Had a fender bender, 3 inch diameter dent in front passenger fender (at the fender flairing) and scrapes to bumper and front rim. Body shop says replacement of front fender, refinish rim and repaint bumper, hood and passenger door. Does that seem reasonable?

I also have a question regarding the fender replacement. I am happy to have the fender replaced, but out of interest wonder why practice is not to repair the fender?

 

If this is an "insurance funded" repair, the shop will usually go the more expensive route than cutting corners.

 

Yes it is through the insurance.

 

Based on personal experience (not with my GS), fenders are cheaper to replace then repair and that is OK.

 

$2,000?

Just a wild guess...

 

My guess would be much higher, probably twice that or more. I had my bumper repainted, and it cost almost $1000!

 

Yeah I would guess 5k in repair costs.

 

Labor cost of repair to fender would be too much. Much easier and cheaper to just replace. A guy who just pulls and replaces fender is cheaper (also easier to find/hire) than a guy who is skilled enough to repair through pulling, shaping, filling, shaping again...

Anyways, you wouldn't want bondo on your car so replace is a win win.

 

Yeah, I am expecting a cost of about $5k, but I will report the real cost out of interest. Definitely relieved to have the part replaced rather than repaired.

 

Are they using OEM Lexus parts? I hope so for your sake. Lots of insurance companies want to use aftermarket parts.

 

Good point, I have a couple of weeks before the work is done so I will insist on OEM parts and will pay the difference if required.

 

Checked my policy, the rep from the insurance company and body shop. My policy for the first 5 years of coverage states OEM Lexus replacement parts rather than repair. The body shop has confirmed that the repairs are in compliance with the policy.

 

Just got my car and invoice back from the body shop. The cost of the repair was just under $2,500 CAD.

 

did the insurance cover the cost of the repair?

 

Yes, the policy is quite explicit so the repairs are covered.