I bought this last year and would like to actually put some life back into it rather than driving it in beater condition. The out of state dealership neglected to show me this specific damage and I made the mistake of not asking specifically because I couldn't see it from the full car shots. Trying to get an idea of what fair pricing looks like on these.
I bought this last year and would like to actually put some life back into it rather than driving it in beater condition. The out of state dealership neglected to show me this specific damage and I made the mistake of not asking specifically because I couldn't see it from the full car shots. Trying to get an idea of what fair pricing looks like on these.
May I suggest you consider taking it to Maaco for an estimate. (Not so much to have the work done.) That should give you a base from which to guess what it will cost to have it repaired. (A good body shop doing the job properly may be at about 2x what Maaco would charge.) Look at the work any shop you may be considering does and how it looks. If its work is not perfect and undetectable that any work was done, keep looking until you find such a shop or person....
That should give you a base from which to guess what it will cost to have it repaired. (A good body shop doing the job properly may be at about 2x what Maaco would charge.)
Estimates are FREE. Get a real estimate from a Pro shop. No reason to add conjecture to your finances.
I think that the photos are insufficient to give an accurate dollar figure for repair. I do think the OP meant dollar figure. But, going to a body shop that you're likely to actually use is best in any case as there may be damage not shown in the photos. The "door sills" and underside of door as well as the sheet metal behind the trim strip on the trunk. Getting paint to match and blend in can sometimes require large areas to be refinished as well as the possibility of hidden damage. Sorry to hear that there was some undisclosed damage from the seller. Hard to tell from photos but either a clay bar will brighten up the finish in the undamaged areas or a good polish/buffing by machine may be needed. A good car detailing service can do this for you.
The recommendation to get it detailed would be worth pursuing. You'll have to determine based on the car value if spending that much to get the exterior nice is worth it. Matching the paint is going to be quite challenging. The fresh paint on specific sections won't match the original panels so that leads into spraying the whole car. That's a good amount to spend. Some owners are willing so that depends if opening the wallet is a relative value for you to make it look good.
Jiffy, please tell us yer, mileage and packages, extras. Some full size photos of exterior and interior. Fellow members really do enjoy this and can help you with suggestions of what to do. Also, your intent, daily driver, weekend only, etc. Very exciting possibilities because you came to the right place for experts and advice. Cheers.
I've not had good experience with rust. It's a cancer, it keeps coming back until the metal is cut out and replaced imho. Is that the dreaded rust on the door, can't really tell. I remember a ton of UK threads discussing it.
Looks like the trunk has been touched up before, if it were me, I'd just touch it up. My uncle ran a shop and I used to ask him how come I see beautiful brand new S classes and 7 series and their paint looks funny when clean on a sunny day? Meaning I know it's body work, but why would someone with a car like that accept work that can be seen with the human eye?
Why wouldn't shops do a better job than that? My uncle said because in a shop time is money, and we're not doing the 200k restorations that you're watching on TV. Most people, don't even notice. I dont know if I'm using the right words but the orange peel is almost never correct once a body shop touches the car. The color is perfectly matched, the texture isn't. In an accident, what can one do? But if cosmetic, I'd leave it alone....my .02
edit isn't ballparking $500-$750 a panel somewhat reasonable? Meaning if there's multiple rust on one door, that's the number. If there is rust on 2 doors, double, and so forth? And isn't it like anything else, you get 3 estimates, most likely one tosses out the highest and the lowest, and goes for the middle? If someone said I can do it for $200. Isn't that suspect?
I used to do body and paint in my younger days and would not even hazard a guess without seeing it in person. As others have said, free professional estimates are your friend. The one good thing here is the color as straight black is easy to blend compared to other colors.
