Would you recommend going to the dealer for 2005 Mustang collision repair or to a collision repair shop?

I was rear-ended this week and the damage is not very bad (as far as I can tell). Initial estimate is $540 for R/R of rear bumper and paint of the new parts. I would assume that there could also be damage underneath the bumper but that won't be seen until the bumper is removed.

I didn't get a great feeling from the collision repair shop that my insurance sent me to. I am leaning towards taking the car to one of the better dealers in my area with hopes of getting OEM parts and the best color match for the paint. ?????

If you have had damage and repairs, where did you go and what was your experience?

 

They are the same thing

Some dealers who do not have collission shops simply have accounts with others. I have seen shoddy work from both. Going to a dealer shop does not guarantee paint matching, aligned panels and factory parts. They can be hacks like others.

The best thing to do is post in your regoinal forum/car club/ask around for the best shop in your area. Tell them you are very picky and look the car over for any fisheyes, overspray, bad bodywork, before accepting the car back.

 

I think you really need to be careful. Just because you take it to the dealer, it doesn't mean that they do the work any better than a reputable shop. My brother has a fabulous bodyshop in Cranston, RI, and he frequently repairs the personal cars of the owners of dealerships in the area even though they have their own in-house collision repair centers. For something truly inspiring, check out www.autopaintri.com. My current '02 stang is in the booth at the bottom of the contact page.

 

I'm really surprised that right now 80% of the people say to take it to a collision repair shop. Surprised, and impressed. Most people assume that the dealer is some miracle worker with some special powers or training that other places don't have. Of course, they're often no better (or worse) than most other places. The key is to find one with a good reputation, and a lifetime guarantee. As far as OEM parts, no shop will be any more likely to put them on than any other.* (more on that later) The insurance company is the one who decides what parts they're paying for. If you're not satisfied with what they tell you, then you need to take it up directly w/ the insurance company.

*You MIGHT be slightly more likely to get parts directly from a bodyshop at a Ford dealer, because sometimes they'd rather 'eat the difference' and keep the money 'in house'. But just as long as the parts have a lifetime guarantee, I wouldn't be too concerned with it. Many times, non-oem parts will have a longer guarantee than oem.

The most important thing is to find a shop that you're comfortable with, and has a reputation for doing good quality work.

Good luck.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Galaxie @ March 2, 2006, 3:08 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
They are the same thing

Some dealers who do not have collission shops simply have accounts with others. I have seen shoddy work from both. Going to a dealer shop does not guarantee paint matching, aligned panels and factory parts. They can be hacks like others.

The best thing to do is post in your regoinal forum/car club/ask around for the best shop in your area. Tell them you are very picky and look the car over for any fisheyes, overspray, bad bodywork, before accepting the car back.
[/b][/quote]
My local Ford dealer didn't even want a body shop when he built his new facility. He always sub-contracted everything to a couple of body shops (one of which is quite good).
My local Lincoln-Mercury dealer has a body shop run by an expert Mustang guy. He has a '70 Boss 429 [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumb.gif[/img] and he and his son rebuilt and old convertible a few years ago.
FIND OUT LOTS OF INFO ON THE BODY SHOPS BEFORE YOU CHOSE. Dealer or Body shop some are great and some are really bad.

 

one other option-

if youve got a decent fair to high estimate, and got the insurance check, see about getting a new take off...theres a guy on ebay selling roush/saleen parts with baked OEM paint- just shipping could be an issue. I think bumpers are going for a few hundred bucks in whatever color you want.

I agree with above guys- ask around about reputable custom shop, you can have your car repaired wherever you want(within reason)- dont let insurance co tell you otherwise. be sure to tell them you want it OEM looking underneath too- lots of shops wont mask underneath, or even paint hidden scratches that would rust eventually, making the repair very apparent to any future buyer...even if carfaxed, a good clean repair wont show anywhere else. Good luck, hope they get ya back as close to new as possible [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

 

My insurance company sent me to McCoy Mills Ford to do the repairs on my Civic. I figgured they would do a great job. Turns out they were horrible, bolts left off or very loose, intake not seated correctly, front tires not torqued and one almost fell off. They also sprayed my car in the open garage, the car was 6 months old, they then tried to blend the paint over my origional body pannels without any kind of prep. The car had just been waxed so I had lots of bubbles and white chunks stuck in the paint, not to mention it really didn't need to be blended since it was basically new.

Thats just a small sampling of my horror story with them, they had my car in the shop 4 months. I even had to get an insurance guy to come and ask them to do the work right, which I was never happy with it.

Not saying all dealerships will be that horrible but from the service I've recieved thus far from Ford service departments, I would not reccomend you going to a dealership.

I have heard good things about Fix Auto, however I have not personally used them.

BTW it is your right to use any body shop you wish.

 

I took mine to the dealer, (9,000 $$ worth) thay did a great job. Towne Ford, Redwood City, CA

 

I voted to take it to a shop. If you bring it to a dealer, they are going to contract the work out to a collision shop anyway, like Galaxie said. Most dealers aren't going to have a paint booth or the people there skilled to do body/paint work. At least if you take it to a collision shop yourself, you get to meet the people who will be working on your car, interview them, possibly call references and look at pictures of their work, etc. And don't worry about getting OEM parts if you take your car to a body shop. They are going to order the parts from Ford anyway.

 

Its a flip of coin if you do not know the shops in your area. You have to look over the repairs parts and finish over a few times before you sign off. If you are not knowledgable for what to look for, try to take someone with you that is.
The Dealerships in my area are giving life time guaranty's on the repair work. It takes a bit of pointing out whats not right, but they will get it right in the end.

Good Luck!