i got in a car accident today (err, technically yesterday) and was planning on just going to the longo to get it fixed (since insurance will pay anyway) but is there another place around the LA area that you guys could recommend?

if it makes any difference, i drive a 99 gs300

 

sorry to hear that Julie,

if insurance will cover it, take it to the dealer. They'll replace things they don't want to fix, which is better for you. Try to find a dealer that works with your insurance company, so the insurance company won't argue about what to pay for and stuff, just quick and easy claim process and repairs also.

 

sorry to hear your mishap joolee,....if your insurance is paying for the bill(less deuction) just go to longo. one of the mgrs there, Rafael, was very cool in helping me dealing with the adjustor.

if you do not have insurance, i have some other place to send you they just charge less

 

Sorry to hear that, what happened???

 

well, basically, i was heading north on one street near school and i turned west on a t-intersection and hit this guy in an 87 celica!!! whatever... and yes of course i have insurance! hehe... my dad thinks that this might be insurance fraud but it's hard to prove... blech. anyway, i was originally going to go with Longo but i talked to a few people and they told me to go to Marco's... so my car is there right now. i brought it to their shop today actually and got a verbal estimate (since they work w/ my insurance company -- AAA) and it was approx $3500 to replace the bumper, fender and some other stuff... the guy is going to email me some pictures of the car if any of u wanna see... it's not TOO bad if u look at it from far away, the car isn't all smashed up or anything... phew!

 

Hey, if you're body shop is willing to "work with you", you could get some upgrades...afterall, what difference does it make to the insurance company if they're paying $XXX for a factory Lexus bumper or the same amount for an aftermarket one (like a Lsportline or whatever)? Just a thought....

Oh also, hate to sound like a male chauvinist (cuz I'm definitely not), but you might want to go there with a guy (especially one that knows cars) to work things out because I'd say 99% of the mechanics/bodyshops/etc. will rip off a girl/woman. They may give you aftermarket (meaning cheaply made parts, not like "tuner" aftermarket) parts instead of authentic Lexus parts and pocket the difference...I'm sure any CL member that lives close to you would be more than willing to help...

 

Joolee,

When my sister had an accident in her Accord a few years ago where it was pretty bad and her car ended up in someone's front yard, she had it fixed at Marco's in San Gabriel. Since it wasn't our fault, we figured that we'd just go w/ the insurance agency's recommendations. Honestly, the level of professionalism there is great, as they don't cut any corners at all. Here's a little story about these guys. When they finished the car the first time, it had been raining for the last couple of days. We went to go pick up the car and they said that they wanted to reshoot the paint, we said why and Marco said that b/c of all the moisture in the air, that the paint hadn't dried properly. Looking at the car, it looked better than when we had bought it brand new, honestly. He showed us where the paint had a slight crinkle, and said that he didn't feel satisfied enough w/ his work to release the car, so he repainted it again! Honestly nobody could have noticed it had he not pointed it out. So we picked up the car a few days later, and eveything was perfect, I've never been as happy w/ a body shop's work as I have been w/ theirs. Hope that helps

Andrew

 

Joolee,

since you have AAA, go to marco, they are GOOOD.....also, as manaray, i would never , ever, let my babe go to a repair shop without my prsence....many/not all(no offense to general repair shops) of them see a lady in mini-skirt, all sudden the estimate goes waayy up..:eek: this was proven many times by invesigative reporters...

manaray, once again, "sick" minds think alike..i like that aftermarket bumper idea too

 

Sorry to hear about your car Julie, and as long as you are ok, that's all that matters. I like Manaray's suggestion about the spoiler upgrade, you should think about that. Good luck with your repairs and drive safely.

alex

 

sorry to hear about your car, I too got in an accident last week and I have to change my front bumper and front left fender, but 3500 is way too much, I was quoted 1000 for repair on the fender and instalation of my whole body kit ( front, sides , and rear).


by the way this also includes painting the car

 

hm... i'll post pictures as soon as the guy emails them to me... or maybe i'll just scan pictures myself. but about 2 years ago, some lady hit my car and i got it fixed at Longo... the estimate was almost $1000~ JUST TO HAMMER OUT A FEW DENTS! but anyways, i went to Marco's with my dad and even though the estimate seems a bit much, they DO have a reputation for charging more... oh well, insurance is paying.

 

btw, can i still get a few upgrades? i already brought it into the shop~ i'm sure they haven't started fixing it yet though~ *shrug* but the only thing is that insurance won't insure that will they? like if i get into another accident or something~ they won't replace it or fix it...

 

Joolee Boolee,

If you're going w/ Marco's then your car is in good hands, but as for the possibility for upgrades, it is slim to none my friend. Unless the upgrade you're thinking about is something simple like putting on a factory trunk spoiler that wasn't there before. The way they do things over there is to just fix the car back to stock only. Trust me. I've asked a couple of times,

"well could you put on my fiberglass kit?"
NO

"...paint the car a different color"
NO

"C'mon Marco (owner's name I think, the chubby dude), I'll pay you the difference..."
NO, no paint for you!!

I'm sure by now you're getting the drift. I guess that it's just not their 'cup of tea' w/ all the business that they get it, that kind of stuff would just slow them down. However, it never hurts to ask, i'm sure you're a lot better looking than me so you never know.

 

i wanted a spoiler but lexus told me it would cost like $1300~

 

youd be better off buying an aftermarket spoiler than a stock one, rod millen sells them for like $300, and you can find a few of the on ebay