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Any Advice on Determining Body Damage?


kcac

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I have a '95 Cutlass Convertible in triple black that I purchased last winter. Haven't had a chance to drive it much with the top down, it's been rainy and cool, but today was a perfect summer day.

 

Anyway, I finally get to enjoy the convertible, I'm going down a main road about 20 or 25 mph and slowing down for a red light at an upcoming intersection, when a car pulls out from a side street. I hit the brakes and then hit the other car dead-on in the driver's door.

 

At first glance, the Cutlass looks to be OK. I'm sure I'll find something amiss in broad daylight. I'm going to have a few body shops take a look. Anybody out there familiar with collision repair that can tell me what I should look for or what damage I may have caused.

 

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

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If you dented the other car "dead on" with the center of your bumper.. Its probably fine. If you don't notice the bumper out of place or anything (I wouldn't be surprised if your paint isn't even chipped) then I don't think theres anything to worry about. Doors dent VERY easily.

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ya hit a door with the nose of ya car, look at the lines of the fender where it meets the nose, but other then that, w-bodys are tanks. should be fine.

 

-Jeff

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I had a couple of body shops take a look. Quote range was $18 (license plate bracket) to $400 for bumper remove and refinish.

 

I guess C-BAD and gp90se are right - car is built like a tank, because one guy ran out to look at the car before I could tell him what had happened, and he had to ask me where it had been damaged.

 

I will probably ask one or two others to take a look, just want to make sure if the paint doesn't appear to be chipped or cracked now, that it won't start start chipping or cracking in the next few months from the hit it took.

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Yeah they're tanks. I rear ended a Lincoln with my Cutlass Supreme when I first got my license.. somewhere around 20mph when I hit. Insurance company said the Lincoln cost somewhere around 5800 damages. The Cutlass? Like you mentioned above, 23 dollars for a license plate bracket.

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I've SLID on black ice around a corner like a hockey puck and bumped into on of those metal fence things.. bounced right off it- I got out and looked to my surprise no damage what-so-ever. :)

 

The bumbers are great on our cars, they seem to be like bumper cars :lol:

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