Another Hit and Run Incident

[El_Douglito]

Hey guys,

Having just got back from work I get out of my car, grab the stuff from inside and notice under the light from a street lamp something array. There is a heavy scratch between the Williams 3 badge and the rear arch on the drivers-side, which is about 7-8 inches and cuts through the chassis at 1 point. It looks like some git has scraped the side of it damaging my beloved Williams at a car park this afternoon.

Does anyone know of a decent body shop in Plymouth and a realistic quote for the damage?
It looks like it will need some filler, buffing and a spray over the area.

I’ll get some pics taken tomorrow when it’s light.

[nyk]

What is the world coming too, this just keeps happening more an more lately!!!


Sorry to hear about the damage, if you were nearer me I could certainly put you onto a good body shop.

I personally would never just drive off after bumping someones car, cos I wouldnt want it done to me. Shame other people dont think the same.

[Coops]

simple really, happens more in winter as people fail to wait till car demists, just pull off anyway without being able to see jack shit, hence they crash! :P

[Matty86]

feel for you buddy :(

[Andyvalver]

:cry:

[El_Douglito]

A quick update from last night:

The damage was fortunately no worse by daylight than I discovered last night. The following pictures detail the full extent of the hit and run:
http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/6824/dsc00063uz7.th.jpg (http://img401.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00063uz7.jpg)
http://img313.imageshack.us/img313/9557/dsc00064fq0.th.jpg (http://img313.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00064fq0.jpg)
http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/9128/dsc00065zo3.th.jpg (http://img77.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00065zo3.jpg)
If you look carefully it is possible to make out the scratch, the chunk of bodywork missing and slightly dented arch.

Wanting to sort the damage out as soon as possible I drove round to a selection of repair garages in the Plymouth area looking for quotes.
• Garage 1 had a look at the car and said their quote would be coming in the post in the next few days. The guy also told it would be roughly a couple of hundred to sort out.
• Garage 2 said £196 excluding VAT was the price I’d be paying and that didn’t include the Williams 3 logo.
• Garage 3 wanted to charge me £25 for the pleasure of a quote. I declined their kind invitation and instead mused how they get any customers.
• Garage 4 said £220 (-VAT) was their best price. The gent did however say that in order for the paint to be of perfect match 2 panels needed a spray. I got the impression that they had the best equipment, experience and most passion. They also seemed very honest stating exactly what needed doing and seemed likely to get the best finish.
• Garage 5 was impossible to find.
• Garage 6 was a small back alley shed, with 2 very hard looking mechanics. The guy said if I could supply the Williams 3 logo he could do it all for £100. When I asked if that included VAT he mentioned if I paid by cash it would.
• Garage 7 was shutting up at the end of the day, but the dude still gave his time to give me a quote. He said the damage was between £150-£200 to fix but no more.

I’m really not sure who to use. Garage 2 did a good job on my mates car when he smashed it a few years back, while garage 4 was the most expensive but was willing to do the entire offside, eradicating a few small scratches in the meantime. Garage 5 was ridiculously cheap, but seemed a bit dodge, while 7 seemed a reasonable option.
Which of those body repair garages would you gents lean towards?

All help appreciated

[Daz.]

Garage 4.

And tell me where they are :wink: