumper, spraying and labour

I decided to try a small place to respray only ... R1800.00

I also took it to Renew It to respray ... R6700.00

I seriously have to LOOK for the damage and the main reason I'm doing it is that when it comes to trading my car in 6-12 months, I'm not going to get docked R2000-R3000 for something I didn't do.

I had my fender, ligh cluster, bumper respray and mag respray done at Autohaus (Toyota replacement) for R8500.00. WHere do Rew It get off with charging near the same to repair a scratch?!

/vent
 
Dolby said:
I went to Autohaus - an approved Toyota workshop. They aren't prepared to repair, so they're R4500.00 for a new bumper, spraying and labour


I seriously have to LOOK for the damage and the main reason I'm doing it is that when it comes to trading my car in 6-12 months, I'm not going to get docked R2000-R3000 for something I didn't do.


/vent
Click to expand...

You just mentioned it ...
1) bumper is probably cracked ?
2) they want to fit a new bumper
3) when you sell you car, the buyer will see something 'new' and not something damaged and repaired.

If the person who damaged your car is prepared to pay for the damages, why worry about costs ?
 
It was more the variation - and the fact that for R8500.00 I got a fender, bumper respray, mag respray and light cluster. Now for 1/5th of the damage they want to charge me very similar pricing

In fact, I've just moaned at Renew It and they instantly lowered it toi R4700.00

The guy is paying personally.
 
That is madness, what color is the car? If it's not metallic, you shouldn't pay more than a couple hundred bucks to get that sprayed.
 
White RunX :(

Photo's don't even pick up anything - they're too small ...

Oh - they sall asy the paint itself is cracked ... not the bumper itself.
 
I had a dent removed from my rear passenger door + a re-spray of the door. Cost was R1200 & the job was done in just over 2 hours - enough time to eat (and walk off) a slow breakfast at Fournos.

Call Frank Menezes: 082 605 1500 - he has a small place in the rear parking lot of the shopping centre across the road from Builder's Warehouse in Fourways.

NB: He has no facility for storing cars, so his work is limited to one-day 'valet' jobs.
 
That's 3 minutes away from me ... I'll give him a go ... thanks!
 
man you gotta love this forum:D help is but a angry post away!
 
Panel shops are massively expensive to run so you end up paying. Just to be Ford approved you need a certain number of Ford branded courtesy cars, approved spray booth and prep area, can only use certain paints from certain suppliers, can only buy parts from the cartel and so on.
Now you get a panel shop that is ford, vw, toyota, opel and what ever else approved and you think how many courtesy cars they have to have and what sort of infrastructure they need and you start seeing why they charge so much.

If I take a bumper off take it to my spray guy to spray it costs me R550 for prep and spray (metalic) in a booth with baking. He isnt approved by any manufacturer but does brilliant work. Also if you want insurance work you need to pay membership fees to watchdog organisations.

Granted those Renew guys seem a bit dodgy quoting then dropping the price by half, but the high prices are not all the panel shops fault.

Just some insight for those that are interested.
 
Thank you ...

Interesting post :)
 
Gunny said:
Panel shops are massively expensive to run so you end up paying. Just to be Ford approved you need a certain number of Ford branded courtesy cars, approved spray booth and prep area, can only use certain paints from certain suppliers, can only buy parts from the cartel and so on.
Now you get a panel shop that is ford, vw, toyota, opel and what ever else approved and you think how many courtesy cars they have to have and what sort of infrastructure they need and you start seeing why they charge so much.

If I take a bumper off take it to my spray guy to spray it costs me R550 for prep and spray (metalic) in a booth with baking. He isnt approved by any manufacturer but does brilliant work. Also if you want insurance work you need to pay membership fees to watchdog organisations.

Granted those Renew guys seem a bit dodgy quoting then dropping the price by half, but the high prices are not all the panel shops fault.

Just some insight for those that are interested.
Click to expand...

A couple of years ago I had my Corolla in after a minor accident and they had it in for 3 days. They didn't give me jack squat in terms of a courtesy car. Maybe R10 000 rands repairs isn't worth it for them.
 
One thing to remember is that plastic parts are usually the most expensive, especially bumpers.

I am very hesitant of cheap quotes... there is often a reason that they are cheaper - they usually repair and do not replace. The often don't do enough prep before spraying.

Its always best to get a complete detail quote to compare exactly what parts are being repaired vs repalced. Often one place will quote to replace brackets and other small things which can cost a lot.
 
my car is being repaired after a minor accident and i took it to a professional panel beater approved by insurance and car manufacturer. R15 000.

i will only use big and approved panel beaters as often (not always) the little guys do second rate work. Same with mechanics especially in this day and age when cars are only getting more sophisticated and specialised.
 
Picard said:
A couple of years ago I had my Corolla in after a minor accident and they had it in for 3 days. They didn't give me jack squat in terms of a courtesy car. Maybe R10 000 rands repairs isn't worth it for them.
Click to expand...

There is a stipulated amount that qualifies you for a courtesy car. I took my cars in for repairs once and got quoted R29 000,00 which qualified me for a courtesy car, the assesor promtly knocked it down to R24 000,00 and R25 000,00 was the amount that qualified.
 
Someone else drove into my bumper last week - 4th person to drive into the same rear bumper in 2 years :/
 
The more time you spend on the road, the greater your chances of being "bumped".

What I don't understand is what happened to bumpers.
They used to be the parts of the car that could be "lightly" bumped .. hence the name.

Then somebody decided to make them panels instead of bumpers.

Wham .. a 60% increase in comprehensive insurance income and a whole new industry servicing panel replacements.

Sometimes, I think that the ride we're being taken for is our fault, and sometimes I wonder at the power of advertising to make people stupid.
 
I don't even spend a huge amount on the road. I do about 1300km per month and have an office job. My car is like a magnet :/

Twice I was at a robot, and twice I was parked and no in the car. They left cards though.

My front bumper has only been hit once though ...
 
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