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Bumper and Fender damage; How much will this cost?
Hi all, I've always lurked this forum but never got around to posting until now. I wish my first post could've been under better circumstances.
2011 MB C300 white
I was on the freeway the other day and a pickup truck from the lane to my right decided to swerve into my car, and its wheel and tire left a nasty mark damaging my front bumper, passenger rocker, and passenger front fender. My rim and tire were also scratched a bit. There are scuffs and brown tire marks all throughout the white paint that don't seem to come off with a basic wash.
I've never been in such an accident before. In your experience, how much should this cost to fix?
1. Front fender is dented, with tire marks throughout.
2. Front bumper is scuffed, with some semi-deep scratches into the plastic. Tire marks throughout.
3. Rocker is in decent shape and there aren't any deep scuffs visible, but there are dark tire marks.
4. Tire and wheel are scratched up, I probably need to replace these.
5. Passenger side view mirror seems to be scratched! See pics
Can these tire marks be buffed out? Or will I need to have these parts stripped and repainted?
How much should the total bill come out to be from a reputable body shop in the Los Angeles area?
The wheel should be about $120-$150 to look like factory new. Most of those scuffs could potentially be buffed out with clay. The front fender piece can get expensive.
The car could need an alignment too if there wasn't any other major suspension damage.
if a small piece of trim is $300. i'd have to guess 3k+ for sure and you better hope there is no hidden damage. At least your alright the car can always be replaced. It looks like the fender pushed up into the hood a little.
get a few quotes from reputable shops and see what its going to take to get up to your standards. Thats the only way to truly see what it will cost, or get an adjuster to come look at it.
What i learned from other peoples experiences is call the police for any accident dealing with a Mercedes and just file a report. The smallest things cost a small fortune if there is hidden damage, if its not your fault your rates shouldn't go up regardless of a claim.
I know the front bumper to replace costs a considerable amount. Many people screw their bumpers up on parking stops and don't bother replacing as the cost is so high.
I know the front bumper to replace costs a considerable amount. Many people screw their bumpers up on parking stops and don't bother replacing as the cost is so high.
I completely agree with michail71. Like you said the rim can be fixed and look like new for a pretty reasonable amount. The fender and front bumper are quit a lot.
If theres hidden damage thats the scary part and where it really adds up.
the side mirror loos like it can be buffed out. is that a crack in the headlight? those can be pricy also.
I would get the bumper and wheel and side mirror buffed and then get that fender replaced and have your car aligned. Alignment will be $80, the fender replacement you're probably looking at $500 or less if you can find one used in white online ($200). Buffing you can either do it on your own or have it buffed for a few hundred. I really wouldn't bother getting the wheel and bumper replaced because it's going to cost you a few thousand and I think the buffing should be good enough to make it unnoticeable on a white car.
But, if you insist on getting everything fixed, look at about $1500 for the front bumper, $300 for the headlight, $200 for the mirror, $600 for the fender, $250 for the wheel, $100 for alignment, and $500-600 for any other bending they will have to do or additional bodywork.
If the other person hit you, did you not get their insurance?
The driver who hit me was (I think) an illegal immigrant : He spoke no English and had only a drivers license and no insurance. I called the police on him but he drove away before they arrived on the scene. When the police arrived, they said it wasn't considered a hit and run because he gave me his DL info!! Absurd. They wouldn't even file a report and handed me an "incident card." I felt beyond cheated.
Instead of going through my own insurance (my premiums are already sky high for multiple accidents and tickets) I'm planning to take care of this out of pocket. My Benz is my baby and I need to return it to its flawless condition. I won't have time until next week to get it to the dealer, so I'm relying on you guys for now
Back to the topic of repairs. I've decided to take my car to a dealer approved body shop in LA when I can. I will pay just about anything for top quality service, as I've had some nightmares with lesser body shops.
Will the bumper need to be stripped and repainted? Or will I require a new bumper altogether? (The side marker lamp in the bumper is cracked) How much will either option cost?
I am definitely considering a pre-painted white W204 fender, but won't the paint be a bit different from the rest of the car? How much will a new fender plus paint cost?
Will buffing out the tire marks with clay make the paint look 100% clean again? Or will I need to repaint those areas to get back the shine?
It drives fine for now so I'm not too worried about any hidden damage.
Man I'm sorry to hear that. Living in NC and having to deal with them every day, I am beyond ticked off with what the illegal immigrants are doing to this country. I got rear ended by one in my truck, and thankfully my truck was okay, and his car was demolished. I have learned how to speak Spanish, so at least I was able to talk to him. But the end result was the same, he had no insurance and ran his *** off. I hope you are able to get your car fixed for a reasonable price. Sorry this happened. Also interested in seeing how you get this done because I am looking to get new bumpers and fenders soon.
Since you have a white car, I think a pre-painted fender that is the same color code as your car (they make pre painted ones for each color Mercedes offers, it's not just a regular white) would be a 99% match if not perfect. It's a new car and I'm assuming you garage or cover it whenever possible, so I would seriously doubt your white paint would be faded. I think they could strip and repaint your bumper, but stripping your bumper would be lots and lots of prep work to do right, so getting a new one might honestly be cheaper. It's going to be pricey. Probably looking at $1000-1300. Fender should be slightly less than that, more like $800.
And as far as buffing, you will not need it repainted if it's done right. Clay bar it, use Meguiars products to buff it, and then use their polish and wax, and it should look OK. But that is assuming there is no physical damage underneath the tire marks, which there should not be.
Again, sorry this happened to you, and I hope you can get it taken care of for a reasonable price..
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Bumper and Fender damage; How much will this cost?
: He spoke no English and had only a drivers license and no insurance. I called the police on him but he drove away before they arrived on the scene. When the police arrived, they said it wasn't considered a hit and run because he gave me his DL info!! Absurd. They wouldn't even file a report and handed me an "incident card." I felt beyond cheated.
