Body damage and insurance company fix

Spoke to another body shop just to try to feel better about this. He was in agreement with the first body shop in saying that due to the minor nature of the damage, Progressive (our insurance agent and that of the girl who backed into us) will NOT authorize whole body panel replacement. I'll rest easier knowing that the repair comes with a lifetime warranty. Trying to not always sweat the small stuff over here.

 

100 percent agreed. That driver hit your truck and has a responsibility to make it while again. Bondo is shit. Do you have a friend who happens to be an attorney? Buy them a bottle of whiskey and start there. No way I’d take their first offer anyway.

 

Nope no way did your truck come from the factory with bondo?

 

I don’t get how an insurance company has to “authorize” fixing your car the right way. Sounds like you need a new insurance co. That’s theft. They took your money but won’t do the job you pay them for.

Insurance co. will fix your truck as cheap as possible, jack up the girls rate who hit you and pocket even more money.

call. your. lawyer. get it fixed correctly.

I’m out.

 

Thanks for all of the feedback everyone. I'm still upset about this and will likely be on the phone again today. Whatever happens, I'm certainly not paying out of pocket for a new panel, whether I get one or not. I simply don't have that kind of money. Lawyers will definitely not be involved either. At the end of the day, we're all at the mercy of the insurance companies. Unless I guess you lawyer up. Which in this case, seems highly unlikely that anyone would.

 

Maybe your damage is closer to the rear corner, but - from my moose collision back in June - the rear bed panel dents can be repaired without bondo (old school metal work).

Before:


After:

 

OK, we still don't have pictures here.

Are we talking a big door ding and broken taillight? Your description sounds like it.

Of course you can't just slap filler in the dent and paint over it.

But it's quite possible the dent can be almost completely removed with metal work, and the filler part is just to give a smooth surface to work the final finish with. It's a final finishing 'tool' that almost all shops use on any body work.

You can read about it here. Might make you feel better. http://knowhow.napaonline.com/bondo-101-working-with-plastic-body-filler/

Done right, you'll never know it happened. And no, it won't fall out next week.

 

Unfortunately that Old School talent is fading.....

 

Ain't that the truth.

 

Properly applied body filler doesn't just fall out. People see a wrecked body panel with 1/4" thick filler hanging out and go, "ewwww Bondo!". Even with 1/4" thick, it wouldn't have popped out if you hadn't wrecked it a 2nd time. There is nothing wrong with a thin skim coat of filler to make a panel perfectly straight. Ever see a black high dollar street rod or muscle car that is PERFECTLY straight? Guess what? It has body filler everywhere. Factory body panels aren't that straight.

Also, you do realize how much of the side of your truck they're going to paint if they replace the whole bedside, right? Probably not. Well, they're going to repaint the cab corner and the door too.

 

Here's one pic.

 

And another.

 

The good news is that can be worked from the inside once the taillight fixture is removed. Quite easily actually. It should be so close that any filler is minimal as final prep before paint work. See @Muddinfun's post above re use of filler for perfection.

The better news is your white is the easiest color to blend match. I would ask them to remove the rear flare and the bed rail so that area 'ends' under those bits, as opposed to being a line around them. The probably would anyway, but never hurts to ask.

And it's a great opportunity to lose the TRD decals if you've ever considered doing so. The one on the damaged side has to come off anyway. You might like it.

It's all in the hands of the tech doing the work. The folks I use for occasional flub ups would have that done in 3-4 days, and it would be undetectable. The filler would be so thin that a kitchen magnet would still attach to the truck. And they'd mask the wire harness inside the fender so when the taillight was removed for future service there was no hint of the repair due to overspray.

Best wishes for a successful repair!

 

You're going to have to fight the insurance a lot but don't give in to it. Make them fix it the right way. If not, get a lawyer to write a letter - they won't go to court for it.

Had someone back into me a few years ago at work and dent my bumper. It was too damaged to fix the dent so I needed a new bumper and got it paint matched. They weren't happy with me and it took a week of arguing, but i'm not driving a truck with bondo on it from someone else's stupid.

 

Go to your own body shop. First you should seek out the best mechanic in your area. Use Yelp to help you find one. Then ask him where the best place is to go get body repair work performed.

This is how I got my wifes Volvo fixed after she was rear ended. I found the best place that came highly recommended. The owner of the body shop changed out the body panel and would not compromise on his work. The insurance carrier of thd moron that hit my wifes car tried to intervene and have him use bondo. He stuck to his guns. He also called me when someone from the insurance company would show up and hassel him.

We ended up getting it done the right way.

Do this like I did OP. They will want to do it the cheapest way. You might have to get your insurance agent involved to go to bat for you against the othet insurance company. As for me, I was able to clear my schedule and dedicate time to deal with the hassel. You gotta protect your stuff.

 

What was the verdict?

 

@InfernoTonka we are both insured by the same insurance co-Progressive. I don't have the luxury of clearing my schedule to deal with the hassle, unfortunately. I just spent 30 min on hold with Progressive and didn't get to speak to a live representative. I gave up in frustration since I'm at work trying to get as much done as possible before the new year.

 

DO NOT GIVE UP! Always remember they are working for you, not the other way around! Do not settle for a cheesy offer so they can benefit from this and keep taking your payments. DO NOT JUST SETTLE FOR WHAT THEY WANT BECAUSE IT’S YOUR TRUCK!

 

Sorry for screaming.

 

I did it without my insurance involved. Find out if you have the right to take it to the place of your choice. Many states mandate this by law. For all I know the guy that hit my wifes car may have had insurance through our same company as well.

There is a potential for conflict of interest within the insurance company in this situation. Get smart really quick on your rights here in this situation and don't compromise on your standards here.

I agree that bondo should not go near a new car. Replacing the panel is the way to go. You shouldn't have to pay any difference...the other side should. Also start throwing around the term "diminished value" to the insurance agent representing the other side. That will go along way to let them know to do this right.