How bad is it?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 415
Likes: 0
From: Fairfax, VA 22032
Originally Posted by ebubman
...my bro in law is an adjuster & he always tells me that it's going to be way more than you think...
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,275
Likes: 6
From: Lake Oswego, Near Portland Oregon
You might have to replace the front air dam parts...They are all replaceable for well under a hundred bucks. The rub-rails will need inspection, but are probably just fine. They always end up scraped up anyway. Some black spray paint will cover bare metal for looks and rust prevention
Recently had all the left rear body off mine, [ actually the body shop had it off and I had a good time looking at it taken apart ] .....
There is a small metal bracket to the rear fender near the side marker light, probably bent...easy to straighten. Replace the fender...its cheap just to get new and the SMC fiberglass is hard to fix cause you need special epoxy and fillers. There is likely a squashed styrofoam block under the rear fascia cover. If the fascia/cover popped back out, fine,...if the creases are perfectly one and straight. Othewise, just replace it with new. Our damage was in the same general area, but did not need foam block replacement and came to $2,700 for the fender, fascia.cover, and paint..Paint was the biggest part of it. Your frame is probably just fine. There is no way to accurately gauge the bracket and foam damage, or other hidden damage, until the fender and rear fascia/cover are removed. Just pick a shop and have it properly fixed. In our state you don't need 3 estimates and you don't have to settle for the estimate. You just get it fixed at a legitimate shop and turn in the bill.
Recently had all the left rear body off mine, [ actually the body shop had it off and I had a good time looking at it taken apart ] .....
There is a small metal bracket to the rear fender near the side marker light, probably bent...easy to straighten. Replace the fender...its cheap just to get new and the SMC fiberglass is hard to fix cause you need special epoxy and fillers. There is likely a squashed styrofoam block under the rear fascia cover. If the fascia/cover popped back out, fine,...if the creases are perfectly one and straight. Othewise, just replace it with new. Our damage was in the same general area, but did not need foam block replacement and came to $2,700 for the fender, fascia.cover, and paint..Paint was the biggest part of it. Your frame is probably just fine. There is no way to accurately gauge the bracket and foam damage, or other hidden damage, until the fender and rear fascia/cover are removed. Just pick a shop and have it properly fixed. In our state you don't need 3 estimates and you don't have to settle for the estimate. You just get it fixed at a legitimate shop and turn in the bill.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 19,384
Likes: 87
From: Horncastle Lincolnshire, England
2023 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Originally Posted by Torqued84
Thanks for all the sympathy and well wishes. I feel a lot better today after backing it off the curb. I jacked up the front end and put boards underneath the tires so as not to cause any more damage while backing it off the curb. The front skid rails definately did their job. They both had small dents in them but didn't look bent, although that would probably be hard to tell just looking at it. I also dropped it off at East Coast Refinishing and Repair and the owner Reed was very helpful, went over the whole car, showing me where the quarter panel had slightly shifted by looking at some of the screws in the door jam and trunk lid, different gaps around car, and how the car basically is put together to include the front skid rails and the other functions they perform. He also pulled up cut-away diagrams for the rear end, quarter panel, and front end on the computer and explained what he would look for and his initial oservations and assumptions. Very helpful. He told me to call back on Tuesday after they have had a chance to pull the plastic off and get a better look. Hopefully the final results will be just as satisfying. With all that said, I'm still ticked/dissappointed that whoever did this lacked the moral fiber/character/dignity to leave a frickin note or something. 
Some people *#@"
