I was in a small car accident this past weekend and it really isnt that bad. Only one section of the outside of my car was and dented really badly, and the front bumper is just scratched.

I was thinking i just order that one piece of the ouside and just pay some one to paint it up so i can replace it myself and cut down the price of having some mechanic do it.

I've worked on my old honda, replacing some of the steal cage that protects the engine, the front bumper and grill and such so i'm pretty confident I can replace a small piece of the outside.

If i can order the piece myself, where would i go and would you all suggest i do this plan in order to save myself a lot of money? The plan again being that i just order the part myself, just pay some one to repaint the piece and the scratches on my bumper, then replace the part myself.

Edit: Something new has come up. I went to a shop to see if the crash had messed anything up and to realign my tires. They realigned the tires but they also found that my strut bar for the front right tire was bent and i need to get a new one.

My new question is, if they ordered the part for me, would it be too hard for me to replace it myself?

 

So here is the obvious question... why is insurance not taking care of this?

 

What piece was it? Sounds like it was the one of the front fenders that got dinged up. If that's what it was, you could probably do it yourself.

I'd try the insurance first. Just have to pay the deducable and you're good to go!

 

Well, the accident was my fault, and the other party decided not to involve the police. So no official report. Either way, the insurance isnt covering it... I'm not sure what the name of the part is. Its that one main piece that surrounds and is above the front right wheel

 

Sounds like just the fender. Check eBay, they have some OEM style ones. Then you'd just need to have a shop paint it.

 

Ok, I'll check ebay then.

 

OE Part #'s:

RT Fender - 5380121120 - $219.86
RT Fender Liner - 5387521060 - $94.88
RT Fender Liner Extension - 5385121010 - $26.44
RT Fender Seal - 5386621010 - $12.52
Fender Liner Bolts - 9015960215 0 $1.32 per

 

hanging a fender is not too hard... if it is your first time doing one have somebody who has done it before coach you. Far too often i see fenders installed wrong and rubbing on the door and/or not having even gaps with the other parts of the car

 

Ok, thanks. I'll see what i can do as far as the coach. I dont really think i know anybody who has replaced parts themselves.

Thanks for the product numbers too.

 

Wow...Only $220 for an OEM fender. Definitly thought it woulda been more. :-)

 

Your insurance will cover your damage if it is your fault,not sure who told you that they won't.You have to pay your deductable,if the cost of parts and paint is more than deductable then have them pay,you pay your deductable and they pay the rest.

If cost to repair and paint is less than deductable then do it your self.

I do not know why people worry about their rates going up fro putting a claim on their insurance,if they go up at the end of your contract,cancel it and go to a new company that charges less...........heck you can cancel your contract at any time and go elsewhere,at anytime........

lots of minor fender benders do not involve police or accident reports through them......

 

Its my fathers ensurance and he's not letting me. Basically, I'm paying for it, and getting no help from him. My friends are helping by kinda getting money together for me, but thats only because i was driving them to dallas and back when this happened, so they feel slightly guilty.

I dont really want them to, because it was still my stupid mistake for not checking my side mirror. Either way, thats why there is no insurance

 

Bump for edit.

 

Strut bar? Like strut tower bar in the engine bay? If you bent that, you probably have a bit more damage that you can't see and it should REALLY be going to a shop.

Even "minor" accidents or light hits can do more damage than you notice. Especially in the front corner.

Have you suggested to your dad that you'll pay the deductible? B/c that's all it would cost. Most of the time that is like $500. Some have higher, some lower - depends on what you choose for the policy.

 

Ok then, so in other words no fixie myself with the strut bar...



Once again, NO help from my father, its pointless. I'm screwed for the money and I'm just going to hafta take the car with the damage it has for now. The garage its at says they'll do it all for $400 but when i go back i'm going to ask them to show me where its actually bent.

 

No offense... but your father sounds like a dick.

Ask him if he'd really rather you drive around in a totally unsafe vehicle than have it fixed properly and suck up the minor affect on the insurance. And yes, if your car has damage, it is now way more unsafe than it may or may not have been before. Things weaken from impact and if there is actually damage you can't see, that is a big concern.

 

Another option is to put the car in your own name then let the insurance sort it out

 

Yeah i know my dads a dick... I have crashed before but this is just ridiculous

Either way, i dont know anything about the insurance, or how to prevent myself from getting ripped off or going into debt.

As of right now, my dad figures that since i made it all the way home from dallas (6 hour drive) that it should be fine.

 

For the record, I've only crashed once before and that was more than a year ago in a old '90 honda

 

$400 to fix the strut bar? or $400 to fix everything? Because if they want $400 to fix the strut bar, you might as well just take it off the car and throw it in the trash, because it doesn't do anything at all.