Well, It's no longer a question of if or when; some nimrod decided he didn't like being in the slow lane and decided to pull out of it just as my wife and son were motoring by at about 25 mph in our '86 300E. Pranged both passenger side doors pretty good right where they meet. (see pic)

Can anyone recommend a good shop in the Pasadena/Los Angeles area that does really good work? (as long as his ins. co. is paying for it why not get the best?)

Does anyone know bodywork well enough to know how they might approach the repair on this?

Would they just be banging it out and using filler? (really don't want that)

Replacing the outer door skin (can this be done on MB)?

Can body shops in CA still get the factory original paint (Glasurit?) or do they have to use some new environmentally friendly water-based paint?

Can I get a good match that will still look the same as the original paint years from now?

Might I be better off trying to find a couple of good straight doors to hang on the car and have them repainted?

Anybody want to make a guess on the repair costs? I'm going to start getting estimates tomorrow, if possible.

Thanks for any help

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