Look what some idiot did to my car.



I stopped by Tom Thumb Thursday evening to pick up a perscription for some medicine I had to take before surgery the following morning. Leaving the store, only going about 10 mph, I see a new Volvo S40 slowley (just a few mph) driving thru a stop sign at a 90 degree angle to me. I have eye contact with her and she has eye contant with me, but she is talking on a call phone. She is looking right me, but it is apparent she is not stopping; I honk the horn and slam on the brakes, but to no avail. Still talking on the phone, and still looking right at me, she hits the front of my car. After I stopped fuming, I ask her if her brakes failed. She says "no, I don't know what happend. She then starts talking on her cell phone again. I ask her for her information and she has the nerve to tell me I have to wait because she is talking on the phone. Imagine that - how rude of me to interupt her phone call.

In any case, could someone give me the name of the best paint and body shop in the area. I'm sure my insurance will have a suggestion, but I plan to do the work myself except for the paint. I may put a 2004 front bumper cover on. I'll be stopping by Honda today to see how they look compared to the old style. Also, do you think I should paint before I put the new fender on?

 

The Caliber Collison Centers around the Metroplex have a good reputation. They charge a bit more but do excellent work. When I had a bumper scratch repaired recently, they removed the bumper to do the painting.

 

Fred, you are definitely taking this situation a whole lot better than I would. I would have ripped that phone from her hand and thrown it across the street. For insurance purposes, I would request a phone log to prove she was on the phone at that time, just in case she denies it was her fault later.

For body shops, the only place that I've heard is the BEST is Stuarts off of Plano Road and 635. They do Ferrari's, Porsches, and other exotics. Their rates are sustantially higher than other body shops, and insurance companies usually do not pay all of their rates. Having seen in your car in person, I'm sure you could convince the other ladies insurer that your vehicle is not some Geo Metro that you want to drop off at Herb's Paint and Body. You haven't spared any expense in modifying your car, and as such, you shouldn't have to compromise for something that wasn't your fault.

As far as painting goes, I would have everything painted at once with everything on the car. The paint is a three stage paint (base, pearl, clear) and they can't just paint the bumper and redo the fender whenever you replace it. They'd have to blend it together, or risk getting two very different shades (I have proof of that on my car). If that's not what you meant by paint before you put the fender on, I apologize, I guess I didn't understand the question to well.

Good Luck, let us know how it turns out. Also, hope the surgery went well.

Jason

 

You're lucky. If it would have been me, I would have missed the surgery and my wife would have had to bail me out of jail. That bitch would have been the one requiring surgery.

Sorry to hear about it. You are a ways away, but Caliber in Denton (formerly Streetwerks) does pretty good work.

I'm not sure if Jason is recommending the place that did his work but I can vouch that the quality of his is very good.

 

Haha, I can only dream about getting my car worked on by Stuarts. I had a shop in Fort Worth do my car (Ayalas and Sons). It's in a different level as far as bodyshops go, but I know Fred's standards, and unfortunately my body shop didn't fall in that category. If anyone's interested in my bodyshop, PM me for info. For me, I had a budget, and my bodyshop did an EXCELLENT job for what I paid. Fred would want a job on the level of Factory issue, and I think Stuart's could deliver that.

As an example of Stuart's quality, I asked how much a color conversion would cost on my Prelude when I had it. $10,000 was my quote, but included stripping the car to it's frame, and making it look like it came from the factory as a yellow prelude. Now that's attention to detail.

Jason

 

I've had very good luck with Advantage Autoworks in Dallas. Two brothers own the business & have a staff that specializes in high-end bodywork (Ferraris, Porsches) and classic restorations (show-winning musclecars).

214-630-8120, 2419 N Walton Walker Dallas TX 75212. Close to IH30 & Loop 12 (Singleton exit). They're exceptionally thorough. You'll see their business cards / credits on some of the nicer cars at shows in the North Texas area.

Best of luck,
Stantaur

 

Was she on hands-free? If not, isn't it now illegal to talk on a hand-held cell phone while driving in Texas?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by gernby
Was she on hands-free?

 

Do a search for "Stuart's" in this forum. I think I remember something from cdelena with regards to them. You may not have quite the service you would want if the job is very small.

 

Well, I got some good news today. She reported the accident to her insurance company and admitted she ran a stop sign and hit me. So they will be paying for the repair. I'll be visiting the insurance estimater on Wednesday. It looks to me likea new left fender, a bumper cover and a left fender liner, along with paint. I'll replace all the components myself, but I'll have to find a good paint shop. Maybe I'll do a vented hood and get it painted too.