Banged up fender

[Aurel]

On our last day in New Jersey, while the van was loading our household goods, I had the 911 parked in the street, and the neighbor backed into the rear passenger side fender, with the result shown on the pictures below. Does it look like an easy fix? Can I do it myself with bodywork hammer? I do not care about painting for now, as the whole car will need a repaint later on. Any idea of cost if I find a good body shop to do the job?

[Josh D]

Why would you not have your neighbor's insurance company pay for a professional to fix?

[DaveE]

I agree. You'll have a hard time making that look decent.

[wildcat077]

I would definitely make the neighbor pay for the damages if you are in no way responsible ...

I'm having some rust bubbles touched up on the lower part of my left front fender (89 911)
and the bill is a little over $400.00 for a whole fender repaint with me taking the fender off and bringing it to the shop so i would imagine your damage is substantially more expensive to repair !

Cheers !
Phil

[Aurel]

Originally Posted by Josh D

Why would you not have your neighbor's insurance company pay for a professional to fix?

I will, but I haven`t found one yet. Does anybody have a good bodyshop to recommend in Albuquerque, NM?

[plumb4u2]

i would not even consider touching that panel myself...i agree why is insurance not involved?

[Aurel]

Originally Posted by plumb4u2

i would not even consider touching that panel myself...i agree why is insurance not involved?

Things have been crazy, between moving from the house, shipping the cars...then the car was not starting so I could not take it to a shop for an estimate. Now I am catching a breath and got it to start, I can take care of it after more important things have been taken car of. I agree I should have her insurance pay for it.

[Joe Bob]

That's not an easy job for the home wrench banger. Body shop all the way.....

[wayner]

A new 1/4 panel is what, about $1500.00 from the dealer?
Trying to pound that out will cost a lot more.

Also, check with local p-club in your new town for recommendations.

[cgarr]

Your not in a no fault state so I think their company pays and if they don't have coverage then they have to pay personally. Unlike Michigan where you are pretty much screwed!

[sundevil64]

agree with getting the neighbor's insurance to pay for it. It would be a lot of work and it still would be right. Working metal is a skill, knowing where to shrink stretch, and find the stress release points. The 1/4 are out there, but they aren't cheap even if you find them used you still have to deal with shipping and all.

[giovanni86]

I agree I should have her insurance pay for it

HER ... no doubt looking at the photos

[Porchcar guy]

I would call Mickey at Jim's Fine cars at 505-883-4224. He is good guy and has my 79Sc there right now doing mech work. Hopefully, he can point you in the right direction...If you need other help, email me and I will try to be of service about our city...Geoff

[fbeatty]

Bummer, hope you get it fixed up right and soon. Maybe ABQ has a good body shop, but I have not been impressed with most of the stuff around here.

[911Freak]

Good info referenced so far.
My .02 from a former life as a pro painter in a pretty decent shop in Nor-Cal would be:
That's not a job for a DIY in any form, it'll only make matters worse.
No need to replace that 1/4
A good journeyman body man can get the metal on the qtr panel 99% perfect w/out fillers.
Blend door
Blend decklid
It should turn out nice, with the caveat; I can't tell the current condition of the paint and how a fresh qtr will match the older panels even with the blending.... I'd prepare for a 1500-2200+ repair bill.

I'd also suggest getting an estimate asap regardless of when you get the repair done. Get the Ins involved with a phone call, get your claim# and have a mobil estimator come out if you don't have time.

Hope it all works out for you both

[wayner]

Someone backed into one of my cars once.

I dealt with her on my own. She promised to pay then suddenly she didn't know me anymore and would not return my calls.

CAlled the police, and they asked why I didn't report it sooner.

I said I was trying to be a nice guy.
They sternly told me to call right away next time and let them be the bad guys.

They paid her a visit and she produced a cheque the next day.

[afterburn 549]

Thats a EZ fix IMO but we all have different level of talents and skills.
There are some options
1- Pound it out ( hammer- dolly ETC )
or 2- cut off all the bad and weld on new...
I would consider,- do I want wider fenders at this point ?

[haycait911]

Originally Posted by 911Freak

Good info referenced so far.
My .02 from a former life as a pro painter in a pretty decent shop in Nor-Cal would be:
That's not a job for a DIY in any form, it'll only make matters worse.
No need to replace that 1/4
A good journeyman body man can get the metal on the qtr panel 99% perfect w/out fillers.
Blend door
Blend decklid
It should turn out nice, with the caveat; I can't tell the current condition of the paint and how a fresh qtr will match the older panels even with the blending.... I'd prepare for a 1500-2200+ repair bill.

I'd also suggest getting an estimate asap regardless of when you get the repair done. Get the Ins involved with a phone call, get your claim# and have a mobil estimator come out if you don't have time.

Hope it all works out for you both

dead-on what he said. replacing will cause many more headaches. german steel has a good memory, very fixable.

[fintstone]

Maurers has a great rep for Porsche paint and body work in ABQ.

[dicklague]

GET a couple of estimates fast. I had a similar situation.....some old lady hit me in a parking lot. Her insurance eventually paid my insurance co. $2500- 3000 in the end.