Body Shop Estimate ($4450), Pics Insde, 56k beware!!! Options

[LimitedST]

went to a body shop, they estimated 4450.... alittle much when i could buy the parts for 1000 and put em on. the only real damage (not including parts) to the car, is the thing that holds the bumper on and radiator, and its just bent back. he was talking about welding on new metal and all this crap, but looking at it. theres no welding needed. the only peice that looks like it would need to be welded (looks like it broke off) was just the very tip of the peice that broke off. if u compare it to the other side. the peice that broke off, didnt have any screw holes or anything. everything needed on that peice to hold hte bumper on, is still there. so i dunno what to do. do i go buy parts from andysautosport, or from a member here, or do i go to this shop and let them handle it? i mean if i do it myself ill save ALOT of money. cuz honestly, 4450 is a **** load of cash for sumthing so simple?

look for yourself and give me your opinion.











This post has been edited by LimitedST: Feb 6, 2006 - 2:34 PM

[Supersprynt]

To me, that seems kinda steep.

[LimitedST]

To me, that seems kinda steep.

seems steep to me too!!!
ill look at all the stuff he quoted me. brb ill go get it.

[purplegt4]

you can buy another celica for that much

[LimitedST]

you can buy another celica for that much

i know!!!

thats why im pissed.

okay heres all the parts he said i needed on the estimate....

obviosuly, hood, fender, front bumper. ( i can get all these from here from a real nice guy cheap)
thats 700$ right there for those 3 parts from these guys.

then...

Absorber $65
A/M reinforce bar 134.00
seal to hood 20
Upper Retainer 26
lt bumper cover side support 12
headlamps 140 then 261 (high and lowbeams)

upper tie bar 53
lt side support inner 53
lt sujpport outer 53
mount bracket bumper arm 10
sidemember assay??? 50
door shell 50

Parts = 1672.13
Body LAbor = 1117.60
Paint Labor = 756.80
Frame Labor = 198.00
Paint Supplies = 447.20
Body Supplies = 21.00
Sublet/Misc = 17.00
Subtotal = 4229.73

total with tax = 4404.15



FYI, insurance isnt paying anything.

[playr158]

for an idea on what they have to do to repair that bar



it has to be drilled out and removed and a new one welded in
(that picture is after removal)

[blu94gt]

is there frame damage to the car? they might have to put it on a puller and that could be what's making the price so high. and yeah, disassembling all of that front end stuff is a ton of labor, that's what they're charging you for.

[LimitedST]

is there frame damage to the car? they might have to put it on a puller and that could be what's making the price so high. and yeah, disassembling all of that front end stuff is a ton of labor, that's what they're charging you for.

the only damage that isnt cosmetic, is that one peice thats bent.

[Supersprynt]

Shop around for more quotes.

Was it your fault for the accident?

[sugarfree]

Why wont you do it yourself? You have the list of what all you need. Something simliar happened to me and i paid about that much. I felt so ripped off for not doing it myself. You have an excuse to switch over to the GT4 front now.

[playr158]

its not that easy it requires drilling, welding and measurements correct

[lagos]

i had almost the same type of damage as you, and my repair was around 5grand. remember, this is the body shop, and they are trying to make money off the insurance companies. if your insurance co is paying for it, then who cares, rigtht? but if you have to pay for it, then just do the work youself. its very easy and youll save a ton of money.

this is a great time for a gt4 hood and bumper ....hint hint.

[BlackCelicaGT94]

^ im with Lagos on this one (thats a first eh?) ;-)

i had rear quarter panel damage and it was 5,000

[ILuvMyCelica95]

Yikes!!!! Thiss is why i have colission on my car $500.00 and they fixed my babe right up. then again my insurance went up.

[playr158]

but if you have to pay for it, then just do the work youself. its very easy

lagos its really not easy...if you don't have the skill to weld, or access to a welder it makes it very difficult esp to have it lined up 100% back to stock fit

[LimitedST]

yeah, like i said. my insurance isnt paying anything for it. yes it was my fault , i hit the dude. even though. he slammed his brakes for no reason and i hit him, its still my fault, even though, all he claimed was "injuries" to our insurance company. so he obviously did it on purpose for some extra cash, cuz he didnt even do a claim on his truck. whatever. what goes around comes around.

honestly, if i had a welder thing. i would do it myself. but i dont.
i was talking to my brother, he said, either take it to a body shop, or just try to sell it as is and my other celi, and get a new car sad thing is. i love my 6th gen. its my baby. and no other car could replace her.

to bad no1 lives in arizona that could help me fix it.

[lagos]

but if you have to pay for it, then just do the work youself. its very easy

lagos its really not easy...if you don't have the skill to weld, or access to a welder it makes it very difficult esp to have it lined up 100% back to stock fit

its not as hard as you make it out to be. you can put all the body parts on.... then take that bar with you to a local place to weld it back in for a few bucks. its not like its a vital part of the structure of the car. its a very easy fix.

LimitedST, even if it is your fault. your insurace will cover it. this is why people have insurance

if you dont want to report it, for fear of getting higher rates later on, then just fix it yourself. its really not that hard. you can do all the work youself and just pay to have that bar welded in and your body parts painted.

This post has been edited by lagos: Feb 6, 2006 - 5:08 PM

[lagos]

maybe this will make you feel better..... i had almost the same damage done to my car.

[Valo666]

this...

cost me $4900 minus paint..so like replacing an entire 1/4 pannel, tail light, interior plastics, and rear bumper. All in all it cost me around $6500 with a full repaint of the car, blending the pannel and paint and every thing. oh..n this is CND too, your gettin ripped off man.

[Bigmeanbulldog55]

I'm so glad my dad owns a body shop. I can fix those thing so cheap. I wouldn't think it would cost near that. We do a good bit of private work, along with the insurance.

[azian_advanced]

the damage when i bought my celi was pretty similar to yours. it cost me $1400 CDN tax included (so about $1150 USD) for the repair, frame alignment, safety and a quick repaint. the only parts i supplied to my bodyman were a set of 4 used JDM headlights and a new re-inforcement bar which cost about $450 USD total.

the front rad support, upper tie-bars, and frame rails were re-straightened instead of purchasing new ones and welding them. although i heard that restraightening already bent metal weakens it the next time (if) you get hit again.

also regarding headlights, here's an e-bay seller selling a set of 4 JDM headlights, check it out and bid as you have 4 hours left in this auction!

#2-55 JDM Toyota Celica ST202 1994 Headlights buySAFE
Item #: 8034671977


anyway, the price you were quoted is very steep. one shop quoted me $5000 while other ones only quoted around $2000.

here are some pics to show how similar the damage was to yours:

[LimitedST]

the damage when i bought my celi was pretty similar to yours. it cost me $1400 CDN tax included (so about $1150 USD) for the repair, frame alignment, safety and a quick repaint. the only parts i supplied to my bodyman were a set of 4 used JDM headlights and a new re-inforcement bar which cost about $450 USD total.

the front rad support, upper tie-bars, and frame rails were re-straightened instead of purchasing new ones and welding them. although i heard that restraightening already bent metal weakens it the next time (if) you get hit again.

also regarding headlights, here's an e-bay seller selling a set of 4 JDM headlights, check it out and bid as you have 4 hours left in this auction!

#2-55 JDM Toyota Celica ST202 1994 Headlights buySAFE
Item #: 8034671977


anyway, the price you were quoted is very steep. one shop quoted me $5000 while other ones only quoted around $2000.

here are some pics to show how similar the damage was to yours:

wow, awesome! thanks for the info! <3

[Fate]

a come-along can be your best friend.

[creamed_corn]

$4450... looks like a decent quote to me.

You can shop around for a better price, but I dunno... you get what you pay for in autobody work. 90% of the guys out there do ****ty work. I'd be less concerned with price and more concerned about asking around in your neighborhood to see who does the best work. You don't want body gaps or a crooked frame or the whole thing to rust out on you in two years. Autobody technicians are underappreciated.

[CelicaZR]

Sorry to hear about your accident man
That price does seem steep for that sorta repairs.
Shop around and see if you can get a better price.
Might want to consider the GT-4 front end and some
projectors

[LimitedST]

talked it over with my dad. its going to be our weekend project.
we just gunna work on it. i totally forgot, that my dad's boss/friend is a rally racer. and he has a whole shop for stuff like this. his technicians will even help us out for free!!!