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Any guesses on the extent of this body damage?

messrock

Autocross Champion
Location
Boston
Car(s)
18 GTI DSG
I had to get a scratch repaired on the rear wheel arch - that was $1200 quoted at Mike's Autobody just outside of Boston (also quoted $1800 for the same job at Hogan & Van) - so there's your minimum cost for the paint work.

48/hr labor is definitely not flying around here.
 

southpawboston

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Somerville, MA
My wife was backing down a sloped, tight radius driveway built into a foot-tall concrete retaining wall. The rear wheel rode the edge of the retaining wall until the wall ended and when it rolled off the end, the bodywork landed on the edge of the wall. Damage appears to include the front of the wheel well, the rocker panel, and the door which buckled. still closes and seals and no changes in gaps outside the damaged area, but I'm guessing it's still going to rack up a big bodywork invoice since the rear rocker and wheel well need to be cut out. Plus a new door. Any guesses as to what the estimate will be?

So an update-- official estimate is over $3800. That includes sourcing a used RR door and a new rear quarter panel. They will replace just the "dog leg" portion of the whole quarter panel rather than the entire panel. I'm going through insurance so I'm on the hook for my $1000 deductible, and my annual premium will increase by $105 for five years, so all in all it'll cost my $1735 for this repair... still better than $3800 out of pocket.
 

cb1111

Newbie
Location
Virginia, USA
So an update-- official estimate is over $3800. That includes sourcing a used RR door and a new rear quarter panel. They will replace just the "dog leg" portion of the whole quarter panel rather than the entire panel. I'm going through insurance so I'm on the hook for my $1000 deductible, and my annual premium will increase by $105 for five years, so all in all it'll cost my $1735 for this repair... still better than $3800 out of pocket.
Could have been far worse - but how does a 5 year $105 increase add up to $735?
 

southpawboston

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Somerville, MA
Could have been far worse - but how does a 5 year $105 increase add up to $735?
Haha, I stand corrected. $1535. Even better! It took an hour on the phone and several insurance CS reps before I could get a clear answer on the convoluted MA insurance laws and how a claim can affect policy premiums... they never want you to know and make an informed decision, they just want to pay out without you questioning it and then turn around and raise your rate. In MA, any collision claim between $1000-$5000 raises your collision premium (by law-- forget free market!) by 37% for five years. Over $5000 and it goes up by 69%.
 
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JC_451

Autocross Champion
Location
NJ, one of the nice parts.
Car(s)
2017 GTI Sport
Haha, I stand corrected. $1535. Even better! It took an hour on the phone and several insurance CS reps before I could get a clear answer on the convoluted MA insurance laws and how a claim can affect policy premiums... they never want you to know and make an informed decision, they just want to pay out without you questioning it and then turn around and raise your rate. In MA, any collision claim between $1000-$5000 raises your collision premium (by law-- forget free market!) by 37% for five years. Over $5000 and it goes up by 69%.
That is bonkers.
 

ElectricEye

Autocross Newbie
Location
Central NJ

cb1111

Newbie
Location
Virginia, USA
Haha, I stand corrected. $1535. Even better! It took an hour on the phone and several insurance CS reps before I could get a clear answer on the convoluted MA insurance laws and how a claim can affect policy premiums... they never want you to know and make an informed decision, they just want to pay out without you questioning it and then turn around and raise your rate. In MA, any collision claim between $1000-$5000 raises your collision premium (by law-- forget free market!) by 37% for five years. Over $5000 and it goes up by 69%.
MA insurance laws are insane. When I moved to Cambridge in the 90's I was very confused at how the insurance thing worked there - the cars needed to inspected by the insurance agent and a photo of the door sticker taken along with photos of each side of the car. Most companies back then didn't insure in MA and I remember that my AAA insurance was extremely expensive.
 

messrock

Autocross Champion
Location
Boston
Car(s)
18 GTI DSG
MA insurance laws are insane. When I moved to Cambridge in the 90's I was very confused at how the insurance thing worked there - the cars needed to inspected by the insurance agent and a photo of the door sticker taken along with photos of each side of the car. Most companies back then didn't insure in MA and I remember that my AAA insurance was extremely expensive.
Back then MA didn't allow an out of state insurance agent to cover your car. They had to have a physical presence within state lines.
 

southpawboston

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Somerville, MA
Right, no GEICO back then. Has that changed now? I assume the rates haven gotten better though.
It has changed and it has gotten better, but I suspect MA is still more expensive than many states because of all the regulation. Insurance companies can't use their own algorithms to punish/reward driving behaviors, they have to use those imposed by the state. So competition is stifled. That said, most major insurers operate here now and prices have come down by probably 1/3 since I moved here 20 years ago. I'm using MetLife which was just bought by Farmers.
 

ElectricEye

Autocross Newbie
Location
Central NJ

messrock

Autocross Champion
Location
Boston
Car(s)
18 GTI DSG
It has changed and it has gotten better, but I suspect MA is still more expensive than many states because of all the regulation. Insurance companies can't use their own algorithms to punish/reward driving behaviors, they have to use those imposed by the state. So competition is stifled. That said, most major insurers operate here now and prices have come down by probably 1/3 since I moved here 20 years ago. I'm using MetLife which was just bought by Farmers.

Still not getting rates like NH, ME, etc - I see people complain about their insurance bills on forums, etc and just chew back the frustration of mine being a solid double that.
 
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