At-Fault Door Panel Damage on Unpopular European Car

Brodo Faggins on 07/12/2020 - 18:08
Last edited 07/12/2020 - 20:00

Afternoon friends,

I've been wanting to sell a car to downsize/need some spare cash, however, there's a large at-fault damage on the door panel (the door itself and electric windows operate fine). I was thinking of repairing the door to new (or thereabouts), rather than sell "as is" and have the valuation halved, and potentially not sell.

For sh*ts and gigs I rang a dealership for a quote. $4,164. For a door. Unpainted. Does not include cost to fit. I definitely shat and no giggles there.

Decided to ask around numerous panel beaters for estimate.

Being a non-common European car, there seems to be no door replacement that fits my budget at euro/specialised wreckers/spares (Syd) - if they do it's in the wrong colour at $600-$800 for the door alone. Add the cost of R&R/labour and paint, I'm looking at ~$1200 (or paint it myself with the help of Mighty Car Mpds & matching spray paint from SuperCheap lol).

Cheapest bloke ($400) wants to "cut & weld" existing door to "90-95% new". I'm assuming he will push out from inside, and putty/sand/paint?

Otherwise I can freight same colour from VIC ($500 + $150 shipping + insurance + damaged on the way + potentially not receiving it).

One really helpful panel beater told me to "claim via insurance, as some of them allow for 1/yr at-fault claim without increasing premium". Never claimed anything through insurance, so have no clue how to approach this, let alone the nitty gritty of my insurance. He reckons (depending on your insurance excess/premium structure) it can potentially be in the $250-$500 excess range. I feel this will be the best outcome for myself & future buyer. But then I will have to venture down the insurance rabbit hole with 0 knowledge (will defs have to do a separate post for that).

Please provide me with some useful suggestions and/or fill in poll, as I'm doing it a bit tough (financially & stress-wise) recently and don't want to be worrying about this anymore.

Thank you OzBargain fam <3

EDIT:
Striking out VIC option as this is a headache.
Heading: Uncommon > Unpopular

Poll Options

  • 0
    Cheap panel beater - get it fixed asap and sell.
  • 0
    Dealership will get the highest return lel
  • 1
    Import from VIC instead.
  • 26
    Insurance as a once off claim.
  • 0
    Sell the car "as is" - price the damage and devaluation into ad.
  • 1
    Should've gone to Specsavers.
  • 0
    Spend the cash at panel beaters - value car at market price.
Automotive

Comments

  • SF3 on 07/12/2020 - 18:11

    Being a (1) non-common (2) European car

    :(

    Maybe someone can suggest getting parts from wreckers… but your "non-common" might mean, unlikely?

    Please provide me with some useful suggestions and/or fill in poll, as I'm doing it a bit tough

    Sorry to hear :(

    • Brodo Faggins on 07/12/2020 - 18:12

      :( indeed hahaha

      Thanks SF3 - pls help out by voting :D

      • SF3 on 07/12/2020 - 18:15
        +1

        If I were you… I'll table it out in excel table to see the options (costs) to see which one you'll lost the least amount of money… as it seems you have limited options (and ain't cheap).

        What car is it, maybe others can help? (if you aren't concern with disclosing it)

        • Brodo Faggins on 07/12/2020 - 18:34

          I have here :P
          The $400 guy is the cheapest.
          Would prefer not to disclose since my intention is to sell it haha
          (deleted name & contact no. for above reason)

  • tsunamisurfer on 07/12/2020 - 18:14

    What is an uncommon European Car? Like Aston Martin? Maserati? Lambo?

    I've been wanting to sell a car to downsize/need some spare cash,

    People normally don't sell a car to buy something smaller and pocket the difference. Unless you have an Aston.

    One really helpful panel beater told me to "claim via insurance, as some of them allow for 1/yr at-fault claim without increasing premium".

    This only applies if you have purchased the no loss of no-claim bonus options.

    My advice, get it done right for $1200.

    • Brodo Faggins on 07/12/2020 - 18:20

      What is an uncommon European Car?

      Think something more mainstream but not a BMW or Audi. Don't want to disclose due to being fair to buyer.

      People normally don't sell a car to buy something smaller and pocket the difference.

      Don't people normally sell their assets if they require capital? Not exactly planning to splash this cash, let alone a new Aston…

      This only applies if you have purchased the no loss of no-claim bonus options.

      Thank you for pointing this one out - I'll have to find out more!

      My advice, get it done right for $1200.

      Thanks for this! :)

      • SBOB on 07/12/2020 - 18:59
        +1

        Don't want to disclose due to being fair to buyer.

        Or so you can get it repaired, not disclose it and not have a google search accidentally show up this thread if the buyer goes looking for any details on this non common car?

        No idea how mentioning the model does anything but help people suggest ideas. For all you know some reader might have a spare door for a goggo mobile in their back yard and it's just what you're looking for.

        • Brodo Faggins on 07/12/2020 - 19:44

          What is the difference between getting it repaired by insurer and a professional panel beater? And a door to a bumper repair? It will be new (or close to) as possible.

          I simply don't want to sell "as is" with the obvious door damage as it has no chance of being sold.

          Given this particular model, there are not many adverts as aforementioned. Disclosing the make/model car will be unfair to all future buyers, as it will be isolated. If the right situation arises, I will be happy to disclose previous damage/claim on door.

          Doubt one would keep spare Euro door on a trailer just because. If they do, they can privately PM me (as others have) and we'll determine there it's the same make/model.

          Any other contributions?

    • apsilon on 07/12/2020 - 18:54

      What is an uncommon European Car.

      I'm thinking Lada, they're not common here at all.

      Without more details I'll have to say it depends on what type of buyer you expect. If you expect enthusiasts and people who know what they're looking at they're going to know it was repaired and repainted and then be worried about why, what else there may be etc. In those cases you may be better off selling as is and priced accordingly.

      If you're expecting average Joe who just looks at how shiny it is then you're probably better off repairing as you'll like sell for more.

      • Brodo Faggins on 07/12/2020 - 19:57

        Just to clarify - uncommon was a general term I thrown as unpopular. I'll update the post.

        Sure there are a small handful enthusiasts that will consider this particular model - to the general public it won't be.

        Thanks for suggesting both your perspectives :)

  • Presence on 07/12/2020 - 18:17

    How old is the car and what is it worth?

    Getting a door from Vic honestly sounds easiest. Insurance will cover you if it's lost or damaged.

    • Brodo Faggins on 07/12/2020 - 18:23

      5-6yrs old depending on the "MY-201X" which I'll have to confirm.
      This freight insurance would be separate to car insurance claim, as I'll be buying from panel beater/wrecker in VIC.
      Edit: Current valuation seems to be just under $20K for same year with triple the kms. Newer ones, same km $22k. Not many comparisons though.

      • MS Paint on 07/12/2020 - 18:27

        That's what sellers want.

        What's its worth and buyers are willing to pay is a different matter.

        • Brodo Faggins on 07/12/2020 - 18:36

          Correct sir. Since I'm strapped for cash I am looking to low ball my own offer.

  • MS Paint on 07/12/2020 - 18:26

    Please tell me it's not an Alfa or a Citroën…

    • Brodo Faggins on 07/12/2020 - 18:38

      I won't say a thing :) haha

    • pegaxs on 07/12/2020 - 19:47

      Alfa or Citreon??? It's definitely not if they are listed for $20~$22k :D

      • brendanm on 07/12/2020 - 19:50
        -1

        Perhaps it's in cents, not dollars?

  • SnoozeAndLose on 07/12/2020 - 18:29

    MS paint?

  • Euphemistic on 07/12/2020 - 18:35
    +1

    You are selling to get cash so you want your outlay to be minimal. That means either insurance claim, or cheap panel beater depending on the costs of your claim.

    I’d be going for the cheap option, 90% of buyeris are unlikely to notice a 90-95% repair job - except maybe if it’s an ‘enthusiast’ car.

    Is the paint metallic? That adds complexity.

    Perhaps even better is to pop the dent out yourself if it doesn’t have too many creases or too much scratched paint.

    • Brodo Faggins on 07/12/2020 - 18:45

      Thank you for your contribution!

      I would be leaning towards these 2 options, though my slight concerns for both are:

      • Bloke says 95% but given his method, could be a shocking outcome.
      • 0 knowledge on insurance products and how claims work - this would take heaps of time and add more stress.

      Paint doesn't seem to be metallic, but could be one of those fancy Euro tones.

      Tried to pop the dent out with a large dent puller and hot water lol - damage is quiet large and broke the tool in half :( It has quiet a number of crowns/corners to be anywhere near perfect regardless. Some paint itself may have gone through the base coat.

      • Euphemistic on 07/12/2020 - 19:14

        Go read your insurance product disclosure statement. You need to know more about how it works - even if you don’t end up using it this time.

        It wouldn’t be worth claiming for me as I have my excess set high to save premiums, but I take the risk I can repair any minor damage myself, or cheaply via a cash panel beater job.

        • Brodo Faggins on 07/12/2020 - 19:28

          Yes indeed - took a day off tomorrow to break down the PDS (and potentially lodge the claim) :)

          Are you able to provide a rough $ range for your excess/premium structure? Has that worked well for yourself?

  • nubzy on 07/12/2020 - 18:35

    Get it done through insurance and make sure they replace it with a new door and NOT a quick bog and paint job. If they do a bog and paint, anyone with an eye for detail will be able to pick it.

    • Brodo Faggins on 07/12/2020 - 18:47

      Yeah sounds like a good option! Thank you :)

  • [Deactivated] on 08/12/2020 - 18:16

    I hit the insurance option but I'm 90% sure you need to pay for that as an extra for that kind of cover but check ur pds

  • Brodo Faggins on 09/12/2020 - 10:56

    Ok so had a 2 hr call with NRMA.
    Excess was $1000 (2nd highest), to bring Premiums down.
    15% loyalty discount applied.
    No claim bonus of "65% C" + "protection".

    Lodging a $1000 claim once every 12mnths, to fix damage won't bring "65% C" down to 60% - it'll only negate the "protection".
    Switched monthly payments to annual - instantly saved $300+.
    Negotiated to add 'Choice of repairer' option for free due to loyalty, so hopefully no bog jobs haha

    Also happens to be yearly renewal in 2 weeks - perfect time to compare what's out in the market.
    But also happy to stay given the discounts.

    Thanks everyone for their contribution!

    • unicorse on 09/12/2020 - 14:14

      Word of warning: if you claim shortly after paying an annual renewal, and insurance writes the vehicle off, you will basically lose the remaining value of your premium compared to pay by month (where you only lose the month you've paid up until.)

      • Brodo Faggins on 09/12/2020 - 23:19

        That's handy to know too, thank you!

      • eciuj on 11/12/2020 - 01:46

        I don't believe that is true. They'll just deduct it from your final payout.

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