s2kdriver80

I was driving along and some nut thought he could make it out onto the road before I could pass him. He shot out wide from the right, I slammed on the brakes swerved to the right and the car pivoted and I ended up slamming my left front side of the bumper hard into the curb at around 20-25 mph. The strange thing is that he had more than enough time but waited until I was almost passing him to make his idiotic maneuver - I guess his brain couldn't process fast enough - whatever. He hauled ass out of there immediately after I hit the curb so now it's either gotta come out of my pocket or my insurance. The bumper is cracked on the bottom, the entire front left underside is scraped to hell, and the entire front left underbody flat black plastic/vinyl/whatever panel is hanging down and scraping the ground while driving at times. That's the extent of the damage as far as I could tell - there isn't any body/frame/sheetmetal damage. The car is definitely driveable so I have some time to decide on what to do from here. At the very minimum, I think I would need a new bumper, paintjob, and a new front left flat black plastic underbody panel and the retaining clips. But who knows? There was also a curb rash on the tread (not sidewall) of the left front tire - you think I screwed up the suspension? I think no, since the car drives fine.

Now, the question of the day is, does anyone here own a high end body shop or can anyone recommend me to one that does superb body work? I live in western Suffolk if that's of any consequence. I guess the top priority is to find a shop that does excellent painting (my car is red) - I don't think blending would be necessary since the car is only a year old (besides it would be madness to paint the hood and the front quarterpanels lol). I would think the fitting of parts wouldn't be too hard but still important.

My insurance deductible is $1,000 but I'm sure the total work will exceed that amount easily. However, if my company says it will raise my rates, I'll probably have to pay this out of pocket.

TIA for your help.

Billman250

Elrich Auto Body...631-722-4056....High end imports, done work on my S, they are amazing....Did a panel for me, no blending.

SilverKnight

shit that sux

s2kdriver80

Darn - couldn't find a website for them. Did the color and orange peel perfectly match your surrounding surfaces? Even from different angles and lighting? I'll give them a call. Thanks.

s2kdriver80

Just a general question on auto body repair - when the shops fix cars, do they use some sort of Honda S2000 repair manual or do they do things gained from experience combined with their gut feelings? I'm asking because I brought my former Civic Si to a shop. They did a great paint job except they forget to put some stuff in (rubber grommets) which caused leaks inside the trunk for a few days (it was raining) until they figured it out. They also forgot some minor clips that go underneath the rear bumper which attached to the body. The only reason why they attended to that was because of the annoying rattling the bumper was making hitting the body and I had to tell them. Luckily both of those were minor problems, but what if they forgot some other crucial parts? Which is why I ask if shops use official Honda S2000 manuals when fixing our cars or would they just "play it by ear" from their experience? Thanks.

I'm just afraid when a shop fixes my car, that they'll forget some parts when they patch my front underbody panels, when they attach my bumper to the car, etc.

Billman250

Tell you what...try your best to find which panal was re-done on my car...Elrich has the S2000 body repair manual, they've worked on many. Even the tint on the inside of the panel where you can't see was a match. They don't need a website...word of mouth has put them on the map. Visit their shop and you'll see what I mean.

Defender

I read over the description of the damage and it sounds like the front bumper is the only part that needs painting -- correct ??

That black piece you indicate is hanging down sounds like it is the front part of the fender liner (it is a odd shaped piece) .

So if I was you I would at least consider the following: take off the front bumper, take off the left fender liner, inspect for other damage. If there is no other damage then order a new front bumper and a new fender liner. These parts will cost less than $400.00 . You might even be able to find someone who is selling their front bumper with OEM paint matching yours . If you do buy a new front bumper you will have to have it painted .. this will cost about (+-) $200.00 .

Put the car back together and have it aligned and your done.

Eliot

kkyntmoon

Yup, Haha.. I couldn't find the color difference... and I kept looking.

I wish I knew about them before I took it to the shop I brought it to when that guy hit my parked car at the DMV

s2kdriver80

Thanks - I appreciate all of your advice. I'll give Elrich a visit on Monday, ask them from a quote and go from there. I'll get the parts myself if the estimate comes out to be astronomical.

nodrums

Must have been a Mini Van, or Stupid Utlity Vehicle.

My money is on the SUV.

Hope the car returns to perfect.