so sad - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

annemarie · #1 09-13-2006, 11:44 PM

So, over the weekend, my dog ran away. While I was out looking for her, I started to get really dehydrated. I was driving poorly and didn't want to get into an accident, so I called my boyfriend and had him pick me up in his car. We parked my car on a sidestreet, and when we came back a few hours later, there was a huge dent and a note. We found the dog the next morning (thank God, it was nothing short of a miracle), but now I have to deal with getting bodywork done. The paint's pretty faded (clear coat? what clear coat?), so I have no idea how they're going to make it look normal. Sigh. At least the guy said he'd pay for the damage out of pocket, but I have a feeling this is going to be more money than he bargained for, especially because it looks like he ruined the tire as well. Anyone know anyone in NJ who will deal with this with TLC? My car is WVO converted.

JimmyL · #2 09-14-2006, 12:05 AM

I think the real story here is that somebody left a note. Stand up person there.
Of course, it shows how it is never a good idea to leave your car anywhere. Did you park it across from a driveway?
Glad you found the dog. Dents can be repaired.

BTW, what year is your car. Later model 123's do not have their fenders glued on, and are much easier to replace.
Another benefit of car info in your signature.....

sixto · #3 09-14-2006, 01:15 AM

Wiper arm joggle suggests 81-up.

Sixto
93 300SD

sixto · #4 09-14-2006, 01:16 AM

A-pillar drain channel suggests pre-83.

Sixto
93 300SD

greasybenz · #5 09-14-2006, 02:16 AM

OUCH! if you can find a used fender in a junk yard then pick it up. Or have the guys insurance buy one from the company i work at.... https://www.ssfautoparts.com/default.asp

And try to find a reputable earl schiebs or maaco to do the insurance work. If the insurance pays for it make sure to get maaco's or schiebs top of the line job. Ive had great experiance and a great paint job with earl scheibs here.

iNeon · #6 09-14-2006, 03:22 AM

I second Greasy-- This is not an insurance claim-- This is a 'go to Pull-a-Part and get a matching fender' type claim.

Find the part at Pull-a-Part, Car-part.com or the like and forward that infomation to the person that hit the car-- These cars ought to not be repaired by insurance anymore, they just aren't worth the increased premiums things like that result in.

That said; it is an ugly dent, but that color is common and the car has less-than-perfect paint already-- a used matching fender and new tire ought to be less than the deductible, even.

Good luck!

jrgslg · #7 09-14-2006, 07:32 AM

Well if the person who hit the car has Insurance and is going to pay for it woudnt it be better to let them do the repair ? I would not think it would count against the driver,or oerhaps it does in a no fault insuarnce state.But agree its better to fnd a clean used fender than Bondo up one.Also agree with JimmyL,standup guy leaving the contact info,good luck.Johnny

Marshall42 · #8 09-14-2006, 08:54 AM

Hi Annmarie,
There is a good body shop on Valley St. just past Pathmark going towards S.O. on the other side of the street. A friend had there Volvo worked on and they did a good job. Glad you found your dog.
Marshall

riethoven · #9 09-14-2006, 08:56 AM

A good body man can match the paint color perfectly. My dad had a silver Toyota Supra Turbo that lived under a black cloud. It was the victim of a serious hit and run that trashed the right rear quarter of the car.

I had a buddy in the body shop business who fixed it and when it was done, you could not see the repair. The paint was a perfect match. One down side is that he used lacquer for the repair area which is not as durable as the factory paint. I will also say that because your paint is at least 21 years old and is "aged" it may be harder to get an exact match to the existing gloss level.

bill murrow · #10 09-14-2006, 09:11 AM

I will agree with those who said to try and find a matching fender from the junk yard. Thats is a common color.

A freshly painted fender will stick out like a sore thumb. Doesn't matter how good the body shop is. You're not only matching color but sheen as well.

Really nice of the guy who left the note. Most would not have done so. Things like this are a PIA though.

Cheers,

Bill

Jim B. · #11 09-14-2006, 09:36 AM

Also, it looks like your car had painted pinstripes on the fender - probably a dealer option when the car was new.

After the fender's been repainted, try to have a real professional repaint your pinstripe. Don't get stuck with taped pinstripes, because, dirt will get under them after some months, and then they WILL begin to peel off. This happened to me with an Olds Delta 88 Royale (1977 coupe) and it really was frustrating.

Glad you got your dog back OK though!!!

annemarie · #12 09-14-2006, 11:15 AM

Good guesswork, guys. It's an 84 300D. I'll add that to my sig. I thanked the guy three times for leaving a note because I really was shocked. I think he hit it with some big-ass SUV, and he told me he's going to pay out of pocket for the damage, though he may change his mind when I tell him that the body shop my mechanic recommended came up with an estimate of $1206.29. Right now, with all the crap that's going on, I could deal with a junkyard, etc., or I could just hand it over to someone to get it done quickly. It's our only car, so I'd rather just have it done and finished with, risking that the paint may not match. I'll check with the place on Valley Rd and see what they say.

Marshall, seriously, I ran past your house screaming for her to come back and thought of you. She made it 3 1/2 miles from our house in 20 minutes then hid in someone's yard all night until she came home in the morning with her paws all torn up from all that running. A freaking miracle.

annemarie · #13 09-23-2006, 11:21 AM

Okay, so here's an ethical question. (I've already made a decision on what I'm going to do, but I'm curious as to your answers.)

When my car got hit, the guy said he'd pay for everything out of pocket (including a rental car if we needed one). I got two estimates to have the work done, one from a place that's about an hour from my house, and one that's about 5 minutes. The first estimate was $1,200 and the second was $1,030. When I was getting the second estimate done, I mentioned to the guy at the body shop that a piece of the dented fender was cutting into my tire every time I hit a bump and I was concerned with how much longer I should drive with it like that before the tire blew. He pulled the dent out a bit so it was no longer an issue. Now, since the color match is questionable, and I'd feel less stupid driving a dented car than one with a ridiculously unmatched section, if I don't get the work done, do I still take money from the guy who hit my car? And, if I do, do I take the full amount or just the amount it will cost to replace the tire(s)?

Wodnek · #14 09-23-2006, 11:35 AM

I would tap it out as good as possible and ask for 75%. Those kind of dents if you can get behind with a block of wood tap out pretty good. That dent will cost your resale 5-800 so 75% is reasonable.

Oh, and I would replace the pair of front tires. Always replace in pairs.