Accident advise? 02 Body shops in SoCal?

[RSlater]

Sorry to hear. I have used Baker Paint and Body on two occasions and they did excellent work. They are in Pasadena. I had them fix my 92 325 when a truck backed into it when it was three days old. They have been in business since the 50's I'm sure they worked on 02's in the day. Hope everything works out.

[BarryA]

.......Once a car is hit as hard as yours it is IMPOSSIBLE to remove all signs of repair and return it better than new.....

expensive (usually MUCH more expensive) than the "pull, cut and weld, fill and paint" work that's done at most collision shops whose stock-in-trade is fast turn-over insurance work on late model transportation appliances. I know a guy who's a master panel beater, and have been astounded what he's been able to do with severely damaged panels when replacements simply weren't available.

For the most part, shops that are willing to take on old car work operate on a "time & materials" basis - they'll usually provide an estimate of the expected cost of repair, but you'll pay for the time they put in on a open ended basis plus the cost of whatever materials they use (including some mark-up for shop profit), and (especially at the best shops), the cost will be heavily dependant on how far you want to go with the repair. A really skilled metal guy can absoultely work wonders with damaged metal, but it's time consuming and expensive - you and the shop need to come to a clear and mutual agreement as to what you want them to do and how far to go, especially when it gets into detail work.

If you get lucky, you may be able to find a shop that will work with you and let you do some of the grunt work of getting the car ready for the shop to start its part of the repair. Most shops charge a standard hourly rate for ALL the work they do (from simple stuff like removing trim, bumpers and lights to skilled metal work, surface prep and paint) - if the shop is willing, you should be able to save significant $$ by doing most of the disassembly yourself as well as running down parts for them. If you're comfortable doing the work, don't ignore the potential for reassembling the car yourself from a painted and polished shell, too - reinstalling trim, door & trunk seals, etc, is time consuming, "fiddly" work, and the shop's going to charge their standard rate for doing it.

Oh, and once the car's fixed and "retired" to hobby status, consider putting it on a stated value collector car policy with a known insurer (Hagerty, etc).

[josh72ooh2]

***UPDATE****

The adjuster came to my work. Of course he thought the year was a 2002. I explained to him that it was a 1972 BMW and the model is a 2002. He replied " i didn't know BMW made a 2 series"

Ugh....

The good part is that they didn't total the car.

The bad part is that his estimate in damages was WAY too low. $3400.

I looked at his contact info for a salvage house and I followed up on his $200 'new/used' rear end and a $200 'used' bumper.

The salvage guy laughed at me and said he hasn't seen a 2002 in 16 years. he tracked the Adjuster's account number and said those parts don't exist and neither do the adjuster's dollar amounts.

I was PISSED. I called him him and laid into him. I am filing a complaint with his supervisor tomorrow.

Through a FAQ member I found a local shop that specializes in old cars. They had a nice early 70's Camaro and a 76 bronco there. He's work with 02's before AND he works with insurance companies. I'm taking it there and letting them deal with the cost of repairs with my insurance company. He said it will be more like $4-5k and he'll deal with getting money from them.

Coupe King wanted nothing to do with talking to my adjuster. Which i can understand.

I'll be without my old gal for a month or so. I hope it's worth it.

-Josh

[Pierre]

***UPDATE****

The adjuster came to my work. Of course he thought the year was a 2002. I explained to him that it was a 1972 BMW and the model is a 2002. He replied " i didn't know BMW made a 2 series"

Ugh....

The good part is that they didn't total the car.

The bad part is that his estimate in damages was WAY too low. $3400.

I looked at his contact info for a salvage house and I followed up on his $200 'new/used' rear end and a $200 'used' bumper.

The salvage guy laughed at me and said he hasn't seen a 2002 in 16 years. he tracked the Adjuster's account number and said those parts don't exist and neither do the adjuster's dollar amounts.

I was PISSED. I called him him and laid into him. I am filing a complaint with his supervisor tomorrow.

Through a FAQ member I found a local shop that specializes in old cars. They had a nice early 70's Camaro and a 76 bronco there. He's work with 02's before AND he works with insurance companies. I'm taking it there and letting them deal with the cost of repairs with my insurance company. He said it will be more like $4-5k and he'll deal with getting money from them.

Coupe King wanted nothing to do with talking to my adjuster. Which i can understand.

I'll be without my old gal for a month or so. I hope it's worth it.

-Josh

I called Jack at JF Pro BMW in Van Nuys and he recommended North West Body and paint, 13000 Saticoy street in North Hollywood.

The guy's name is also Jack. His number is 818 759 0300.

He's old school and does metal work instead of remove and replace unless necessary. Mike (Ventura tii) got in a wreck too recently and is taking his car to him. You may want to ask him for additional details. The shop does work with insurance companies.

Best of luck. I hope your car gets back on the road soon in as good of a shape or better. The nose of my tii got crunched too (minor) and I know what it's like to deal with repairing an old classic.