GTI Cosmetic Surgery Report

"LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com" (limitedtimeonly)
07/23/2016 at 17:32 • Filed to: Body work, GTI, repair

I hit a length of semi truck tire on the highway going 70 mph. It did some damage. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! Here is what happened next . . .

The above picture shows what it looked like initially. I actually didn’t think it was too bad. If the car didn’t have 1200 miles on it when this happened . . . because !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Grrr.

You can see above that I pushed parts around and got it looking better, such that most people glancing at the car didn’t notice that anything had happened.

I took it to a dealer who thought it might cost US$800-$1,000 to replace the parts. So I was borderline on whether to use insurance, since even though I have only a $250 deductible, I didn’t want my rates to go up. However, I was anxious about the possibility of costs increasing, so I made a claim.

Two local body shops gave estimates ranging from about US$600 (questionable shop) to $1,300. Then I got a recommendation from someone in the know. I went to the recommended shop and it looked like this:

The shop only works by recommendation and is filled with customized cars, hot rods, and classics. My people. Check out the Facebook page, which shows some of the cool work I saw: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

When I first got there my contact pulled out paint chips for my color but in different levels of texture, which neither of the other shops did with me. We agreed on the right match together. I knew I wasn’t going to have someone overspray my quarter panels to “blend” them! They also estimated the cost at US$1,300.

It turned out that once the bumper cover was off, they found a cracked radiator mount and also that the air conditioning compressor was dented. These guys looked out for me and put on all new parts, even when the insurance resisted the OEM compressor and wanted an aftermarket one.

All told, the bill was $2,900 (including my deductible), so I am glad I went with insurance. I fear how my insurance rate will change, though.

It did take three weeks to get done, when we all hoped it could happen in a day. While this may have been due to being a smaller and busy shop, parts supply was slow on the first shipment, there were the additional discoveries, and there was a delay while the shop pushed my insurance for all OEM. I wasn’t worried about the time, though, just the results.

I am happy with the results (first picture and below) and very, very happy to have my fun car back! Nothing like a blah rental to make me appreciate the GTI.

P.S. When I was picking it up on Friday afternoon, they had just finished touching up this car (below), owned by racer Denny Hamlin’s father, who is apparently a very regular customer. I could post other cool photos from the shop, but that might be a separate post, Cars and Coffee style.

DISCUSSION (15)

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
07/23/2016 at 17:39

All told, the bill was $2,900 (including my deductible)

[screams internally]

E92M3 > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
07/23/2016 at 18:06

Seems like you picked a good place. Did your insurance give you a diminished value? Since it will now have a dirty carfax?

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > E92M3
07/23/2016 at 18:26

Good question. I’ll have to ask it. Thanks. (Good thing I am a buy and hold type.)

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/23/2016 at 21:44

Yeah, right. Good thing I avoided getting a GTI with the tech package and sensors in the bumper cover. It would have surely been even more expensive.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
07/23/2016 at 22:12

I live about 4 miles from Reflections. Hmm. I promise that I'm not an OppositeStalker.

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
07/23/2016 at 22:25

I believe you . . . me neither, even though I’ve been wondering if/when our paths will cross IRL.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
07/23/2016 at 23:03

Well I live near Stanley and work in Charlotte. I think my wife and I have the only white Renegade Sport with black steelies and MySky in the Charlotte area. So if you see some fat, tattooed schmuck with a beard cruising up 85 in that car, it’s me.

Ferdinand Adlersflügel > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
07/24/2016 at 00:08

I totally get the pain of the cost of German plastic. I had my Panamera for four days when I scraped the front on a stone driveway. It cost insurance US$5,500 to replace a lower trim splitter and a cracked wheel well liner. It took forever to match the PTS paint correctly. What a pain that was.

Glad you got it back good as new!

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
10/08/2016 at 15:35

Steve, I really would like to alter the cushioning in my nice, new driver’s seat. Would it be okay/make sense if I contacted your workplace and asked for you? I’ve already met one Oppo IRL, and he is still alive, so there’s that . . .

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
10/08/2016 at 17:11

Cushioning - as in add more, or change the shape, or something else?

The boss doesn’t like to work on cushions in the shop because of liability - in some vehicles it can cause an airbag fault if we add foam, even on the driver side.

Plus, VW products have interior put together differently. For example, door panels are pretty standard as part of our leather packages. Most Japanese, American, and Korean vehicles are still put together with screws so that they can be taken apart if needed.

VW are almost always plastic welded. To put vinyl or leather on door panels we have to break them, then reassemble with the vinyl over the panels, then plastic weld them together again.

What I’m saying is, come by and see. I can say that maybe we can. If the boss doesn’t want to put it through the shop I can get you with my shop manager. He’s in his 40s and has been doing this kind of work since high school. He does 6-figure show cars regularly, so he knows what he’s doing.

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
10/09/2016 at 15:30

Huh, didn’t occur to me that it could affect the airbags. I’m talking about adding some cushioning to the driver’s seat bottom, excluding the portion where the thighs rest. Depending on the cushion material, perhaps an inch or so of depth.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
10/10/2016 at 11:46

Come on by sometime. If it’s not something we do in the shop here, my shop manager can probably help.

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
10/11/2016 at 08:19

I just had a large amount of work dumped on me yesterday. I will visit, but it may take a few weeks for me to find the time. Thanks!

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
10/11/2016 at 08:30

That’s fine. We’re here 8-5 M-F but our shop manager does stuff on the weekend. He’s reupholstering the driver’s seat outside bolsters in a 2014 GT-R on Saturday. The owner’s a big dude and the car already has 70k miles.

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
10/13/2016 at 11:03

I may be able to dig out of work Friday afternoon and stop by.