Expected cost and time of bonnet repair

[MatteRB26]

We recently had an incident where a trampoline blew onto our car and dented the bonnet.


The owners of the trampoline have offered to pay, so I took it to a local body shop and they quoted me £400+VAT and would need the car for 3-4 days...

The other people contacted another body shop with a photo and their quote was £250 and they can repair the bonnet from our house...

It seems like quite a bit difference in cost and expected effort to me. Is either quote more like what you can expect for fixing a dented bonnet? How come one needs 3-4 days and the other can do it on the cheap from our house...?

 

[MatteRB26]

Hard to say without a full cost breakdown. The job could be done in a few different ways:

1: Source new replacement bonnet ready primed and just spray it and lacquer top coat
2: Source second hand bonnet which is straight and undamaged, but needs paint stripping back and then new prime and paint and lacquer done
3: Repair your one, by bending/manipulating/filling and strip back then prime and spray and lacquer

4: Some combination of the above?

Also, depending on age of car, could you not source simply a replacement bonnet in the exact same colour? Can work out cheaper from a breakers.

The body shop I went to was option 3, they'd fix the dent then respray the whole panel hence needing the car for 3-4 days.

I had a look online for a replacement bonnet, our car is a 2015 Fabia, but couldn't find anything. I rang Skoda directly and they advised against it as sourcing a genuine part would likely be difficult and the bonnets are a pain to fit (though there's a mechanic garage literally 2 minutes down the road which would fit it.

Body shops varies in price and end result. £250 is probably a smart repair.
There should be some videos on YouTube, there definitely some on tictok and Facebook reels. It’s amazing how they massage the dent out, chips away are franchises so might be hit and miss.

I believe their quote was a smart repair company - he did say the name but I didn't write it down... It's another local one though. The difference between a "proper job" at a shop and a repair & repaint at home just seems like a big difference to me... Don't want to have them pay out, get a dodgy job done and then have to fix that myself

 

[MatteRB26]

Sorry, not been about for a while!

It's not too noticeable from a distance, but the paint damage is as it's taken off chunks in a few places.

It seems like our quote of £400+vat is reasonable for a body shop repair and respray then. I was recommended by a mechanic friend and told to tell them he sent me so that may have had some drive in the price.

We're in a bit of a battle at the moment over payment, but if they absolutely refuse the Council will pay for it. I won't settle for a cheap mobile job, this was just waiting to happen!

 

[MatteRB26]

Just the fact the body shop wanted the car for 3-4 days, and the smart repair would be done on our drive in a matter of hours raised an eyebrow...

Definitely stick to the body shop! I'll do it through Council insurers if I have to

 

[MatteRB26]

Someone dropped a bed on my car. The bill came to about £3000

Uhm... I'm going to have to ask... How?!

 

[MatteRB26]

Long story short, donated our old bed 2 men and a van came to collect it. Parked infront of my car, bed fell off the back of the lorry when they were loading it and onto my car.

Only had the car 2 weeks haha!

Trying to find someone to actually quote to repair was a nightmare.

Wow that really is unfortunate!

Not really relevant, but why would the council pay for it? If a private individual has damaged it by not securing their trampoline, the liability would fall to them surely?

It's a whole ordeal with Council tenants who weren't allowed it there in the first place, Council didn't get it removed after telling people that would

 

[MatteRB26]

Unless the council has already agreed I'd be amazed if they accept liability. It might be one you have to make a claim against this individual, especially if they only want to pay for the smart repair and not the full body shop repair.

The Council have already agreed to take liability via their insurers as it's their fault it was never removed in the first place (multiple houses contacted them).

I'll see how it goes though, just wanted to make sure the expect cost was about right which it seems it is!