Question
Sebring driver's door
Dear Mr. Forster,
We were driving a rental car on which we had declined the extra insurance (a 2009 Chrysler Sebring convertible Lx—we were celebrating a 50th birthday). Unfortunately, a truck that was passing us on a curve lost a bundle of wood, which bounced toward us. We couldn't completely avoid it because there was no shoulder (we were next to the side of a mountain), so the wood put a somewhat long, but shallow, line into the driver's side door near the bottom. Not a scratch, because the paint was intact (please see the photo), but I guess you'd call it a shallow dent, which starts about 6 inches from the edge of the wheel well and extends on an upward angle about 2-1/2 to 3 feet. Anyhow, we'll have to pay for the repair, but before we do, I'd like to know what is involved in making such a repair. The estimate that we got from the rental car company included references to:
repair l frt door repair panel
refinish l frt door outside
remove/install l frt door otr belt molding
remove/install r frt door rear view mirror
remove/install l frt door adhesive molding
remove/install r frt door outside handle
repair l quarter outer panel
refinish l quarter panel outside
remove/install l quarter fuel door
remove/install l upr quarter belt molding
remove/install l quarter moldling
Considering that the wood only hit the driver's side door, I'm not sure what the "l quarter" charges are for. I don't mind paying for fixing the actual damage that occurred (even though it wasn't our fault, but I guess that's what the insurance is for). But I don't want to be charged extra for a "repair" of something that wasn't damaged when we returned the car to the rental place. (I'm not asking for an estimate—I just want to know if these activities are legitimately needed to fix the scratch/dent in the door.) Thanks so much for your help!
Sincerely,
Carolyn
AnswerI can't see the quarter- i'm guessing there is a smaller dent from the wood. Wouldn't surprise me 1 bit. I think that the rental company is charging you the maximum they can possibly get- and it's likely that all they will do is have someone rough out the dent, and tape off all the moldings and mirror without removing them. I do all these operations on cars for real customers- not rental cars. They're overcharging, but I don't know how you can fight or dispute what they are assessing. If I were writing an estimate, i would also write to perform all these operations. There is no way for you to prove or disprove that the work was ever even performed. About all I can tell you is see if your own insurance company covers the rental car damage- in some states, the insurance follows the driver- meaning that you are insured in whatever you drive, so long as you are a licensed driver and carry full insurance coverae on at least one of your personal vehicles. Bill
