Oh my goodness!!

[Mynx]

Ok so my partner did a very bad parking job next to a pillar recently and the bumper on my Nissan Micra buckled in. There is a slight scuff on the left wing also.

 

So we took it to a garage and they have said that the bumper and wing will need replacing. But when we got the quote through I was shocked.

 

Now I don't know anything about cars but there are loads of parts listed and we've been told the left door will need painting because the wing is being replaced.

 

The quote is for �925. Eek!

 

So questions;

Is the amount about right?
Do we really need the door painting?
And seeing as there is only the tiniest dent on the wing can we not just leave it as it is, replace the bumper and sort it out later?

 

I'd be so grateful for any help because this is so expensive. I've worked out what with voluntary and compulsory excess and the amount of no claims we'll lose out on that going through insurance will be no better.

 

If anyone needs more of a breakdown I'll be happy to post it here. I'm in Oxford. Everything seems expensive here so I don't know if i makes a difference where we are.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Cockney_si]

You don't say how old your car is, if its one of the older ones you can buy another 2 or three of them for that money.

I know someone that was hit up the rear in her new Micra by someone who gave false details and that cost loads to sort out.

Maybe best to shop around at diferent body shops or try and source a bumper and wing yourself, maybe a little cheaper that way and they can fit it and charge you just the labour.

[Mynx]

Thanks for your quick reply Cockney.

It has a 04 lisence plate. Built in 03 I think.

So I can actually buy these parts myself?? Any idea where I'd start looking for something like that?

[Miss Zippy]

You have a relatively new car, so you need to bear in mind that any non-approved work you have carried out on it  (i.e. work not done by a Nissan garage) will invalidate any dealership warranty you have (most new cars come with a 3 year warranty). If that doesn't bother you, then try phoning around local scrap yards to see if they have a bumper and the other parts you need.  You'll pay a fraction of the cost at a scrapyard.  With regard to the scratch, do you have a company called 'Chips Away' near you? They're a mobile body repair service that repair chips and scratches and come to your home to do it.  I had a large scratch covered on the side of my bumper for �45 (inc VAT)! They can match any colour perfectly. Just look under 'body repairs' in yellow pages and you might find a similar company near you.

[robber1]

Miss Zippy has the right idea. I have used Chips Away and also Sprintfinish. I have a decent car and would not recommend them unless they were good. So, look in yellow pages for this type of service. Get them to look at it (its free) and they may even be able to restore the bumper too.  Of course I cant say how much they would charge because I cant see your car, but a real guess would be �140 +VAT. They will come to your home or place of work etc.

[jake-the-peg]

You haven't said where you went for the quote, I'm guessing you may have gone to a main dealer. This is always an expensive option as they franchaise and the fact that people who bought cars from them will go to them - were they going to supply you with a loan car? that'll be factored in to the overall price etc.

Look up in your yellow pages and get some competetive quotes from some independent bodyshops (sounds like it might be a bit big for chips away but I don't know).

I've used Merlin Bodycraft in Brackley but that might be a bit far for you.

[Cockney_si]

Yeah a new bumper and all the other parts for that car would cost a lot.

Chips away may be a bit cheaper and I guess they may be able to pop the bumper back out through the other side.

Make sure if you call a company out like that they have access to power for their tools as a friend of mine was quite disappointed when they went away after they came to his workplace and needed electrical sockets.

[Mynx]

I went to a private garage.

We didn't call Nissan first because we thought it would be the most expensive option.

I've looked at the chips away website and I think it's also a bit big for them. The bumper definitely needs replacing but maybe they could do something with the bent corner on the wing. I can but ask.

This help is great!

[Rach4018]

i also hit a post in a car park, i dented the side panel and scratched all the way down the side. I didn't have to replace the bumper but i got the dent knocked out and the whole side resprayed for �160. I went to garages for quotes and i was quoted around �500 by a few. In the end i rang a whole laod of garages in the local area and asked them to recommend somewhere that does reasonable priced bodywork, the name of one place came up alot and thats where i got it done. You can probably buy the bumper yourself from a nissan parts place yourself it will be cheaper.