i went to panel craft in berkeley for a repair estimate on a medium-sized scratch on my rear bumper, plus a cracked taillight - $1172! holy ****!

 

it'll buff right out. don't get raped.

 

i wish it would - it's actually a deep scrape. plus buffing won't help my cracked taillight.

 

thats ririduclous, throw a molotov cocktail at them for even saying such things

 

Was this on insurance? Crash shops, windshield places etc. usually double the estimate for insurance work.

 

well,

what happened is i was parked in the metreon parking lot - when i came back i saw a note, the guy was nice enough to let me know he hit my car with a pickup. now i just have to find a place that will do a good job (my main priority) and then make it affordable (to be nice to the guy.)

Lorry, actually I told the estimator that I was going to decide what to do in terms of insurance vs. on-the-side deal.

can any of you guys recommend another body shop in berkeley? i'd heard good things about panel craft - but this guy seems really overpriced. his labor rates are $75/hr, and he's estimating 10 hours of work - which includes repainting my bumper and installing everything.

 

and people wonder why our insurance is so high.

 

I'd tell him to go ahead with the work but you get his first born.

 

Creative Customs in San Jose.

 

I ain't driving 1 hour for an estimate!

 

psst: reading comprehension! i'm not paying for the repair! it's just the decision to have the guy pay for it out of his pocket or have his insurance handle it.

but damn, this is annoying as hell

 

so i guess you're in the berkeley area? my roomate went to T K Auto Repair & Body Shop
(510 525-4746) up in el cerrito. his insurance sent him there when he got rear ended. it's a pretty decent shop and did fine work.

 

GOTO Franklin Auto Body in oakland. 510-533-1833, they fixed my whole car after being totalled, for an excellent price.

 

ok,
thanks for the recommendations, i will check those out.

 

You'll save money if you buy a new bumper, paint it, and install it yourself... Or you could just call up some junk yards and look for one...