No that sounds just about right. One of My friends owns a body shop. And if you get a whole car painted for that much it will look like ***. My friend wont even paint my car for that much. A good full body should be any were from 4,000 to 8,000 dollars if its done right.

 

you tried a dent removal place yet?

i had a dent the size of a fist right above the gas cap area, right on that compund curve of the rear fender, which i thought would be a biotch to fix.
$200 later the dent guys got it out and I didnt have to paint anything. id say take it to them and see if they can get it out.

 

I used to paint cars when I was in my early twenties. Get about three estimates and demand to see some finished projects, check for dust and orange peel. Replace the fender, supply the part yourself unfinished. Most good shops have a paint analyzer that will compensate for fading and other irregularities with silver you'll likely have to blend hood bumper and maybe the door. What will drive the price up is completely re-clearing all the blended parts. On the other hand if don't in time the clear blend will show up. If the painter is real good and match is real close you could get away with just painting fender and touch up the bumper. I can't see the chip on the bumper. The gaps are pretty big on the FD and your paint looks fresh so it may be viable.

Just the fender should be about $500
blended hood & bumper about $1000
Re-clearing all bended parts $1500

 

Yeah, I knew that price was a high. I plan on going to a few other good body shops before I commit to anything. Plus, a guy I know builds hotrods, so I'm sure he knows somebody he trusts to do his work. I was looking over my estimate, and here are the final figures:

Body Labor - 14.4 hrs@42 - $614.80
Paint Labor - 11.3 hrs@42 - $474.60
Paint Supplies - 11.3 hrs@27 - $305.10

I can cut the Body Labor price down 3/4 by buying the fender and putting it on myself. And I doubt anyone is going to spend 11.3 hours painting my car. They have these inflated rates when they think an insurance company is going to pay for it. And we get stuck paying huge premiums every month.

 

buy a fender from fritz. get it painted somewhere. put it on yourself.

"so simple" ~ Tai Mai Shu

 

if it were me, get a new fender

 

could have been worse

 

A new fender from Mazda is not expensive. Or you could buy a new one on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/93-95...spagenameZWDVW

I would be suspicious of this body shop.

 

Oops - too late. Auction ended. However, new ones from Mazda are not expensive.

 

The money's really not even the issue. I'd prefer a new fender too. The most annoying part is I have to drive around an otherwise flawless FD, with a big dent in the side. Now everybody's gonna think I'm like every other banged-up Honda ricer who doesn't know how to drive. Really takes the wind out of my sail.

 

14.4 hours/$614.8 to hammer and bondo a fender into shape?!??!

11.3 hours in paint labor?!?!?

$305 in PAINT?

BWHAHAHWHHHHAHAHA! Was there a smile on the face of the guy doing the estimate? My God, I wouldn't be able to hand someone that and keep a straight face!

 

The insurance estimate on my car was 3500 but i work at a body shop and did it for 1800 new fender was around 150 from mazda. If you get a new fender the body shop will want to also blend the door. Silver is the worst color to blend and/or match. If that was my car I would repair the fender and not even blend the hood. A good painter would be able to do this without a problem of the hood matching. I've painted many cars with similar damage this way and all customers were satisfied . I also assume the bumper damage is right where the bumper meets the fender so it should just need blended with the fender. This stuff is hard to explain to those that don't paint or do body work.

 

i own a body shop in clearwater,fl. the best way to do that and have it match if you replace is to blend the door, rocker, hood and front bumper, to match PERFECT. also to repair that fender would be pretty time comsuming, it could be done, the advantage to that would be you wouldnt have to blend the door and rocker. if it were my car i would replace the fender and do it the right way. you dont want to get your car back and noticed a wave under the newly painted fender.

 

*** Remember dont go cheap eather!!!*** i took my fd to the cheapest body shop after getting insurance for the most expensive and i hate myself. I got a nice little thin layer of bondo chipping off!!! Price is a little high but if its a good shop then take it!

 

Maybe in CA, but like Silver93 said, here in NC you can get a pretty good paint job for just over $2k as long as you know who to take it to (i.e. find guys who do it as a side job and have their own paint booth). That quote for the fender repair is outrageous.

 

I can't recall the exact cost, but i had a FD painted here, in NC, about 6 months ago.
He did a color change from MB to dark gray, including engine bay (i pulled th engine), cleaned up little dings, fitted, installed primed/painted 99 spec urathane bumper (along with light install) all for around $2200 (i can't recall exact price). And yes, it's an excellent job.

Point being, $1450 to fit a fender paint and blend is expensive.

 

Yes, $1450 is expensive. I banged up my fender and because I wanted to and "knew who to take it to" I got my whole care painted for a few bucks over $2k. Of course, the cost of living is a lot cheaper over here, and I think most people on here have seen my car in the forsale section and can vouch for the quality.

Joe

 

There's also labor involved in removing, replacing and properly realigning the bumper cover, passenger head-light assembly, hood, and anything else involved with replacing the fender. You'd also be surprised on how many NEW fenders come into a shop damaged from shipping and storage. Few if any are flawless. That damage will also need repair. New panels also often require marginally more refinish time with prep, priming and edging. That's probably why it's less expensive to repair. And if done right, I would have no problems with repairing it. The key is having confidence in the shop. If I did it, you'd be surprised on how little filler there would be in it.
There was also a comment about taking it back to Mazda "so they can match the paint". IMHO, they would NOT be my first choice. Any modern shop should be able to effectively match the paint (though in my experience, metallic silver can be tough). At least as good as a dealership shop. Additionally, at least in my area dealerships tend to hire the new guys right out of tech school and have alot of turn-over. While there's nothing wrong with that, I would prefer the more experienced and someone who is more of a craftsman than dealerships usually encourage.
That estimate that was posted looked way out of line. But either way, if it ends up being too expensive, the person who hit him may as well turn it in to their insurance company. And no matter who's insurance company pays, they may not go for the brand new fender if there is significant cost differences. Unless, of course, the owner is willing to pay that difference.