Grrr... so which bit of 'check mirrors' don't some people understand? Driving behind a girl in an old Frontera on Friday down my mother's narrow street. She suddenly stops, lets her friend out, puts the car in reverse and promptly issues my Mondeo with a free nose job courtesy of her spare wheel box.
As it happens I used to go to school with the girl and agreed to try to cut out the insurance kerfuffle at her apologetic request (yeah yeah, I know) and got a quote for putting it right at an accident repair centre on the industrial estate where I work. They are of the opinion that a new bonnet is the solution and gave me of quote of... £627.91 :O
So my question is, will the response be the same from pretty much anywhere? The dent is just above the radiator grille, about the size of a saucer, and comes complete with scratches in my otherwise perfect (OK, maybe not quite perfect) Stardust Silver. I think the poor lass is expecting someone to mallet it out for a fiver, but I don't want to waste my time 'shopping around' if replacement is the only solution and £600 is the going rate... I certainly don't want a bodge job either. I noticed she wasn't wearing any make-up, so I'm guessing the whole mirror issue isn't really her thing... maybe this'll change when I hand her the bill :p
Does anyone else get the feeling other drivers think they're a lesser person when driving around in a car with a dent on the nose, or am I just a paranoid snob...?!
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I would imagine that figure is probably correct, taking into account the cost of a new bonnet and that it will have to be sprayed (it's supplied in primer) and blended-in with the rest of the paintwork on the front of the car.
You could probably get a much cheaper job done by getting someone to source and fit a secondhand bonnet in the correct colour, which will already be Stardust Silver so won't need spraying. However, if you do decide to go down this road, you will have to take pot luck on how well it matches your existing paintwork. It probably won't be an exact match.
You might be able to find a panel beater who is capable of repairing the existing bonnet, but panel beating, in my experience, seems to be a dying trade. All most places seem to want to do today is fit new panels.
At the end of the day, as they say, the choice is yours.
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Remember that much of the bonnet is double skinned around the edges and that is not good for panel-beating.
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New bonnet here for £67
tinyurl.com/6gu6rd
You should be able to get it painted for less than £200 at a place that does paintwork for the trade.
Starting to look much cheaper that messing about with panel beaters. You won't have your car for a couple of days, so may need a hire car.as well.
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id certainly not be searching around for a cheapo job
make sure genuine parts are used..and that the colour is blended into the wings so it matches
id get a quote at a ford dealers and a decent looking independant, if she doesnt like the price its not your problem is it?
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Try Dentmaster. They took a hefty ding out of the rear panel of my Pug 406 estate without even breaking the paint. Cost me £50 but well worth the money. If Dentmaster is not available in your area, then I'm sure there will be someone else offering a similar service. Its worth asking their opinion first.
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I'm tending to go along with what Steveo says at the moment, as I'm expecting the results to be perfect (paint's already got a good crack in it btw in a line following the contour 2cm above the oval grille). If I'd done the damage myself then a bodge job would be considered to save money, but I didn't, so it's not my money. I'm going to try Ford and another independent body repair place that's down the road from me on Saturday, then present her with the figures, but I think she's gonna get a shock...! If she wants to shop around for a couple of days after that then fine but I'm not wasting any more time on it. Thanks for the opinions!
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