Car body work

[nCOMP1337]

Alright I want to fix up the cosmetic damage to my car and since i have never paid for this type of work i want to know if the quotes ive been given are good car is an 1999 olds alero, white

the passenger side fender is beat up bad, as i hit a tree driving backwards at 65mph (flipped 180 on gravel road, hit gas instead of break by accident, then tree)broke tire axle 90 degree angle, on the 3 good tired it still drove straiight onto the trailer, lol

hood, crimped in the front by rear en ding a drunk driver (truck with a high rear end) the drunk driver ran a red light as i was running through a green light and i was on a road with a faster speed limit and i smashed right into him, he fled the scene, i was in a part of town i had never been to and all i knew was that the 1 street i was on took me home, ( i was about hour away form my house) also front buymper was busted up int his as well, its still attached but more hangs there than really being attached properly, but there is no risk of it falling off or anything

back taillight on driver side, smashed in, crimped the trunk area around the light and even though trunk lid shuts, about an inch gap is there now, light works but busted up good(neighbor rear-ended me, we both were cool with it, his car had no scratches on it mine got dented good, fender was also dented but it popped itself back out

driver side fender, not real bad, could leave that alone, but basically entire tread on tire blew clean off at about 70mph, broke my driver side mirror off(only mirror rest is intact), i couldnt open my door after it, but i pounded the bottom of the fender out and it doesnt really look bad now, but for a good price id fix it too

driver side sideskirt bust a bit, but those really arent much to bother with, may just take them off

thats the damage and how it was done, here are my quotes ive been given (now i will probably replace the hood and fenders myself as, those can be found cheaply at a junk yard and easy to replace, but i couldn't paint them myself)

entire car (anywhere from 800-2000 dollars to fix all body work and repaint any color i choose) the guy that gave me 800 dollar quote, i can not find anywhere, as he worked out of his house, lol

just to fix rear of car if i fix front, 500-1000

best prices i ve seen or heard for hood and fenders if i replace

25-75 for fenders (depending on local junk yard or if i drive for an hour)

50-100 for a hood

so im curious on if these prices are reasonable as iv e never had to fix or replace anything on the car body itself and i do not know any fabrication or fiberglass myself, if i could fix it myself some how id definitely like to try

any and all help appreciated thanks

[David711]

I just replaced hood bumper 2 doors and fender on a 99 aurora for 500 bucks if that helps with price range..

[nCOMP1337]

thats around what i was figuring, my main issue is what labor will cost me for the rear tail light

but an aurora and alero would be very close id assume in pricing for parts

[white4d96]

Taillights are easy to DIY. You can find writeups for almost every car made online.

Hood isn't too hard either if you find a matching one at the JY or whatever.

Fenders depend on the car, I know mine are a PITA, but some are stupid easy.

But those estimates you were given sound about right considering the amount of damage you're talking.

[nCOMP1337]

well the taillight itself isnt hard but its the body around the taillight being smashed in and crimpled real bad which is the problem, i believe i was told it would have to be stretched out and re molded or something like that

im hoping it wont cost more than 500 for it to be fixed, blue book for my car is still quite good and when fixed im thinking of selling my car for about b1/2 to 3/4s of blue book price

[white4d96]

Oh if the area around the taillight is bent up that's a pain.

Of course if you have a garage to mess around in and wanna learn something new you could try doing it yourself. It takes some practice but it's not all that hard.

[nCOMP1337]

yea, sadly i live in an apartment with no space to work in and we arent even allowed to work on our cars in the parking lot, i have family with garages but they dont have any tools to use

Edited December 22, 2010 by kynto

[mbdblue]

those prices sound pretty good man. Id definitely find the hood and fenders at a junkyard. some shops will even work with you and find them for you. but Id say out of all the damage, they are right. the back quarter is a bitch to work with depending on damage. doesnt sound like you'd need to replace the quarter (cuz that would cost you a nice penny) but depending on damage they could either pull it and hammer it out, or cut it out and form a new piece. if olds has sections of there quarters that would probably be easiest, but I doubt they do.

[David711]

The fenders are a pita but after messing with them they line up pretty good. Id try taillight myself first and if it turns bad take it to someone and do the rest yourself

[Gotloud555]

I would go to the scrap and get the parts. It and old vehicle and wouldn't try to spend too much on it.