I was at the shops last friday, ran in to get something from big dubb and when i came out i noticed someone had put a nice big dent in the back of my car. no note left or anything :cry:

Anyway, thats not the reason for this thread.

I need to get the dent fixed, which is hopefully being done through insurance, which will involve panel beating and a complete re-spray of the boot. Before this happened, however, i was thinking of removing the rear spoiler in the near future, which would require the holes to be filled and the boot re-painted obviously, so im thinking of just getting both (the dent and holes left by the spoiler) repaired at the same time, so:

Convince me i should remove the rear spoiler and:


How hard is it to re attach the spoiler, after the holes have been removed, if i decide i dont like it without the spoiler anymore? and
Do you think it is likely that they will fix these holes left by the spoiler, while they are repairing the dent, under the original claim? will they let me, cos its getting re-sprayed so they may as well just fix the holes whilst they are at it? :confused:


Thanks in advance

maybe if you give them cash for that part of the job, but if you got rammed in the carpark i doubt your insurance will cover, or this is what i have been told. good luck!!!

Since they are beating/spraying it, speak to the panelbeater, if he's a typical aussie bloke he should do it for you free as he just wont tell the insurance company about it, its like 1/2 hour extra work for him so he shouldnt care.

no spoiler would look nice methinks

depends how bad the dent is they will probably replace the bootlid cause its quicker and cheaper than patching it up. it will save them time not having to drill holes and fitting a spoiler.

depends how bad the dent is they will probably replace the bootlid cause its quicker and cheaper than patching it up. it will save them time not having to drill holes and fitting a spoiler.



:stoopid:i agree

+1 vote for replacing boot here too

i had my verada boot de-winged, and a dent pulled out, but it would have probably ended up cheaper buying one without a wing and a dent!

+1 vote for replacing boot here too

i had my verada boot de-winged, and a dent pulled out, but it would have probably ended up cheaper buying one without a wing and a dent!

dont the executives have a different boot to the vr-x's or are they the same, just without the spoiler?

from what I can see, they're the same.

It will definately be cheaper just to get a new boot lid and get it resprayed and colour matched, as you'd only be paying for the spray...+ you won't damage your rating by making a claim.

depending on how big the dent is, the insurance company will try and have it repaired for X amount of hours plus Y amount of hours for painting the bootlid and any adjoining panels if needed. this is what the smash shop will charge them. The insur. company is trying to fix it for the least amount of money possible so will avoid putting a new/ secondhand bootlid if possible, as this will require the inside of the boot to be painted as well. also the repairer makes far less money putting new parts on a car (only gets a mark up on the price of the part) than repairing it, as he can charge the insurance company X amount of hours repair time, so if it can be repaired then they will probably do it. if it is getting repaired you will probably need to give them a bit of cash to weld up your spoiler holes as they are only getting paid by the insur. comp. to repair the damage and wont make any money welding your holes up for free. remember that its a business trying to make money. i recommend asking the repairer for a quote and if its under your excess then pay cash to have it done, if not, go through insurance and give the beater a bit of $$ to weld up the holes while its there. remember that welding up the holes will require that the bootframe will need painting/blending where the welds are inside the boot. so there is also that cost to add in.
yann89's idea is the other option. buy a second hand bootlid without holes and have it painted. it still might be cheaper than your excess and you then have your original spoiler/bootlid in case you ever want to put it back on(albeit damaged).

dont the executives have a different boot to the vr-x's or are they the same, just without the spoiler?

They're the same. The Veradas have different boots (since they have the integrated reverse lights), but the regular Magnas variants all share the same bootlid.

I'd speak to the panelbeater about it hlll3. You might have some good luck - a mate had a front-end prang in his Subie Outback, which he claimed on insurance. At his request, they also fixed an unrelated ding down one side for him - I think they did that for a carton of beer. Mind you, his was a pretty expensive repair job (he reckons it was $17k), so doing this on top was pretty minor.

At the least, the panelbeaters have already mixed up the paint and are already working on your car, so it'd be cheaper than getting it done on it's own.

on the note of the repairer would rather fix the dents than replace the bootlid, not true... when my old galant was hit in the rear, repair costs came to around 70% of the cars value, and the costs involved replacing the rear hatch (boot was hit, but was all part of the hatch)... so that was a fair bit of work to push out some pretty minor damage. i think the repairer will just do wats quickest and easiest, which should be to just replace the bootlid.

as said tho, wont know until you call them up ;)

i think the repairer will just do wats quickest and easiest, which should be to just replace the bootlid.

the repairer will do what makes them the most money. the cost of time on repairs of the bootlid plus paint vs the cost of a new/secondhand bootlid plus time to paint it in and out. its that simple. trust me on this, i've been doing it for near on 10 years.

I reckon go for the no spoiler look.

cheers for your help guys

i am claiming the damage under my dad's name :badgrin: so the excess is only $350 as opposed to $1050 if it were to go under my name, so it doesnt affect my no claim bonus, if i even have one :confused: i am taking it into sgio next tuesday, where they will assess the damage and then send me to a panel beater to get it repaired, i think.

so i will probably ask the panel beater if he can weld up the holes whilst he is repairing the dent, and give him some extra money for doing so. hopefully he will do it, how much extra would he want, do you reckon? $100?

although, how much would a boot lid from the wreckers be? and how much would it cost to re-paint it, given its metallic paint?

thanks again
hlll3

cheers for your help guys

i am claiming the damage under my dad's name :badgrin: so the excess is only $350 as opposed to $1050 if it were to go under my name, so it doesnt affect my no claim bonus, if i even have one :confused: i am taking it into sgio next tuesday, where they will assess the damage and then send me to a panel beater to get it repaired, i think.

so i will probably ask the panel beater if he can weld up the holes whilst he is repairing the dent, and give him some extra money for doing so. hopefully he will do it, how much extra would he want, do you reckon? $100?

although, how much would a boot lid from the wreckers be? and how much would it cost to re-paint it, given its metallic paint?

thanks again
hlll3

Speak to a couple of panel beaters in advance. And tell them exactly what you want to do, and whoever says that they do it for free can get you business...