That'll buff right out!

[IonBlade]

Today was a great day. For the first time in months, I slept in. Got up, did a little work through the ol' VPN, played some C&C 3, chatted with some buddies. All that slumping in my chair brought about a mighty rumble in my tummy that only a late night run to Taco Bell could slay. Alas, I headed out to mount my trusty 4-door steed (2005 Chevrolet Classic) to find some John Doe decided to leave me a surprise:

Thanks, stranger!

They managed to get the front and rear doors, the area right behind the rear door, and above / right behind the rear tire. I also found some broken off plastic pieces underneath the rear tire well - I'm not a car guy, but I'd guess car companies don't put pieces back there if they're not needed, so there's probably some non-cosmetic damage involved?

I took a few more pics (digital camera battery is dead or I'd post the rest) for evidence, did the dance of a thousand cursewords around my living room, and then, at the behest of my now demanding stomach, took it out for the aforementioned Taco Bell. The car's got a low-pitched wobbling sound to it now and feels like the wheel's got a vibration to it. I'm certainly not looking forward to 50 miles of daily commute wondering whether my tire's going to fly off.

Anyone have any idea what I'm looking at in terms of repair costs here? Looking at some other topics here has my head spinning - damage that looks to be a lot less has cost people 2K-3K+. I'm really hoping insurance doesn't total the car - it's paid off and I'm not in a spot where I'd want to take on a car payment right now.

(Looking at the pic one more time, is that a *fist* imprint between the driver and passenger door? I *do* live in Texas, only a few blocks from where they regularly shot Walker: Texas Ranger... ... did I tick off Chuck Norris?)

 

[rdp6]

I was the victim of a similar incident. 2 new doors (exterior shell), fixing the door sill, panels, repainting the side of the car, etc. plus rental car for the duration of repairs was around $2500. 2007 Passat, crackhead in Akron in old detroit iron bomber who will never be held responsible.

Now my power windows don't work correctly =(

I love my insurance company (USAA) but I would rather not have to file a claim at all...

 

[bruceb]

Well that one will not buff right out. Definite sheet metal work needed to
both doors and the area of the left rear fender well just behind the left rear door.

 

[boomerang]

Both of those doors will have to be replaced. Way more labor to try to fix damage that extensive than replacing them.

The area in front of the wheel well (dogleg) can be repaired cost-effectively. The alternative is to replace the entire quarter panel which is very labor intensive.

You really need to get an estimate from a body shop and decide from there. I don't think you're anywhere near total territory.

Your other option of course, is to keep driving it as-is. Not something I'd want to do and it doesn't sound like you'd be too keen on that either.

From looking at it, I'd say the RR wheel is bent based on what you're describing. Throw the spare on for now. Yes, I know it's a donut, but I wouldn't drive on that wheel bent like that. You'll destroy the tire and have a larger repair bill. You should do this now anyway, to ensure there isn't more extensive damage causing the wobbling sound. If the donut doesn't fix it, you may want to consider not driving it.

LOL, that's no fist imprint unless you pissed off Iron Man.

Sorry for your troubles.

 

[sniperruff]

something similar happened to me, except for the front door. took it to a body shop, they hammered it out and resprayed the rear panel and rear door. now it looks new but it costs me $700 or about $1200 if they replaced the panel/door. i'd say ~$1200 if you dont want to go through insurance.

 

[IonBlade]

Thanks for the responses so far! I'll definitely be taking it into a body shop this week to see what the damage to my wallet will be. I confirmed this morning that the car's only got liability, so whatever this is going to cost is coming completely out of pocket. *Grumbles about irresponsible drivers*

 

[alphatarget1]

Are you going to claim insurance? I'd just leave it if you'd never sell the car.

 

[PandaBear]

Same thing happen to my car in downtown Oakland, CA. Good thing is that it is my beater and not my nice ride, and it is 13 years old. So my dad and I take the interior out and pop it back. Still has a mark but very drivable. I figured this car can drive for another 3 years and by that time a dent like that wouldn't be a problem even if I want to sell it.

Try to get it fixed if you have insurance. If not, see if you can buy a door off junk yard and have it painted, or a door with the same color on ebay.

 

[AdamK47]

Thats pretty bad. It won't be cheap to get it fixed right. Someone must have been drunk to not stop moving when they first hit the side of your car.