Dent + Scratch Repair - Expected Cost?

DAnDan · 30 Jul 2014 at 10:22

So thanks for my rather careless little sister, my car has a couple relatively large scratches and some minor dents in the front wheel arch on the passenger side. It's a 57 plate Fiesta ST in blue, so nothing too fancy.

What sort of price would you all be expecting to pay to have the dents removed, and the panel resprayed? Luckily it's probably the smallest panel on the car, so I didn't think it would be too expensive.

However... The first place we've looked at have quoted £730 for the work, which seems massively over the top to me, but I'm unsure if I'm expecting the unrealistic.

pepsilol · 30 Jul 2014 at 11:18

£150 - £200

Leigh · 30 Jul 2014 at 11:21

and the rest. depends if your talking a mobile SMART repair service or a garage. £300-400 for SMART or closer to £550-600 at a garage (not main dealer)

DAnDan · 30 Jul 2014 at 11:24

Leigh said:
and the rest. depends if your talking a mobile SMART repair service or a garage. £300-400 for SMART or closer to £550-600 at a garage (not main dealer)

"And the rest"?

The quote was from a local repair shop recommended to us.

Leigh · 30 Jul 2014 at 12:47

my comment was at pepsilols £150-200 expected cost

pepsilol · 30 Jul 2014 at 13:20

I just made up a number as this is apparently a guess the damage, guess the repair thread.

Akagi · 30 Jul 2014 at 13:31

Buy a new panel on eBay for <£100 and hope the paint is a reasonable match.

azibux1 · 30 Jul 2014 at 14:11

Got a pic?

Will probably help a lot of people

DAnDan · 30 Jul 2014 at 14:28

azibux1 said:
Got a pic?

Will probably help a lot of people

Not the best picture, but it's all I have to hand at the moment.

It's not a huge amount of damage, mostly the one largeish scrape and the dent to the left of it, but it's more than we can get out with t-cut or anything, and I'd also like to get the dents fixed properly.

What do you all think?

HouR · 30 Jul 2014 at 14:34

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FORD-FIES...arts_SM&fits=Model:Fiesta&hash=item2c88857afb

That + polish if the quotes to repair get stupid, on the assumption you are ok changing the wing yourself.

Hyburnate · 30 Jul 2014 at 14:38

Stealership > Forward bill to her

DAnDan · 30 Jul 2014 at 14:40

Hyburnate said:
Stealership > Forward bill to her

Ideally I'm not looking to charge family any more than is necessary to get it fixed properly.

Hyburnate · 30 Jul 2014 at 14:44

DAnDan said:
Ideally I'm not looking to charge family any more than is necessary to get it fixed properly.

properly is a piece of string, you could have smart repair do an adequate job, you could buy a panel and have it sprayed with your paint code and that'd also do it or you could get it done properly by someone getting a new panel and sitting down and getting the closest match they can get. The latter is likely to be the best but also the most expensive.

Akagi · 30 Jul 2014 at 14:44

HouR said:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FORD-FIES...arts_SM&fits=Model:Fiesta&hash=item2c88857afb

That + polish if the quotes to repair get stupid, on the assumption you are ok changing the wing yourself.

Exactly my thoughts.

You could even get your panel bodge repaired and sold cheap to re-coup some of the (already comparatively tiny) costs.

Do this, hope it matches well, don't stand there squinting at it.

Hyburnate said:
Stealership > Forward bill to her

You cold hearted *******

Hyburnate · 30 Jul 2014 at 14:45

Acme said:
Exactly my thoughts.

You could even get your panel bodge repaired and sold cheap to re-coup some of the (already comparatively tiny) costs.

You cold hearted *******

What can I say? People learn when it costs them

And on a car such as this that I guess is well kept after I would not want some bodge job

Akagi · 30 Jul 2014 at 14:47

Getting another panel and replacing it is hardly a bodge job.

At the very most there will be a slight difference in the paint, but it would probably and hopefully be un-noticeable.

I don't think OP needs to teach his little sister a lesson. :rolleyes:

I doubt she did it deliberately.

Hyburnate · 30 Jul 2014 at 14:52

Acme said:
Getting another panel and replacing it is hardly a bodge job.

At the very most there will be a slight difference in the paint, but it would probably and hopefully be un-noticeable.

I don't think OP needs to teach his little sister a lesson.
I doubt she did it deliberately.

I doubt she took the care someone elses car deserves either

Look it's evident I'm going against the grain here

DAnDan · 30 Jul 2014 at 14:56

Hyburnate said:
I doubt she took the care someone else's car deserves either Look it's evident I'm going against the grain here

She definitely didn't do it deliberately, but she is very careless, and there's several impacts on the car, so it happened a few times.

Yes it's annoying, and yes she should have been more careful. But I'm still not going to try and charge her more than I need to.

Replacing the panel does seem like quite a good option. Will get a few more quotes from local companies, if they can do it for a couple of hundred then that's probably what I'll go with, but if it's looking like it'll be ~£700 everywhere then it'll have to be a panel change.

But to go back to the original question, does £700 seem excessive for this sort of work, if I were to go that route? Or is that actually a typical fee!?

Akagi · 30 Jul 2014 at 15:05

It sounds excessive to me, but then what do I know.

Is buying a panel for £60~ and fitting it yourself absolutely not an option?

Janesy B · 30 Jul 2014 at 15:25

I wouldn't just attempt to swap the panel with another, maybe you'll get lucky, maybe it'll stick out like a sore thumb and it'll need to be blended with the bumper/bonnet/door.