Need body shop in Atlanta, accident today

[schulr]

New it was bound to happen; today she got clipped on the left rear quarter panel by an SUV. Can't believe this happened, but driving in Atlanta is bound to catch up with you sooner or later.

Jim Ellis, the local Porsche dealer does not do body work on p cars older than 1990. They sent me to Chamblee Dunwoody Collision who seems to be up on things but would like a few more opinions. This guy said he could repair with out replacing the quarter panel, which is fine with me. Painting will have to be blended in. Est is $1600.

Would like to know of some other options for the repair.

For diminished value, any suggestions on setting a before and after price?

Bob

[bigchillcar]

Bob,

I really feel your pain...no, really...

That looks an awful lot like the same damage my '74 coupe sustained a couple months back...same place, the rear quarter panel. In my case, it was hit in my apartment parking lot. I pay extra for covered parking, but it didn't protect me that day. I never saw who was responsible, but my 'uninsured motorist' part of my policy covered me.

I receive two estimates (three if you can't the paintless dent removal...just for laughs @ $240). The two 'real' estimates were $940 and $980. My deductible was $200. The adjuster saw a few extra hours were written in those estimates to cover time painting into the adjacent panels in order to blend...mine is metallic gold, a real mother and second only to metallic silver in difficulty to match maybe. Anyway, the adjuster gave me $450 and with my $200 deduc. brought me to $600. She wanted them to try and match without going into those extra panels. If it didn't work she promised they would pay more.

As it turned out, they did a helluva job matching and the bodywork was fantastic. You simply can't tell a thing. That's the good news...it's a pain in the ass until it's fixed, but oh what a great feeling to drive it out of the bodyshop looking perfect! Here's a pic of mine damaged. I'll have to find the ones I took of it repaired.

Ryan

[Elombard]

You could try Sentry Auto Body in Lilburn. They do alot of race cars and what not. Place kinda looks like a junk yard but Mike and Ken are nice guys.

[Teutonics]

I used North Point Collision in Roswell for my BMW 2002 repaint two years ago, and am very happy with the results... Reasonably priced and quality work. They've changed management since then, but might be worth checking them out.

Good luck!

[Sunroof]

Bob

A month or so ago I attended the PCA Peachstate Concours event at the Porsche Headquarters in Dunwoody. This gentlemen showed up with a magnificent 356 painted dark mocha (I believe he always takes a trophy). When asked where he got his paint job, he mentioned "budget auto".

They held a concours school at budget auto this past summer and I understand its a fantastic shop specializing in high end performance cars. I will assume if they do paint they do body work. They came highly recommended.

I do not have phone number. If your a PCA member you may want to get a hold of the Concours guys to check on good shops in the area. Another suggestion is to call one of the following repair shops that have been around forever and inquire about good body shops. If you get any good names, please post.

Bob Sanderson - Performance - 770.457.5550
Jack Lewis - 770.849.0302
Reggie Cumming - Proformance - 770.514.1448
George Hussey - Auto. Atlanta - 770.427.2844

Good Luck

Bob
73.5T

[R22tech]

Bob- man that sucks! I recommend Auto Collision Center Of Roswell...they have done 2 repairs for me on a truck that I own and I am satisfied. Ask for Steve Peek, the owner, and tell him Doug Martin sent you-he'll take good care of you. as for diminished value...get a free valuation letter from PCNA (it will be on the high side if your car was in great shape before), then you'll have to call an independent appraiser after the repair to get a present value. The difference will be your diminished value and I bet it will be several thousand dollars. Good luck.

[schulr]

thanks for the comments, what worries me the most is hidden damage. Maybe I should ask my wrench to check things out to be sure nothing was realigned with the engine, etc.

what would you look for on diminished value?

Bob

[cstreit]

THe only problem with stealing a Snap-on truck would be what to do with all those SAE tools?

Garden sculpture?

(Well okay officer, not the ONLY problem)

[typ550]

Bob,

Sorry to see your damage. I would also consider Collision Pro in Kennesaw. I was referred to them by Ellis when I needed some bodywork on my black '88 this summer. I saw a lot of Ellis cars at their shop, including brand new ones that had been damaged in transport and on test drives. They did a very nice job on my repair.

[michaelw]

Bob:

I had similar damage though not as extensive on my 87 Targa. You can do a search if you want to the pix. The "Professional" guys that were recommended to me, wanted about $1500. But this did include blending down the side into the front of the door and across the rear into the other fender. I am not sure why he wanted to do so much blending, but he blamed it on the color (SILVER).

Went to anther guy who charged me $500. Granted I could not afford the Concourse job, but he did an excellent job blending just the fender. I can't tell where he blended in any light. Pays to shop and if you are not a paint snob you can get a quality job done for a good price. I found this guy by asking the local Mercedes and BMW guys who they farm out their bodywork too.

Good luck,
Michael
87 Targa

[rattlsnak]

Go see John at Hot Wheels in Marietta, just north of the Big Chicken. Best by far. He does all sorts of high line cars, custom work etc. Plus he is one of us! PCA member/ club racer, etc.
Email me and I will give you his numbers, and the secret "discount code word" !
Marc

[schulr]

Since its really not my money this time, I am looking to get the professional blending job. Jack Lewis is back from HSR next week so going to wait on him to check the internals. Need to have everything together for the claims person.

Thanks for all the advise.

Bob

[carnut169]

Bob- the best body/paint shop in Atlanta is Sports and Imports. Hands down, bar none. They do a better job than the factory. I also need to plug a shop a friend owns "AutoGlo". They just moved to Tucker and have all new, state of the art equipment. The owner (Ted) just fell through the ceiling of his old paint booth as they were dismantling it- he broke both wrists and could really use the business- but they also do a fantastic job.

[Tspringer]

Sean is correct. Sports and Imports is the only way to go if you want it done to perfection.

I rolled my '95 993 onto its side off turn 3 at Road Atlanta a few years back. It need new front and rear bumpers and right side front and rear fenders. The fixed everything and repainted the entire car. It was perfect. I dont mean factory Porsche perfect..... I mean anyone who really knows Porsches could tell it had been painted because the quality of the paint job was much better than what comes out of the factory. Absolutley ZERO orange peel even when viewed under florescent lights.

they are expensive.... but if your Insurance is paying go with the best. They are also very slow because they are always so backed up.

Terry

[schulr]

This is great, the adjuster is coming Monday so I'll have an idea on how flexable they will be. In the end, should be able to get my way as long as the fix is reasonable. Too bad I could not get a top end rebuild included? Sean, will give your friend a call as well, don't mind helping out if the work is good.

Will try to vist the top three mentioned next week and get pricing plus Jack's view of the internals.

[ToyCollector]

Collision Pro is who Ellis has used before. I personally used them to repair the door to my E430 when the garage door spring flew into it.

Instead of masking the handle, mirror etc, their philosophy is to remove the items, trim, etc. Paint work was SUPERB!! They are actually in Woodstock. R22's place is also top notch and is who RBM will use. I also know John Holt from HotWheels and have seen his work--good stuff as well. Any of these three would get my business.