WRECKED 240sx over past weekend, need advise..!!

[rn240sx]

Hey guys, over the weekend my 98 240sx was involved in an accident on the interstate.

My insurance company gave me 3 options:1st was a repudable body shop in my area.2nd was direct to the closest Nissan dealer.3rd option was 2 of the closest body shops to my home that they recommended..

im not sure where I should take it to. The last time my previous S13 was wrecked, I took it to the nissan dealer and it took them about 6 weeks to repair. Now, since then i have moved and now they just opened a NEW nissan dealer less than 1 mile from my home, and the body shop the insurance compay recommended to me is about 3 miles away.

Where do you guys think I should take it to..??

ThanksRobert98 240sx SE

[nlzmo400r]

id say take it to the dealer. They're going to do the best work for sure, and its guranteed everything will match paint wise and line up. So if you're not paying for it, take it to the dealer

[rn240sx]

Yeah, thats what I was thinking also cause i know my paint job is not your average color... And i dont want these other body shops to TRY to match the color...I think its hair moss green or some 5hit like that.. Leave it to nissan to make such an odd color..!!

Matter of fact, here is a picture of another 240sx with the same color I have.. Let me know if this is the hair moss green..

http://www.modified.com/media/...5.JPG

[C-Kwik]

Here is a copy of my responses on the email list:

"Ultimately, it's up to you. You are the owner of the car so it is your choice. No one option is necessarily better than the other. A shop that does good work is the primary aspect I'd be looking at. The type of guarantee they offer is also good to have in mind. You can check with the insurance company to see if the shops they have on their list are guaranteed by the insurance company itself. This is usually the case, but you want to hear that from them to be sure. Go with the shop you feel most comfortable with."

"Dealerships use the same types of techniques as any other body shops. And they are likely not even shops that are limited to a certain make of auto. I can name several dealer body shops that will fix any make of car. And actually not a lot of dealers have body shops on their lot. They usually just use a specific shop in the area. The quality of work will be dependent on the skills of the bodymen working there. And an insurance company is not going to be paying a dealership anymore than a regular body shop. Insurance companies negotiate the repair costs with the body shops. "

[Phax]

Take it to the dealership. They'll send it to whatever body shop they have all of their work done at. It will take a bit longer, but you will have the work done by someone who is competent.

[C-Kwik]

If the insurance company backs the work at the shops on their list, I'd probably be more inclined to take it there. Chances are if an insurance company will use them, the shop offers their own guarantee. And this would be doubly backed by the insurance company, which would mean that ultimately, if the shop can't get it right, the insurance company will likely allow you to have it repaired at another place at their cost and then take the matter up with the body shop that couldn't do the work. Take it soimewhere else, and it might end up being a situation the insurance company will not touch. If you are adamant about using a dealer recommended shop, most insufrance companies will have a few that are associated with dealerships on their list. It may not be from the same make, but as I said before, body work is fairly universal.

I'm not saying not to take it to a dealership, but I wouldn't rely on that alone to pick a good shop. I've seen issues with dealer associated body shops and independent shops.

And Robert, just to clarify, with any paint and especially metallic paints, it's impossible to get a perfect match. Paint manufacturers spend a lot of time trying to get a good match to new paint. But paint wear and tear exists. Paint can fade over time from UV rays and weathering. Painters will use the paint manufacturer's specified paint mixtures then tint the color as needed to get as close a match as possible. Then they blend the paint. If any of the major panels on your estimate are being replaiced or in some cases also when repaired, you will notice a line for the next adjacent panel to be blended. This means they paint partially into the next panel, basically fading the paint so any differences in color are gradually shifted. This is of particular importance on metallic paint as the metallic flakes can be hard to align the same way as the factory, so a blend is needed. If there is no blend, the two panels can look like completely different colors as light will reflect differently off of it. Just be happy you don't have a pearl in your paint. This can be particularly hard to match. There is in fact no set way of doing it. They basically keep pblending a pearl into the next panel until and differences can not be noticed.

[Mr1der]

here's your advice, don't wreck it again!:D

I agree with taking it to a dealer, they'll give you a loaner car that's gonna be cool anyway:D

[Bubba1]

I don't think a dealership is necessarily the best place. Their main advantage is they likely have your paint color handy and they've likely done several of the same model. they may be fine, but my first concern is the quality of work, not that they do mostly Nissans. I recommend checking out a few body shops with ties to your insurance company and see who does the best work. Most body shops recommended by insurance companies are not likely bums.

My recommendation is to first look at the body shop recommended by the insurance company that's closest to your home, but to check out more than one. Assuming he's good, The closest to your home makes it easier to deal with monitoring their progress, to retrieve it when its done or if there's a problem of any kind. My wifes Altima just got slammed (sandwiched) while she was sitting at a stop light. About $7K damage It's in the shop as we speak. Fortunately the driver at fault has the same insurance carrier as we do. I had the car towed 30 miles it to a body shop that was near my house because 1) I was familiar with their work (very good) and 2) it happened to be one recommended by my insurance company. Her car is going to tied up 6 weeks, but we are being reimbursed for a rental. No big deal.Good luck

[Dattebayo]

I agree with taking it to a dealer, they'll give you a loaner car that's gonna be cool anyway:D

Yes definately. Who knows, you might get a 3.5 altima or something to drive in its stead. Also, insurance companies recommend shops because those shops charge less on work referred to them. They give deals because the company gets them more work than your average shop would have. (its a symbiotic relationship) And not to say that they would do a bad job, but they are gonna cut costs more than the dealer would.And you want your rare mcs14 to be in prime condition, right? So do yourself a favor.