SONICBOOST

ouch, that is my worst nightmare

05stangkc

If at All Possable I would not Replace the Quarter. It is a far More Complicated Repair. My 05 Had Similar Damage and was Repaired without Quarter Replacement. Think of it as the Difference Between Amputation with Prosthesis and Cosmetic Surgery. BTMO, Based on 23 Years at Ford Dealers. But you Need a GOOD Bodyman not a BONDO Slinger!

KC

MrLatte

Yes, it was mine as well. I don't even have 1000 miles on it yet!!!

The other option is to go back to the dealer and see what kind of trade-in deal I can get and then order a new one. Are there restrictions on trading in an X-plan purchased car? Do I have to wait 6 months? And could I use X-plan again? I saw in the rules you can make 2 purchases per calendar year.

vistablue mustang

Sorry to hear about your car, but it will be good as new in no time! I can't advise you because I agree with both KC's opinion and the others. But don't trade the car in that would really be over kill. Get a good body shop and you will be fine.

G.T

Unfortunately, replacing the rear quarter panels requires cutting and welding.. it's not just a drop in with a bunch of screws :S

so ultimately, it's up to you, and how you assess the damage in person
if you think it can be pulled, filled, and come out looking good as new so be it.
if not.. well i guess you'll have to do it the hard way.. the proper way and replace the panel

sorry about your baby.. and good luck getting her back up to shape soon!

VegasGold

That really sucks...

That is my fear also...No one wants to have a new car with bondo or new panel....I feel for you...Trade in??? Again, that is an option...I remember when we were all waiting for our cars...Many months of waiting and now this...

Good luck, keep up update....

icemant180

Man thats too bad. What a fugly dent. Good luck with the repair.

karrnutt

That panel is part of your main body shell and is put in place and welded by robots on the assembly line. I would think that removing it could upset the integrity of the unit body. A good body man could fix those lines repaint it so a stranger would never see it. No matter which route you take you will always know what happened . As it stands it is a cosmetic repair ,if the panel is replaced I think you will be opening a can of worms and you really don't want to go there.
When I had some cosmetic damage to my front end I went to a custom body shop . My insurance guy wanted me to be satisfied with the work and shop's charges were only $10./hour more than the run of the mill shops. Result ---SATISFACTION ! Good luck on which ever choice you make !

jsully65

Amen!

05GT-O.C.D.

That said, in your situation it appears borderline. IF you have a choice, I'd lean towards replacing it. That way, when it comes off they'll be able to better see and repair the damage to your inner quarter. FYI - either way, they should also be removing all of your door hardware (handle, belt molding) and blending at least that panel for a good match.

newbreedgt05

I had damage in the exact same place on my car, except it didn't extend to the rear bumper. It was also more of a scape with a small dent. The dent happened to be right on the edge of the body line like yours. The body shop I took it too (the best one in the area) told me they would just fill the dent and sand it to match the body line. I was really worried cause I thought that it would never be perfect again and I would always be able to tell. After a few painstaking days, I got the car back and it was impossible to tell. Even in direct sunlight, the body line was perfect. So it all comes down how good the bodyshop is. Replacing the panel is a lot more involved and there is a lot more that con go wrong. Bondo is a product that got a bad name a long time ago as a cheap and easy way to fix dents. If you have ever seen the show Overhaulin, they put body filler all over the car before they paint it. Even if they cut the panel and put in a new one, they will have to use body filler to fill the weld line in and then sand that before they paint it. I think it all comes down to how much the insurance will cover and how good the bodyshop is. Good luck and let us know what happens.

LBJay

And then sand 99.9% of it off. They do most of the smoothing on the metal or replace panels that will take too much time.

Repair or replace all depends if you can find a shop that can actually work the panel back into shape and not just reshape with filler. Lots of compound curves were you were hit. The metal looks very stretched and even torn on the lip. I'd probably go for replacement. (if you plan on keeping the car more than a few years)

crucut

Sorry dude. That really sucks! I feel your pain, and I havent even got my Mustang yet! I can only re-emphasize that who repairs it is more important at this stage than how they do it. Do your foot work and find the best shop you can and when you give them the car, make them know how picky you are. That will help. Good luck, keep us posted, and show us the reults.

Deric

I would go with replace. Most body shops will pull the dents a bit anyway to get the surounding area back to normal. A good shop will only remove and weld at the factory spot points. If you are super worried ask them if they actually have a spot welder vs plug welding with a mig welder. If they replace the panel and weld at the factory points and check the gap lines you will never see an issue (any good shop will do that) and it will look factory. If you are worried about the tint or if the tint gets damaged due to the repair have it fixed and bill the insurance.

-Deric

wjones14

I agree with karrnut's assessment that replacing the quarter panel might open a whole can of worms. Unnecessarily. Replacing the rear quarter is going to mean cutting and welding - it's not a bolt-in replacement like a front fender. The integrity of the uni-body is at stake. And they will have to use bondo anyway, at the seam between the new piece and your existing body, so it's not like the new piece will avoid the use of bondo.

I feel your pain, and if it was me it would kill me to have the cosmetic repair, because I'd always know it was done no matter how good it comes out. But there's no way I would replace the quarter panel for that kind of accident, because I think that's a lot riskier repair.

Too bad that happened...

vistablue mustang

So anyword? How is it going?

MrLatte

Well I haven't heard back from her insurance yet (Geico) so I don't have their estimate yet and I'm sure they'll have an opinion on how it should be fixed - can you say cheapest? Also, I haven't decided if I should just have my insurance take care of it. That would require a different shop and/or a different assessment which I still need to schedule.

Has anyone had any luck getting diminished value out of the insurance company?