got in a wreck, have a few questions
 

Today a teenage girl ran a stopsign and hit my Range Rover while I was turning into the very street that she was coming out of. Damage was minimal and nobody was hurt but both of my drivers side doors are scraped at the bottom and bent up beyond repair. I can't see any bodyshop using these doors in the final repair and the results meeting my expectations. I'm making sure whichever body shop does the work (Land Rover Certified only) repairs it to where it looks better than before. Should I insist that the entire driver's side be repainted so everything matches? Would this be unreasonable? Keep in mind that this car has some swirl marks so a repaint would be obvious. Would my ins. co. pay for the full-side repaint? Also, anyone offering any tips as far as dealing with the ins. co. and having the car fixed properly while obtaining a decent rental (I refuse to drive a focus) please chime in.

My 300E was rear-ended a while ago, with significant cosmetic damage, and I had to play a bit of hardball with my insurance company regarding the rental replacement. They wanted me to drive a Tercel while my Benz was in the shop. Er, no. So I had to verbally navigate my way past the insurance company's filtering system until I got a manager on the phone (no small feat). They initially said that yes, I did own a Benz, but it was 13 years old. I then countered to the manager that it was in mint shape, perfectly maintained and they weren't charging me 13 year old premiums - the premiums were for the make and model, not the year. She acquiesced and I got a nicely loaded Volvo S60T for 28 days while my car was fixed.

As for the repair - I went with my insurance company's recommended dealer - this was the work is 100% guaranteed for as long as I own the car, on top of the dealer's warranty. They did an excellent job - the paint is flawless. I had the same concerns you did and I settled them by speaking directly to the manager of the shop and then the technician (artisan really) who was going to do the body work (one guy) and the painting (another specialist). I asked them about prepping, blending, etc. and the painter just smiled and said - if you can tell where I blended it, I'll repaint it until you are satisfied. I couldn't find the blended spot.

Good luck!

Chris,
glad to her you had a good experience with the body shop. The ins.co. looked at my car today and told me that they would be making an estimate and that I could take it to whoever i wanted to do the work. This guy who looked at the car didn't even have a clue as to what a Range Rover was. When I told him I would be taking it to the only LR certified body shop in the state, he told me that i should consider other body shops because putting on two new doors was "a simple job." I've had this car long enough to know better than to take it to someone who has never worked on one. My biggest fear is that this guy's estimate will be low and I'll be stuck in court fighting over the difference between their payment and the cost of the repair. When I told the guy that the alignment was knocked out upon impact, he questioned what i was saying as if I were trying to cheat him:mad: . I just want my car fixed right by someone who know what they're doing. Thanks for letting me vent.